Thinking about moving your ecommerce store to a bigger platform?
At some point, every growing store outgrows the platform it started on. Sales are booming, new products are constantly being added, and suddenly your inventory management processes start to buckle under the pressure.
Let’s take a look at the problem:
Staying on a slow, limited platform is only going to inhibit growth. Slow loading pages, complicated checkout experiences, and limited inventory management will keep your ecommerce business from scaling to its full potential.
But what if there was a way to solve all of those problems at once?
Upping your store’s game by migrating to a new platform can set you up for success! And when done correctly, will drive sales and keep your customers coming back for more.
Ready to learn how to migrate your ecommerce store? Let’s dig in!
- Why Growing Stores Outgrow Their Platform
- Signs It’s Time To Migrate
- Planning a Successful Ecommerce Migration
- SEO During A Migration
- Features To Look For In A Platform
Why Growing Stores Outgrow Their Platform
Running into growth limitations with your ecommerce platform is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it happens to nearly every ecommerce business at some point.
Perhaps your store started on WooCommerce. Products are added easily enough, orders are processed, and keeping track of inventory isn’t much of an issue. But then growth happens. Your product catalog expands, sales skyrocket, and suddenly your store needs more than a basic inventory management system.
Enter Shopify Plus solution specialists…
Shopify Plus accounts for 27% of online stores who have switched platforms recently citing a need for more advanced ecommerce capabilities.
That includes features like robust inventory management systems that can easily handle multiple warehouses, partner updates, and automations that streamline your entire ecommerce business.
Common issues that signal it’s time to upgrade:
- Struggling to keep up with inventory management
- Out-of-stock setbacks and supply chain issues
- Limited ability to sell on multiple channels
If your current platform doesn’t have everything you need to grow… It may be time to migrate.
Signs It’s Time To Migrate
If you’re still not sure your store needs to migrate to a new ecommerce platform, here are a few signs.
Your inventory management isn’t where it needs to be.
Does your ecommerce store sell on Shopify AND Amazon? Or maybe eBay and Facebook? Keeping track of inventory levels on multiple sales channels is already difficult, but when your platform doesn’t make it easy? It’s time to look elsewhere.
Page load times are slow.
A seamless checkout experience is critical for maximizing conversions. If your current platform can’t keep up with traffic during peak seasons (causing slow load times and crashed pages), you’re losing money.
Checkout flow is complicated.
Speaking of checkout experiences, if your customers are faced with a confusing checkout process, they’ll buy from your competitor who offers a more streamlined experience.
You can’t customize the store experience.
One size fits all templates are great for getting started, but every growing ecommerce business has unique needs. If you’re unable to make small tweaks to the checkout process, add custom data fields, or tailor page layouts, you need a more flexible solution.
If you’re experiencing one (or all) of these issues… Now’s the time to start planning your migration.
How To Plan a Successful Ecommerce Migration
Needless to say, migrating your ecommerce store to a new platform is not something to take lightly.
Migration projects can cause ecommerce sites to lose up to 30% of organic traffic if not executed properly. But when done right, research shows that 98% of recently migrated stores would make the same decision to migrate again.
The key to a successful ecommerce migration? Proper planning.
Here’s how to get started:
Audit Your Current Store
Hold on, before you do ANYTHING else. You need to know exactly what your current store does.
What ecommerce software does it run on? Where is all of your data stored? How do you keep track of inventory? Are there any custom processes or workflows you’ll need to replicate after the migration?
Jot it all down. You’ll be using this as a migration reference.
Pick Your Platform
Not all ecommerce platforms are created equal. Do your research and find one that can handle the shortcomings of your old store.
For most stores running into inventory management roadblocks, migrating to a Shopify Plus account is the best move. Shopify excels at advanced ecommerce functions with multi-channel sales and endless integration possibilities.
Move Data In Batches
It might sound obvious, but never move everything at once. Migrate product info over first, then customers, and finally order history.
This method ensures you can test everything on the new platform without breaking your live store.
Protect Your SEO
See section below!
Protecting Your SEO During A Migration
Ok, let’s talk about SEO.
Migrating your ecommerce store to a new platform guts everything SEO related. Links change, page hierarchy is scrambled, and metadata can be lost in translation.
You have to plan for every eventuality.
Quick breakdown:
- Redirect ALL old URLs with 301 redirects. Don’t leave a single page behind.
- All metadata must remain intact. Title tags, meta descriptions, header structures, everything.
- Fix all internal links. SEO crawlers won’t know where to look if your URL structure has changed.
- Submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console before and after going live.
- Monitor, monitor, monitor. Keep an eye on analytic data for at least 1 month after launching your new store.
SEO is not something to sacrifice during an ecommerce migration. You’ve spent months, maybe years, building domain authority. Don’t let it go because you didn’t plan properly.
Features To Look For in a Platform
Before you take the leap and switch platforms, stop. Make sure your new ecommerce software has all the bells and whistles you need to grow your online store.
The best platforms for growing ecommerce businesses have:
Robust inventory management tools. Moving your store to Shopify? You’re in luck. Shopify’s advanced ecommerce platform has incredibly detailed inventory management software built right in. From real-time stock updates, to product tags, Shopify makes selling on multiple channels easy.
Ability to scale with your store. Traffic is surging during peak season? A top-notch ecommerce platform will be able to handle the influx of traffic without slowing down your site.
The ability to integrate your ecommerce software with other tools. All software should integrate with your ecommerce platform seamlessly. Whether it’s an ERP system, accounting software, or 3rd party apps. Pick a platform that lets you customize your tech stack to fit your business needs.
The Bottom Line
Ecommerce migration is never easy. But if your store is stagnant on a platform that no longer works for your business, migration might be the best option.
Just remember these 5 tips:
- Auditing your store will prevent you from losing data
- Moving data in batches allows you to test everything
- SEO will make or break your ecommerce migration
- Pick a platform that offers advanced inventory management features
You’ll notice your ecommerce store runs smoother and your ecommerce software will help you sell more. Businesses that put off migration any longer only fall behind their competition.
There’s no time like the present. Start researching new platforms today.
