How to Build an eCommerce Website Using Laravel?

• 11% drop in page views for a one-second delay. (source: envisage)
• 88% of consumers are less likely to return to a site with bad UX. (source: HubSpot)

Introduction to Laravel as a PHP Framework

Laravel for eCommerce Development: Key Features

User Management

Responsive Design

Product Catalog Management

Shopping Cart Functionality

Payment Gateway Integration

Order Management

Search and Filter Options

SEO Features

Analytics and Reporting

Benefits of Using Laravel for Building eCommerce Websites

MVC Architecture Support 

High-End Security Features

Easy Workflow Planning

Highly Scalable

Community Support 

Integrations with Many Interfaces

Database Migration Made Easy

Simple Maintenance and Testing

How to Build an eCommerce Site Using Laravel?

Step 1: Set up the Laravel project

• Install PHP: Make sure you have installed the latest version of PHP or a higher version on your system. 
• Install Composer: Download and install from GetComposer, a dependency manager for PHP.
• Create a new Laravel project: Open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the desired directory for your project.

composer create-project laravel/laravel your-project-name

Php artisan serve

Step 2: Design Database

• Users: To store customer information.
• Products: To manage product details, such as the name, price, and description.
• Orders: To track customer purchases.

php artisan make: migration create_products_table

php artisan migrate

Step 3: Creating the product catalog

Develop models

php
namespace App\Models;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
class Product extends Model {
protected $fillable = ['name', 'description', 'price'];
}

Controllers

php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use App\Models\Product;
class ProductsController extends Controller {
public function index() {
$products = Product::all();
return view('products.index', compact('products'));
}
}

Views

Step 4: Design Routing and URLs

php
Route::get('/products', 'ProductsController@index');
Route::get('/product/{id}', 'ProductsController@show');

Step 5: Implement User Authentication

• Allow users to register and log in.
• Let them manage their profiles and view order histories.
• Include password reset options for forgotten passwords.

Step 6: Create a Product Catalog and Shopping Experience

Product Catalog

• Product Listing: Display products with images, descriptions, and prices for easy understanding.
• Filtering and Sorting: Allow filtering by categories and price ranges to help customers find what they need.
• Product Details: Provide detailed pages with high-quality images, reviews, and related items.
• Search Functionality: Include a search bar for quick product discovery.

Shopping Cart and Checkout

• Add to Cart: Allow customers to add items and select quantities.
• Cart Management: Show a summary with product details and total price.
• Checkout Process: Design a simple, secure process for entering addresses and confirming orders.

Using Laravel Features

php
@foreach ($products as $product)
<div class="product">
<a href="{{ route('products.show', $product->id) }}">
<img src="{{ $product->image_url }}" alt="{{ $product->name }}">
</a>
<h3>{{ $product->name }}</h3>
<p>{{ $product->price }}</p>
<a href="{{ route('cart.add', $product->id) }}">Add to Cart</a>
</div>
@endforeach

Step 7: Checkout and Payment

Essential Features

• Address Selection: Allow users to choose or save shipping and billing addresses.
• Payment Methods: Integrate secure payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, etc.
• Order Confirmation: Show a summary of order details, shipping, and payment.
• Order Updates: Send email notifications and offer order tracking.

Security Considerations

• Ensure PCI compliance for credit card security.
• Use encrypted connections and tokenization for data protection.
• Implement fraud detection to prevent unauthorized transactions.

Benefits of Laravel Features (Checkout process)

• Use Laravel's validation and security tools for protection.
• Use Laravel Cashier or Stripe for smooth payment integration.
• Set up event listeners to automatically send order confirmations and updates.

php
Copy code
// Using Laravel Cashier
$user = auth()->user();
$charge = $user->charge(
$request->amount,
$request->payment_token,
[
'description' => $request->order_description,
]
);
// Handle successful payment and create the order

Step 8: Order Management and Admin Panel

Essential Features

• Order Listing: View, filter, and search orders by status.
• Order Details: Access customer details, purchased products, shipping info, and payment status.
• Order Status Updates: Manually update statuses and notify customers of progress.
• Inventory Management: Get low-stock alerts and update inventory based on sales.
• Reporting and Analytics: Use reports to track sales and popular products.

Laravel Features

• Eloquent Models: Manage orders, products, and users efficiently.
• DataTables Packages: Use packages like DataTables to create searchable lists.
• Laravel Charts: Display sales trends and metrics using Laravel Charts.
• Authorization: Control access to admin panel features with Laravel's policies.

Step 9: Testing and Deployment

Testing

• Unit Testing: Test individual units of code for correctness using tools like PHPUnit.
• Feature Testing: Verify overall system behavior with tools like Behat.
• Integration Testing: Test component interactions with tools like Laravel Dusk.
• Security Testing: Run security audits to fix vulnerabilities.

Deployment

• Local Testing: Use XAMPP or Laravel Valet for local testing.
• Version Control: Use Git to manage code changes and track revisions.
• Deployment Strategies: Choose CI/CD pipelines or PaaS options like Laravel Forge.
• Server Configuration: Set up your production server with proper security measures.

Winding up