DEVELOPMENT OF AN E-COMMERCE WEBSITE FOR AJAYI CROWTHER UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of digital technologies has reshaped business models, driving the adoption of e-commerce across many sectors, including higher education. This project develops an e- commerce website for Ajayi Crowther University to support commercial transactions within the university community. The platform will allow students, lecturers, and staff to buy academic materials, pay for services, and access essential goods easily. The website is built using modern web technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js, Node.js, and MySQL for both frontend and backend. Secure payment gateways like Paystack and Flutterwave will be integrated to ensure safe transactions, with user authentication and encryption to protect data privacy. A mixed-method research approach, including surveys and interviews with students, faculty, and administrators, identifies user needs and challenges in deploying an e-commerce system in a Nigerian university. Data is analyzed using statistical and thematic methods to evaluate the platform’s effectiveness. The project’s findings show the benefits of campus e-commerce, such as convenience, efficiency, cost savings, and improved digital services. Challenges like internet access, user adoption, security risks, and system maintenance are also addressed. By tackling these issues and providing a secure, user-friendly, and scalable solution, this project aims to strengthen digital commerce at Ajayi Crowther University and contribute to the wider adoption of e-commerce in Nigerian higher education.