E-commerce replatforming: a strategic decision, not just a change of platform

An e-commerce site evolves over time: customer expectations change, traffic increases and competition intensifies. At some point, however, your current platform can become a brake on your growth. Lack of scalability, technical limitations, soaring maintenance costs… Replatforming then appears to be a solution, but is it the right one? And above all, how can you be sure you’re making the right choice?

46% of online retailers consider replatforming to be a priority for improving the scalability and robustness of their site (Digital Commerce 360’s 2023 Leading Vendors Report). This project can boost your performance, reduce your costs and optimise your profitability… provided it is carried out properly. If you don’t plan ahead, it can generate losses, harm your SEO and slow down your business.

A project that meets a clear need

Replatforming is not a compulsory step. It is a systematic review at the time of a redesign. Before considering migration, you need to assess :

• Is your current platform limiting your growth (scalability, speed, SEO, omnichannel management)?
• Are your maintenance and operating costs consistent (TCO over 3 years, cost of specific developments)?
• Is your back office adapted to your teams and business processes (ergonomics, automation, ERP/PIM connectivity)?
• Is the agency you work with always the best one to support you?

If these questions concern you, then this guide will help you to structure your thinking and choose the best solution for your e-commerce.

A practical, actionable and structured guide

We will guide you step by step to :

1. Determine whether replatforming is necessary or whether a redesign will suffice
2. Assess the platforms on the market (Shopify, PrestaShop, Atomic Suite, etc.)
3. Analyse the financial impact and hidden costs of changing platforms
4. Plan and make a success of your migration without compromising your business

🚀 Ready to explore the challenges of replatforming and make the best decision for your site? Let’s get started.

1 – When should replatforming be considered?

Replatforming is a strategic step in the life of an e-commerce site. It’s not just a simple technical update, but a profound change to your technological base that can transform the way your business operates. However, this decision should not be rushed: you need to be sure that the change will deliver real added value in terms of scalability, performance, operating costs and alignment with your business objectives.


But how do you know if it’s the right time to consider replatforming?

1.1. Signs that your platform is reaching its limits

A successful e-commerce site is built on a technological foundation that must evolve with the company. Here are the most common signals that indicate that replatforming may be necessary:

• Scalability problems
  • Your current infrastructure can no longer cope with the increase in traffic, particularly during seasonal peaks (Black Friday, sales, new product launches).
  • You’re planning to expand your catalogue, open several online shops or operate an omnichannel model, but your current platform is holding you back.
• Soaring maintenance and operating costs
  • Your site requires costly specific developments to evolve, whereas other solutions offer these functions natively.
  • You have to invest heavily in the corrective and preventive maintenance of your platform, with no real gain in performance or flexibility.
• Performance degradation and impact on user experience
  • Long loading times, slowdowns on mobile devices, recurring bugs… A slow site penalises the user experience and conversion.
  • Your site struggles to adapt to new UX/UI requirements, which affects your conversion rate.
• Complex or impossible integrations with your ecosystem
  • Your current platform does not integrate well with your business tools (ERP, CRM, PIM, OMS, marketing solutions, etc.).
  • You’re wasting time with manual processes where automation should be possible.
• SEO and acquisition limitations
  • Your platform is not optimised for SEO (rigid URL structure, slow loading time, limited tag management).
  • You have difficulty implementing advanced acquisition strategies (e.g. personalisation of user journeys, audience segmentation, use of first-party data).

1.2. Replatforming is above all a question of agency and support

Many merchants think that the choice of platform is the key element in replatforming. In reality, it is above all the choice of agency that will determine the success of your project.

A good e-commerce agency doesn’t just implement a new technical solution. It must be able to understand your business needs and propose a platform that is aligned with your strategic objectives.

We help our customers to evaluate the options, taking a long-term view to avoid replatforming in 2 or 3 years’ time.

The 202 e-commerce approach: replatforming without compromise

202 does not push for systematic replatforming: we first analyse your existing site to see whether a simple, well-executed redesign would be sufficient to meet your needs.

We prioritise solutions tailored to the challenges faced by each merchant, taking into account technical debt, total cost of ownership and the impact on profitability.

1.3. Arbitrate the choice of platform according to business challenges

Once the replatforming signals have been clearly identified and the choice of an expert agency has been made, the question of the choice of platform comes into play. This choice must be dictated by your business needs, your ambitions and your profitability.

The main selection criteria :

• Project cost vs. 3-year operating cost
  • A replatforming project may seem expensive at the outset, but it’s the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) that really matters. A site that is cheaper to create may incur higher maintenance and optimisation costs over time.
• Scalability and evolution of your business model
  • Your platform must be able to support your growth without requiring a complete overhaul in 2 years’ time.
• Level of customisation and flexibility
  • Some solutions (such as PrestaShop + Atomic Suite) offer advanced customisation, while others (such as Shopify Plus) focus on a turnkey ecosystem.
• Ability to integrate with your business tools
  • If you use an advanced ERP or PIM system, some platforms will be better suited than others in terms of connectivity and data flow automation.
• User experience and conversion
  • Shopify Plus offers an ultra-optimised checkout, while PrestaShop + Atomic Suite offers great UX flexibility to adapt the customer journey to the specific needs of your business.