Before choosing the right platform for your business, it is extremely important to recognise and understand symptoms that indicate changes need to be made. We’ve broken this down into four simple signs for you to have a think about.

When should you upgrade?

1. Consistency – It’s no secret that businesses often use a variety of platforms to support different divisions within the organisation, but in many cases, fail to work in unison. If your current platforms are not working in harmony with one another, changing to an end-to-end platform like SAP Hybris Commerce which covers all stages of a sales process will save businesses time and money.  Conflicting platforms often slow internal operations down, and in most cases can only be resolved by IT divisions, whereas an all-rounder platform will centralise all tools and systems.

2. Un-happy customers – Customer satisfaction can make or break a business, so keeping them happy should be a top priority. One of the easiest ways of identifying how existing e-commerce platforms are performing is by analysing customer experiences.  The majority of customers (including myself) hate filling out surveys, but a simple ‘were you happy with your experience today’ is a great way to measure satisfaction levels.  If you are receiving negative feedback from unsatisfied customers, your e-commerce platform is most likely unable to keep up with their demands and needs be replaced with a more advanced, adaptable and user-friendly system.
3. Changing Technologies – When it comes to technology, change is always good. I know what you’re thinking, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’- a common mistake when businesses review their technological platforms.  Changing trends create new demands, and the only way businesses can keep up with them is to use flexible platforms.  Failing to keep up with the latest technology will have a negative impact on end customers and the long-term growth of a business.  You don’t have to be an expert in every single platform there is, but you do need to establish what platform will best suit your business needs, and we have a team of experts who can help you reach that conclusion.

4. Business Satisfaction – Take a step back and ask yourself, am I happy with how my e-commerce platform is performing and is it helping me achieve our targets? If you are spending too much time updating systems, waiting for the IT division to resolve any glitches or any of the above-mentioned points, it’s time to switch to an advanced platform such as SAP Hybris Commerce.

If you can relate to any of these issues, or recently had a conversation with someone who was complaining about their systems crashing, we need to talk! Many of the companies we have helped transition did not even realise their systems were outdated until they had a think about what they were really getting out of their existing e-commerce platform. We want to ensure our clients and their customers are getting the best from their platforms and would love to hear from you if you think your e-commerce platform is due for an upgrade.

Keep an eye out for our next blog which will be focusing on the SAP Hybris Commerce platform, and how businesses can benefit from adopting it.