Have you outgrown your eCommerce platform? Not sure? Let’s walk through some key indicators that it’s time to transition to new or upgraded technology. Upgrading or migrating your platform can be a costly endeavor, so it is important that we review the potential risk as well as the rewards.
Where You Started
When you selected your current e-commerce application, you likely weighed the pros and cons of a few systems and picked the one that best met your needs and budget at that time. It’s quite common to adapt or customize your e-commerce applications as your business grows. Those adaptations and customizations can become cumbersome and expensive to maintain. Should you consider a newer platform that may include some or all of your business features in its baseline product? It may be time to re-evaluate.
Growing Pains
Performance, scalability, and security are key metrics to evaluate on your current e-commerce channels. Simply put, if any of these are red flags, then it is likely time to upgrade or migrate to new technology. Customers expect a secure, reliable, and quick transaction and anything less is likely cutting into your sales.
If your current e-commerce tech is keeping you from selling on new channels, limiting your expansion to new features and functionality, or coming up short on user experience, then evaluating newer e-commerce technology is imperative. Many older systems might claim some of these new features, but you might find that administering or maintaining them is cumbersome in the older applications. Taking the leap to new technology has the potential to free up your time and allow you to focus on business growth, rather than technology.
Finally, consider growth into other markets around the world. If your current system is limiting your growth into new regions, countries, or languages, then a new technology assessment might be in order.
How to Decide?
You don’t want to make a shoot-from-the-hip technology decision. So how can you methodically evaluate your current state and determine if it’s time for a change? Below we’ve summarized many of the driving factors to consider when evaluating a potential e-commerce technology change.
- Performance problems with current platform
- Security vulnerabilities with current technology
- Manual processes taking too much time
- Essential website features are limited by current technologies
- B2B Functionality is lacking or missing altogether
- 3rd Party Integrations are limited or cost-prohibitive
- No additional channel capabilities on your current platform
- Negative reviews or customer complaints with online sales channels
- Current platform does not scale for future sales growth
- Expansion to other countries/languages is not supported
Still uncertain or wanting help navigating this ever-changing landscape? Reach out to us with the contact form below and we’ll help you make the best decision for your business!
