Why is eCommerce Migration Replatforming Important? 5 Untold Reasons!
As an eCommerce retailer, you need to keep up with the fast-paced advances in technology in this technological arena. Over time, your eCommerce platform will start to slow down, lack essential features, and offer limited functionality.
According to one web development stat, 74% of businesses say that their current platforms do not scale appropriately. At the same time, 78% stated that their existing solutions could not support the agility of cross-channel order management.
When businesses struggle to meet their needs for growth and cross-channel functionality, replatforming may be the best answer. You will need to replatform to a new eCommerce store that has more features and offers optimum performance.
If any company has been in eCommerce for more than a few years, they must have replatformed at least once. All online commerce sites need a reliable, secure, and scalable platform to help the business grow bigger and faster.
In this article, I will describe why eCommerce replatforming is essential for successful business growth. But before that, I'll cover what eCommerce replatforming is, why it's necessary, and how you can benefit from replatforming.
What is eCommerce Replatforming?
In simple terms, Ecommerce replatforming is the migration from one platform to another to provide advanced eCommerce functionality for your organization. On a basic level, it is the migration of data from one store to another.
For some, it requires implementing a third-party COTS package to replace an existing one. For others, it means migrating from an in-house bespoke solution to a third-party vendor and changing the operational model.
In most cases, this is done to enhance the performance, capabilities, or usability of your business. This can also be done to reduce expenses. Replatforming is a way to enhance the output or functionality of the eCommerce solution you use.
Here are some of the greatest advantages of eCommerce replatforming:
Maintaining a consistent experience across channels.
More customization options.
Increased functionality around the mobile platform.
Better customer support and more efficient response times.
Scalability and improved functionality for company growth.
Integration with major business applications for consistent data.
The principles of replatforming are the same for every organization, but the scope and complexity of the project can vary greatly.
What are the Reasons behind eCommerce Replatforming?
As your business grows, you may need to replatform to stay up-to-date with technology. No matter how good a system you get initially, it will eventually get outdated and need to be upgraded or replaced.
Ecommerce migration for business growth is a huge task that will take time and effort. In addition, it will transform your entire eCommerce site, including design, admin navigation, functionality, performance, and more.
There are several reasons to migrate your eCommerce platform to a new solution. Here I’ve mentioned some of them:
Site Speed and Responsiveness
Since about 40% of shoppers abandon a site if it doesn't load within 3 seconds, a fast, responsive site is essential. You must use a high-quality website hosting service and limit your plugins to keep your site smooth and efficient.
Gaps in your existing system
Migrating to an eCommerce platform with functionalities that cover direct gaps in your current system is one of the most common reasons to migrate your eCommerce tools, as it will result in immediate improvements wherever you require them most.
Persistent and intermittent performance issues turn into a poor user experience, slowing them down and even preventing them from purchasing.
Time-consuming or costly maintenance
Suppose your existing site needs regular, costly, or time-consuming maintenance. In that case, replatforming can eliminate a lot of it for you, either by achieving better performance or placing this burden on a third-party solution.
You can also opt for custom eCommerce development in India to cut costs on your next eCommerce solution.
A clunky admin panel indicates poor navigation, slows down your team, and ultimately results in lower output. When this becomes a burden, switching to a smooth, simple admin will ensure that your team has an excellent tool and can work effectively.
By replatforming to a new eCommerce solution with increased functionality or better interfacing, you can eliminate repetitive, duplicate tasks that you have to perform manually on a regular basis.
Streamlined, accessible analytics
Without proper analysis, you cannot gain meaningful insights and make significant improvements. Ensure you can collect, measure, and display data that works best for all the teams that rely on this data.
Multiple, easy-to-use integrations
Your current system may not integrate with new plugins, or adding extensions may be pretty tricky. Upgrading to an eCommerce platform that smoothly integrates with multiple plugins can solve this.
If you find that you have compromised your user experience at any point, you should consider eCommerce replatforming. Make sure that consumer experience should always be your top priority.
Customer feedback and complaints
Use customer reviews and other feedback methods to get an idea of what customers are not happy with on your eCommerce site. Listen carefully and focus on improving what customers are requesting first.
Top Benefits of eCommerce Replatforming for Businesses
With the increasing number of online customers and their increasing expectations, e-merchants think about the changes and motivate them to improve the store. Not everyone understands the benefits of replatforming or when the need to move to another shopping cart appears.
There is still a question of how to find out that the time to switch has already come. Maybe, it's better late than never, but businesses still need the courage to make a quick decision.
So, let's take an in-depth look to understand what are the benefits of changing eCommerce platforms.
#1 Improved Customer Experience
To satisfy consumers, you must think like one of them. Facilitate site navigation or optimize search functions. Don't forget about URL syntax and coding, product image quality, and one-page checkout.
Moreover, your landing page should be bright and dynamic as it is the first thing seen by the customers which influences their different decisions.
#2 Successful Business Growth
Of course, your needs grow as well as those of customers. And the shopping carts that support the store must meet the requirements and demands for successful online store management.
Your eCommerce solution may limit the number of products for the store. Maybe you want to create another online shop. There may be no possibility of multi-channel sales. If you know what it signifies to be restricted, sure, it's time to eliminate such limitations.
#3 Control Business Possibilities
You have the possibility to control your business by looking at the key features and the measurements that show the results of the buying activity.
KPIs provide a clue as to whether progress has been made given your customers' satisfying needs and tastes. Site traffic, conversion, and net profit - the new shopping cart will probably help you improve these indicators to make sure the way you started is right.
This point includes separate expenses for site hosting, hardware investment, human resources, etc. The new platform is going to reduce the maintenance cost, and as a result, your revenue will increase.
The Store must guarantee that your information, as well as that of your customers, is secure. In fact, the current shopping cart cannot solve this problem, but updating the security level appears to be one of the replatforming rewards.
When Is The Right Time to Replatform?
The "right" time to replatform, especially when you factor in the full scope of the project, doesn't exist. It is common to assume that you will need 18 months to launch a new site.
When considering a SaaS-hosted solution, rethink that timeline and know that you may be ready to launch much faster than you realize with the proper support.
Is your eCommerce platform cutting edge? If not, it's time to replatform it. Choosing the right eCommerce solution must balance the cost of implementation, licensing, and management to build and grow a competitive site.
Ultimately, migrating to a new eCommerce platform and overcoming replatforming limitations can help you define your business goals clearly. And this ensures that the investments required are worth it, and thoroughly examines all platforms and potential migration services.
️Even if you have any doubts, you can reach out to a top eCommerce development company in India to find the right eCommerce solution for your business. They will guide you from start to finish eCommerce migration and replatforming.
