Challenges Faced in eCommerce Website Migration and How to Overcome Them

In the eCommerce sector, there is fierce competition that is growing by the day. To stay up with the competition, it's become necessary to come up with something fresh that users would enjoy. This necessitates scalable eCommerce migration.  However, business owners might face difficulties in relocating an established eCommerce website. In this article, we will discuss challenges in eCommerce store migration and how to overcome them.

Challenges in eCommerce Website Migration and How to Overcome Them

 

1. Data Migration

Data migration involves transferring information about your customers, products, and sales data from the old website to the new platform. However, you must do it in a way that won't result in the loss of data. This involves the transfer of three types of data-

Customer Data

Data transfer is a challenging process since you want the client experience to be as smooth as possible. Users may need to create new credentials. You can ensure that the entire process is as painless as possible for the clients. For security reasons, most platforms encrypt passwords and user data. This might make it impossible to give the credentials to the user directly. That is because the other platform may not be able to decode the information. Therefore, you must strategize the movement of consumer data to minimize any last-minute problems.

Product Information

You must transfer the categories of the items from the old platform to your new multi-vendor marketplace in a methodical manner. That also includes high-quality photos and inventories.

Sales Data

Migrating sales data is critical since it provides a clear picture of your sales over time. Customers would also get concerned if their transaction history was absent from the dashboard. Therefore, it is important to manage this data carefully. Solution: This kind of migration is usually quite complex. That's why it is usually a good idea to hire expert developers from eCommerce Website development. Their years of experience with various migration tools and extensions will help a lot.

2. Referral Traffic

You may have worked hard to grow your eCommerce website organically on Google. However, it's vital to note that relocation may cause a temporary drop in these rankings and traffic. The worst-case scenario is that the website's indexation in Google gets lost.  There's a chance that referral traffic from social media, forums, blogs, and other marketing channels may plummet. If you are worried about this, take a look at the solution below. Solution:

• • Crawling the website before migration will reveal any crawl issues.
  • Keep a copy of Google Analytics on hand to track traffic loss following the switch.
  • Update the internal links regularly. All new pages should self-canonicalize. This informs Google that the new site is the old site's new location.
  • All of the links that have changed should be redirected.
  • You must check for 404 errors and redirects.
  • You must track the number of pages indexed.

 

3. Third-Party Integration

You must examine if the third-party eCommerce website development services work or not while migrating your eCommerce business. These include a CRM system, email service, supply chain management software, or any accounting application.  This is necessary because it prevents costly data transmission mistakes. Another significant factor to consider is the change in workflow or user interface. That might occur once you integrate the new eCommerce platform. Solution: If your new platform doesn't allow for seamless connection with your present system, you'll need a new API. That way, you can keep utilizing the tools you already have.

4. Customer Experience

Even a minor update to an eCommerce website might cause inconsistencies in the experience of users. This will have a direct impact on their view of your brand. Extremely severe alterations may make it harder for them to find what they're looking for. This may cause them to abandon the website without making a purchase. This is one of the most difficult challenges in eCommerce store migration. Solution: A makeover will definitely improve your brand's image and client experience. However, it is vital to make the shift gradually. Returning visitors will be able to navigate your website easily and complete a purchase if you shift gradually. You can make a customer communication plan that includes sending out updates to your eCommerce website. You can do that via email, social media, and other engagements. Promote a great deal or offer, or create a buzz, to increase traffic.

In Conclusion

The issues outlined above might occur in different ways. The solutions mentioned along with the issues are generic in nature. You must consider your business requirements while deciding on the best strategy to address them.  Therefore, you need an eCommerce website development company that can help you with a smooth transition to an upgraded platform. If you need to upgrade your existing eCommerce website, we would be delighted to help you.  You can contact us and have a discussion about your needs and how we might assist you.