4 August 2026

What is an e‑commerce platform?

An e-commerce platform is a comprehensive solution for selling products or services online to individuals or businesses. E-commerce platforms offer highly advanced back-office features, including search engine optimization, marketing, merchandising, and personalized experiences.

Definition

An e-commerce platform is a web platform that allows a merchant to sell products or services online. An e-commerce site features a product catalog and is equipped with a secure payment system. This allows customers to make purchases at any time and from anywhere.

There are three types of e-commerce sites:

B2C (Business-to-Consumer) e-commerce sites where companies sell to individual consumers,
B2B (Business-to-Business) or BtoB e-commerce sites where companies sell to other companies,
C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer) online marketplaces where individuals buy and sell items with other individuals.

A comprehensive e-commerce platform does more than just offer products with online payment options. In the back office, the e-merchant can manage:

the logistics of its products (inventory management, shipments, shipment tracking),
marketing (SEO, upselling, cross-selling, abandoned cart follow-ups, marketing automation, A/B testing for email marketing, other integrated sales channels, chatbots, etc.).

A marketplace, on the other hand, refers to any platform that connects buyers and sellers online. A marketplace provides merchants with an established, targeted audience in exchange for a commission on sales. Here are a few examples of well-known marketplaces: Amazon, La Redoute, Cdiscount...

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What are the benefits of an e-commerce platform?

Don't miss the shift to online sales

The growth of online sales is well established. The e-commerce market in France reached nearly 130 billion euros in 2021, up 15%. More than 80% of French people shop online, and more than 50% make purchases on their mobile devices, according to FEVAD.

Expanding Your Service Area

An online store allows you to expand your customer base to a much larger catchment area than a brick-and-mortar store. It enables you to sell your products throughout France, or even across Europe or the world, provided the website is translated into multiple languages and the company has established the necessary logistics and marketing infrastructure.

Make sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Your online store is open 24/7. This allows you to make sales even on Sundays, holidays, and at night! Potential customers can access e-commerce sites from their smartphones anywhere and anytime.

Manage all processes within a single platform

An e-commerce platform allows you to manage the entire sales process within a single solution, from product promotion to delivery, including online payment and inventory management.

Doing Online Marketing

When a customer makes a purchase on your e-commerce site, they provide you with all their contact information. You can then build customer loyalty by sending them emails. Thanks to search engine optimization (SEO), the products sold on an e-commerce site can appear in search engine results, such as Google or Bing.

Key Features of an E-commerce Platform

A product management solution

Powered by a PIM, e-commerce platforms enable product categorization and the definition of dynamic filters, such as sorting by size or color, or displaying products in ascending order of price… Not to mention product descriptions.

A flexible content management system

A CMS (Content Management System) integrated into your e-commerce platform will allow you to easily create new content pages without needing a developer. A page builder typically lets you drag and drop elements (text blocks, images, videos, buttons, spacing, etc.) onto your new page.

An order management system

An order management system handles order tracking, interfaces with the delivery management system, and manages email and/or SMS notifications to customers.

Data Security

An e-commerce site must protect its customers’ data from leaks and data breaches. It must have a system in place to protect against fraud and DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks.

Personalizing the Customer Experience

What sets one e-commerce site apart from another is, more often than not, the user experience rather than the product. The most successful e-commerce platforms offer the ability to personalize the user experience with tailored product and marketing content.

Statistics

An e-commerce platform should allow users to view key statistics: sales by date, product categories, products, etc., visits, conversion rates, cart abandonment rates, etc.

An inventory management system

Inventory management must be extremely reliable. The system must be able to track inventory in real time—not only in the warehouse but also in each store within the distribution network—so that it can offer click-and-collect or home delivery.

Online Payment

An e-commerce platform must accept various payment methods: credit cards, PayPal, instant bank transfers, checks, and, in some cases, installment payments. To do this, you’ll need to choose a payment service provider (PSP) such as Worldline, Payplug, Stripe, etc. Transactions must, of course, be secure and comply with PCI DSS security standards.

A returns management system

The returns management system allows you to process returns, approve or reject requests, send return authorization forms, and issue refunds once the return has been processed.

Pre-designed layout

Most e-commerce platforms offer a catalog of ready-to-use themes (templates), which are usually categorized by industry. The vast majority feature responsive design.

Up-selling and cross-selling

A system for upselling, cross-selling, or smart product recommendations (similar products) can increase the average order value as well as the conversion rate. Don’t miss out!

Abandoned Cart Follow-Up

Abandoned cart recovery is essential for any e-commerce site. It helps increase the conversion rate and identify potential issues in the checkout process.

E-commerce Platform: Which Industries Are Suitable?

For brands:

Selling online is now essential for any brand that wants to grow, especially internationally. It’s a must for every brand!

For distributors, networks, and franchises:

With the growth of click-and-collect, retail chains—whether company-owned or franchised—need to offer their customers an online store so they can shop at their leisure from home and then pick up their purchases in-store.

For manufacturers and industrial companies:

B2B e-commerce in the industrial sector represents a real growth driver for many French SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and mid-sized companies: access to new markets, new growth opportunities, a simplified sales process, and more.

What other solutions does your
e-commerce platform need to integrate with?

Your e-commerce solution should integrate with other solutions that make it easier for you to manage your online business:

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solution to integrate your e-commerce customer data;
An email marketing and marketing automation solution for sending promotional and automated emails to your customers;
A product syndication solution that allows you to list your products on marketplaces and shopping engines;
Google solutions and tools (Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, etc.);
Inventory Management System.

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Why choose DATASOLUTION to deploy your e-commerce platform?

At DATASOLUTION, we believe that every business deserves a customized e-commerce solution capable of meeting its specific needs and propelling its business toward new horizons. Whether you’re new to online commerce or a seasoned veteran, our e-commerce solutions are designed to support all your ambitions.

DATASOLUTION has been designing, developing, and upgrading e-commerce platforms for over 20 years. Our solutions provide you with the tools you need to optimize your processes, improve your customer experience, and maximize your sales.

Do you need help setting up your e-commerce platform? Let our experts help!