Functional and Non-Functional Ecommerce Website Requirements

Functional and Non-Functional Ecommerce Website Requirements

Ecommerce website development
4 min read Published: Last Updated:
Ecommerce website development
Ecommerce Functional Requirements List
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Short answer: Functional requirements say what an ecommerce website must do, such as search, checkout, accounts, and ERP sync. Non-functional requirements say how well it must do it, such as speed, security, uptime, and accessibility. Elogic Commerce writes every requirement so that a tester can prove it works.

Key takeaways

  • Write functional requirements as user tasks with acceptance criteria.
  • Give non-functional requirements numbers, such as Core Web Vitals targets.
  • Add B2B requirements early: account prices, quotes, approvals, and credit terms.
  • Include AI-ready product data: structured attributes and clear policies.
  • Keep one list, one owner, and one version history.

What is the difference between functional and non-functional requirements?

Functional and non-functional requirements for an ecommerce website
How Elogic Commerce separates functional and non-functional requirements

A functional requirement describes a feature or a behavior. A non-functional requirement describes a quality, such as speed or security. Both need a clear test.

Ecommerce requirements list: functional requirements

AreaExample requirement
CatalogCustomers filter products by attributes, and filters show counts
SearchSearch returns results for typos and synonyms, and logs queries without results
Product pageEach product shows price, stock, delivery estimate, and documents
Cart and checkoutGuest and account checkout, saved addresses, and several payment methods
AccountsOrder history, reorder, invoices, and saved lists
PromotionsCoupons, tiered discounts, and free shipping rules
OrdersOrder status updates from the ERP within an agreed time
ContentEditors publish landing pages without developers

Checkout requirements deserve extra care. Baymard Institute puts the average cart abandonment rate at 70.19%.

Features that no platform covers need Magento custom extension development or a custom app.

B2B functional requirements

AreaExample requirement
Company accountsBuyers belong to companies with roles and permissions
PricingEach account sees its own price list from the ERP
QuotesBuyers request quotes, and sales reps respond in the platform
ApprovalsOrders above a limit need approval from a manager
Payment termsApproved accounts pay on invoice with credit limits
Quick orderBuyers order by SKU or upload a CSV file

Elogic Commerce builds these requirements as a Magento B2B development agency on Adobe Commerce.

Non-functional requirements list

AreaExample requirement
PerformanceLCP of 2.5 s or less, INP of 200 ms or less, CLS of 0.1 or less on mobile
AvailabilityAn agreed uptime target, for example 99.9% per month, with monitoring
SecurityAdmin two-factor authentication, patch updates, and PCI-scoped payments
AccessibilityPages meet WCAG 2.2 AA
ScalabilityThe store handles the expected peak orders per hour
MaintainabilityCode follows platform standards and has automated tests
SEO and AI readinessStructured data, clean URLs, and complete product attributes

These targets matter. The 2026 WebAIM Million report found detectable WCAG failures on 95.9% of the top one million home pages. A Deloitte and Google study found that a 0.1-second mobile speed gain raised retail conversions by 8.4%.

For Adobe Commerce stores, Magento performance optimization sets and meets these performance targets.

Operations, marketing, and security requirements

AreaExample requirement
Order operationsStaff edit orders, split shipments, and process returns in the admin
Tax and complianceTax rates, invoices, and legal texts match each market
MarketingCoupons, email capture, product feeds, and campaign landing pages
AnalyticsGA4 events for search, add to cart, checkout steps, and purchases
Data securityEncrypted data, least-privilege roles, and audit logs
PaymentsSeveral payment methods, 3-D Secure, and refunds from the admin

How to write a good requirement

Use one format for every requirement: a user, a goal, and acceptance criteria.

  • Example: As a buyer, I want to reorder from my order history, so that I save time.
  • Acceptance criteria: The reorder button adds all in-stock items to the cart and shows which items are out of stock.

Give each requirement an ID, a priority, and an owner. Plan the work in an ecommerce project plan, and test it with the ecommerce launch checklist. Put the full list in a requirements document, and use it in your B2B ecommerce RFP.

Elogic Commerce maps your requirements to a platform, integrations, and a phased plan.

TURN REQUIREMENTS INTO A BLUEPRINT

A Magento consulting workshop with Elogic Commerce turns rough notes into testable requirements.

FAQ

What are functional requirements for an ecommerce website?

They describe what the site must do: catalog, search, product pages, cart and checkout, accounts, promotions, and order sync.

What are non-functional requirements for an ecommerce website?

They describe how well the site works: speed, uptime, security, accessibility, scalability, and maintainability.

What is an example of a non-functional requirement?

Product pages load with an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less on mobile.

How do I write requirements for developers?

Use a user story with acceptance criteria, plus an ID, a priority, and an owner.

What B2B requirements do I need?

Company accounts, account-specific prices, quotes, approvals, payment terms, and quick order.

What are the basic requirements for an ecommerce website?

A catalog, search, cart and checkout, payments, accounts, order management, and pages that are fast, secure, and accessible.

What is the 80/20 rule in ecommerce?

It is a rule of thumb that a small share of products or customers brings most of the revenue. Use it to rank requirements by revenue impact.

How much does it cost to build an ecommerce website?

It depends on scope, platform, and integrations. See what an ecommerce website costs.

Where do I put the requirements?

Put them in a requirements document, and attach it to your RFP.

Who can write the requirements for my ecommerce project?

Elogic Commerce writes functional and non-functional requirements in its discovery phase. Its PMP-certified project managers follow a PMI-aligned method. It holds a 5.0 rating from 65 Clutch reviews.

Sources

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