What is an online store migration?
Let’s start, as usual, with a definition. Online store migration is the process of “transferring” all e-commerce resources from one e-commerce platform to another. If done correctly, the migration process will also transfer user databases, configuration, all functionality available on both platforms, data on transactions carried out, products offered, etc., and even the visual layout.
You may also encounter the concept of online store migration when moving a store from an older to a new version of a sales platform. The principle is actually the same, but in the latter case the whole process should be a bit faster and achieving full compatibility easier. However, this is not a rule that is confirmed in all cases.
Transferring an online store – different types
There can be much more under the term migration of an online store. Much depends on the nomenclature adopted. So before we go into a broader description, it is worth knowing the most popular types of migration. Due to the scope of the changes carried out, we can divide migration into five types:
- content migration,
- Upgrade to a newer version of the platform,
- Migration from platform to platform,
- migration to another server,
- full migration.
We will briefly discuss each of them.
Content migration
This type of migration carries little risk. It involves moving content such as articles, product descriptions, graphics and their descriptions, linking, reviews, etc. Content migration never functions in a vacuum. It is only part of a larger process – for example, refreshing a store’s website, updating the CMS or changing hosting.
When planning a content migration, you need to pay attention to the effect it can have on your SEO. Use this moment to detect outdated content, identify texts that have stopped pulling traffic to the site or incorrectly described graphics. Then plan to optimize them, so your SEO will improve strongly in the long run.
Upgrade to a newer version of the platform
If you are not planning to change the e-commerce platform you are using, it does not mean that the topic of migration does not concern you. Sooner or later it will be the platform that undergoes changes, and your company will have to adapt to them. The transfer of relevant data will not always be automatic, although – if the platform provider takes care of it – it should be.
In this scenario, however, you should be prepared for complications when transferring plug-ins and personalized store elements – there may be compatibility issues.
Migration from platform to platform
It is more risky and potentially problematic to move an e-shop from one platform to another. Not all solutions that worked on platform A will be compatible with platform B. If you are going to move your store to a competitor, make sure first that the most important features will work right away. Use customer advisors working with the new platform, or engage implementation specialists who professionally assist in e-commerce migration.
Migration to another server
Moving a store to a new hosting is a particularly risky undertaking that requires special preparations. In such a case, it is necessary to carry out tests in a secure environment, as well as to create backups of all data. Migration to new hosting is fraught with the risk of data loss, as well as store downtime. Therefore, it is worth informing customers about the planned migration, as well as scheduling it during the night hours, when the store is least frequented.
Full migration
Some combination of all the above types of migration is the so-called full migration. This involves moving the store to a new hosting, combined with updating systems, security and e-commerce features. Each of these changes separately carries certain risks, and the (understandable) desire to carry them out simultaneously makes the risks even greater.
When is it worth considering an e-commerce migration?
As we mentioned in the introduction, there are a whole range of reasons why migrating an online store may be a necessity. Here are the most important of them:
Demand for new features
Even if you and your employees are accustomed to the current platform, you may find that the features it offers become insufficient. Support for new payment methods, such as deferred payments for businesses, support for loyalty programs or advanced integrations – these are just some of the functionalities you may need. If the platform you’re currently using doesn’t have them, it’s a good time to look for an alternative and move your online store somewhere else.
Problems with current e-commerce platform
Technical problems, unavailable or unprofessional customer service, bugs, disappearing data, integrations that don’t work – any of these things can seriously damage your store. If your current platform is struggling, it’s not just an issue between it and your company – it’s also a hassle affecting your customers. If they encounter errors and can’t shop with you because of your sales platform, they will still blame your company, and you will lose customers – perhaps permanently.
Mistakes happen, but if they occur too often, it’s time to find a better partner to work with – a platform to deliver superior service to customers.
High maintenance costs
If you don’t know what the issue is… the high cost of a sales platform can be justified, as long as functionality, simplicity of use and impeccable technical condition follow along with it. Problems begin when – despite the high price – the quality of the product received is insufficient. It may also happen that the financial situation of the company forces you to look for a cheaper option.
While this is not a good tactic in the long run, it is worth remembering that when negotiating with e-commerce platform providers, it is easier to get an extended free trial period, a discount on the first subscription period or a higher plan for the price of a lower one. Vendors see this as an investment and an incentive to work together, and your company can benefit as well. It’s much more difficult to negotiate with a platform on which you already have your e-store. Sales platform owners realize that migrating an online store is a complex undertaking. This means that your threats to move to a competitor won’t necessarily work.
Safety requirements
The issue of cyber security cannot be overstated. Is your company ripe for paying special attention to data security – your own and that of your customers? Pay particular attention, then, to whether the platform you currently use – or intend to use – has implemented appropriate security measures:
- Launches periodic tests of IT infrastructure,
- conducts continuous monitoring and regular updates to the risk profile,
- Has safeguards in place for key resources,
- has systems for detecting attacks and dangerous incidents,
- communicates planned security changes,
- implements procedures for responding to security breaches.
Don’t hesitate to inquire about the details of what service providers are doing in this regard. The safety of your company and customers is at stake.
Step-by-step migration process
In order to go through the process of migrating your online store as smoothly as possible, you should divide it into several stages in advance and stick to the plan. Here is a suggested breakdown. You can use it to – taking into account your company’s needs, the type of migration and the circumstances – best prepare for the transfer of your e-store.
1. data and needs analysis
Since you’re thinking about migration, it means that you feel under the skin that your e-store needs far-reaching changes, or, more likely, you have data that indicates it. So start by carefully analyzing them. Prepare a list of the features you need to make your store work as before and, separately, a list of the features you need to continue to grow your business. Use the customer feedback you have at your disposal and detail the elements they paid the most attention to. Prepare a list of processes you want to automate or otherwise optimize.
Finally, set a list of goals you plan to achieve by migrating to a new platform.
With the above at your disposal, also try to identify any challenges and complications you may encounter “along the way.” Take into account any problems that may occur with solution compatibility, search engine positions, store stability, etc.
2. research and platform selection
The next step must be detailed research. You don’t want to trade an axe for a stick, only an unfulfilling tool for one that is powerful, effective and easy to use. Spare no time in holding consultations, using product demos, talking to customer service and reading reviews. Take advantage of contacts in other stores – ask people who run their stores of similar scale or profile what solution they use, what they are satisfied with, and what they have concerns about.
Consider what your current platform is failing the most and which areas of its performance are particularly sensitive. Pay attention to these during your research and make sure that the platforms you are considering as targets will provide a better experience in this regard.
Consider the possibility of scaling the business. Look into your company’s roadmap and growth plans. When you choose a new platform for your online store today, you are choosing software that you and your employees will use for years to come. Don’t count on the fact that “maybe” new solutions will come along. Choose a platform that has implemented or is in the process of implementing the latest e-commerce solutions. Verify how efficiently it responds to new developments and how quickly it is able to implement them.
The more your business grows, the more needs it will have. So it’s worth investing in a platform that exceeds the current needs of your business. This “stock” will come in handy in the months to come.
3 Migration schedule
Having decided on an e-commerce platform, you can shift your attention to creating a migration schedule. At this stage, it is a good idea to outline a clear division of responsibilities among the employees involved in the migration process.
Set minor goals, the achievement of which is necessary for a successful migration. Arrange them in the order in which you want to achieve them. Assign people responsible for each goal.
4 Data review
Before you extract the data to transfer it to the new platform, conduct a review. Check which data are necessary for the store to function properly on the new platform. These will certainly include product descriptions, prices, product videos and graphics, inventory information, category breakdown, filters, etc.
Take the time to analyze customer data. In a “new” store, you will need everything you know about them: account access data, contact information, purchase history, loyalty program joining information, account statuses, etc.
This is a good time to clean up databases of errors. Get rid of duplicates, fix errors, try to fill in missing information. The same goes for content. Review product descriptions to make sure they are correct and up-to-date, remove product cards that you no longer have (and won’t have) on sale, check inventory, etc.
Make sure you can export the collected data to files supported by the new environment. As a rule, e-commerce platforms use .CSV and .XML files, but their structure can vary significantly.
5. consultation and testing
Using a test environment, check all key functionalities, conduct a test migration of some data, verify the performance of the new platform. Don’t forget about load testing – this is especially important if you plan to move a large amount of content. Take into account the expected traffic to your store’s website (use existing data when doing this). Make sure that the new store will be able to serve customers even more efficiently than the previous one.
Pay attention to page load times, correct redirects and security. Configure payment issues, check available delivery options. Don’t forget to verify the operation of any kind of integration with systems for customer service, accounting or inventory management.
6. start of migration
If the tests have been successful and any problems encountered along the way have been fixed, it’s time to perform the actual migration. At this stage you probably already have your data tested and ready to be transferred. Schedule the migration for a time when your store is visited by the least number of customers, so that if there are any hindrances to its functionality, they will be felt as little as possible.
7 Verification
Even if the migration process was successful and you have not been reported any errors, you still need to perform extensive testing. This is the only way to make sure that nothing unforeseen has happened. As part of the testing:
- check the completeness of the transferred data,
- Check that the product categories are assigned correctly,
- verify filters, sorting functions, personalization, etc…,
- Make sure the loyalty program is working and customer data has been correctly transferred,
- test integrations,
- Go through the entire purchase process step by step to verify that each step works properly.
Let’s stop at the last point. Procurement testing is one of the most essential elements of migration verification. Conduct extensive testing, covering a variety of scenarios, during which:
- you will make purchases as a returning customer enjoying a fixed discount,
- You will try to purchase more products than the current stock,
- You will choose various forms of payment and delivery,
- You will add and remove products from the shopping cart,
- you add products to your shopping cart, abandon your purchase, and then return to complete the aborted order,
- you make purchases using an active discount code.
The above are, of course, only sample scenarios. Test as many of them as possible in different configurations to make sure that customers who want to shop at your store on the new platform won’t encounter errors that prevent them from completing the transaction.
8 Commissioning
Now that everything has been checked, it’s time to give the green light and launch the new store, all the while keeping your hand on the pulse. The next steps – optimization and monitoring – should start right at the time of the launch and be carried out simultaneously.
9. monitoring
It’s time to check the parameters of the new store design. Use legacy tools to measure page load time, responsiveness of the store on different types of devices (desktop, mobile) and its performance on different browsers. Any deviation from the norm (including lack of growth) should be analyzed and responded to on an ongoing basis to improve the customer experience.
It’s also a good idea to gather feedback from your customers. Even if you prepare for the migration in an exemplary manner, and the whole process goes without major problems, your customers may encounter situations that you can’t foresee. Ask them to share their opinions and report problems. If you have an active loyalty program, don’t miss out on rewarding customers who take an active part in improving the operation of your store.
10. SEO optimization (and more)
Turn the data gathered from observations and customers into action. Optimizing an online store on a new platform should be a long-term process. This is the time for adjusting content with SEO in mind (especially those that were not improved before the migration), streamlining the operation of the store, launching needed features, improving performance and uptime (store availability time). With the “launch” of the store, the security systems will also undergo a real baptism of fire. It doesn’t have to happen right away, but make sure you keep your finger on the pulse and your team is ready to implement procedures in case of a hacking attack.
Move your online store – with an agency or on your own
Transferring an e-store is a multi-step process. However, breaking it down and carefully planning each step will ensure that, while still challenging, it is not impossible. Much depends on whether you decide to carry out the migration yourself.
Migration using in-house resources can be less expensive and provide a testing ground for employees to become familiar with the new sales platform. On the other hand, this approach is riskier than entrusting the migration process to experts. If you use a company that specializes in implementations, you can count on expert support, assistance in case of complications and faster migration.
Regardless of your choice, moving your online store to a new platform should bring faster performance and better visibility. These two reasons alone mean that migration can prove – under certain conditions – to be very beneficial to your business.
