As we already discussed the concept of an eCommerce migration plan and mapping functionalities, let’s look at the next step – which is choosing an eCommerce platform and successful eCommerce data migration.
If you haven’t seen the previous part, we encourage you to read it >>> previous blog.
Quick jump
- Choosing the new eCommerce platform as a first step
- Migrating the existing data to a new eCommerce store
- What about payment methods and shipping?
- Integrations Configurations
- Inform your customer about the eCommerce migration
- Summary
Choosing the new eCommerce platform as a first step
Choosing an eCommerce platform is the most important step in the process of eCommerce migration. This choice will shape the further decisions and the outcome of the project.
When looking at the functionalities of a platform and its various marketing promises, such information should be taken with a pinch of salt. Many eCommerce solutions declare that they can be used to build any type of eCommerce website. In reality, they are more or less focused on a particular business model. For instance, not every dropshipping platform will be suitable for B2C, and not every B2C-focused platform can be a base for a multi-vendor marketplace. As the famous saying goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none…”.
Therefore, remember that the platform should be exactly suited to your needs. To not drown in the sea of information, start by answering these three questions:
- What is your company’s sales model?
- In what markets does your online business operate?
- What sales channels are you using?
By doing so, it would be easier to tailor the eCommerce platform to align with your business strategy. Moreover, knowledge of the markets in which your business operates is essential for implementing region-specific features, localizing content, and adhering to regulatory requirements. Identifying the sales channels, in turn, helps in choosing the necessary integrations for a multichannel strategy.
History of platform problems
Although it shouldn’t seem important with a new eCommerce project, the last thing we would expect from a new platform is the problem we have faced in the current one. By emphasizing these aspects, the agency can focus specifically on identifying problematic elements from the previous solution and effectively address and eliminate them during the migration process.
To do so, the client must identify the pain points and issues for which they have decided to migrate to a new platform (usually related to technical debt). These aspects, although sometimes petty, reduce conversions in the long run; for instance, the lack of one-page checkout can prolong the payment process. By knowing what the biggest issues are for the client, a software house can eliminate the problem and replace it with a better solution. Case studies from development agencies are a great source of information about the problems they faced so far and how they eliminate them. Thus, do not hesitate to explore and discuss them before taking the next steps in eCommerce migration.
Check B2B and B2C eCommerce Case Studies
Migrating the existing data to a new eCommerce store
After choosing the eCommerce platform, the next extremely important step is eCommerce data migration. Naturally, we do not want to lose our data from the previous store. What’s more, our customers also need that data to keep their purchase history, saved addresses, wishlists, etc. That’s the first thing the existing customers will check after the migration of the eCommerce website. Apart from that, it is worth thinking about content like blogs and images, accounts for administrative panels, and much more. Nowadays, some hosting platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) also provide data migration services. These services facilitate a safe and trouble-free eCommerce data migration process, ensuring that critical information is accurately and quickly moved to the new eCommerce platform.
To make things a little bit easier to understand and to get familiar with the types of data processed on eCommerce platforms each day, the section below explains this topic in-depth.
What data should be migrated to a new eCommerce store?
During the eCommerce platform migration process, it’s important to carefully select the data that needs to be transferred from our current platform to ensure a smooth transition and maintain business continuity. This involves identifying essential data elements such as product data, customer data, order data, inventory levels, content and media files, wishlists, discount, loyalty systems and any other data that is critical to the business operations. Below is an eCommerce migration checklist of the data types, starting from the most important ones for eCommerce businesses.
Product data
For the core functionality of your store, migrating data about products, including product descriptions, images, prices, specifications, and more, is a must. It ensures accurate product listings and saves a lot of time. After the migration, customers can start browsing and buying your products again without any interference. Also, make sure that the product tags and cross-selling techniques, like suggested products, will be transferred to the new site.
Customer data
Customer data encompasses information about how customers use the eCommerce site. It includes demographic, behavioral, and personal data gathered within the store. Migrating such data helps to provide a personalized shopping experience and offer targeted promotions. Additionally, we should not forget to migrate customer reviews, as they greatly affect the website’s visibility in search engines and provide valuable information about products to potential buyers. Keep in mind that for some customers (especially in the B2B segment), having access to invoices after the migration is extremely important.
Order data
Another important data is related to customer’s orders. Order data involves details about customer transactions, including order numbers, products purchased, payment information, shipping details, and order status. Migrating order data is vital for preserving the transactional history and ensuring that customers can track their previous purchases.
Migrating order data also facilitates a smooth transition for fulfillment processes, helps analyze sales patterns, and supports customer service by providing access to order-related information for issue resolution or inquiries in the new eCommerce store.
Inventory levels
Stock information data in an eCommerce context refers to real-time data regarding the availability of products in the inventory. This data includes details such as stock levels, SKU numbers, and product variants. Migrating stock information data to a new eCommerce store is crucial for maintaining accurate inventory management. It ensures product availability is correctly reflected on the website, preventing overselling or underselling scenarios that could lead to unsatisfied customers and operational challenges.
Content and Media files
Migrating media files aim to preserve product listings’ visual appeal and integrity. High-quality images and videos enhance product visibility, help in marketing efforts, and significantly influence customer purchasing decisions. Furthermore, eCommerce businesses often run a blog on their website. Such content is extremely valuable as it provides knowledge for the customers and helps the website score higher in search engines like Google.
It is worth noting that the content presented on another eCommerce platform may slightly differ due to other data formatting methods and compatibility, as well as theme and design constraints. Due to that, it’s best to check that beforehand. What’s more, content migrated to a new online domain should be checked regarding internal links and redirections as they also impact search engine optimization (SEO).
Migrating wishlists, discounts, and loyalty systems
In addition to the data mentioned above, eCommerce businesses should remember to migrate other valuable information, such as wishlists and products placed in shopping carts. Each product the customer observes is a potential conversion and should not be overlooked by thinking, “They remember about these products and will come back to our store.”In our fast-paced world, everything can change in a matter of seconds, and such thinking can be naive.
Additionally, consider the migration of discounts. This includes promotional codes, percentage discounts, buy-one-get-one deals, etc. If the discount in your store usually includes the whole category, then its migration can be omitted, as it can be done quickly. Nonetheless, when your eCommerce store often uses promotions on selected products, it is good to migrate them, as clicking on the products one by one when setting discounts can be a daunting and time-consuming task.
Last but not least, do not forget about loyalty points if you use one. Sometimes, they are a very motivational factor for customers to do shopping in your store, and removing them may discourage customers and harm the eCommerce store’s reputation.
What about payment methods and shipping?
When migrating data, one should not forget about the processes that enable customers to use our products. The first thing is a payment method. Provide the customers with the same payment methods available before the migration, and even consider including more options. Customers have their preferences in terms of paying online, and failure to provide them with their favorite options often results in cart abandonment during checkout. For example, many people in Poland use BLIK as a payment method, so offering it within the store can increase your sales and customer satisfaction in this region.
The same rule applies to the product’s shipment. Ensure that customers can access familiar and reliable shipping methods post-migration and explore adding additional services to cater to different preferences and regions. This improves the user experience and boosts confidence in the brand, as customers appreciate the convenience and flexibility in delivery options. Integration with popular shipping solutions like InPost in Poland or DHL in Germany is always a good strategy, as most local customers are familiar with them.
During the process of mapping functionalities explained earlier, remember to do the research and check if the new eCommerce platform provides integrations with your payment and shipping solutions.
Integrations Configurations
Speaking of integrations, their configurations and settings can also be worth migrating. Migrating configurations ensure the new online store maintains the same functionality as the previous one. It allows for a seamless continuation of services provided by integrated tools and services like the aforementioned payment services and shipping options. Their importance depends heavily on the number of third-party services and the complexity of the integrations your online store relies on. In cases where an eCommerce business extensively utilizes third-party services for functions such as customer relationship management (CRM), marketing automation, or analytics, migrating the configurations becomes crucial for the website’s operations.
Inform your customer about the eCommerce migration
Remember to place information about the migration on the website to inform your customer about the ongoing changes, as the migration can take a few hours and, in some cases, even more. What’s more, such an information page should disable sales to prevent gaps in orders and stocks until the end of migration. Standard information like „We will get back to you soon” or “We are changing for you, try again shortly” should do the trick and ensure business continuity.
Migration Tool by BitBag
Summary
Choosing the right eCommerce platform requires careful consideration and analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Therefore, take all the time necessary to make a decision. Also, when the time for data migration comes, first think about the most important aspects from the perspective of your customers. This often includes access to purchase history, invoices, wishlists, etc. Make sure that the customers will have everything they need after the eCommerce replatforming process.
As we chose the eCommerce platform and the data we want to migrate, the third and last blog of this series will focus on selecting third-party integrations and designing the website.