Unlock growth: When to consider an eCommerce platform migration

Is your eCommerce website slow, outdated, and preventing your business growth? Are your customers frustrated when using your website? If so, it might be time to consider a platform migration.

What is platform migration?
A platform migration involves moving your eCommerce store and all associated data, such as user accounts, content, and features, to a new platform.

Benefits of a Platform Migration
Migrating your website can unlock significant benefits, including:

• Improved User Experience & Performance: Provides a better user experience for customers with faster loading times.
• Improved Security: Strengthen your website’s barriers to cyber threats.
• Enhanced Scalability: Ensuring your website grows as your business does and can accommodate increased traffic and user demands.
• Increased Efficiency: Streamline website management and reduce maintenance costs.

Platform Selection
When people ask us to help them move to a new platform, the first thing they think about is which one is best for them. Of course, there is no one size fits all approach and the right answer for this essentially boils down to these questions:

• What does your website need to do for you and your company?
• What are the issues with your current site?
• Can you scale your business efficiently and effectively with your current infrastructure?

Furthermore, cost is a major factor to consider when evaluating eCommerce platforms. These include:

• Platform Fees and Licences: A comparison of the ongoing costs associated with the new platform versus the current platform.
• Development Costs: Expenses related to the initial setup, customisation, and data migration to the new platform.

However, it’s crucial to look at all expenses associated with your website throughout its entire lifecycle, and not just the initial expense. This is known as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). While the costs listed above are important, businesses should carefully reflect on the long-term implications of not migrating to a more efficient platform. These can be referred to as opportunity costs and can significantly impact your business.

To understand these costs, we recommend critically evaluating your current website and considering the potential challenges associated with staying on a legacy platform. These challenges include:

• Ongoing Maintenance: Constant security updates and hosting requirements leading to significant ongoing expenses.
• Outdated Technology: Maintaining a website built on older technology can become increasingly expensive as it requires specialised expertise.
• Scalability Concerns: Difficulty in handling traffic surges can result in lost revenue due to downtime and poor customer experience.
• Team Productivity: Resources spent managing an outdated system can lead to lost productivity and missed opportunities for growth and innovation.

Proven Practices for a Successful Migration
Once you’ve decided to migrate and have selected the platform, it’s time to begin planning the migration. At StudioForty9, we follow a structured process to make sure everything goes smoothly. Here are some key things to think about during the planning phase:

• Discovery and Scoping: Thoroughly review your current site and its required features before starting the migration.
• Beware of Future Proofing: Focus on current and near-future needs of your business rather than trying to follow long-term technology trends.
• Prepare for Change: Collaborate with relevant departments to understand their reliance on the current site’s features and consider the best solutions to these.
• Timelines: Plan for a five-six month migration, allowing for flexibility and avoiding peak periods.
• Customer Journey: Map out your customer journey to identify data migration needs and ensure a smooth transition.
• Prioritise: Create a list of priorities with all stakeholders to help maintain focus and allocate resources efficiently during the migration.

Considering a platform migration for your business? StudioForty9 can help. With over 100 successfully delivered Shopify builds – including migrations from platforms such as SAP Hybris, Magento / Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce – we can help to guide you through the entire process from platform selection to migration.

For further information call +353 (0) 21 239 2349, email brad@studioforty9.com or visit www.studioforty9.com