The only thing more frightening than launching a new eCommerce site is upgrading your current eCommerce platform. It’s not always easy to manage eCommerce platform migration easily as you can face many potential pitfalls. A successful transition requires frictionless business processes.
However, you still need to perform diligent research to determine if it’s time to replatform. Here are a few common fears many eCommerce business owners have:
- Sunk cost fallacy: It’s expensive to replace obsolete technology.
- Demands on time and money: Projects may take longer than anticipated and go over budget.
- Existing SEO processes may need a refresh.
- You don’t have the resources to perform an eCommerce platform migration.
Why Is eCommerce Platform Migration So Intimidating?
Invariably, there are many unfounded fears, such as the fear of the unknown. Perhaps the greatest challenge is your existing IT architecture, disparate systems, and complicated tech stacks. If you make one change, it may drive unintended consequences toppling every process like a fragile house of cards. There are many scenarios where eCommerce replatforming can go wrong. Yet, a legacy platform will hold your business back from improving the customer and employee experience.
Customers Expect a Better Platform
If your customer-facing team members are overwhelmed with phone calls and complaints because customers can’t find what they’re looking for or they can’t complete the checkout process, then it may be time to consider replatforming. If customers complain that the site is brimming with inefficient processes, be grateful they took the time to let you know.
However, there are also more apparent signals it’s time to replatform, including:
- Slow-loading pages
- Increased bounce rate
- Lack of an omnichannel experience
Concerning eCommerce, there are web experience trends that consumers have grown to expect. If your site does not align with market expectations for site design or user experience, then your company has already fallen behind the curve. In some cases, your site may need more than a refresh. It may require a complete overhaul. If you decide to start fresh, it makes sense to consider the right resources.
Operational Signals to Consider Before eCommerce Replatforming
As your IT infrastructure becomes more convoluted over time, your IT team may feel burdened by every update. When systems are too complicated, even minor updates can drive integration and plug-in failures that require additional time to sort and manual work.
Concerning integrations, if your current platform does not have the flexibility to connect with other systems such as your CRM, ERP, PIM, or other crucial applications, it’s time to stop building new bridges and instead replatform. At OroCommerce, this is our specialty. Visit marketplace to see how we feature built-in connectors that seamlessly integrate with your ERP, accounting, payment, and other systems. It’s time to replatform your eCommerce to a solution that integrates easily with other systems and applications.
Do you have access to third-party logistics (3PL)? Having 3PL ensures effective management of manual tasks around order fulfillment, warehousing, and supply chain management. Reducing the level of complexity around your current eCommerce platform will make it easier for your team members and your customers.
Rising Costs Without Adequate ROI Means It’s Time to Replatform
Think about the rising cost of maintenance without matching profits. If your current eCommerce platform does not provide enough bandwidth to scale with your business, then it’s a solid signal for making a change. If your software fees are increasing, but you aren’t getting more from your solution, it has become a problem. Perhaps your current platform fit your needs when you first launched, but now that is no longer the case.
You Have Outgrown Your Platform
The right eCommerce platform can scale with your business. To illustrate, if your site takes longer than six seconds to load a page, your customers probably won’t wait around. Today, many mobile users expect a site to load in three seconds or less.
In addition, if you have increasing SKUs or changing database requirements, then replatforming is vital. Customers also want sites that can deliver personalized product and service catalogs. Perhaps you want to incorporate AI-driven chat experiences, but your current platform does not offer the functionality. On the other hand, eCommerce replatforming can deliver the scalability you need, more SKUs, and an enhanced customer experience with added functionalities.
Take Cues from Marketing and Sales
If any of your sales and marketing team’s meetings begin with “If only the site…” it’s a critical signal it’s time to replatform. If you don’t have a clear view of leads, opportunities, and sales, then it would help to prioritize a new solution. Further, if you can create customized prices, catalogs, and product configurations, then it’s time to migrate to a new system. If your sales and marketing team are begging for a better solution, then perhaps it’s time to replatform to a forward-thinking, scalable, and resilient solution.
Document Your Replatforming Process and Strategy
It would be best to select a future-proof solution. You want to do more than kick the can down the road. Look carefully at the signals driving change, and ensure your new platform can meet your current and future trends while being robust enough to keep up with consumer trends. And, think about partnering with an eCommerce replatforming consultant to guide you through the process, especially if you have unique business needs.
Remember, the more you comprehend what you need to have for a practical replatforming experience, the better you can communicate the need with your stakeholders. Here are a few straightforward tips:
- Create a data migration plan that includes all the tools and support you need.
- Outline the scope of front-end and back-end development work.
- Ensure you have adequate time for QA testing.
- Detail a pre-launch checklist that covers your entire eCommerce store.
- Outline your processes for pre-and-post launch training.
Therefore, it is essential to hire an eCommerce replatforming consultant to ensure you have ample time and resources.
Examples of Effective Replatforming Tools
The good news is there are many migration solutions available to help you replatform efficiently. One of the more popular shopping cart migration services is Cart2Cart. With this solution, you have all the functionality you need to automate transfers from your store database across multiple shopping carts. If you have a more straightforward migration, you can do so in a matter of a few steps. The Cart2Cart list of over 85 supported entities includes:
- Magento
- OpenCart
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- PrestaShop
Also, new shopping cart services are added continuously.
Concerning budgets, Cart2Cart is cost-effective. You can use its Migration Estimator to calculate the total cost. Unquestionably, the tool is a logical choice for small-to-midsize e-merchants who want to focus on taking their business to the next level.
Manage eCommerce Migration Risks
Don’t be surprised if your team members are both concerned and excited about transitioning to a new eCommerce solution. Based on their experiences with your current platform, they may offer good suggestions for improving the process.
Additionally, it’s not unusual to feel nervous about replatforming. You don’t want to lose anything in the transition. Remember, planning is everything. Many eCommerce replatforming consultants can help. Extensive research can help prepare you for any possible issues.
Check out our detailed guide to get through every component of eCommerce platform migration while avoiding the pitfalls.