Debunking Common eCommerce Platform Migration Myths

Is your current e-commerce platform giving you headaches? Then it’s time for you to make a switch. But sadly, you may have heard about re-platforming facts that are not true. 

Save yourself from the pain of not migrating to a better platform by reading these debunked myths on changing platforms.  

Myth 1: Changing platforms will get in the way of your sales.

Yes, migrating data, improving website design, and making marketing changes will take some time. However, they don’t – and won’t – affect your sales at all. Many platform providers still allow you to have business as usual even when they’re relocating your website. 

To enjoy this undisrupted sales cycle, it’s best if you choose the best e-commerce platform for your needs. 

It should be one with a storefront that’s readily available for product listing and data upload. At the same time, it should have the newest updates that come in handy as you migrate items from your old store to the new one. 

After changing your e-commerce platform, remember to test your new storefront first. For starters, you can do the following:

• Check a product out. Did it push through? Did you receive an order notification in the email?
• Sign up for a newsletter. Did you receive an acknowledgment email?
• Check your dashboard. Does it have the data or metrics you need?

More importantly, don’t forget to notify your team of these changes. Remember, they need to study the new platform to give the best IT support possible. 

Myth 2: Platform migration will ruin your online store’s current design.

Maybe you have worked hard on your store’s design, and that’s the way you like it. You can still bring this same style to your new platform. That’s because many service providers have built-in elements that make the migration effortless. 

Remember, it’s up to you if you want to stick with your old storefront rather than go for a new one. While the first option usually comes with additional costs, it’s priceless as your trademark website design is suitable for promoting brand retention. 

Myth 3: You can replicate your old online store with the help of platform migration.

Unfortunately, this can’t be done. While you can migrate most of your data into the new platform, you can’t create an exact replica of your previous store. 

This shouldn’t be a worry, though, as you’re re-platforming because you have problems with your old store, to begin with. Think of this: you get a full-featured shop with aspects that may help you make more sales.

For example, you may be concerned about payment gateway integration. This may be one of the reasons why you’re not pushing through with your migration plans. 

However, this is rarely a problem with Shopify, which the Ecomwarrior Academy reviews have used for profitable selling. 

Apart from Shopify, Big Commerce and Woo Commerce can also integrate a wide array of payment gateways. In essence, installing your old store’s essential features is something you don’t have to worry about. 

Myth 4: Transferring to a new platform will lead to a loss of website traffic.

This belief holds some credence as a server change will lead to a slight fluctuation in traffic. This is especially true even if you keep the same domain name. 

That said, you need to be prepared for this ranking change. You don’t have to worry, though, as this change will only last for a few weeks, and you’re sure to regain your rankings again. Add to that, Google follows the best migration practices that promote a better platform shift. 

If you want to minimize this effect further, you need to avoid technical SEO changes when you migrate platforms. If the process of doing everything by yourself is too overwhelming for you, you can go for a company that follows an accurate migration process. 

Such platforms usually observe the best practices, such as adding 301 redirects. That way, you get to reduce untoward risk without jeopardizing your hard-earned search engine rankings. 

Myth 5: Migrating platforms is not worth it.

Yes, you need to pay some money to transfer to another platform. While you may be intimidated by the costs, you shouldn’t because it’s worth it.

Say that you have already spent $50,000 on your old site, and you need to shell $25,000 for a new one. If you’re running your store on an old platform, it may not have new features such as Apple Pay. 

Sure, you can pay a one-time fee for this feature, but have you thought of the developments that may come in the future? Knowing Apple, it may release an upgraded Apple Pay 2.0 version soon. 

Now, you have to pay another fee for this upgrade again. If not, you stand to lose the clients that have Apple Pay as their preferred method. If you consider these add-on costs, you’ll see that you’ll end up spending more with your old platform. 

This is why it’s good to migrate to a company that’s always updated with new technologies. That way, you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money on system upgrades.

Myth 6: You have to move your products one by one.

While this is an option, you don’t have to waste your every waking day on this. This is especially the case if you have thousands of products in your old store. 

There are many programs, such as Transporter, that can help you out with this. By using such tools, you can:

• Import products, customers, meta fields, and orders into your new store.
• Upload CSV files – even the large ones – which the new platform translates into objects to be imported to the store.
• Accept meta fields that support complex data sizes.
• Delete data in bulk as needed.
• Go over shipping and transaction lines for the necessary metrics.

As you see, most of the myths you have heard of are probably untrue. That said, re-platforming is something you should not be afraid of. 

It allows your store to progress, which is necessary if you want your business to grow. It may take some time and money, but they’re all worth it in the end.