Businesses grow and so does the need for switching to a more compatible hosting platform. This is where eCommerce migration comes on the scene. It’s important to note that switching platforms doesn’t just mean shifting your online store to a new location digitally but may also require adapting to a new host altogether.

Before jumping to the website replatforming process, let’s first discuss what eCommerce migration means and why would you need it.

What is eCommerce Migration?

The eCommerce migration or replatforming means shifting your entire website or some of its parts from one host to another. It’s a process of transferring frontend (user interface), and backend (database), including all the media, customer information, products, and content to the new platform.

Reasons Why You Should Consider Replatforming

Your current hosting platform is not scalable

It may be time to migrate if your current hosting is unable to handle your growing traffic, enhanced inventory, and more. For a scaling eCommerce platform, hosting must be flexible and powerful too.

Inefficient website performance

No one wants a bad experience at shopping. If your current platform shows bad performance like slow loading time or poor customer experience, it’s time to switch to a high-performing hosting provider that leads to better business.

TCO (high total cost of ownership)

Finding the perfect hosting plan within your budget can be a bit effort-demanding task. However, it’s necessary. Owning, running, and maintaining a website should not come with higher costs than you plan.

Looking for advanced data analytics

As your business grows, you need better analytics systems to review your performance, allocate your budget wisely, improve conversions, and so on. An efficient and advanced hosting provider can help you with that.

Integrations aren’t available

It’s highly frustrating if your current hosting platform doesn’t let you easily integrate APIs, plugins, and extensions. This is when you need to execute eCommerce migration to a platform where integrations are seamless.

How to Seamlessly Migrate Your eCommerce Website?

Defining your eCommerce migration objectives

The first step is to clearly define the purpose of replatforming, i.e. for security, performance, integration, budgets, or anything that you need to improve on your website. A clearly defined objective and goals sheet helps you choose the right features to look into the new hosting provider for better user experience, lead generation, and ROI.

Getting all stakeholders on board

Once your team has clarity on what exactly to look for in the new host, it’s time to get all your stakeholders and key participants in confidence. The thing is, eCommerce migration might seem simple on the surface but can have a big impact on how the business performs post-migration. With well-strategized goals and the support of the essential people, this switch can lead to efficient and rewarding results.

Selecting a host that aligns with your goals

Again, with well-planned goals, selecting the right hosting platform becomes easier. But it’s still not a cakewalk if it’s your first time. With several great eCommerce platforms such as Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, choosing the one that suits your replatforming goals can be (and should be) an effort-demanding task. Ensure that the new platform is reliable enough to safely transfer your customer data and information.

Take time and choose well. This step is going to have the most crucial impact on the entire migration process.

Planning cost and timeline estimates

Depending on how much data is to be transferred and your new host’s optimization solutions, eCommerce migration may take up a bit more time than expected. It’s crucial to work with all the implementation and development teams to figure out the cost, budget, and timeline estimates. Be aware that migration may affect your customer’s experience due to downtimes. A smart way to avoid this is by migrating in phases; i.e. shifting your data and assets in parts rather than replatforming all at once.

Creating a data backup for safety

Back up of your store’s complete data to avoid any mishap or misplacement is crucial. It may take up a lot of time but it’s a non-skippable step. You can use a cloud-based solution such as Google Drive to store your data including customer data, product details, sales records, and other content.

Optimizing your store on the new platform

Replatforming is the best time to give your brand a fresh identity or look. So, it’s best to work on essential design components if you like. Once you have migrated your front end, back end, and checkouts, optimize your revamped store for better performance and mobile responsiveness. Another important thing is SEO. Ensure your SEO is fully optimized and uncompromised during the entire eCommerce migration process.

Marketing and customer experience

Reaching the last step, marketing your new website and enhancing your customer’s experience with discounts and coupons to retain your existing customers and attract new ones. Besides, this is the time to keep your post-launch performance in check.

To sum up, eCommerce migration or replatforming might seem a simple task but it is a lengthy and time-consuming process that requires strong planning and efficient execution. Your team must be fully versed in all the migration ins and outs. Similarly, your goals need to be clear. By selecting the right hosting provider and taking one step at a time, your site migration can lead to excellent conversion rates and improved ROI results.

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