The eCommerce platform powers everything the customer sees. If the eCommerce platform doesn’t deliver on the customer experience, it may prevent retailers from achieving success. At the same time, it’s often difficult to determine whether sellers can work around obstacles, modify the platform itself to improve functionality or if it’s time to simply switch platforms altogether.

“Many established ecommerce companies – those with thousands of customers, SKUs, and website visitors – at some point realize they have outgrown their current shopping cart,” explained Practical eCommerce. “But the process of choosing a new platform, one that accommodates existing practices while also solving current limitations, is complex.”

Here are some considerations retailers should make if they are looking to upgrade their eCommerce platforms:

Are problems clearly identifiable? Retailers won’t know what they need to do to improve if they can’t clearly identify the problems they are facing. They may need to replace their eCommerce platform, or they may simply need to add another solution – this can be a huge difference in investments. Making sure retailers understand what functionality an eCommerce platform should have and what functions that should be managed by other systems, such as an order management system (OMS) or inventory management system is critical to the decision-making process. 

Are there other options? The grass is always greener on the other side, or so the popular expression goes. Are the problems merchants face with their eCommerce platforms fixable? Investing in new eCommerce platforms can be expensive and at the end of the day, the process may cause other obstacles that are just as problematic. Retailers must be aware of their options before committing one way or another.

Can change be monitored? Whenever retailers make an investment, they need to be able to determine the worth of that expenditure. Even if the upgrade wasn’t worth it, it’s important to know that similar decisions can be avoided next time obstacles crop up.

The eCommerce platform is an important part of eCommerce operations, but at the same time, simply replacing it won’t fix everything. Merchants need to be tactful as they consider replacements or upgrades.

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