What are the arguments for Replatforming?
7 solid arguments for replatforming
Your customers' expectations change, online shopping behavior evolves, IT and data techniques become smarter and more sophisticated. And you have to keep up with your time if you don't want to miss the trick. Because the online competition is fierce. Does your webshop environment still meet all current requirements? Do you offer your visitors the ultimate customer experience? If you have any doubts, consider the arguments for replatforming. Otherwise, you will lose turnover.
Replatforming means as much as switching to another ecommerce platform. You are rightly not going to have ice overnight. After all, you are used to your familiar environment and the unknown always entails uncertainties. But if you get good advice and you can count on solid technical support, those uncertainties can be removed quickly. And during the 'renovation', the store will simply remain open, so that you don't miss out on any turnover.
Everything out of the closet for the critical online customer
But why 'renovate'? Good question. Compare it to traditional, physical stores. There, rebuilding is the most natural thing in the world to keep up with changing consumer tastes and buying preferences, market trends and new insights into consumer behavior. This is even more important in online shopping. The different phases in the purchasing process are more attentive, because you are not physically present to guide the process. Consumers behave more critically and capriciously online than in a physical store. One can decide in a split second to go to the competitor if the process is not optimal. That is why you can read more about the main arguments for replatforming here.
Main arguments for replatforming
With that knowledge, it pays to get serious advice about a switch to a new ecommerce platform. There may be several specific reasons for this. We mention seven.
- Your current ecommerce platform is not performing optimally in the mobile environment. This will cost you a lot of turnover, because more than half of all online purchases are mobile at most webshops.
- Your platform is "bulky" and running too slow. This costs your customers, because the online consumer has little patience and can choose from countless many web shops.
- Your assortment is growing, but the capacity of your platform does not move and it takes a lot of time to put new products online.
- Your existing ecommerce platform offers hardly efficient tools for selection and choice, promotions, recommendations and cross / upselling.
- You miss supporting functionalities. Think of the use of a chat robot, the automatic generation and sending of e-mails, data analysis and, for example, the integration of a Product Information Management system (PIM) with “Marketplace connector” to support your multichannel strategy.
- The 'look and feel' and content of your web shop is insufficiently in line with the experience of your customers and target group. You lack good content management and story telling functionalities.
- Your IT costs are considerable, but you get little added value in return.
Successful replatforming starts with thorough preparation
Do you find the arguments for replatforming also applicable to your webshop (s)? Once you have made the decision to switch, you will increase success by preparing as much as possible yourself. Make a step-by-step plan and a timetable and answer a number of essential questions for yourself, such as:
- What do my Customer Journeys look like?
- What is a suitable content management system for me?
- What should the visual design at least meet?
- What are the "must have" functionalities for my new webshop?
- Do I immediately provide new product photos and (enriched) product content?
- Are my current payment methods “future proof”?
- How do I take my customers along in the transition?
- Do I switch to a Cloud solution or do I want to completely SAAS?
- What do I do myself and what do I leave to professionals?
Do not underestimate the latter question. As an online entrepreneur / retailer you can do a lot yourself, especially in the preparatory phase, but not everything. And you shouldn't want that at all, because two always know more than one. Ask for realistic and independent advice based on experience. Let yourself be advised and guided by experts who know what the latest techniques can mean for your webshop. Go for the ultimate customer experience, because those customers remain loyal and keep coming back.
