How do you choose the best Ecommerce solution or Digital Experience Platform (DXP) or Content Management Platform?
Well… usually you start with your user stories or requirements.
This is where most design agencies mock up great front-end demos and impress the need for designing to the right device for the right buyer persona – presenting the most relevant, personalised content for the micro-moment.
The customer journey should be friction-less from end to end. Conversion rates should be optimised and Return on Investment (ROI) is guaranteed.
But what about the back-end?
Don’t Forget About Your Internal Users.
Why have so many entrepreneurs chosen Shopify over Magento in recent years? Shopify’s value proposition is that they concentrate on the technical stuff so you can concentrate on being a merchant. Why is WordPress still the most popular CMS on the planet? Because it’s intuitively easy to use. New page – click. New post – click. New hero image on the homepage – click.
It seems that in many RFP processes, the people who use the system on a day to day basis get little or no say in the buying decision. Those who control the finances and champion the brand rarely pause to stop and think – do we have the capabilities to make the most of the features of the solution?
Of course, the Customer Experience is important. But there are hidden costs in re-platforming. So consider the following questions…
- What are the switching costs?
- How long will it take your team to get up to speed using the new admin features of the solution?
- What level of training is required? Is the training free?
- Do I need to hire new people or pay a retainer to an agency to support the solution?
- What ‘Client Services or Customer Success’ options are available?
One way to ensure that you are choosing the right technology is to engage an outsourced CMTO. Our consultants have been involved in hundreds of pitches and RFPs as buyers and sellers and know the difference between sales hype and project implementation reality.