CheukLaam Liang ¹, Yu Sun ², Shuo Chen ³ , ¹ USA, ² California State Polytechnic University, USA, ³ Rutgers University New Brunswick, USA

Small bakeries face competitive disadvantages due to expensive digital ordering systems, with 30% closing in the last decade partly due to digital adaptation challenges. This paper presents a mobile e-commerce application built with Flutter and Firebase that enables affordable digital storefronts for local bakeries [1]. The system integrates three major components: Firebase Authentication for user management, Firestore-based product browsing with intelligent search across multiple collections, and singleton-pattern cart management with real-time order processing [2]. Implementation challenges included maintaining cart consistency across navigation, implementing efficient multicollection search, and ensuring secure authentication with graceful error handling. Experimental testing demonstrated 98% search accuracy for standard queries, 267ms average response times, and 98.25% cart consistency across complex navigation scenarios. Comparison with traditional web systems, generic e-commerce platforms, and native development revealed cost reductions of 90% while maintaining superior mobile user experience. This solution democratizes e-commerce technology for small businesses, enabling local bakeries to compete effectively in the digital marketplace while preserving artisanal food culture.

E-Commerce, Flutter Development, Firebase Integration, Small Business Digitalization