If you are still using your business’s first eCommerce platform, it can be tricky to recognise the tipping point when your current solution begins to hinder your growth.
Online retail markets are competitive, so it’s essential that you provide your customers with the best possible shopping experience. If your current solution hasn’t been able to adapt to your evolving needs then it could be time for a change.
The idea of migrating all your customer and product data to a new platform may seem like a daunting task, but with detailed planning and preparation the process can be stress-free and simple. Although there will be some upfront costs involved with the redesign and build of the new website, if it’s time for you to upgrade the migration should pay for itself in terms of new efficiencies.
If any of the below sound like familiar pain points, get in touch with one of our eCommerce experts today to see if Venditan Commerce could be the right fit for your business.
You are spending more on maintenance than new features
All software requires regular upgrades to maintain security and quality. Without these, existing features stop working and your site runs the risk of being vulnerable to hackers. When these upgrades are deployed they then require thorough testing. The amount of preparation work that’s involved will depend on your platform and integrations.
Maintenance costs become an issue when you find that you are spending more of your overall development budget on maintaining existing features rather than developing new functionality to push your business forward.
For Venditan Commerce, there are no on-going maintenance or support costs – we deploy software upgrades and bug fixes our platform twice weekly. This means that all our clients benefit from new features, improvements and bug fixes.
You are unable to provide a better shopping experience than your competitors
To remain competitive, you need to be able to personalise the experience you are providing and optimise the eCommerce journey end to end. You need a comprehensive platform that includes key functionality out of the box so that your development budget can be spent on future-proofing your business and outshining your rivals.
If you are paying additional costs for any of the features below (or their maintenance), it may be a sign that it’s time to move to a new platform that’s capable of managing your entire operation through a single, integrated application.
Features that your eCommerce website can’t live without
- Responsive design
- Fast loading pages
- A quick, accurate search function and filtering system
- Simple website navigation
- Automated product recommendations
- A simple, optimised checkout
- Loyalty schemes and tiered pricing
- Advanced promotions and pricing management
- SEO management tools
You are spending time & resources lining up data from multiple systems
Your eCommerce solution should provide a single view of all stock and customers across your entire business. If you are selling across multiple channels such as bricks-and-mortar stores, Amazon and eBay, then having a real-time view of stock levels is critical to prevent overselling and disappointed customers.
If you are finding that the stock levels on your website don’t match the reality of what’s in your warehouse then that’s a clear signal that your current solution isn’t working for your business.
Similarly you should have real-time visibility of customer and sales data so that you can make informed business decisions to accelerate growth and protect profits.
You are wasting time on manual processes & workarounds
You may find that what were once small tasks when you were only receiving a few orders per day are now a huge drain on time and resources.
As your operation scales up, you should be able to take advantage of automated features that will help you streamline your processes. Courier integration, scheduled printing of picking slips and optimised warehouse layouts are all things that can help improve efficiency and boost productivity.
If you have found internal processes and concepts that work for you, your eCommerce platform should be flexible enough to adapt and incorporate these. If you’re finding that you are having to work around rigid procedures outlined by your provider then it may be time to switch to a more bespoke solution.
You feel like you are in it alone
Unlike bricks-and-mortar stores, many of the issues that occur with your webstore often need technical expertise to resolve. Even if customers are unable to checkout for a small amount of time, this could have a huge impact on your revenue and brand image.
Your website is live 24/7/365 so you need a trusted provider that you can get in touch with any time of the day or night. If this isn’t the case then you should find out if you are able to pay for additional support or consider moving to another, more reliable provider.
As well as giving you peace of mind, your provider should also be using their technical and industry experience to help you to continually attract, convert and retain customers. They should regularly be talking to you about new technologies and trends such as voice commerce, subscription models and alternative payment methods that will help you to future-proof your business.
Final thoughts
If this article resonates, perhaps it's time to contact us today?
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