Create a flexible framework in PHP for a powerful ecommerce solution

• Build a flexible e-commerce framework using PHP, which can be extended and modified for the purposes of any e-commerce site
• Enable customer retention and more business by creating rich user experiences
• Develop a suitable structure for your framework and create a registry to store core objects
• Promote your e-commerce site using techniques with APIs such as Google Products or Amazon web services, SEO, marketing, and customer satisfaction

In Detail

The popularity of online shopping has increased dramatically over the past few years. There are plenty of options available if you not are planning to build your own e-commerce solution but sometimes it's better to use your own solutions. It may be easy to find an e-commerce system but when it comes to extending it or using it you might come across a lot of difficulties.

This book will show you how to create your own PHP framework that can be extended and used with ease, particularly for e-commerce sites. Using this framework you will be able to display and manage products, customize products, create wish-lists, make recommendations to customers based on previous purchases, send email notifications when certain products are in stock, rate the products online, and much more.

This book helps you build a Model-View-Controller style framework, which is then used to put together an e-commerce application. The framework contains template management, database management, and user authentication management. With core functionality in place, e-commerce-focused features are gradually added to the framework including products, categories, customizable products with different variations and customer input, wish-lists, recommendations, the shopping basket, and a complete order process.

At the end of the book, you will have an e-commerce architecture that will take you from viewing or searching for products, and adding them to your basket, through the checkout process and making payment for your order, to your order being dispatched. Focus is placed on flexibility, so that the framework can be extended as the needs of a particular store change, as illustrated by one of the appendices, which goes through the process of modifying the store to sell downloadable products, as well as physical ones.

Supplementary information, such as how to market and promote an online store, as well as take regular backups and perform maintenance is also covered, ensuring you have every chance of success with you own e-commerce framework backed store.

What you will learn from this book

• Plan and develop a flexible, scalable PHP framework with emphasis on e-commerce
• Implement the Model-View-Controller architecture within the framework and learn how to use the registry design pattern to centralize core features
• Allow customers to customize their purchase by selecting product attributes, uploading files, and supplying custom text
• Offer attractive incentives to your customers in the form of discount codes
• Protect your e-commerce framework by keeping and maintaining regular backups
• Structure an extendable framework to build a custom e-commerce web site
• Add features such as product ratings and reviews from customers to enhance user experience
• Maintain your site using campaign monitor and CAPTCHA tools
• Create a shopping basket, manage its contents, structure the checkout and order process
• Filled with useful marketing, Search Engine Optimization, and customer retention tips
• Create a PHP framework to power your web site with a range of e-commerce features

Approach

This is a fast-paced tutorial focusing on creating a framework and using it to build an online store through an ongoing case study. Later chapters include examples to illustrate how easily the framework can be adapted for different situations. The framework and code are enhanced and built upon with each chapter, adding more and more functionality.

Who this book is written for

If you are a web developer, or anyone looking to increase your understanding of e-commerce site development, this book is for you. Primarily aimed at PHP developers, it is suitable for any web developer interested in enhancing their e-commerce knowledge, or developers looking to move towards PHP.

Intermediate knowledge of PHP development and object-oriented programming is assumed, and basic knowledge of e-commerce principles will be of benefit too.