You’ve spotted the telltale signs that you need a new e-commerce platform, and you’ve followed the simplified steps to replatforming, but how do you start to find the best partner for your business needs?
Finding the right e-commerce platform is probably the most important step in your journey, especially when you take into account the projected growth in total online spending, which is expected to reach $7 trillion by 2025, according to eMarketer.
This enormous figure shows the significance of making the right decision when it comes to your new e-commerce platform.
We know it might seem daunting, so to help make your decision-making process a little simpler, we've popped together the checklist to follow when looking for your perfect platform.
Business goals and needs
Before diving into the sea of e-commerce platforms, it's important to know your business goals and requirements.
Your choice of platform should line up with your business goals, whether that’s needing to scale rapidly, optimising your site for mobile sales, or enhancing customer experience.
Your business goals checklist:
- What are your short-term and long-term business objectives for your e-commerce site?
- Are you looking to expand globally or focus on a domestic market?
- Does your budget impact your goals?
Budget
E-commerce platform costs can vary significantly, from free open-source solutions to high-priced enterprise options. According to ECommerce Gold, a new e-commerce platform will range “anywhere from a couple of hundred pounds to £20,000+.”
Knowing your budget helps avoid overspending, and makes sure you choose a platform that fits within any financial constraints.
Your budget checklist:
- How much can you allocate to platform costs, including setup, maintenance, and ongoing fees?
- Are there any hidden costs like transaction fees, plugins, or customisation charges that you should be aware of?
Your product range
The types and quantities of products you sell can impact your platform choice. If you have a big catalogue of products, you might want a platform that can handle a more complex inventory management.
If you only have a few products, or change stock regularly, you might want to look into being able to change online inventory yourself, without needing a web developer to make the changes.
Making sure your platform can handle your current product catalogue, and can even accommodate future expansion is pretty important.
Your product range checklist:
- Do you sell physical or digital products? Are there any unique product attributes or variations that your platform needs to support?
- How many stock lines do you plan to offer, and how frequently does your product range change?
Features
Consider the specific features and functionalities your e-commerce business requires.
Different platforms offer different sets of features, and you need to match these with your business needs.
Your features checklist:
- Are you able to track stock levels and automate reorder processes?
- Will you offer subscription services or memberships, requiring recurring billing and customer management features?
- What payment gateways and shipping options are essential for your business, and does the platform support them?
Hosting
E-commerce platforms can be hosted in various ways, and your choice can impact your site's performance, security, and scalability.
Trying to decide between a shared hosting solution and a dedicated hosting solution for your business? Take a look at the differences between dedicated and shared hosting and how to make the right decision on which one works for you.
Hosting options can affect your site's speed, security, and scalability.
Your hosting checklist:
- Do you prefer self-hosting, where you have complete control over server management, or a cloud-based solution where the hosting provider handles infrastructure?
- Are you willing to manage server maintenance, security, and updates, or do you want a fully managed hosting solution?
Mobile optimisation
Shopify stats show that almost 43% of online shopping is done on a mobile phone, so mobile commerce is pretty important in a new platform.
Ensuring a best-in-class customer experience and minimising shopping cart abandonment hinges on closely monitoring your website's mobile purchasing process.
Your optimisation checklist:
- What percentage of your traffic comes from mobile devices, and how does this impact your platform choice?
- Does the platform offer responsive design templates that adapt to various screen sizes and devices?
SEO and marketing
Effective marketing tools and SEO capabilities can help your business stand out in a crowded online marketplace.
With 43% of e-commerce traffic coming from organic Google search results, it’s pretty risky to get SEO and marketing on your site wrong.
Your SEO and marketing checklist:
- Does the platform support SEO best practices, such as customizable meta tags, clean URLs, and XML sitemaps?
- Are there built-in marketing tools, such as email marketing integration, social media promotion, or content management features?
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Track record
Research the platform's history and reputation.
A platform with a good track record is more likely to provide a stable and secure foundation for your e-commerce business.
Your track record checklist:
- How long has the platform been in business, and does it have a history of continuous improvement and updates?
- Can you find reviews and case studies from other businesses using the platform to assess their experiences and success?
Data migration
If you're replatforming from an existing e-commerce site, it’s important to consider data migration.
The ability to migrate your existing data seamlessly can save you time and prevent data loss during the transition.
Your data migration checklist:
- Does the platform offer tools or services for data migration, and can it handle your existing data structure?
- Can you import customer and product data easily, including order history and customer accounts?
Future growth
Think about your potential for future growth. Your chosen platform should support your business not only now but also as you grow and evolve.
It ensures that your website can handle increased traffic, accommodate a growing product range, and integrate with the tools and technologies needed to meet your business goals.
Your future growth checklist:
- Can you easily add new features and integrations as your business expands, or does the platform have limitations that may hinder future growth?
- Are there success stories of businesses similar to yours that have scaled successfully using the platform?
Ready to get started?
By asking the right questions and evaluating your options, you can find a platform that aligns with your goals, budget, and unique business needs.
It’s fair to say that replatforming will come with its own challenges. In many cases, migrating away from a legacy platform can be time-consuming, expensive, and hard work.
If you’re struggling with your replatforming, or need a little help knowing where to begin, start with a replatforming audit.
