14 Steps for Migrating Your E-commerce Site

Migrating your e-commerce site is a critical undertaking that requires meticulous planning and execution. Whether you want to upgrade your platform for enhanced performance, expand, accommodate growing demand, or seek to optimize your site’s functionality, a structured migration process is indispensable.

The motive behind migration can be to enhance functionality, performance, and adoption of the latest technology for your website.

According to the sales growth index of 2023, many businesses have seen 20% sales growth annually due to the migration of e-commerce sites,

14 steps for migrating your e-commerce site.

1. List requirements and benefits of re-platforming

Before listing the requirements and benefits of re-platforming, make sure to ask questions

• What limitations are you facing with your current platform?
• What are your business goals for the future?
• What specific benefits do you expect from re-platforming?

After analyzing the requirements, make sure to:

Access the current limitation- Consider factors such as performance issues, scalability constraints, security vulnerabilities, or difficulty in managing content and orders. Use tools like Google Analytics to know your sites’ performance.

Survey and Customer Analysis- Use tools like SurveyMonkey and Typeform to gather input from stakeholders, including internal teams, customers, and partners.

Use SEMrush and Moz to know the audit of your current website.

Realistic Evaluation– Know the process, including the overall cost, the labour needed to finish the project, and the milestones that need to be reached.

Read: Top Options For Ecommerce Replatforming

2. Get all stakeholders on board

By involving stakeholders and partners in the process, you can benefit from their insights, expertise, and support throughout the migration journey. Moreover, you can learn what everyone on the team wants regarding the site’s migration.

According to a McKinsey & Company study, projects with high stakeholder engagement had an 87% higher chance of success than those with low engagement.

Moreover, to do so, follow these steps.

• Stakeholder Identification- Identify stakeholders’ interests by using the Stakeholder Mapping Matrices tool. This tool can help you know the team’s and partners’ specific interests.
• Activation Plan- Implement strong strategies for each stakeholder group, considering their preferences and motivations. Tools like Jira and Asana should be used to track stakeholder engagement activities and monitor progress in implementing this process.

3. Create a shortlist of e-commerce platforms

By creating a shortlist, identify the best e-commerce platforms that offer features, costs, and functionalities according to your specific needs.

To make this happen, do:

• Market research- Identify and understand the landscape of available e-commerce platforms, such as features, refresh rates, identity, easy SEO optimization, etc. Use tools like Google Trends, SimilarWeb, or SEMrush for easy market research.
• Feature Analysis- Use tools like G2 or Capterra to compare feature sets, including inventory management, payment gateways, shipping options, SEO capabilities, and third-party integrations.
• Customization Options- Assess the availability of themes, templates, and code customization options. Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento offer extensive customization capabilities.

4. Schedule a demo with top choices

The section provides you with firsthand experience and insights into the capabilities of each platform. You can easily do this by following the steps given below:

• Identify Top Choices- The top priority should be scalability, performance, security, customization options, and integrations. Use tools like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius to make the right choice.
• Prepare Technical Agenda- Structure a technical agency by setting each platform’s backend architecture, database structure, programming languages, and frameworks. Tools like Trello or Asana can help you share the agenda with stakeholders.

5. Pick an e-commerce platform

Selecting the right platform ensures that the business has a robust, reliable, and scalable infrastructure to support its online sales and operations.

According to the IDC report, 2023, by picking up an accurate e-commerce platform 67% of businesses consider switching platforms within 3 years.

To pick the best e-commerce platform, follow these steps.

• Research Market Options- Explore popular platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, and others. Utilize tools like Apache JMeter, LoadRunner, or Gatling
• Security Assessment- Conduct security assessments on e-commerce platforms to find vulnerabilities and meet industry standards like PCI DSS. You can use tools like OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, or Nessus for security scans, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments.
• API Integration Testing- Test the APIs provided by each e-commerce platform to assess their functionality, reliability, and ease of integration. Use tools like Postman, SoapUI, or Katalon Studio.

6. Backup old e-commerce store data

If you are a big e-commerce business owner and have lost your data, you can recover it by implementing these steps:

• Database Dump- To create a dump of your entire database or specific tables, use tools like mysqldump for MySQL databases, pg_dump for PostgreSQL databases, or mongodump for MongoDB databases. The step ensures it gives you a snapshot of your data within the e-commerce site.
• Cloud-native Backup Solutions- When using cloud solutions, recover your data with cloud-native backup solutions. These give specific cloud environments, offering features like automated backups, encryption, and integration with cloud storage.

7. Design your new e-commerce site

To design your new e-commerce site with site structure, layout, and style, remember to follow these steps-

• Information Architecture and User Flow: Optimize CMS platforms like WordPress, Shopify, or Magento to manage and organize your content of the site. Moreover, implementing navigation menus and site maps based on IA principles requires knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Use tools like Yoast SEO, WP-CLI, SEO Manager, and Full Page Cache Warmer.
• Design Mockups and Prototypes- Backing up data will save you if you experience unforeseen circumstances. This can give basic skeletal outlines or blueprints that illustrate the structure and layout of each page. To do so, use tools like Adobe XD, Balsamiq, and Figma.

8. Use a data migration service

Data Transformation and Mapping- If you have a third-party app, mapping and transforming data can convert data formats, handle discrepancies, or merge fields. Use tools Apache Spark, Talend Open Studio, and IBM InfoSphere DataStage.

Address Data Dependencies- Identify and address any dependencies or relationships between different data entities to ensure data integrity is maintained post-migration. Use tools like Change Data Capture (CDC) Tools, Graph Databases, Erwin Data Modeler, or SAP PowerDesigner

9. Migrate store data

Migrating store data when migrating an e-commerce site can be a complex process. Here are the steps you can follow:

• Data Mapping- Identify how data from your current platform will map to the new platform. This includes product attributes, categories, customer information, orders, and any other relevant data. Use tools like Excel or Google Sheets.
• Import Data into New Platform- You can import the cleaned and prepared data directly to your e-commerce store. This can be done with the tools like Cart2Cart or LitExtension.
• Optimize and Iterate- Optimize and literate for performance, user experience, and conversions. Moreover, the step can help you monitor analytics to identify areas for improvement and iterate on your site accordingly. Use tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar.

10. Connect the checkout platform and optimize the checkout experience

Connect the checkout platform that can let your customers process payments and complete orders easily. Also, make sure to choose the platform that helps the customers with a fast, secure, efficient checkout experience.

• Get Technical Knowledge- Understand RESTful APIs, HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), JSON/XML data formats, and authentication mechanisms. For this, use tools like Postman, and OpenAPI.
• Checkout Customization- Customize the checkout process to match your brand’s identity and provide a seamless user experience. Know the technical aspects of the customization with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for easy frontend customization. Use tools like Chrome DevTools, Version control systems, and JavaScript Code.

11. SEO audit before launch

Analyze Current SEO Performance- Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to gather data on your current site’s performance, including organic traffic, top-performing pages, keywords driving traffic, and backlink profile. Also, ensure that both on- and off-page content is optimized for search engine optimization.

Verify XML Sitemap- Follow this step to ensure it includes all relevant pages and is properly formatted. Tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console can help you generate and validate XML sitemaps.

12. Test, retest, and test some more

Retesting and Bug Fixing- Perform security testing so that if anything isn’t working properly, you can fix it. Use tools like OWASP ZAP or Burp Suite to identify and fix any security vulnerabilities. Use a bug-tracking tool like Jira, Bugzilla, or Trello to document all identified bugs.

Debugging and Code Review- Identify the root cause of each bug. Ensure that fixes are implemented correctly and don’t introduce new issues. Tools like GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab can facilitate code review processes.

13. Launch your new e-commerce site

Backup Existing Site

Take a complete backup of the existing e-commerce site’s files and database to ensure you have a copy of the current state as a fallback option. So, if you have missed any details, you can correct them to make the user experience easy and effective. Use tools like Server backup tools, cPanel, and hosting provider’s backup services.

Set Up Hosting and Domain Configuration

Configure hosting for the new site, ensuring sufficient resources and scalability. Use tools like cPanel, Plesk, AWS, and DigitalOcean.

14. Communicate the migration to your existing customers

Website Banner or Pop-up

Display a prominent banner or pop-up message to inform visitors about the upcoming migration. Also, communicate through email, social media, and others to let your customers know that you’ve made the switch to a new site. Tools like Hello Bar, OptinMonster, and ConvertFlow can help you.

Blog Post or Announcement Page

Create a dedicated blog post or announcement page on your website where customers can find detailed information about the migration. Use tools like WordPress, Medium, and Squarespace.

Conclusion

Migrating an e-commerce platform is a significant undertaking that requires careful planning, coordination, and execution. By following the 14 steps outlined above, you can ensure a smooth and successful transition to a new platform while minimizing disruptions to your business operations.