The Simple Guide to E-commerce Replatforming

Starting and running a business is now easy with ecommerce. If you have products to sell, you can do so easily online, reducing overhead costs for setting up a physical store. You only need a reliable ecommerce platform that connects you with customers.

There are so many platforms nowadays, and they all promise great results. As a business owner, you should carefully pick a platform that connects you with the right buyers and is convenient for your needs. It should be easy to use and navigate. 

If the platform no longer impresses you, you have the freedom to move your business to another one, and this is known as e-commerce replatforming.

Keep reading to learn more about it, its benefits, and when you may consider it for your online business.

What Is Ecommerce Replatforming?

Ecommerce replatforming is moving your business from one ecommerce platform to the other. This migration often happens when your old platform no longer meets your business needs or you have functional issues. 

You may notice most of the problems, and your clients could also complain, hence the need to migrate.

Before replatforming, you should first understand the problems with your current platform. The most common issues include a slow loading platform, high costs, poor security, or geographical limitations. 

After that, you can move if the problems can't be resolved. Doing your ecommerce replatforming right requires careful planning. You should understand the costs you might incur and check the features your new platform offers. 

Sometimes, you may notify your clients that your business will be down from the platform and where they can find you.

Benefits of Ecommerce Replatforming

Most people consider ecommerce replatforming to offer a stellar customer experience. If a platform doesn't satisfy you, your clients may suffer too, hence the need to change. 

Here are the main benefits you may enjoy by changing the ecommerce platform for your online business.

1. Better Performance and Scalability

Scalability is a great benefit of e-commerce replatforming. If your business is growing, your customers will be many. As such, you need a better-performing website to catch up with the growing needs of your business. If your current platform crashes when the traffic is high, you should get a bigger one that performs well despite the traffic. Better performance translates to more sales in your business.

2. Better Customer Experience

A customer is always the king in a business. As you sell, you should find new ways of impressing your clients and winning their loyalty. 

Ecommerce replatforming is one of those ways. 

If your current platform is slow, lags, or has poor navigation, your clients may be unhappy. They may experience a hard time buying or even checking the products you have. Replatforming improves your customers' experience, allowing them to enjoy your services more. 

Doing so can win their loyalty and probably recommend others to your shop.

3. Better Security

You can enjoy more security by simply moving your business to another platform. 

As you know, cyber theft is high, and many companies have fallen victim over the years. If your old platform isn't secure or is outdated, your customers will be at risk. You can use a secure platform that prioritizes data encryption, passwords, and security updates to prevent this. 

Better security protects your business and your customers and helps your business comply with industry standards.

4. More Efficiency

Your online business should be efficient for customers. E-commerce replatforming gives you access to another, probably more efficient platform than the old one. 

For instance, if the new platforms are faster, you will take less time uploading pictures, responding to customers, and writing descriptions. Your customers will spend less time making orders and scrolling down the products. 

An efficient online business gains a competitive advantage because customers always consider it whenever they need to order something online.

5. Broader Customer Base

You can get a wider customer base by replatforming. Some platforms have great built-in features that allow customers worldwide to access them. For instance, they accept many forms of currency and don't have geographical limitations on who can access them. 

When you migrate to such a platform, your business will enjoy a wider customer base, leading to more growth.

6. More Sales and Revenue

Lastly, replatforming can help you enjoy more revenue. A scalable, well-performing, and fast platform attracts most clients and can increase sales. More sales bring more revenue to your business.

Practical Steps for Ecommerce Replatforming

Now that you know the benefits of re-platforming, you may wonder how you can achieve a successful migration. 

Here are helpful steps to make the process a success.

• Analyze the current problems in your platform to know if they are worth replatforming.
• Create your goals and objectives for replatforming. Your goal could be to gain more customers or generate more revenue.
• Create a budget- the money you intend to spend for the ecommerce replatforming.
• Choose the ideal ecommerce platform to which you wish to migrate.
• Come up with a solid data plan that will prevent loss of your data when replatforming.
• Launch your website on your new platform.
• Monitor and collect feedback from clients.

Conclusion

Ecommerce replatforming is an important process that can help grow your business. It involves moving your online business from one platform to another. 

Before the migration, you should carefully analyze the features of your new platform to know if they suit your business. After the process, you may enjoy more sales, revenue, customers, and other benefits discussed above. 

So, don't let your business get stuck on the same old platform if it's not doing well. Consider changing the platform, and you may notice a positive change.