- CAPABILITIES
As the digital world is fast-evolving, it is becoming even more vital to stay current with the latest developments in that industry to maintain a competitive edge. If the idea of replatforming hasn’t crossed your mind yet, and you’re finding it difficult to keep up with the world of digital, now’s the time to act.
Replatforming involves transferring your existing e-commerce platform to a new one, preferably one that enhances performance, security, scalability, and other important factors that align with your business needs and goals. In this article, we’ll delve into the six clear steps required to migrate platforms.
Indeed, analyzing your current platform is a crucial first step in the replatforming process. It sets the foundation for everything that follows. Conducting this analysis enables you to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of your existing platform and determine whether it’s suitable for your business needs. Identifying pain points and limitations that restrict your business’s growth is also imperative.
Important factors to take into account include:
After determining the system requirements necessary for your business, the next step is to outline the journeys that you intend to cater to and ensure that all channels and consumer touchpoints are appropriately supported. It’s also essential to consider your business processes at an early stage in the decision-making process.
Having the flexibility to build and grow your business leveraging technology as an enabler is critical so you can grow without interruptions. Marketplaces are one piece of the Unified Network. And this Unified Network may not actually exist by design with some providers. Before jumping into a Marketplace, check if there is one, which you can expand without limiting your trading strategy.
After choosing the most appropriate platform for your business, the next step is to initiate the planning process. This involves creating a roadmap, identifying potential risks and challenges, and devising contingency plans to ensure a seamless transition from the old to the new platform.
Below are some key factors to consider when outlining your roadmap:
Export and Import Data
Thoroughly evaluating and analyzing your specific case in conjunction with your chosen platform provider and team is essential to accurately map out all the data and ensure safe data migration, as well as any additional customization that may be required.
Build Extensions
This aspect underscores the importance of customizing the implementation process for each company, as every company has unique customizations that require an individualized and tailored approach.
For instance, if transitioning from a monolithic architecture to a headless platform built on serverless applications, the customization must be adapted to that.
Once the digital commerce platform migration process has been concluded, it is essential to conduct comprehensive testing of the new platform to verify that all features and functionalities are performing optimally, meeting the expectations and requirements set out during the planning phase as promised.
This testing process aims to identify and correct any potential issues making sure it is flawless before launching the platform to the public. Only after confirming that everything is functioning as anticipated is it recommended to launch the new platform.
Following the successful launch of the new digital commerce platform, it is vital to establish a consistent monitoring and optimization process, which helps identify areas of improvement, performance gaps, and user needs.
Continuously reviewing and analyzing the platform’s performance data, user feedback, and market trends allows for timely and effective changes to be made to enhance the user experience, conversion rates, and overall customer satisfaction.
This ongoing optimization process is critical to ensure the digital commerce platform continues to meet the evolving needs of the business and its customers, providing a seamless and satisfying shopping experience.
The process of replatforming your digital commerce platform can be a challenging undertaking that should not be taken lightly. It requires a comprehensive approach that involves thorough research, careful planning, precise execution, and training to ensure a smooth transition and transformation.
The six clear steps outlined in this article provide a structured framework to guide you through the process, from analyzing your current platform to launching and monitoring the new one.
Moreover, the importance of training all the teams involved in the use of the new platform should not be underestimated. It is essential to ensure that your stakeholders understand the new system’s functionalities and capabilities fully. This will hopefully enable them to make the most of the platform’s potential and optimize its use for the benefit of the business.
