Replatforming: Move to the Cloud with Shopify Plus

In the course of its life, an online store goes through numerous changes. The frontend is adapted, new functions are added to existing systems, old processes are replaced and replaced by others. As time goes by, it becomes more and more difficult to modernize the legacy system and keep it up to date with the latest technology. When you reach this point, it may be high time for what is called replatforming. In this blog post, we'll explain what this is all about and why the cloud-based Shopify Plus is particularly well-suited for platform switching.

Replatforming Definition

The term replatforming originates from cloud computing and describes the transfer of an existing legacy system to a cloud environment. Replatforming is also known as "lift, tinker & shift".

There can be several reasons for migrating to a new IT infrastructure:

Modernization: if the legacy system is outdated and no longer supported, the platform change may make sense. Otherwise, bugs and security gaps will open up sooner or later with the outdated technology.

Less maintenance: Dedicated servers require regular updates. Maintenance involves effort and can sometimes mean that your online store is unavailable during maintenance. In a cloud, updates usually run in the background.

Overcoming performance limitations: Server capacities of on-premise solutions are limited, which can be a problem especially during the Christmas season and/or promotion days like Black Friday. A cloud environment flexibly adapts to your resource needs.

System migration and replatforming: exactly the same?

Replatforming and system migration are very often used as synonyms in e-commerce circles. However, the terms actually describe slightly different concepts. Both refer to the modification or change of an existing system, but differ in their scope and focus.

Replatforming focuses on migrating from one system to a new platform or cloud environment. It involves replacing the underlying technological infrastructure and adapting or replacing existing applications to take advantage of the new platform. Replatforming aims to future-proof the system, support modern features and improve performance.

On the other hand, system migration generally refers to the modification or change of an existing system. A system migration may involve extensive changes as well as minor adjustments. In some cases, a migration may aim to change the basic technological infrastructure, for example when moving from an outdated platform to a new one. In other cases, however, a migration can be less extensive and focus on updating applications or implementing new functions within the existing technological infrastructure.

Overall, it can be said that replatforming is more specific and involves a broader change of platform, while system migration is a more general term that can describe any kind of system change, regardless of platform.

If an online retailer decides to turn its back on its no longer supported Magento 1 system and switch to Shopify Plus, this can be referred to as replatforming rather than just migration.

If the company decides to stay on the platform but switch to a newer version - namely Magento 2 - this would be called a system migration. Here, the company would update the existing system and transfer the data, applications and configurations to the new version. The basic platform, however, remains the same.

Rehosting vs. replatforming: What are the differences?

If you are planning to move to a cloud environment, there are several options available to you. Besides replatforming, rehosting in particular is a widely used concept. Both belong to the so-called 6 Rs of cloud migration. Explaining each of these approaches is beyond the scope of this blog post. In the case of rehosting and replatforming, however, it makes perfect sense to take a closer look at the similarities and differences.

Rehosting (Lift & Shift)

The first step is rehosting, also known as "Lift & Shift". This involves migrating the existing software architecture to a cloud so that you can enjoy its benefits, such as scalable computing capacities, low maintenance requirements and a high level of reliability. The lift & shift concept does not involve any changes to the existing software landscape and can therefore be implemented particularly quickly - at least in theory. In the e-commerce context, rehosting is rarely used because you would continue to operate your online store with your outdated legacy system. However, the desire for a future-proof e-commerce platform is one of the main reasons for most online store migrations. Therefore, the rehosting approach usually doesn't go far enough.

Replatforming (Lift, Tinker & Shift)

Replatforming complements rehosting with modernization measures to your software architecture. This involves adapting existing applications to the cloud environment or replacing them with others. The latter happens much more frequently in e-commerce. For example, when you migrate from Shopware to Shopify Plus, your old system and all the modules that go with it are replaced by Shopify Plus and corresponding apps. The trick is to retain both data and familiar functions, and to design the visual appearance and user guidance in such a way that existing customers find it as easy as possible to get used to the new system.

Replatforming: advantages and disadvantages

Replatforming brings with it some advantages, but also entails risks. In the following table, we have compared the advantages and disadvantages:

Replatforming with Shopify Plus: 7 good reasons why e-commerce companies switch platforms

For you as a merchant, the legitimate question is why you should switch your platform to Shopify Plus - after all, services such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) can also be used to host other store systems in a cloud. In the following, we'll show you why you should still switch your online store to Shopify Plus.

100% cloud based

Unlike most store systems, which are available both as a cloud variant and as an on-premise solution, Shopify Plus exists exclusively in the cloud. What initially sounds like less flexibility is actually a real advantage, because it guarantees that all apps and themes are ideally suited for operation in the cloud.

Headless Commerce

The PC has long since ceased to be the dominant access medium in e-commerce, let alone the only one. Instead, a whole range of different device categories access your online store. A future-proof system must therefore be able to make your store's content available for every type of device. This is exactly the basic idea behind the headless architecture, where the frontend and backend are technically separated. Due to its easy API connection and technologies like Hydrogen and Oxygen, Shopify Plus is one of the best systems for headless commerce.

Shopify Flow

A high level of automation makes your day-to-day business much easier and speeds up your processes. With Shopify Flow, you create workflows and automate your store management, CRM and/or marketing and sales. For example, you can request a reorder from your supplier when a certain stock level is reached. However, this is only one of many application examples.

Multishops

Shopify Plus allows you to create and manage 10 stores simultaneously in just one account. This allows you to run multiple stores for different target markets and internationalize your business.

Exclusive apps

Shopify is characterized by an immense selection of apps. The Shopify App Store counts more than 6,000 apps that add new features to your store with just a few clicks and usually without any programming knowledge at all. In addition, Shopify Plus gives you access to more apps exclusive to the Enterprise version.

Compatibility

The introduction of ERP, PIM or CRM systems often requires large initial investments that can quickly run into five to six figures. It is therefore understandable that many companies do not want to discard these systems, even in the course of replatforming. If this is also the case for you, we have good news: Shopify Plus can usually be connected to existing systems without any problems via the in-house Shopify API.

Performant CDN

Good performance is becoming increasingly important for demanding e-commerce customers. Shopify therefore automatically manages your media files such as product images and videos in a high-performance Content Delivery Network (CDN). This ensures that your content is quickly available from anywhere in the world, which is not only appreciated by customers, but also by search engines like Google, Bing & Co.

Fit for tomorrow's e-commerce: Latori has already migrated these companies to Shopify Plus

As the first Shopify Plus agency in Germany, Latori has already supported many national and international companies in switching to Shopify Plus. Here you can find a small selection.

Live Fast Die Young (LFDY)

As a D2C brand, the fashion label Live Fast Die Young sells to a young target group. The brand has made the so-called drop its business model: most items are strictly limited and only available for a very limited period of time. With the concept, LFDY is extremely successful - so successful that the old online store under Shopware 6 could not withstand the traffic onslaught during the drops. For its switch to Shopify Plus, the company wanted as close to a 1:1 replica of the old store as possible. Our developers gladly accepted this challenge.

[Read full case study of LFDY]

Asphaltgold

In recent years, the sneaker has experienced a real boom: special and strictly limited editions are quickly worth several hundred euros. As one of the largest sneaker retailers, Asphaltgold has been riding this wave of success since 2008. Similar to LFDY, Asphaltgold also practices an innovative business model, the so-called Raffles. At its core, it involves raffling off the right to sell to customers: Only those previously selected in a drawing are actually allowed to purchase the coveted sneakers. Before switching to Shopify Plus, the Darmstadt-based company had to contend with regular checkout problems and resulting support requests. In the meantime, Asphaltgold provides its community with a smartphone app for the raffles, which was developed by the OK Future agency. In addition to the migration, Latori also developed a Shopify app that communicates with the smartphone app.

[Click here for Asphaltgold case study]

Sennheiser (Sonova)

Sound virtuosos are certainly familiar with the Sennheiser brand. Latori has been supporting the premium manufacturer for headphones and headsets since 2018, during which time we were also able to support hearing aid manufacturer and Sennheiser license seller Sonova in its entry into the Asian market. Initially, Sonova was still selling its Sennheiser products through a partner and under Magento 1, but the company had the desire to build a D2C channel and act directly as a seller. With the migration from Magento to Shopify Plus, this idea was to become a reality. Together with Latori, Sonova launched its first Shopify store in Australia. At the beginning, the company counted 14 international stores - in the meantime, they are active in 150 countries.

[To Sennheiser case study]

Shape Republic

Anyone who is interested in fitness and weight loss and is active on Instagram is almost bound to come into contact with Shape Republic. Founded in cooperation with fitness influencer Sophia Thiel, the company sees its online presence as a platform for achieving fitness and nutrition goals. Shape Republic also replatformed from Magento to Shopify. In addition to requirements for function and design, systems such as plentymarkets, Emarsys and odc were also to be supported by the new Shopify store. We were very happy to comply with this request - and the result brought us a special honor: in 2020, Shape Republic's Shopify store was awarded the Shop Usability Award in the Food & Beverage category!

[The project Shape Republic]

Conclusion

Basically, replatforming is nothing more than a form of migration in which technologies are replaced by others. In e-commerce, such platform changes take place frequently. If you've read this far, you know why many merchants already rely on Shopify Plus and will certainly do so in the future.