The process of switching from one e-commerce platform to another is known as re-platforming. Whether your company has outgrown its current platform or you want to take advantage of Shopify's higher-tier plan features, such as in-depth analytics and seemingly limitless customization options, our experienced team is here to help you make the transition as painless as possible, with the least amount of downtime and SEO impact.
Replatforming is a massive undertaking that will take a significant amount of time and effort to achieve. It will also affect the overall appearance and feel of your e-commerce site, as well as the admin navigation, functionality, and performance. The re-platforming of your company should be done for the right reasons and at the proper time. If you're not going to gain anything from the move, it's probably not the greatest time.
Things to consider before making the switch
Impact on your business
One of the most important factors to consider when re-platforming is the impact it will have on your business in terms of increased performance, design, and efficiency. Only if you can significantly enhance the functionality, performance, and output of your e-commerce platform will re-platforming be worthwhile. Ascertain that the migration will provide obvious advantages and that the effort and associated expenses will be worthwhile.
Total costs
The cost of the new e-commerce platform does not just include the cost of the platform itself; it also includes the migration procedure, downtime during the transfer, and maintenance costs. You'll also need to train your employees on the new platform, and there will almost certainly be a period of lower performance as your team adjusts. Make careful to estimate the entire expenditures and budget accordingly.
Integrations with future and legacy systems
Your old system most certainly had extensions, plugins, and other connectors to help you with marketing, sales, communication, and project management. Before migrating to a new solution, be sure the one you're switching to will support the integrations you're presently using without sacrificing speed. We recommend conducting a full technical audit of any tools and extensions you use before re-platforming to ensure that they are compatible with the new platform.
Skills and ability of your team
When determining whether or not you will be able to complete the re-platforming and how fast you will be able to adapt, your team's technical abilities are critical. This covers people who are setting up the new platform and transferring data, as well as content producers who are making their first use of a new CMS. In certain situations, paying a premium fee for a product that will save you time and effort while setting up and adjusting to a new system is worth it in the long term.
Features and capabilities
When moving to a new e-commerce platform, the new e-commerce platform's capabilities will be a critical determining element. The majority of the time, you'll be moving to get more features. Compare the new platform's features to those of your current e-commerce platform, and pick a solution that provides the most critical aspects for your business to grow, develop, and improve.
Future improvements and needs
Replatforming is a long-term company investment. Always consider the long-term influence a tool may have, not just the initial features and capabilities it provides. While you may want to find an instant remedy to an issue with your current e-commerce tool, you should plan ahead and acquire a product that will not become obsolete very soon. Make sure that any tool you acquire can adapt to market changes and will continue to fulfil your needs even if new, disruptive technology is released.
Customer service and support
Regardless of the capabilities of your team, the solution you choose should have adequate customer service and support available. This will ensure that you can solve errors quickly and properly when they arise. When building your own solution, your team will be responsible for all support. If you get a full-service platform, support will be included so you can get the answers and help you need to keep your e-commerce store operating.
Best time to run the migration
Regardless of your team's skills, the solution you select should provide appropriate customer care and support. This will guarantee that you are able to correct problems promptly and effectively when they occur. When you create your own solution, you and your team will be in charge of all support. Support is included with a full-service platform, so you can receive the answers and assistance you need to keep your e-commerce shop running.
Crawl your site before migration
Before transferring store data, browse your e-commerce site to ensure that all of your existing content is catalogued. This will guarantee that nothing important is missed and that your account is set up for any data that needs to be transferred. This step may appear to be needless, but it may save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
Transfer only up-to-date content
Examine all of your material to see what you no longer require. There may be outdated articles that have been replaced by better material, pieces that aren't SEO optimised, or articles that discuss topics that no longer exist or aren't relevant. Whatever the reason, now is a good opportunity to get rid of these bits because you're already transferring store data. This will save you time in the future when cleaning up this stuff. Identify content that is no longer useful and can be updated or deleted, and only transfer relevant and current content.
Steps to switch your eCommerce platform
Follow the basic instructions or find the precise migration you're searching for below. Follow these procedures to execute your own migration, with assistance from the platforms if required. Even if you're following a pre-determined migration path, these stages might help you estimate how much time and effort the process will take.
Get all stakeholders on board
You'll want to dive further with each individual team after an initial evaluation of flaws and areas for development. Communicate with stakeholders to have a better knowledge of what various teams require, balancing their requirements equally so that everyone benefits from the move.
You'll want to retain this information on hand throughout the process since you'll need to refer to it when choosing a platform. Balance the needs of each team with the features that are most essential to your bottom line. While not everyone will always receive what they want, the more you can provide for your employees, the better they will be able to execute their duties.
Create a shortlist of e-commerce platforms
You may start researching potential solutions now that you know why you want to re-platform and what each team hopes to gain from it. Make a shortlist of potential e-commerce platforms, categorising them by features, prices, and other factors.
To evaluate the specs, features, and other aspects of the tools you're evaluating, we recommend utilising a table or spreadsheet. This allows you to evaluate platforms quickly and eliminate some from your selection. You may next begin ranking e-commerce sites on this shortlist based on your requirements.
Schedule demo with top choices
You may start scheduling demos once you've limited your selection down to approximately 3 to 5 suppliers. Request a demo from the platforms that you're interested in. Getting a demo of the solutions you're interested in can help you understand their benefits and drawbacks.
They usually contain information on the migration process, system requirements, and how to prepare for the move. You should have a better understanding of how the system works, how fluid the navigation is, and the quality of the performance at the end of the demo.
Pick an e-commerce platform
You'll need to make a choice after you've seen a demo. Make a final decision based on the information you received from the demos, choosing the solution that would provide you with the most features and enhancements for the greatest price.
We recommend visiting with a provider more than once to confirm that the customer service will match your expectations.
Backup old e-commerce store data
You should back up your e-commerce store data before beginning the transfer procedure. Hopefully, the re-platforming will go down without a hitch, but you'll want to have the data preserved in case something goes wrong. Backup data, no matter how sure you are in the move, will rescue you if you encounter unanticipated problems.
You should be able to fall back on your existing e-commerce infrastructure and data in the worst-case situation.
Design your new e-commerce site
Before migrating data, you should usually finish designing the site structure, layout, and style so that it can be loaded into the new design. You may wish to keep parts of your old site's structure, but this is also an excellent opportunity to redesign it. Many downloadable templates and themes that may be modified and styled to match your brand are available. You may also hire a developer to create your site from the ground up.
Use a data migration service
This step may be unnecessary if you can manually migrate the data from your e-commerce business.
You'll need to employ a data migration provider if you're having a third-party app help you with the re-platforming procedure. If you don't have a lot of technical knowledge or expertise, this is a good option. Choose a service that will finish the move entirely, safely, and precisely. We suggest going with a solution that has re-platformed the e-commerce sites you're moving from and to before.
Migrate store data
After you've chosen your decision, the next step is to migrate your data. This entails moving store data from your old e-commerce site to the new one, whether you do it yourself, with a migration programme, or with the help of a third-party team.
We always recommend backing up your old e-commerce shop data (items, customers, and orders) to ensure that you don't lose anything if a re-platforming problem occurs.
Connect checkout platform and optimize the checkout experience
You'll need a checkout platform to accept payments and finish purchases before you can even think about launching your business. Choose a platform that allows customers to check out quickly, securely, and efficiently. You should have a system in place that identifies, stops, and protects fraudulent activity while also approving more legitimate purchases.
SEO audit prior to launch
When moving e-commerce platforms, it's critical to keep as much domain authority as feasible. To do this, you'll need to conduct a thorough SEO assessment of your site prior to its debut. Make sure your on-page and off-page material is optimised for search engines. Set up redirects to keep visitors from your old site coming to your new one.
Test, retest, and test some more
You're nearly ready to launch your e-commerce site now that you've re-platformed it. You should thoroughly test the new platform before launching your new site. Run numerous tests to account for any potential problems. Ascertain that the new e-commerce site meets the required performance criteria. Now is the moment to fix anything that isn't operating properly.
Make sure you perform thorough testing before launching your new e-commerce site so you can be assured it will meet your expectations. You should test every page, button, and form, even if it seems excessive. Examine it from both a company and a consumer standpoint, examining the complete customer experience for any potential issues.
Launch your new e-commerce site
Only when you've thoroughly tested – and retested – your new site are you ready to go live. Publish the new site and begin selling on your own e-commerce platform!
You should perform further tests after the launch to ensure that the live website is working properly. You should make fixes as soon as feasible after launch to reduce the number of consumers who are exposed to the issue and to enhance your site. Now all you have to do is keep track of your statistics and work to enhance your e-commerce site so that users have a better experience.
Communicate the migration to your existing customers
You must notify your loyal, existing consumers after the introduction of your new e-commerce site. Let your clients know that you've switched to a new site via email, social media, or whichever way works best for you. Give them a link to register or establish an account on the new platform, and make sure they know where to buy from you at the very least.
Conclusion
In recent years, e-commerce has revolutionised the way people shop, with mobile devices accounting for more than half of all online purchases. There are various e-commerce platforms to select from in today's industry, and there is no clear ranking system. Choosing the proper e-commerce platform boils down to what you want from it, the platforms' strengths and shortcomings, and the related expenses. To choose the finest e-commerce solution for your store, weigh the advantages of each and make your decision depending on your company's demands.
