How to Plan Re-Platforming of Your E-Commerce Store

Intro

Is your ecommerce platform holding you back?

Slow page loads, frequent crashes, or a clunky user experience are common experiences with an outdated ecommerce platform. If you are facing these issues, you are not alone!

Many businesses reach a point where their current platform can no longer keep up with their growing needs. An outdated platform doesn’t just impact a site’s performance—it hurts sales, frustrates customers, and stifles growth potential.

But you can turn these challenges into opportunities.

How?

By re-platforming strategically, you can transform your online store. As your store expands, you need a platform that can scale effortlessly, integrate seamlessly, and provide a superior shopping experience for your customers. You can also improve performance, enhance security, and provide a seamless experience that keeps customers returning.

In this guide, we will walk you through steps to successfully plan re-platforming your ecommerce store.

Why Re-Platforming Matters

In 2023, retail e-commerce sales were estimated to reach approximately $5.8 trillion worldwide. Your platform needs to be customer-friendly, as this is where customers prefer to make their purchases. Re-platforming can become necessary for your online store for the following reasons:

Outdated Features

As technology advances, your customers will expect more. Your platform may no longer support the modern shopping experience they need. Features such as personalized shopping experiences, advanced search capabilities, and mobile optimization are essential today, not just good to have. They help you attract and retain customers.

If your platform lacks these features, you might have a tough time staying on par with your competitors.

Poor Performance

Slow load times can frustrate customers. Imagine your customers shopping excitedly for their favorite product, and the page doesn’t load. They will leave your page and find an alternative product elsewhere. If your website is sluggish, customers may abandon their carts, losing sales.

There is a direct correlation between page load times and conversions. Every second counts: Portant's experiment revealed that conversion rates plummet by 4.42% for each second of load time delay within the first five seconds.

Slow load times also affect your search engine rankings, impacting your discoverability to new customers. A new platform can provide the speed and reliability needed to enhance user experience.

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Also read: 3 Best Conversion Rate Optimization Techniques

Integration Issues

As your business grows, you must integrate with third-party tools and services. They could be payment processors, inventory management systems, or marketing tools. Seamlessly integrating with such tools is crucial for operation efficiency.

But if your platform does not support such integrations, you know it is time to re-platform your ecommerce store.

Re-platforming involves more than upgrading your technology; it's about ensuring your business is ready for the future. It enables you to adjust to new market requirements, enhance customer experiences, and optimize operations, simplifying scaling and competition. However, understandably, the idea of moving your entire store can raise concerns about disruption, high costs, and the unknown.

Also read: 9 Must have eCommerce Software for Small Businesses in 2023

Common Concerns With Re-Platforming

Re-platforming is a significant change, so it’s normal to have doubts and concerns about it. However, here’s how you can address your concerns: \

1. Fear of Downtime and Data Loss

It’s valid to wonder about potential downtime when you change your ecommerce platform. You might worry that downtime will negatively impact sales and customer experience.

However, that doesn’t have to happen. You can minimize the risks with careful planning and a well-structured migration strategy.

On the other hand, if you are worried about losing your data, there is also a good fix for that. You need to have a robust backup plan for your data. This includes backing up your website, customer information, and transaction history before initiating the migration. With these precautions, you can eliminate the fear of losing data and ensure a smoother transition.

2. Cost Worries

How much is this going to really cost you? The costs associated with re-platforming can vary significantly based on:

• The complexity of your current setup
• The new platform you choose

However, you need to remember the bigger picture and internalize that this is a long-term investment. You are setting up the budget for your business’s future rather than a mere expense.

In the long term, re-platforming will improve performance, increase sales, and enhance customer satisfaction. While the initial costs may seem daunting, the potential ROI (return on investment) can far outweigh the expense.

3. Complexity of Migration

Migration can seem like a complicated process. While it involves multiple steps, a well-planned structure and streamlined process can make it manageable.

Many platforms even offer migration tools and resources to assist you. Additionally, working with experienced developers can make the process easier.

You can confidently tackle each task by breaking down the migration into bite-sized chunks, avoiding feeling overwhelmed. This approach also allows you to identify potential roadblocks or issues early on, enabling you to address them before they become more significant problems.

4. Learning Curve

With new platforms come new workflows and tools your team must learn to navigate efficiently. If you are intimidated by the sheer volume of digital adoption involved in this process, there are measures you can take to make it easier.

Conduct a thorough analysis of the new platform’s workflows compared to the old system and identify key differences. Then, using this information, create a guide for them. Invest in comprehensive training programs tailored to the specific roles in your team because not everyone needs to know everything. Marketing teams need a very different module from the developer team, and you must ensure this is done well to avoid any information overload for either of the teams.

Steps to Plan the Re-Platforming of Your Ecommerce Store

You can confidently navigate the re-platforming of your e-commerce store with the steps you have defined to follow. Here are four steps to confidently navigate the transition and ensure your new ecommerce platform meets your business goals.

Step 1: Assess Your Current Platform

Conduct a thorough assessment of your existing marketing platform. Identify specific pain points and performance gaps. Ask yourself these questions:

• What features are lacking?
• Are any technical limitations hindering your operations?
• How well does your platform integrate with other tools?

Gather feedback from your team and customers. Understand their perspectives to make a holistic rehaul of your platform. This assessment will clarify the goals you need to achieve with the new platform and what are the most pressing issues.

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Step 2: Define Clear Goals

Now it is time to define your goals. What exactly do you want to achieve with the new platform? Some of your common goals may include:

• Improved performance to ensure faster load times
• A more intuitive and user-friendly interface for enhanced user experience
• A scalable solution that has the ability to grow and adapt as your business evolves
• Seamless integration with third-party apps

Establishing these goals will influence your decision-making process.

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Also read: How To Build SEO Friendly Ecommerce Website

Step 3: Choose the Right Platform

Now that you know what you want to achieve with the right goals, you need to decide which vendor you want it from. It’s time to research the ecommerce platforms that align with your objectives. Here are some potential evaluating factors;

• Does the platform have the necessary features and functionalities to meet your business goals?
• What are the initial and ongoing costs associated with the platform?
• Do they have an efficient and reliable customer support team to assist with any issues?
• Is the platform scalable and flexible?

Here are some key evaluating factors:

• Features and functionalities: Look for a platform that offers the tools you need, such as product management, SEO capabilities, payment gateways, and customizable themes.
• Costs: Evaluate the initial setup cost, subscription fees, transaction fees, and additional costs for add-ons. Additionally pay attention to hidden costs like maintenance, upgrades, potential scaling-up fees, etc
• Customer support: Check if the platform offers 24/7 support through multiple channels, such as email, chat, phone, etc.
• Scalability and flexibility: Verify if the platform meets industry standards for security, such as SSL certification, PCI compliance, and GDPR adherence.
• User experience: Assess the ease of use for both your team and your customers. Is the platform intuitive? Does it offer a smooth checkout experience?

Shortlist the platform that meets your needs, then request demos and trials to get a feel for its capabilities.

Also read: Dropshipping in 2023: What Platform Should You Choose?

Step 4: Plan the Migration Process

Create a detailed migration plan once you have tried the platforms and selected what you want. In the plan, you must include:

Timeline

After discussing the migration process with the stakeholders across the teams, establish a timeline to minimize disruptions. Schedule the migration during off-peak hours to reduce the impact on customers.

Set milestones for each stage of the migration such as data export, testing, and go-live.

Checklist of tasks

Outline all the tasks that need to be completed during the migration.

• Identify data transfer needs, including product information, customer information, and order histories.
• Recreate your website’s design and check for mobile responsiveness and consistent branding.
• Conduct thorough testing of the new platform, including functional, performance, and security checks.

Strategy for data transfer and backup

Ensure you have a robust backup plan to safeguard your data. This includes backing up your website content, product information, customer accounts, order histories, and other critical data. By taking proactive measures to safeguard the data, you minimize the risk of loss or corruption of data in case there are issues during the migration.

SEO Preservation

Create 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones to preserve search engine rankings. Additionally, audit your site post-migration to ensure all pages are correctly indexed with no broken links. Use an SEO log analyzer to get deep insights into how search engines are interacting with your site, helping to identify and troubleshoot crawl issues quickly. In this way, you can ensure that search engines are effectively crawling your new URLs, and identify any unnoticed or mismanaged redirects, helping to maintain your site's visibility and ranking during the transition.

Step 5: Test and Optimize

Before going live with your new platform, conduct thorough testing. Here are some ways to do it:

• Functional testing: Ensure all features and functionalities are working as expected
• Performance testing: Test the new platform’s speed and responsiveness
• User experience testing: Ask a select group of customers and internal teams to use the platform and gather feedback to identify any areas of improvement.

After gathering feedback, testing, and addressing issues, you can now provide a seamless experience to your customers from day one!

Best Practices for a Smooth Transition

When re-platforming your ecommerce store, you must follow certain best practices to make the transition smooth. Implementing certain proven strategies mitigates risks and enhances the migration experience for your teams and customers. Here are some essential best practices to ensure your re-platforming process is efficient, effective, and minimally disruptive.

Collaborate With Experts

Involve experienced developers and consultants who specialize in re-platforming. They can provide valuable insights to help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure that migration is executed efficiently. You can leverage their opinion in data migration, Search Engine Optimization considerations, and platform customization.

Keep Stakeholders in the Loop

Regularly update your team and stakeholders to make the transition easy and manage expectations. Transparency is key in this process, so make sure everyone is aware of the goals, timeline, and any potential impact on their roles. This approach ensures everyone is on the same page and working towards a shared goal.

Prioritize Customer Experience

Throughout the re-platforming process, keep your customers at the forefront. Go live with the new platform when you are certain you can provide a seamless customer experience from day one. Ensure your new platform offers a seamless international shipping experience with clear delivery timelines, tracking options, and transparent costs.

Post-Migration Review

Conduct a post-migration review to assess the transition's success. Evaluate whether the goals were met and identify any areas for improvement. This review process can provide valuable insights for future projects and help you refine your approach to e-commerce management.

Building a Better E-Commerce Experience Through Re-Platforming

Re-platforming your e-commerce store is not merely a technical upgrade; it represents a pivotal moment for your business to innovate and adapt to modern changes. Viewing it as an opportunity to redefine your brand, enhance customer engagement, and streamline operations is essential.

By embracing the changes that come with a new platform, you can leverage advanced technologies and insights to meet current market demands and anticipate future trends. Remember, the transition is just the beginning; the real value lies in harnessing your new platform's potential to elevate your e-commerce strategy and create lasting relationships with your customers.