A Comprehensive Guide on eCommerce Migration – Types, Considerations & Process
eCommerce migration means moving your website from one platform to another. Replatforming sounds like a difficult task to do but, in real is not. Moving to a new platform brings a lot of changes to your website that can be very useful. Through this article, you will get to know all the good and bad sides of eCommerce migration and what type of situation leads to migration, outcomes, etc.
eCommerce Replatforming and Its Different Approaches
It refers to the process of moving your eCommerce website from one platform to another according to your needs. The reason can be anything such as new features and functionalities, more compatibility, etc. Switching to a new platform can bring a lot of changes to your customer experiences.
There are various approaches to re-platforming, some of which are mentioned below:
- Traditional Approach: Working in this approach, when one large platform migrates to another large platform with great features and better plugin support. This is one of the most detailed forms of re-platforming as the whole website is replaced at one time.
- Modular Approach: In this type of approach, migration of websites happens in modules, where the most important updates are priority. If your concern is about an outdated payment management system then you go for an alternative technology to handle your payments and try to get the most suitable one for your platform.
It’s your choice if you need to change other components of the applications in the same way or not.
- Monolith to Micro-service: The third type of approach includes moving from one monolith to microservices. In microservices, a single application works as a group of small services each doing its special process and working with a light combination like HTTP resource API.
It reduces the interdependency between the front-end and back end. Customization of the front end is in your hands whereas, specialized tools can take care of other infrastructure.
Need for eCommerce Migration
Many eCommerce website starts their workings from WordPress or Shopify. They rely on these platforms as they are vast plug-in ecosystems to manage everything related to payments, user data, inventory, orders, shipping, etc.
If you’re attempting to migrate your eCommerce website, consider working with the professionals providing custom eCommerce website development services.
Below are some reasons why should we need an eCommerce migration:
- To search new markets and gain scalability
- To achieve advanced data analytics
- Using benefits of optimization
Steps Involved in a Migration Process
There are various ways through which eCommerce migration can be done, below are some steps through which you can migrate your eCommerce site easily.
- Discussion With Stakeholders: Migrating an eCommerce website is a big step for the whole business. Therefore it is best to discuss with all the stakeholders before doing anything. There should be utmost clarity among your team related to goals, objectives, and ultimate reason for re-platforming.
- List of Must-have Features: Keep in mind while migrating an eCommerce website, your whole company depends on it. Therefore focus on the essential features for migration and also consider other features along with it.
Don’t forget to take your stakeholder’s recommendation regarding migration requirements.
- Choosing the Right Platform: Choosing the right platform is one of the important steps in the process of eCommerce website migration. Your one wrong decision can affect your company for a long time. Do proper research budget analysis and resource planning before taking a big step in your business.
- Set Budget Timelines and Cost Estimates: From all the conversations, one thing you get to know is migrating an eCommerce platform is not a short process. It is suggested best to work with timelines and follow those timelines as much as possible. Migrating to an eCommerce platform takes around 8 weeks to 12 months.
It’s better to migrate your website in a small portion as compared to a large shift all at once. This is one of the easiest ways to do website implementation.
- Migration of Data: Data is one of the important things to any business, so while making a big migration of the website or platform, consider working with experts providing custom eCommerce website development services for the best results. Both customer and product data are important.
If you lose your customer’s data they have to make new accounts while using your service, similarly you have to keep the product’s data safe otherwise, you have to enter every new product and their subcategories in the system again.
That’s why it is said to have proper knowledge before doing anything big in your business.
- Doing Front-End and Back-End Checkouts: Completely check the front and the back-end checkouts before completing your migration process. Re-platforming a website is not that easy but is a great opportunity to work with your development team.
CONCLUSION
As you migrate your website to a new platform, your website with new features is good to go. If you still facing some doubts regarding this topic, feel free to comment.
