The process of migration from one technical system to another is known as replatforming, when we talk about it generally. It is mostly done to improve the performance, capability and usability for the business and reduce expenses.
It helps improve the output of the technology and helps your business scale as it grows. Over time, or technology systems often become outdated and do to get to up-to-date technology, businesses often conduct re-platforming.
E-commerce re-platforming is the process in which the businesses switch to a new e-commerce platform. Online retailers migrate with the aim of improving the functionality and performance of their e-commerce site to provide better experiences to the customers.
The company can either move to a third-party solution or build their own in-house e-commerce solution and re- platform to that. In simple words, the process of re-platform includes the migration of data from one online store to another.
However, it is a quite extensive process in which the businesses have to compare platforms, install new systems, transfer data and finally set up their new e-commerce site. This helps e-commerce platforms such as retail be in compliance with the rapidly changing and evolving atmosphere.
Why Do You Need It?
When the businesses set up their e-commerce websites initially, they lack a lot of budget and as they get a platform that offers them the basic features and performance. However, as the business grows, they might need more functionality and features, to match with the changing trends and needs.
Accordingly, they might find their previous platform to be slow and incapable and poorly designed. They might need re-platforming of their e-commerce website. Some of the most evident read reasons that might initiate re-platforming are-
1. In Adequate Performance
when the e-commerce platform offers adequate performance to the business, they end up spoiling the user experience and does pose a negative effect on the incoming revenue for the business. This forces the businesses to replatform.
2. Problems in Speed and Responsiveness
It is important for an e-commerce store to have a good website speed and responsiveness, or the customers will lose interest in shopping. However if the website hosting service or platform causes problems in speed and responsiveness, businesses might need to re-platform their e-commerce store.
3.Problems in The Existing System
sometimes, the businesses might face a lot of problems or troubles in the current system with the features and performance, which might force them to shift to a better system with more improvements.
4. Poor Administration Functions
if the business believes that the administration panel of the platform that they're using is poor and it consequently slows down your business and results in less output, they might consider switching to an intuitive platform that can work effectively.
5. Repetitive Tasks
Businesses might shift to a better platform for their e-commerce store to cut down on the repetitive tasks with the better functionality and improved interface.
6.Time-Consuming or Costly
If the business owners believe that the current platform that they are using for their e-commerce store is time consuming and costly and this is difficult to maintain, they can take up e-commerce re-platforming to eliminate these problems.
7. Poor User Experience
Poor performance of the e-commerce platform leads to poor user experience, which means that less customers want to visit your website or purchase from you. To eliminate this problem, the businesses can require e-commerce re-platforming.
8. To Get Better Insights
sometimes the current platforms of the e-commerce stores are unable to provide them with the best insights and analytics, which can help them make significant improvements. Thus, they can switch to better platforms to get the essential metrics.
9. For Better Integration
Some e-commerce platforms failed to provide better integration. Thus, if the business wants to integrate with more tools, they can switch to a platform that offers streamlined and multiple integrations and plug-ins.
10. Customer Feedback and Complaints
It is the customers provide a lot of negative feedback and reviews regarding the e-commerce site, it is essential for the businesses to act upon the feedback, and as they can help improve the customer experience by migrating to a better e-commerce platform.
Pros and Cons of eCommerce Replatforming
The plant forming can come out as a boon or a bane for your e-commerce website, depending largely on the way you implement the re-platform in process. However, there are some pros and cons of e-commerce re-platforming, which we will discuss below.
Pros
1. Better Growth of Your Online Store
if you choose a better platform for migrating your website, you can ensure the growth of your online platform. The new platform can come with better functionalities and features, which can help you make the most of your e-commerce store and satisfy your customers, thus enhancing your revenue.
2.In The Hands of The User Experience
The website is the biggest touch point your customer has with your brand. To ensure that the customers have a good experience with your ecommerce store, you must have a good platform for your website.
If you migrate to a better e-commerce platform, you can provide your customers with better experience through a fast speed and responsive design.
3. Faster and Safer Website
Migrating to a better platform can help you create a faster and safer website. A website which is fast catches the attention of the customer and keeps them engaged, and the one which is save helps you acquire their trust. Therefore a fast and safe website means more customer acquisition.
4. Better Features
When you shift to a new e-commerce platform, you can get access to a number of features, which you can utilise to the fullest to get the best results for your website.
Apart from this site creation and management tools, good e-commerce platforms offer additional bundles for marketing, analytics and other essential features for your e-commerce store.
5. A Boost in Your Savings
Shifting to a cost-effective e-commerce platform can help you save a lot of cost. You must inquire about the best platforms, which provide the most features at the most affordable prices. You can get an e-commerce platform which offers more than the previous one, at lesser costs.
Cons
1. Time Taking Process
Creating an online store takes a lot of time and cost on the part of the business. However while migrating to another platform, the businesses must experience the same time and cost spent all over again. Also, you have to put the operations of the current store on hold until you completely shift to the new platform.
2. Adapting To The New Changes
Your business and your team needs to train themselves again for the new platform that they are starting to use. This might also require some time and spending.
3. Risks Posed To SEO
The efforts that you put in your previous website for enhancing SEO might get lost in the migration process. Even if the ranking of your webpage remains the same, you would need to make a lot of changes like redirecting your old you are and to a new one, etc.
4.Problems in Data Migration
There might be incompatibility issues in the new platform which make data migration quite difficult. This might even cause loss of information and if your business does not have data backups, data such as product listings, customer accounts, payment information, etc might need to be added again.
5. Setting Up Old Features and Integrations
While migrating, the old features, integrations, processors and carriers are also lost and you might need to find the replacements for them all.
Takeaways
Reclaim possession of your eCommerce website. There are no shortcuts; although purchasers are somewhat dissatisfied with the store's performance, their odds of returning are slim. On the other hand, customers should be delighted by the whole thing at each touchpoint. It is best if you do not take an opportunity.
Aside from raising the bespoken expertise, e-commerce re-platforming frees your employees to concentrate on things that may increase revenue instead of holdup change information or the resolution of technical problems.
Let's continue with the foremost recent client and retail needs before the ultimate. Coming up with a store means we would like it to be and expecting individuals to adapt on their own needs to be more accurate. It's the precise reverse of that. To encourage repeat customer business and platform and build seamless client expertise.
Replatforming for e-commerce could be a troublesome option to create. However, if you try to do a careful and in-depth review of the requirement, it'll value each minute and penny spent there on. The longer term is already here.