Ecommerce Software
Online store management, payments, and fulfillment.
Key Functions
| Function | Description | AI Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Product Catalog | Listings, variants, inventory | Auto-descriptions |
| Storefront | Themes, pages, navigation | Personalization |
| Shopping Cart | Add, modify, checkout | Abandonment recovery |
| Payments | Processing, methods, fraud | Fraud detection |
| Orders | Processing, status, history | Automation |
| Shipping | Rates, labels, tracking | Route optimization |
| Inventory | Stock levels, locations, alerts | Demand forecasting |
| Customers | Profiles, segments, loyalty | Churn prediction |
| Discounts | Coupons, promotions, rules | Dynamic pricing |
| Analytics | Sales, conversion, LTV | Predictive insights |
Data Footprint
Core Entities
| Entity | Fields | Volume | Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Products | title, description, price, images, variants | Medium | Low |
| Orders | items, customer, payment, shipping, status | Very High | High |
| Customers | contact, addresses, preferences, history | High | High |
| Inventory | SKU, quantity, location, reorder point | High | Low |
| Payments | transaction, method, status, refunds | Very High | High |
| Shipping | carrier, tracking, cost, delivery | High | Medium |
| Discounts | code, rules, usage, limits | Low | Low |
| Reviews | rating, content, customer, product | Medium | Low |
Integration Points
| System | Data Flow | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Payment Gateways | Transactions | Bi-directional |
| Shipping Carriers | Rates, labels, tracking | Bi-directional |
| Accounting | Orders, revenue, tax | Outbound |
| CRM | Customer data | Bi-directional |
| Marketing | Audiences, campaigns | Bi-directional |
| Inventory/ERP | Stock levels | Bi-directional |
| Marketplaces | Amazon, eBay listings | Bi-directional |
| POS | In-store sales | Bi-directional |
Data Retention
| Data Type | Typical Retention | Compliance Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Order history | 7+ years | Tax/legal |
| Customer data | Until deletion request | GDPR/privacy |
| Payment records | 7+ years | PCI, tax |
| Product data | Indefinite | Catalog management |
| Inventory history | 2-3 years | Analysis |
Evaluation Criteria
| Criteria | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of setup | High | Time to first sale |
| Payment options | High | Customer conversion |
| Customization | Medium | Brand experience |
| App ecosystem | Medium | Extended functionality |
| Transaction fees | Medium | Margin impact |
| Scalability | Medium | Growth handling |
| B2B features | Low | If needed |
Market Leaders
| Product | Strength | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Ease of use, ecosystem | Most DTC brands |
| WooCommerce | WordPress, flexibility | WordPress users |
| BigCommerce | B2B, headless | Growing brands |
| Magento | Enterprise, customization | Large catalogs |
| Squarespace | Design, simplicity | Small stores |
| Medusa | Open source, headless | Developers |
AI Disruption Potential
| Function | Current State | 2027 Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Product descriptions | Manual/templates | Auto-generated |
| Pricing | Rules-based | Dynamic AI |
| Recommendations | Collaborative filtering | Deep personalization |
| Customer service | Chatbots | Full AI support |
| Inventory forecasting | Historical models | Predictive |
| Fraud detection | Rules + ML | Real-time AI |
Build vs Buy: Buy for most. Shopify handles 90% of use cases. Build headless only if customer experience is core differentiator.