Finding the right ecommerce platform is fundamental to your ecommerce business and growth, it helps you meet your customer needs and business goals.
There are usually a few key drivers for deciding to replatform; financial drivers, technical drivers and marketing drivers. Do any of these ring true to your business?
Financial drivers: high cost legacy systems
Technical drivers: poor website speed and site performance, a lack of scalability, gaps in functionality
Marketing drivers: lack of streamlined or accessible analytics, poor integrations, substandard customer experience (particularly on mobile devices), too many tasks are manual.
If the above apply to your business or you simply know there are better options out there you may be in the market for a new ecommerce platform; knowing where to start can be challenging though with lots to consider. At Entropy we break down the process for selecting an ecommerce platform into the following 6 steps:
1.
Digital Commerce Vision
Full definition of any company’s digital commerce vision is the ideal start point to enable assessment of future requirements, including the need for a potential new ecommerce platform.
2.
Digital Commerce Strategy
Translating the vision into definable steps to create a strategic programme. Typical workstreams include: brand positioning, new ecommerce platform, new other tech (e.g. logistics/3PL, CRM, PIM etc), team structure, marketing/growth planning.
3.
Selection and Procurement
Including requirements gathering, market research, gaining budget, running a procurement process, final decision and contracts/sign off.
4.
Programme Management
Creation of project teams – usually internal plus external resource – to plan and deliver the new ecommerce programme.
5.
Go Live
Managing all workstreams through to completion and launch.
6.
Transitioning to BAU
…and fully embedding to Business As Usual (BAU).
Unlike most agencies and consultancies we don’t have commercial relationships with any of the platforms. So get in touch if you want some impartial advice on how to get started with replatforming and the potential P&L impact for your own business.
