The ecommerce landscape is constantly changing, and with it, the technology used to run online stores must also evolve. This can often lead to a need for replatforming, as businesses grow and their needs change.
As the global ecommerce market continues to grow, it's essential to have a high-performing platform in order to stay competitive. The retail eCommerce global market alone is poised to be at well over $8 trillion by 2026, with B2B trailing not far behind. A growing number of reports are also revealing executives' plans to increase investment in eCommerce technology in both B2C and B2B markets. This highlights the importance of staying ahead of the curve when it comes to online sales technology.
With the evolving eCommerce landscape, Oracle Classic Storefront users find themselves at a crossroads. In one direction, the status quo is maintained with little room for potential growth or scalability, and in another, digital commerce capabilities are reimagined within the organization, and growth opportunities emerge. Taking the latter path, you'll need a focused strategy, expertise in eCommerce technology, a platform tailored to your business needs, and an understanding of migration factors before moving forward. While replatforming from Oracle Classic Storefront might seem like a challenge, this article will help you understand what to look for and how to create a clear path moving forward.
Putting the Customer First
When considering replatforming from Oracle Classic Storefront to a modern commerce platform, it is crucial to have a well-defined strategy that places the customer at the center of the business. In the ever-evolving eCommerce industry, companies that are able to offer unique and seamless experiences for their customers are more likely to thrive. However, many businesses struggle to move forward due to concerns about cost, channel conflict, or simply not knowing where to start.
To overcome these challenges, it's important to have a clear vision and strategy in place. This will not only help work through any concerns but will also allow you to choose an eCommerce technology that aligns with your vision and enables you to move beyond just selling products to offering complete solutions for your customers. To truly be customer-centric, it's important to break down silos across teams and have a unified front.
Exploring eCommerce Technology Options
For businesses using Oracle Classic Storefront, the eCommerce technology landscape provides a variety of options for companies looking to move away from the platform. Keeping your strategy in mind, and with a clear understanding of your current challenges and goals you will be better able to navigate the options and find a platform specifically fit to your business needs.
Oracle Open Storefront is one option many Classic users consider, as it offers better performance, increased flexibility, and shorter development times than its Classic counterpart. This framework is designed to provide an improved customer commerce experience and to make life easier for business users.
OSF integrates the power of Oracle Commerce with a modern front-end architecture to offer a number of key benefits. These include faster, responsive, and interactive user experiences, the ability to develop with React or any front-end JavaScript library, a separation between the presentation layer and the state model for local development and testing, and the use of micro-updates instead of macro updates to make it easier to assemble and deliver experiences using reusable, granular components.
The framework utilizes a plugin architecture that runs on the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Multiple Node.js servers are used to perform server-side page rendering for commerce sites, which are then displayed in the shopper's browser. Oracle provides out-of-the-box plugins that can be customized to meet an organization's unique user experience needs. The plugin structure supports quick page rendering and can be easily adjusted to accommodate a digital team's changing development needs.
Performance is a critical factor in building a commerce experience. With code coming from multiple sources, it is common to encounter performance issues. However, the cloud-based infrastructure and plugin ecosystem of OSF offers a faster and more flexible solution to these problems.
While Oracle Open Storefront is a great option, it is important to note that it is not the only option. You should consider a variety of platforms and determine which one best fits your needs.
Minimizing Migration Concerns
Migrating away from an existing eCommerce platform can be a daunting task, but it can also bring many benefits in terms of improved performance, increased functionality, and enhanced customer experiences. If you are considering migrating away from Oracle Classic Storefront, there are a few important factors that you need to consider before making the switch.
Data Loss or Corruption:
The process of transferring large amounts of data from one platform to another can be risky. Businesses need to ensure that the data migration is performed correctly and that all data is accurately transferred, without any loss or corruption.
Downtime:
Migrating to a new platform can result in temporary downtime for the online store, which can negatively impact business operations and customer experience. Businesses need to plan and schedule the migration carefully to minimize downtime.
Customizations:
Oracle Classic Storefront has a limited set of features and capabilities, and businesses may have made customizations to the platform to meet their unique needs. When migrating away from Oracle Classic Storefront, businesses need to assess the impact of these customizations and determine if they will be supported on the new platform.
Integration:
Businesses that use Oracle Classic Storefront as part of a larger system may have integrations with other applications, such as ERP, CRM, and payment systems. The new platform needs to be compatible with these integrations to ensure seamless operation.
Cost:
Migrating to a new eCommerce platform can be a costly process, both in terms of time and money. Businesses need to evaluate the cost-benefit of the migration and determine if it makes financial sense for their business.
These are just some of the potential concerns that businesses may face when replatforming from Oracle Classic Storefront. To minimize the risks and ensure a successful migration, it is important to work with a reliable and experienced eCommerce services provider.
eCommerce Technology Expertise
Making the switch to a new eCommerce platform can be a complex process, but it can also bring a wealth of benefits to your business.
Echidna can help guide you on this journey by providing expert eCommerce services and support. Our team of experts can help you evaluate your options, assess your current setup, and make a seamless transition to your new platform.
