REBUILDING ECOMMERCE WEBSITES

At some point or the other, almost all ecommerce website owners go through phases of wishing that they could completely rebuild their online presence and the store. This may range anywhere from simply changing the branding and personality, the way the website looks, the UI, or even the entire purpose and commodities on the site. Such wishes may arise from some different factors. Either because the current website and strategy do not seem to gain enough customers, it is too slow.Overall, the website feels outdated and no longer feels appealing, or customer traffic has seen drastic drops in recent times. Alternatively, it may be influenced by steps which competitors have taken, including their success, changes in strategy, or rebranding. Many owners also look to rebuild their website when they observe that upgradation costs are excessively high. Irrespective of the reason, the fact remains that rebuilding a website will take a lot of time, money, and resources, and is not a task which should be taken lightly.
If the rebuild does not lead to more traffic, more sales, better customer satisfaction, and reviews, and improved operations and statistics, then it has failed and would be seen as a source of unnecessary costs and risks. Before you step into this reconstruction, plan out things carefully, ensure that there will be very minimal business loss during this transitional period, and most importantly, take time to evaluate if this rebuilding is the ideal option for your business.

• If the ecommerce element is only a part of your entire business model, the impact of rebuilding your ecommerce website will be substantially less. Interrupted sales can usually lead to changes and negative effects on your overall revenue. Before you begin the rebuilding process, make sure you either have enough revenue for that financial year to compensate for the expected period of inactivity or look for alternative methods to continue sales for a temporary period while the site is being remade. Advance planning becomes crucial in this situation to ensure your rebuilding process does not cost your business. Plan out ways to address and to account for lack of sales, and try to prevent complete loss of sale.
• Estimate how much this entire thing is going to cost, and the amount of time you expect it to take. Then factor in all possible extensions to this project. Most rebuilding projects can take twice as long as originally planned, with minute changes and edits. Think about how your business model will pan out if the entire thing takes twice as long, and costs twice as much as initially estimated. If your business cannot statistically handle this, then rebuilding should be off the table. You may consider breaking down the entire process and rebuilding or changing only certain elements, over some time, as an when it is financially convenient. This is generally safer and much easier to execute without affecting revenue and all business elements at once.
• Also think about the primary reason that you are choosing to rebuild, and make sure that all the people involved in this process also have a thorough understanding of your goals. Rebuilding becomes pointless and drawn out if your new vision is not met. Also, consider whether reconstruction will improve your turnover and customer experience. It is easy to get carried away when one has some different options and changes to implement, but it becomes imperative to choose the decision that is most practical, over the exciting one.

Finally, keep in mind that rebuilding is a big move for any ecommerce business, and it can lead to make or break situations. If you continue despite all these changes, and firmly believe that it will have a positive impact on your ecommerce and the way that consumers experience it, make sure to plan out the process well in advance, account for any possible surprises, and then get going.