Our founding principle has always been to do good work for nice people. This ethos has guided us through every major project, partnership, and decision we’ve ever made. In May 2024, we formalised this commitment by becoming a Certified B Corporation (B Corp). The process wasn’t easy, but the journey was enlightening, challenging, and ultimately transformative. For B Corp Month, we’d like to share our experiences and the lessons we learned along the way.

Aligning values with certification

We’re lucky in that we started from the position of having clearly defined beliefs and values, and if you’re not currently in the same boat, it’s recommended to spend some time setting out what it is your company stands for, and how that aligns with your desire to become a B Corp. Our end goal has always been to create positive impacts for our clients, community, and the environment, and pursuing B Corp certification seemed like a natural extension of those aims, offering a structured framework to measure and enhance our social, employer and environmental performance.

Hire a consultant who understands the certification process

The B Corp certification process is renowned for its rigor and comprehensiveness, as it evaluates a company’s entire social and environmental performance, from supply chain practices to employee benefits. It’s also a set of standards designed in the US in order to be applied to US-based companies, which gives it a perspective that doesn’t seamlessly dovetail with the practices of UK-based companies. To navigate this complex landscape, we enlisted the help of a consultant experienced in B Corp standards. Our consultant’s expertise was invaluable in interpreting these nuances and ensuring we met the required points score.

You’re probably underestimating the time commitment

One of the most significant lessons we learned was the sheer amount of time and resources that are required to reach B Corp status. The certification process is not a quick ticklist exercise, and tasks such as completing the B Impact Assessment, gathering documentation, and implementing necessary changes demand substantial effort. What we initially estimated as a few months extended much longer, so our advice to others is to take your initial time estimate and then triple it. This allows for a more realistic planning and resource allocation, with some breathing room during the evidence-gathering phase.

Your governance and processes will get stronger

An unexpected but profoundly positive outcome of the B Corp process was the introspection it prompted regarding our governance, policies, and processes. We’d always believed we had a robust structure, but the assessment revealed areas for improvement we hadn’t previously considered. Addressing these gaps has resulted in a tighter, better-governed operation.

Taking an objective look in the mirror is rarely a comfortable thing to do, but the process compelled us to confront all aspects of our business critically, leading to enhanced accountability and transparency.

B Corp status should be more than just a badge

It’s essential to understand that B Corp certification is not merely a marketing tool, and going through the process just to enhance your marketing is more likely than ever to lead to the wrong kind of publicity for your company now that there is increased attention on which companies are attaining the certification. Authenticity is key. The true value lies in the genuine commitment to continuous improvement and positive impact which comes with becoming a B Corp. For us, the certification serves as a reminder of our responsibilities and the standards we strive to uphold.

How becoming a B Corp has helped us

Embarking on the journey to B Corp certification has been transformative for us. It reinforced our core values, challenged us to improve, and provided a framework for sustainable and responsible growth. For businesses considering this path, we encourage you to embrace the process wholeheartedly. It’s a demanding journey, but the rewards—in terms of internal growth, external credibility, and societal impact—are immeasurable.

For more information on B Corp certification and its benefits, visit the B Lab UK website.

Choosing a supplier to work with is something to think carefully about. But if things are not working for you and your e-commerce website, it’s time to make a decision. How do you select an agency to work with when considering replatforming your e-commerce website, management and maintenance of your e-commerce website, or selecting a digital marketing partner?

You are in the business of selling and providing services in your sector, which is hard enough. An e-commerce website is a channel for consumers to research, compare, consider and, hopefully, purchase through. Is spending time on the design, implementation and ongoing upkeep of this where you want to spend your time and expertise? Using an experienced agency who partners with you provides a well of knowledge and experience that ultimately saves you time, money and yes, even more time.

There are many factors that might influence your choice, being a decision maker is sometimes difficult and can come with risk both personally and for your company or team. Is it a case of better the devil you know, or could matching with a great new partner to help you succeed? Being focused only on price could see your website fail when the agency or freelancer runs out of talent. It’s a difficult decision and one that needs to factor in some careful questions. Let’s examine what you should think about and use that as a framework to select a great partnership supplier.

What questions should you ask yourself before choosing an agency partner?

Here we list some areas to think about and ask questions of yourself, your brand and stakeholders as well as the qualities of a partnership agency you are considering working with, to make a positive and well informed decision.

What do you want out of your partner agency?

Think about what service levels are important to you from the outset. Most agency’s will say they are ‘the best’ at e-commerce websites and many can do so very well, however there are some other factors to consider.

Is being available face to face and having an account manager important or at least on video calls – Its easy for a service provider to hide behind ‘digital walls’. being able to discuss an issue or a business problem can be easier to understand and be informed about – there are a lot of solutions marketed that are trying to get you attention so partner experts that know the technology landscape can really help save time and costly mistakes.

What about an agency with staff, many people, resilience, with a variety of skills versus a freelancer. A freelancer will almost certainly be cheaper, but they will not have the resilience as they will get sick, have holidays, have other priorities and may not be there later when you need them.

 Is choosing an experienced e-commerce agency important?

Lots of people can build websites using different platforms and Content Management Systems (CMS), and most will have lovely templates that can make a website look beautiful. However, an e-commerce website is not just a website, there is MUCH more to it. You’ll want high-quality User Experience (UX), helpful integrations with relevant digital platforms, data management, CRM, customer records, payment gateways, product management, tax and fee management, technical SEO, sales reporting and VAT reporting, the list goes on, and that’s before getting into SEO optimisation or PPC to improve search engine ranking and conversion. There really is a lot to think about.

What are the experience levels of the agency or freelancer you’re considering? How many e-commerce websites have they built? Consider asking to speak with some of the agency’s clients or to see testimonials or awards. Don’t be afraid to test their credentials.

Why are you doing this?

Before you make any decisions, prepare a business case. It doesn’t have to be huge, but what is driving the decision, and what are the benefits, overhead costs, support levels, costs, flexibility, responsiveness, advice, trust, reputation, relationship… the list goes on, but think about your top 3-4 benefits and write them down. If this isn’t clear in your mind or in the mind of the approvers you will lose track of why you are doing this and what your end goal is. That’s when you risk becoming overwhelmed with options and you’re a sales person’s dream..

Once you’ve crystallised your business case, be clear up front on who makes the decision for the company. Does it require board or shareholder approval? If so, is everyone lined up on why you’re making this change?

How much should it cost to build an e-commerce website?

Do your homework before committing to a spend. Services and technology cost money, so be realistic on what you are trying to achieve and what the potential costs might be to reach your ambitions, you will only be wasting your own time if not. If you don’t know, ask and then qualify it. The phrase buy cheap / buy twice is as true for digital services and e-commerce as it is for anything else. Some questions to get you started::

• What’s the cost of not changing anything – Are you spending time with work-arounds, employing people you don’t need to, limited in your growth and delaying changes because you don’t have control?
• Ask questions around migration costs, design costs, integration costs and operating costs of the chosen platform or service. Will you have control of things, and what are the support options?
• What would happen if your website grew and you had more customers and made more sales? Would this end up costing you more, and would that satisfy a cost/benefit analysis?
• Are the costs transparent? What are the fees and costs that are not being discussed. An e-commerce site is not just a website, it required ongoing support, management, hosting and probably integration management as it is a key part of your revenue.

Experience in your sector

This is a really interesting question. Is it important that an agency is a specialist or has a proven track record in your particular sector?

The answer here depends on your business type more than anything.

If you are selling frying pans online, then building an e-commerce website does not necessarily need a frying pan-specific agency. E-commerce websites are about data, structure and integrations, experience in e-commerce websites is the important factor, experience in the frying pan sector is secondary.

However, there are some business areas where you might want to look for specialists, such as; if you are selling cheese online and you are looking for digital marketing then a food and drink digital marketing specialist is likely to be a better option than a generic digital marketing agency.

Questions to ask a new e-commerce partner

Does the platform support multiple languages and currencies?

This is something you will want to understand from the outset even if you are not currently trading internationally. Many platforms provide this, however the cost structure can be wildly different, with additional fees and commission. There are platforms out there with this built-in as standard, such as SelectCommerce.

Is training and onboarding support available?

Consider the impact of change in a CMS or an e-commerce platform has on the users and administrators of the website (i.e. you and your team). It can be huge and is not to be considered lightly. Most platforms and CMS have help and user guides, Youtube videos and other digital support but how much time and energy do you or your staff have to go and learn this? Even if you do the ‘training’ this way there’s always the chance of a scenario that you can’t solve, which slows everything down. Having real people onboard you to a platform, provide screen-shared training and be available for user support can be the edge in getting up to speed quickly and getting a smooth ride out of your investment..

Are there any hidden costs or additional fees?

Really take time to understand the fee structure of various services and platforms offered. Headline fees are usually the start of a list of fees that mount up.

For instance, the headline fee for Shopify Basic fee is £19 per month. But the small print says this is billed annually in advance. And also that their cart commission is 2% of the value of the transaction and they’ll take a 25p commission for each transaction. That’s before you start to integrate apps to get the features you want. If you want a fairly feature rich website then the app costs can reach thousands a month! Shopify is a great product but look carefully at the fee structure and refer to your business case before you commit to anything.

Not all e-commerce platforms structure fees in this way – some are much clearer to understand and model over time to understand the true cost of ownership. A good agency will help you understand this to make informed decisions.

Will the platform be able to adapt to your business’s evolving needs?

Businesses change all the time with new services and technology come to market, service provides change at renewal time, range of products and offers change, new market territories and many other factors mean that an e-commerce website is never static.

Understanding how the platform and the agency can support that change and hopefully grow is an important question. The investment in a new e-commerce site and its integrations is significant and you want it to be future proof.

Ask about how changes are priced. Consider potentially negotiating a retainer at a reduced rate if you think there will be a lot of change or maintenance. If going to apps for instance used in the Shopify ecosystem, pay attention to the volume pricing breaks for some of these apps. For instance some apps have a price up to a certain number of users or requests and then there is a higher price if that’s exceeded – being clear on that up front gives you some understanding of the flexibility and what that cost of change might be.

Does it allow for integration with existing systems (e.g., CRM, ERP, marketing automation)?

Many businesses have existing business applications and services that the e-commerce website should fit around. These could be existing Customer Records Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) systems, finance systems e.g. Sage or other marketing integrations for Email marketing or Customer Experience Platforms (CEP). There will be existing data management and workflow that is well understood by the company and the people in it.

Having a flexible e-commerce platform that can provide direct integrations with these systems is the best solution, to efficiently pass the right data around the systems and have a ‘single source of the truth’ is absolutely key to success. Ask questions around the capability of the platform and the people who support it, are they data and software engineers who are competent. Open API’s are available on many systems but integrating is a very specialist job to get right and to protect your valuable data.

How can I off-board from a e-commerce platform if I need to?

Things change and sometimes changing platform or supplier is the right thing to do so before putting your entire e-commerce channel on a platform and the associated revenue stream, understand what the off boarding process is.

Take the time to understand that you can straightforwardly take your data, customer data, orders, history, images etc. from one platform to another and that the formats are compatible.

Most good platforms or agencies will provide a mechanism for you to either get this yourself or request it in a format you need.

Also consider understanding what off-boarding support the agency will provide. Any new agency or platform will likely require some additional information or data structure that makes their life easier. A good agency will support this to help you move away.

Conclusion

This has been a very high-level look at how to choose a digital agency for e-commerce. It can be a bit daunting knowing who are the right people to work with, a mate of a mate, your cousin or a big flashy agency. without the right thinking, questions and planning could be a painful mistake, which is why we’re always ready to help if you need us. We’ve helped companies from a wide variety of industries to design, build and support e-commerce websites and would love to help you do the same.

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UK consumers have become more conscious of sustainability in the last 12 months across their lifestyle and when purchasing products, a report on sustainability attitudes recently published by Deloitte suggests that, while this often centres around more obvious solutions such as packaging and recycling for consumers, attitudes of a third (34%) of consumers stated that their trust in brands would be improved if they were recognised as an ethical/sustainable provider by an independent third party. The e-commerce industry has many seemingly hidden areas where sustainability efforts can be made to create a more environmentally supportive business.

What does this mean for the e-commerce industry?

There is a real misconception that moving physical shops to being purely online would lead to a lower environmental impact. However, as more consumers become increasingly interested in sustainable solutions, the e-commerce industry will need to make strides to address potentially damaging factors within the operating practices. Indeed a multi channel approach to retail is really important. A blog published by IMRG says that Retailers must realise that customers are channel-agnostic. They could use anywhere up to 12 channels and devices to shop. Some may prefer to research a product online and buy from a physical store; others may order online and pick it up from the store. The prudent option for retailers would be to take a multi-channel approach.

Ways that e-commerce businesses can embrace sustainability in 2024

One of the ways that an e-commerce business can embrace sustainability is in its choice of technology partner. When choosing an e-commerce provider with ethical and sustainable credentials, it’s important to be asking the following questions.

1. How green is the hosting and the ‘system’ overall?

Running an e-commerce platform absorbs vast quantities of energy. Ask the question, How green is your hosting and the systems that you use? What measures are you taking to minimise the impact of your hosting solution on the environment?

There is a balancing act here. Robust hosting is critical for an e-commerce business. A slow or unavailable online store equates to a very real loss of revenue for every minute users can not purchase products. This is why at Webselect we chose Microsoft Azure as our hosting partner, Azure provides the essential reliability that we require but with a strong commitment to sustainability.

Microsoft has stated that they are committed to becoming carbon negative, water positive, zero waste, and to protect more land than they use by 2030. Specifically on the topic of carbon, Microsoft Scope 1 and 2 emissions decreased by 6% from the 2020 base year. This result is driven by their ongoing work to advance clean energy procurement and green tariff programs.

You can read more about Microsoft’s commitments to sustainability here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/explore/global-infrastructure/sustainability

As well as Microsoft’s commitment to providing greener hosting, they also make available tools to our team that allow us to monitor and measure our carbon usage across our services for our clients. This allows us to implement new strategies for optimising our software and monitor the impact on those changes. This blog will be updated with an overview of our current consumption in July.

2. Has the website design been optimised?

Optimising website design to minimise data usage and loading times can reduce energy consumption. By using efficient coding practices, optimising images, and reducing unnecessary scripts websites can load using less energy than poorly considered websites.

At the most extreme a ‘black’ website is better – as it’s using less pixel energy from the end users device – it’s minor but scaled up across billions of websites it could have a positive impact. however this has to be balanced with UX and brand experience.

3. Does your platform facilitate lean and energy-efficient operations

Ensuring that your e-commerce platform and backend set up are lean and energy-efficient involves a detailed audit and analysis of systems and processes that run your e-commerce business and asking where efficiency can be improved. The team at Webselect did just this for HS Walsh when migrating the e-commerce platform from Drupal to SelectCommerce.. Read about the improvements that were made here: https://www.webselect.net/our-work/hs-walsh.

4. Is your data storage optimised?

Are you storing unnecessary data? Good data management is not only a requirement under GDPR. If you are hanging on to historical data just in case it comes in useful someday you are expending energy on data storage that is unnecessary. Is it really useful to be holding data for people who have disengaged with your brand years ago? Are you storing multiple records for the same person? Consider a thorough audit and data cleanse to ensure your databases are optimised and also compliant with Data Protection laws. Also consider where your data is stored, are there CRM options that themselves use green storage solutions.

Share your sustainability story and goals

Knowing what you need to do, what your intentions are and learning how you are going to make changes for the planet is a great way of including your customers into your vision. Let them be part of your business’s accountability.

However, you need to act on your intentions. Saying you will do something and then not is greenwashing, and that takes your story from being credible to a reputation killer.

Sustainability is no longer a nice to have option for e-commerce businesses – it is becoming a key factor for consumers when deciding who they shop with and what they buy.

Often classed as a more expensive option for many of the points raised above, the long-term benefits will be increased brand sentiment, improved customer experience and knowing that your business is putting the environment high on your company agenda.

Here at Webselect, we love Shopify sites because of how adaptable they are. No matter what you’re looking to sell, there will be a Shopify theme and plugins that can support you. That’s why we specialise in building Shopify sites, but if you’re new to the concept, you might wonder what makes them so helpful, and how one can help with the journey of your business.

We’ve put together this short introductory guide to Shopify, which will cover why you’d choose a Shopify site instead of another provider like Wix or WordPress, what themes are and how to choose one, and some of the most useful plugins we’ve found for our many happy clients.

Why choose a Shopify site?

A website is a tool that’s been built for a specific purpose. What are you looking to get out of your site? Do you want to sell products or services, or is there something else you had in mind?

The “front end” of your website is the part that visitors see, but there’s also the “back end” to consider. This is the Content Management System (CMS) that allows you to easily make changes and add pages and other content to your site, and you’ll want to pick a CMS that’s user-friendly, especially if you are the user!

So how do you choose? If your business doesn’t have a selection of products, you might look at Wix, Squarespace or WordPress site.

Wix and Squarespace are both set up so that you can use them without knowing code, or having to learn about website design, but that also makes them more limited in the ways they can look, and the things they can do.

WordPress is more flexible, but also more complicated. WordPress sites are more of a “jack-of-all-trades”, and so they can do lots of things, but this also means they’re not designed to be helpful to businesses like a dedicated e-commerce platform like Shopify is.

If you’re not sure what kind of site you need, we can help you work it out. Just drop us a line, or give us a call.

How do I choose a Shopify theme?

Once you know that a Shopify site is what you need, the next step is to decide what you want it to look like, and the functions you want it to have.

The way a Shopify site looks is determined by the theme that it uses. The starter theme that’s included as standard is called Dawn, and if you’re an SME, it’s probably all you need.

It’s not as feature-rich as some of the themes that are available from specialist third-party developers, but it’s the perfect skeleton to begin your e-commerce journey.

If your company is already established and looking to scale up, you’ll want to look at some of the richer themes on the market. There are specific themes available for different industries. For example, if you’re a clothing retailer, you might want to look at the Prestige theme by Maestrooo. It offers lots of specific functionality out of the box, along with great performance and accessibility.

Often, companies have already made a choice before we become involved in the process, and that’s fine too – our job is then to work with you to make sure it’s delivering what you need.

We can custom-build elements for specific themes, so even if you’ve already made a financial commitment but are feeling limited by what your theme offers, you’re not locked into the default set of features.

What’s the difference between a theme and a template?

When it comes to the look and feel of your site, the theme decides how it will look as a whole, and your templates define the layout and components of the individual pages. Shopify’s v.2 CMS allows you to create side-wide page templates, providing your theme also supports this.

For example, you might want to have a page for news, a top-level catalogue page, and then sub-category pages for the different kinds of item that you sell. If your theme doesn’t include a template that you want, we can build a bespoke version.

What are Shopify plug-ins?

If you’re running a business and using a Shopify site, plug-ins exist to make life easier for you and your customers. They can automate tasks, let you implement loyalty schemes and integrate with third-party systems to provide an entire range of services. Our team have suggested some of the plug-ins which they have used to help make the lives of our clients easier, so let’s take a look:

Easier postage – Royal Mail Click & Drop Shopify plugin

Do you have to parcel up and send lots of items via the Royal Mail? Their Click & Drop plug-in connects to your site so it knows what you’ve sold, and allows you to pay for postage and print the corresponding labels without having to enter the details from scratch.

Accounting software – Quickbooks Online, Xero, etc.

Shopify can link directly to several cloud-based accounting solutions, providing them with data from your sales. Most of the work will be done on the other side of this connection, but it’s still a great way to save yourself some time, and take back some of the time you’d spend doing your accounting.

If you’re a new business and your product range is small – Swatch King

If you’re a clothing retailer that’s just starting out, this plugin can maximise the impact of your inventory by generating variations in your product listings to enhance your customers browsing experience. This includes swatches, making it not just a clever name.

Integrate email marketing with Klaviyo

This one is more of an integration than a traditional plug-in, as a lot of the processing happens on the Klaviyo side. This data-driven integration will allow you to use customer data from your Shopify site to carry out email marketing campaigns, SMS campaigns and to send push notifications via Klaviyo.

This is more of a self-service product than the ones covered above, but we are able to help once we’ve been given access to your Klaviyo setup. We can also help advise you on your privacy policy so that your customers know how you’ll be processing their data, which is especially important if your customers are in the UK and/or EU.

Start your own referral scheme with Referral Candy

If your business thrives on returning customers and referrals, this plug-in makes it simple to provide rewards to your customers. It will automatically include referral options in your checkout process, and as a bonus, also tracks their success and provides statistics on how they’re improving your business.

Start building your trust signals with Judge.Me

Having a product review system in place is a great way to build consumer confidence, and with Judge.Me you can easily build them into your Shopify site. Even better, the free tier contains all the functionality you need to get started, with a paid tier available once your business needs to further expand.

Make your events easy to find with Elfsight Event Calendar

If your business has a packed calendar of events, Elfsight Event Calendar can turn your site into a showcase. Features allow customers to add the events to their own calendar, plus you can group listings and highlight any offers you’ve got running if the event is paid.

The Golden Rules of Shopify development

To close out this blog, we asked our dev team to give us the golden rules that they apply to help our clients. They said:

• Keep it simple – more complex sites introduce more friction for their consumers
• Don’t have too many plugins – as great as they are, the more you have, the greater the chance that they’ll clash
• The Dawn theme really is a great starter – don’t financially commit to another theme before you’ve spoken to us about what it can do
• Tell us what you want, and we can then find the best theme for the job

If you’re looking to make the first step into e-commerce, or you’ve already got a Shopify site that you want to upgrade, we can help. We’re official Shopify partners who are already trusted to help lots of customers build a presence online, so contact us today.

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Replatforming a website involves

Migrating your current website to a new platform can be a complex process requiring careful planning and execution. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare for the project is just as important as choosing the right partner to help put your new site live.

Having supported many clients over the years with some of the more complex elements of replatforming an eCommerce website, here are some of our key considerations to keep in mind when considering this project.

Define Goals and Objectives

Re-platforming an eCommerce website is a big decision. Clearly defining the goals and objectives for replatforming will put you in good stead both with the project and your stakeholders. Whether it’s improving user experience, enhancing performance, increasing scalability, or adding new features, having clear goals will guide the replatforming process and help measure success. Never forget to use whatever data metrics you to help develop SMART objectives for ongoing ROI measurement.

Evaluate Platform Options

Research and evaluate different platform options based on your requirements, budget, scalability, customisation needs, and future growth plans. Ideally, start with a pro and con list about your current platform – what works for you and what doesn’t, and this will help to highlight gaps in which to investigate.

Additional functionality to consider is ease of use for both the platform admin as well as the end users, available integrations needed both now and, in the future, support packages on offer, security features, and scalability.

Understand your Data

Plan and execute the migration of data from your existing platform to the new one. This includes product data, customer information, orders, content, and other relevant data. Ensure data integrity and accuracy throughout the migration process to avoid any disruptions or data loss.

Know your SEO Considerations

Replatforming a website will possibly influence your website’s search engine optimisation (SEO). This is your chance to review all the URLs you have on your existing site and audit them. Make sure you review the URLs in your analytics platform to ensure you know high volume traffic pages on your existing website.

Redirect old URLs to corresponding new URLs to maintain SEO rankings and ensure that metadata, sitemaps, and other SEO elements are properly configured on the new platform. Ensure that you implementation can advise you, as this will be critical to any launch.

Design and Customisation

Determine the level of design customisation and branding requirements that you will need for the new website. Start with what you like about your old platform in terms of design elements and then find examples of other websites you like to give your implementation partner a steer.

Ensure that the new platform supports the design elements and features needed to achieve your desired look, feel and brand guidelines.

Functionality and Features

Evaluate the functionality and features of your existing platform and compare with what is being offered by the new platform, ensuring that your replacement meets your business needs. Make sure you keep an open mind when reviewing all the options available.

Consider features such as inventory management, order processing, payment gateways, shipping options, and third-party integrations.

User Experience (UX) and Customer Journey Mapping

Mapping out the customer journey throughout the website as part of the design will highlight any areas that may not work on closer inspection. Compare what customers experience with the current platform vs how they will travel through the new website and make sure you are clear in what experience your customer will have when shopping with you.

Prioritise user experience and conduct thorough testing of the new website before launch, using the map you have created as a benchmark.

Testing

Before you press the GO button, conducting a thorough test of the platform is crucial. Test usability, navigation, page load times, checkout process, and other critical elements to minimise problems and profit loss at launch.

Ideally, include users from across the business to run the tests, however, be clear on the role they are playing. At this stage, it is not to make design or infrastructure changes, but to make sure the platform is working as expected.

Security and Compliance

Regardless of which platform you use, ensuring the right security measures are in place to protect customer data, payment information, and sensitive business data – for both the migration and post go live.

Ensure that the new platform complies with relevant industry standards and regulations, such as PCI DSS for payment processing and GDPR for data protection. Your implementation partner should be able to advise you on these throughout the process, however it is the responsibility of each business to protect their own data.

Backup and Contingency Plans

Before the migration starts, make sure that you have backup and contingency plans to mitigate risks during the replatforming process. Knowing that you have a robust rollback plan in case of unforeseen issues or complications will be a great peace of mind, as will putting in systems to regularly back up data to prevent data loss moving forward.

Training and Documentation

The key to a new platforms’ success will be the team using it. Providing training and documentation for staff members who will be managing and using the new platform will ensure a smoother transition experience for all involved. Ensure that your team are familiar with the platform’s features, functionality, and best practices through training sessions, creating platform superusers and creating a visible space on an intranet (or similar) so that the information is easily accessible.

Stakeholder Management

Communicate regularly with stakeholders to keep them feeling included in the project. Including internal teams, external partners, and customers, throughout the replatforming process so that every person keeps the key objectives for doing the project clearly in their minds.

Keep them informed about the timeline, progress, and any potential impacts on their operations or user experience.

Having a deeper understanding of these vital stages has ensured that we support our clients not only in the migration process but also in their future growth plans.

Knowing what you must consider internally will help you brief your implementation partner and arm them with all the right information to help you make the right platform, design and infrastructure decisions needed for your business to be successful.

And if you are considering a project, on a small or large scale, make sure you use a partner that can not only do the delivery but also support you through each of these stages.

Introduction

Making the decision to move from one platform to another is always a big step, and a huge responsibility for the person or team who is going to implement it.

As an implementation partner specialising in retail e-commerce, we understand the challenges and opportunities that come with platform migrations. Throughout this blog, we’ll guide you through the migration process and highlight key considerations you need to think about to ensure a successful transition. As always, we want to offer you our expert advice and experience to ensure a seamless experience that maximises your business potential.

Embarking on a migration journey can be daunting. It signifies growth, evolution, and the need for greater efficiency and functionality. However, without proper planning and execution, it can also pose risks to your business operations and customer experience.

Why might a business consider migrating to a new platform?

• Existing platform unable to scale: If your current platform is struggling to handle the growing volume of data, transactions, or user traffic, a new platform with better scalability will help you accommodate your growth goals
• Outdated technology: Legacy systems or platforms that are no longer supported or have limited functionality can hinder your ability to stay competitive. Migrating to a more modern or new platform can provide access to the latest features and technologies previously unavailable.
• Cost savings: The ongoing maintenance and development costs of the current platform may be high, bespoke and not easy to do. Migrating to a new platform can lead to reduced operational expenses in both the short and long term.
• Improved functionality: A new platform may offer you more advanced features, better integration capabilities, or a more user-friendly interface that can enhance productivity and efficiency for the business and its customers.
• Competitive pressures: If competitors have moved to a new platform that offers significant advantages, the business may need to migrate to stay competitive in the market.

Platform Comparison: WooCommerce vs. Shopify

As a result of recent projects (see our case studies here), several of our clients have re-platformed from WooCommerce onto Shopify. In response, we wanted to highlight the differences between these two platforms, and outline things you need to consider should you feel this is the right move for you.

Comparison of key features between WooCommerce and Shopify

You’ve decided to move from WooCommerce to Shopify: what to consider next.

Technical Considerations

You’ve decided that moving from WooCommerce to Shopify is the right move for you. Before you start the process, we have created a checklist for you so that you know what to expect with an e-commerce website platform migration, and specific areas to pay attention to when moving from WooCommerce to Shopify.

Plugins and Extensions

• Create a list of all plugins/extensions you currently have, what their purpose is and why you use them. This is a good starting point for understanding your future needs.
• Knowing which existing WooCommerce plugins/extensions you want to match, identify equivalent or alternative solutions on Shopify.
• Check the Shopify App Store for apps that offer new functionalities required for your store that can form part of your customer journey wish list.
• Consider the cost implications of using third-party apps on Shopify compared to WooCommerce plugins as there can be discrepancies – however your implementation partner will be able to support you with this.

Data Migration

• Know your Products: Ensure all product data (titles, descriptions, images, SKUs, pricing) is documented in a central place for audit and design purposes, as this will be critical to check that everything has migrated accurately.
• Customer Data: Personal data held by companies in platforms is subject to strict GDPR laws, and we would recommend a CRM to ensure that this governance is adhered to. However, if you have consent according to GDPR, transfer customer data including names, emails, addresses, and order history.
• Order History: Migrate order details, statuses, and transaction data to enable benchmarking, forecasting and improved customer experience on your new Shopify platform.
• Categories and Tags: This is a great opportunity to review all your categories and tags to ensure a new, improved hierarchy offers the best experiences both internally and externally when transferred.
• Reviews and Ratings: Research shows that social proof helps customers make decisions.
• Decide whether to migrate existing product reviews and ratings.

Custom Functionality

• Identify custom functionalities or features implemented on the WooCommerce site and why they have been bespoke. It might be a lack of desired functionality or something that needs to be reproduced because of a specific business need.
• Determine if similar functionalities can be achieved on Shopify using apps or custom development.
• – Assess the feasibility of recreating custom code or integrations on the Shopify platform.

SEO Optimisation

• Pull all meta titles, descriptions, and header tags off your existing site and review, rewrite and optimise for Shopify.
• Monitor 404 errors where pages don’t exist or redirects no longer work, and implement proper redirects to avoid broken links and preserve SEO equity on your new site
• Configure shipping settings in Shopify to match existing shipping methods and zones from WooCommerce

Shipping Configuration

• Configure shipping settings in Shopify to match existing shipping methods and zones from WooCommerce and/or update them.
• Set up shipping rates, carriers, and fulfilment options based on business requirements. This is a chance to create revised policies, rates or information and communicate to your customers.
• Review Shopify’s built-in shipping features or third-party apps for advanced shipping needs to see if this is a possible solution for your business.

Performance Optimisation

• Before migrating, optimise images and assets for faster loading times on Shopify. Details of all image sizes can be found here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/blog/image-sizes
• Use Shopify’s built-in caching and CDN (Content Delivery Network) to improve on page image delivery, site speed and improved performance.
• Monitor site speed and performance metrics using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to see where additional speed savings can be made. The average eCommerce website loads at 2.5 seconds for mobile, and consumers expect between 0-4 seconds load time regardless of device.

Testing and Quality Assurance

• Your implementation partner will create a testing and QA plan, however when the platform is released to UAT, conduct thorough testing of the migrated Shopify site to ensure functionality, data integrity and any hidden design flaws.
• Test product pages, checkout process, payment processing, and any custom features or integrations as customers will expect the switch over to be seamless.
• Perform cross-browser and device testing to ensure compatibility and responsiveness and not just the most used device as shown in analytics.
• Ensure you use a ‘Bug Log’ (which may be a spreadsheet or a platform like Jira) to monitor all issues and the solutions being deployed, as you can check post go live.

Backup and Rollback Plan

• Your implementation partner will create backups of WooCommerce site data and files before initiating the migration.
• They will also create a rollback plan in place in case of any issues or unexpected outcomes during the migration process.
• Ensure data integrity and security throughout the migration process with documentation and testing to avoid data loss or corruption. More GDPR guidance about migrating customer data can be found here: https://www.complygdpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Info-sheet-GDPR-Considerations-For-Database-Migration.pdf.

Post-Migration Monitoring and Support

• Monitor the Shopify site closely after migration for any platform issues or performance concerns. Your implementation partner should be supplying you with either ongoing support or a time frame to continually test and log bugs post go live.
• Provide support and training for staff members or administrators managing the Shopify site. This can be in the form of super users or creating online webinars or a portal where how to guides can be found. This won’t necessarily be included in your migration package so check with your implementation partner.
• Address any post-migration issues promptly and ensure that issues are implemented promptly according to how they are categorised (often Critical, Urgent, Low etc)
• Celebrate that your new site is live!

Conclusion

While there are always pros and cons with any platform, it’s important to be clear about what it is you want to achieve and what experience you want to give your customers. Remember: it is more important that the new website has a high level of functionality and supportability over the design.

It’s important to carefully evaluate your options and plan the migration process accordingly, both internally before you start and once you have a implementation partner in place. This could be a lengthy process depending on the size and depth of your website, so make sure you keep the communication up with internal stakeholders throughout.

If any of the above sounds like something you are in the process of looking at, our experienced team are more than happy to discuss with you. Whether you are right at the beginning of your journey researching options, to knowing you want to get onto Shopify and are choosing a delivery partner, speak to our team who can help answer any question you may have.

Top 5 Tips for Developing Your eCommerce Website Shop

Whether you’re launching your first online store or revamping an existing one, developing a successful e-commerce website requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a focus on delivering an exceptional user experience. In this blog post, the Webselect team shares their top 5 tips to help you build a successful e-commerce website shop that attracts customers, drives sales, and creates long term customer advocacy.

1. Prioritise User Experience (UX)

Creating a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience for your customers is key to the success of your e-commerce website. Thinking about how your users will interact with your site and designing it with their needs in mind will create a website that will have your customers coming back time and time again. Ensure that navigation is intuitive, calls-to-action are clear and in a logical place, and the checkout process is hassle (and bug) free. Shoppers are less tolerant of a difficult experience than they were, attentions spans online are very low. The aim is to give a great experience so that your customers return and recommend you.

2. Focus on SEO from the Start

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is key to driving organic traffic to your e-commerce website. Start by conducting keyword research to identify relevant search terms for your products or services and focus on building your top keywords up. Optimise your website’s meta tags, URLs, and content to improve its visibility in search engine results. SEO takes time, but it is the building blocks to visibility without having to spend advertising budget.

3. Optimise for Performance and Speed

Customers have an expectation that the websites they use will load quickly and perform seamlessly across all devices. Slow-loading pages can be frustrating and lead to higher bounce rates off a website. Optimise your e-commerce website for speed by minimising image sizes, leveraging caching techniques, and utilising content delivery networks (CDNs). By prioritising performance, you ensure a better user experience, increase on site conversions, and create brand trust.

4. Integrate Analytics and Tracking

Data is your secret weapon when it comes to optimising your e-commerce website for success. Set up web analytics tools such as Google Analytics to track key metrics like traffic sources, conversion rates, and user behaviour. This data will help identify areas for improvement, refine your marketing strategies, and make data-driven decisions to grow your business.

5. Work with a trusted provider

Working with a partner you can trust is key when building an e-commerce website as it ensures a smooth and successful development process from start to finish. Trusting your partner means having confidence in their expertise, reliability, and commitment to delivering high-quality results that align with your business goals. From design and development to implementation and ongoing support, a trustworthy partner will collaborate closely with you, and proactively problem-solving with you to overcome challenges and maximise results.

Developing a successful e-commerce website shop requires a strategic approach and a focus on delivering an exceptional user experience. Your e-commerce website is your digital storefront – make it inviting, efficient, and memorable for your customers.

Regardless of what business you are in, having a strong online presence is essential for retail businesses looking to drive profit and visibility in an increasingly noisy market.

Any business creating a retail eCommerce website needs to take the time to design not only the look and feel of the website, but to also identify clear objectives, enhance the customer experience and should be well considered, designed and maintained.

From reducing operational costs to increasing sales efficiency, here’s how investing in a well-thought-out retail website can lead to significant cost savings over time.

1. Streamlined Inventory Management

Effective inventory management is crucial for retail businesses to minimise stockouts, avoid overstocking, and optimise cash flow. A well-designed retail website with integrated inventory management tools allows you to track inventory levels in real-time, automate reorder processes, and accurately forecast demand. By streamlining inventory management, you can reduce the risk of poor stock sales, minimise storage costs, and improve overall efficiency.

2. Improved Customer Service and Satisfaction

Providing exceptional customer service is essential for building customer loyalty and driving repeat business. A well-designed retail website offers features such as live chat support, self-service options, and easy access to product information, helping to enhance the overall customer experience. By investing in customer service tools and resources, you can reduce the number of inquiries and complaints, increase customer satisfaction, and ultimately save money by retaining loyal customers and reducing churn.

3. Ability to Scale and Flexibility without starting over

As your business grows and evolves, scalability and flexibility become increasingly important but can often come at a price. Building your retail website on a reputable platform offers scalability to accommodate growth without the need for additional investments in infrastructure or expansion costs. Whether you’re adding new products, expanding into new markets, or launching promotional campaigns, a scalable website CMS can adapt to changing business needs quickly and cost-effectively.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making and Reporting

Data is key for retail businesses, providing insights into customer behaviour, market trends, and sales performance. Putting a website in place from the offset that collects and analyses data on customer interactions, sales metrics, and website performance will empower teams across the organisation to make data-driven decisions quickly.

CMS platforms should be able to leverage data tools and metrics to identify opportunities for optimisation, improve marketing strategies, and make informed business decisions that drive cost savings and revenue growth.

5. Staying Competitive through A/B testing

It’s increasingly difficult to stay ahead of your competition and taking the time to design your website customer first, and not being afraid of making changes, will ensure that you grow your profitability.

Designing a website that allows you to test page layouts, messaging, call to actions etc will mean that you are continuously improving your site. This means spending less time fixing big design issues later down the line, evolving your site as consumer behaviour changes and finding new opportunities to convert more sales through simple test and learn practices.

Creating a new website from scratch or re-platforming from old to new can be daunting for even the most seasoned eCommerce professional. However, making the investment in mapping the data, the objectives and the customer journey within your retail website can create significant cost savings for your business in the long run.

As you consider the future of your retail business, remember the importance of investing in an online platform that aligns with your strategic goals and objectives, and helps your team to optimise your operations.

London, September 2023 – The prestigious Indigo O2 in London was ablaze with excitement as Weird Fish, the iconic lifestyle fashion clothing company, secured Bronze in the coveted “Best Fashion Website” award at the eCommerce Awards 2023. This outstanding achievement not only reflects Weird Fish’s dedication to delivering top-notch fashion but also underscores its commitment to providing a stellar online shopping experience.

The eCommerce Awards, an annual celebration of excellence in the digital retail industry, brought together industry leaders and visionaries. Weird Fish’s win highlighted its exceptional approach to website design, seamless navigation, and cutting-edge features, all of which are expertly crafted and maintained in partnership with Webselect Ltd., their dedicated ecommerce platform partners.

Webselect Ltd., the trusted architects behind Weird Fish’s award-winning website, played a crucial role in helping the brand secure the title of “Best Fashion Website” at the eCommerce Awards 2023. The partnership between Weird Fish and Webselect Ltd. encompasses everything from building and maintaining the site to ensuring it performs at peak levels, converting visitors into loyal customers.

Weird Fish’s website is a striking fusion of function and creativity, a reflection of the company’s unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. The intuitive layout, visually captivating design, and a comprehensive range of user-friendly features make for a seamless shopping journey for customers. Whether you’re in search of cozy knitwear to embrace the winter chill or vibrant graphic tees to make a statement, Weird Fish’s website offers a delightful and efficient shopping experience.