Following from our article Why is support the most important service for my online store? Having learned about one of the most valuable e-commerce services, now is the time to find out what the next step is if your online store has reached the ceiling in its capabilities but not the ceiling of your business. Learn what are the most common reasons for migrating to a new platform , how to prepare for this endeavor, how to choose your platform, what to look out for, and how to get the most out of it.
Changing the platform of your online store can be one of the most risky moments in the development of your online business. If you don't believe it, ask every trader who has gone through it. If you are going to take this step or you are used to planning from afar and want to be prepared for the future, then this article will be very useful for you.
When is the time to migrate your online store to a new platform?
This article will introduce you to the main reasons why you may need to migrate your online store to a new platform. They can be very diverse, but I have selected only the most important and common ones, as I think they cover over 90% of cases. Here they are:
- Obsolete software (Sooner or later everyone is in a similar situation and this is normal. When the system you are using cannot be modified anymore and this stops your development, your only useful move is to change it.)
- Functional level scaling or growth in volume (For the previous point - your system may not necessarily be outdated to hinder your business growth. If you sell and grow well, you will inevitably need more functionalities and a platform with a more stable base to withstand loads)
- Merge site and store into one (if you are an offline retailer and have made the important decision to merge your information website and online store into a single system that performs both functions, you have all the prerequisites to plan the migration you need)
- Rebranding (rebranding does not necessarily have to change your platform, but if this is the case in the near future, it might be helpful to think about combining both and breaking up with new branding and new online store.)
- Overseas expansion (overseas sales are one of the must-have investments every online marketer needs to make when his or her local growth slows or when he / she simply has the resources and ambitions for larger markets. At the same time, very few systems, which can serve multiple countries centrally and the likelihood of needing a platform change is quite high).
- Dissatisfaction with the service company (in our article on online store support we discuss the topic of support for a long time and widely. Our experience shows that more than half of the merchants we work with have had poor experience and were not satisfied with the company that has them The company change is often a change of platform).
- If you are looking for standardization (as a continuation of the previous point I also include the topic of standardization, because if you have chosen a standardized platform, then changing the service company does not always mean changing the system) You can read more in the article “How to choose a platform and developer for my online store? ”
Bonus: If you are planning to sell a business (For some, this may sound a little strange, but the fact is that there are already buy-ups in Bulgaria running online businesses. And if you have developed for years, it is very likely that your focus was in sales and growth, and what sits behind them as a system is an infinitely patched, refined and heavy software that can only bring down the price at which you will sell your business.
So we looked at 8 of the most common reasons that might cause you to change your online store.
If you are intrigued you can read our next article in which we will present you how to prepare for future migration.
