When to migrate vs optimise your ecommerce platform: A Solution Architect’s FAQ

Migration, AKA replatforming, is one of the most significant investments an ecommerce business can make. It affects operations, marketing, growth strategy, and customer experience for years to come. Based on our experience delivering complex migrations from platforms like Magento to Shopify, these are the questions I’ve been asked most by ecommerce brands - and how I’ve advised on them.

Why do businesses start considering replatforming?

Replatforming usually enters the conversation when costs rise, development slows, and the platform begins limiting growth. Common triggers include increasing total cost of ownership, lack of flexibility, slow release cycles, outdated infrastructure, and limited access to modern tools such as AI-driven marketing and automation. In recent years, these conversations have become more commercially focused. Leadership teams now expect migrations to be justified by ROI, long-term efficiency, and strategic impact - not just technical preference.

Are there situations where online businesses shouldn’t replatform?

Yes. In many cases, the platform isn’t the core issue. We often see businesses that haven’t fully optimised their current setup. UX, performance, data quality, and marketing tools may all be underused. In these situations, migrating simply moves existing problems onto a new system. Very commenly the desire to move comes from a poor agency experience rather than platform limitations. Brands assume they need something more complex when, in reality, they haven’t been set up properly.Replatforming delivers value only when the wider business is ready to take advantage of it.

When does fixing an existing platform stop making sense?

The tipping point usually arrives when basic changes require heavy custom development, maintenance becomes expensive, and innovation slows. If teams can’t implement improvements without significant cost and risk, technical debt has become a commercial problem. A key factor is opportunity cost. When platforms prevent businesses from responding to market changes, launching new features, or entering new regions, growth is lost. That lost revenue is part of total ownership cost - whether it appears in budgets or not.

What are the warning signs in legacy Magento setups?

Certain red flags appear repeatedly in older Magento environments. Delayed security updates, costly upgrades, undocumented customisations, and reliance on a small number of specialists all increase risk. Over time, these systems become fragile and difficult to scale. When stability and compliance become concerns, migration is no longer optional - it becomes a strategic necessity.

Can legacy platforms be saved with the right development team?

In theory, yes. In practice, it’s rarely the best long-term option. Almost any system can be stabilised with enough investment. The issue is sustainability. Ongoing development, maintenance, and specialist dependency often outweigh the cost of migrating to a modern ecosystem. Short-term fixes frequently lead to long-term inefficiency.

Why do so many brands choose Shopify?

Most brands move to Shopify for practical, operational reasons. They want stronger performance, lower maintenance overhead, easier international expansion, and better access to modern marketing tools. Shopify’s SaaS model removes much of the infrastructure and security burden, allowing internal teams to focus on growth. It also supports omnichannel and multi-market strategies natively, which reduces complexity as businesses scale and internationalise.

How do business size and growth plans affect the decision?

Replatforming decisions are closely linked to scale and ambition. Larger organisations can absorb higher upfront costs, but they also feel platform limitations more acutely. Slower systems affect multiple brands, regions, and teams. Smaller businesses are more flexible but must be more selective with investment.International expansion often accelerates decisions. When localisation, taxation, and regional storefronts become complex, modern platforms become essential. Many brands now use new markets as pilot environments before migrating core territories.

How do internal teams influence platform choice?

Internal team structures also matter. Businesses with long-standing in-house developers often resist migration due to historic investment in custom systems. While understandable, platform decisions should be driven by commercial strategy rather than legacy dependencies. The most successful migrations occur when technology supports business goals - not when it defines them.

What costs are most often underestimated?

Data and content migration is the most underestimated area. Very little can be transferred without restructuring. Products, attributes, taxonomies, and content often require redesign and rebuilding to support performance and scalability. This work is essential, but it’s frequently overlooked in early planning.

How should businesses calculate ROI on replatforming?

ROI should be based on a holistic view of operations. We typically analyse current running costs, development spend, platform fees, tech stack subscriptions, turnover, and growth projections. This is compared against Shopify’s operating model and expected performance uplift. There is no universal formula. Each business requires a tailored commercial assessment based on its goals and structure.

What are the biggest risks in Magento to Shopify migrations?

Three risks dominate most migrations. The first is SEO. Shopify’s URL structure requires careful planning. Weak redirect strategies can damage organic visibility for years. The second is over-customisation. Attempting to recreate every legacy feature often creates unnecessary complexity and future technical debt. The third is poor preparation. Inadequate testing, rushed launches, and weak governance lead to most revenue loss - not platform limitations.

How can brands minimise downtime and revenue loss?

With proper planning, downtime should be minimal. Successful migrations rely on staging environments, dry runs, structured testing, content validation, and coordinated SEO implementation. Shopify allows platforms to be fully prepared before launch, which significantly reduces risk. Most problems arise from rushed timelines rather than technical constraints.

What tech stack mistakes do you see repeatedly?

The most common mistake is unnecessary complexity. Brands often implement multiple overlapping tools and underuse them. Expensive search platforms, marketing systems, and data tools frequently operate at a fraction of their potential. Every integration should have a defined commercial purpose. Simpler ecosystems are easier to scale and manage.

Do migrations actually improve performance and conversion?

When executed properly, yes. We consistently see improvements in site speed, UX, conversion rates, and operational efficiency. Modern platforms remove friction for both customers and internal teams. Performance uplift is a predictable outcome of well-managed migrations.

Can you share examples of successful and unsuccessful migrations?

We’ve worked on many successful migrations such as The Conran Shop, who reduced their Total Cost of Ownership by over 50%, and Boodles, who increased their online revenue by just over 200% in the first year.Both were Magento to Shopify migrations and both worked so well because platform architecture, SEO, and business strategy were aligned from the start.

In contrast, we’ve also worked with brands such as Rab, where staying on Magento made sense due to strong custom systems and clear commercial justification.The right decision depends on context, not trends.