## 2 Materials and Methods
### Preliminary Concepts
#### 2.1.2 eCommerce Architecture  
Companies that are part of eCommerce have IT architectures that respond to the needs of the company and the portfolio of its customers. However, for retail companies that are in their first steps of migration to a digital channel, making use of a complete and scalable architecture can demand too many resources [27]. Therefore, it is important to establish an architecture that includes the basic components to start using the Internet to enter the digital market [28]. Figure 1 presents a basic eCommerce architecture that is tailored to the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses.  
The main component is the use of the Internet as a communication channel and the web as a medium where products or brands are promoted. It is on this point that the difference between a company that manages eCommerce in a structured way and small companies is focused. Generally, large companies have design departments or hire them to design web pages that integrate complete catalogs of services or products aimed at consumers [7]. For their part, retail companies without the sufficient financial resources to establish a comprehensive structure to enter digital commerce use other means, such as social networks, to offer their products and brand positioning.  
The next component is the devices, among which the use of mobile phones stands out. Several studies carried out in Ecuador in 2020 analyzed the use of the Internet and the new consumption habits generated by the pandemic. Ecuador has a population of around 17.7 million inhabitants, of which 64.3% are residents of urban areas. The number of connected mobile devices in the country is around 13.8 million, which constitutes 77.8% of the population. Therefore, for retail companies, it is important to use these data to establish their target market, by also considering which are the most used devices to access social networks.  
The next component considers the location of the product and the consumer, and this is a very important variable that must be considered, at both the seller and buyer levels [29]. Shipping costs and delivery time depend on this information. Aligned to this component within the architecture of eCommerce, the payment process is considered [30]. This is a key point that determines the loyalty of consumers to a brand or a company. Other models use digital platforms that work through an application, as is the case of companies thatregister with Uber Eats. This is a comprehensive platform that connects users, restaurant partners, and delivery partners to make food delivery an easy and hassle-free service. For their part, retail companies generally do not have a payment model; therefore, they manage this directly with the buyer, who does not have support in receiving the product once the payment is made.  
The next component is fulfillment, which for retail companies represents a difficulty, since they depend on third parties for delivery. This stage is critical and not controlled by the seller and consumer, which can cause problems in receiving the product, both in terms of delivery times and the state of the product. To this is added an additional cost that the buyer must assume, without there being a guarantee on what they expect to receive [31].