Yahoo Aabaco is an old and vulnerable eCommerce platform that was acquired by Verizon in 2017. The platform has been criticized for its lack of security features and outdated design.
In addition, Yahoo Aabaco has a history of service outages and data breaches. As a result, many businesses have migrated over to more up-to-date and robust eCommerce platforms, like Bigcommerce, Shopify, and Magento.
In this article, we will go over why and how you should migrate from Yahoo Aabaco for your business’s sake. Additionally, we’ll cover how an eCommerce agency like Optimum7 undertakes a migration project.
6 Reasons to Migrate from Yahoo Aabaco
Yahoo Aabaco has been unstable for quite some time now. The platform gave its users every single red flag there is to give. It has gone through things that no stable eCommerce platform should go through.
1. Yahoo Aabaco sold and changed hands multiple times in the past few years.
First, it was acquired by Verizon in 2017. Since then, the platform has become more unstable. This is due to the fact that, when a company is acquired, it often undergoes major changes.
Often, the new owner wants to implement different strategies or change the way the company is run. This can lead to instability, disruption, and loss of company vision. In Yahoo Aabaco’s case, Verizon made some changes that have caused problems for users such as data breaches, data loss, outdated technology, and unsupported integrations.
For example, they implemented a new pricing structure that increased prices for some users. They also made changes to the customer service model that have led to longer wait times and frustrating experiences for many customers.
2. Lack of security features usually has serious consequences.
Yahoo Aabaco lacks some of the essential security features that other eCommerce platforms provide. For instance, the platform does not offer two-factor authentication or any other type of advanced security measure. This makes it easy for hackers to gain access to user accounts.
Furthermore, the platform does not have a fraud detection system. This means that if you accept payments through the platform’s internal payment system, you are at risk of losing money to fraudsters.
Finally, the platform is weak at encrypting customer data. This means that if Yahoo Aabaco is hacked, your customers’ personal and financial information could be compromised easily.
3. It’s hard to navigate and manage because of the outdated design.
Another criticism of Yahoo Aabaco is its outdated design. The platform uses an old-fashioned layout that makes it difficult to navigate.
The interface is not user-friendly and can be hard to use. In addition, the platform does not offer any modern features or functionality. This can make it difficult to manage your store and keep up with the competition.
4. Lack of support for integrations and extensions.
Yahoo Aabaco also lacks support for integrations and extensions. If you want to add new features to your store, you will likely have to do it yourself or hire a developer.
There are very few integrations and extensions available for the platform. This can limit the functionality of your store and make it more difficult to run.
5. Outdated integrations can hurt your wallet and time management.
In addition to the lack of support for integrations and extensions, the platform’s existing integrations are also outdated. Yahoo Store also hasn’t been able to integrate with common cutting-edge eCommerce solution providers.
Worse, Yahoo Store requires custom development up to +$20k per integration and months for full implementation. Alternatively, modern websites using Bigcommerce, Shopify or Magento can easily set up these integrations for little to no cost in a few days.
6. Not Scalable platforms are the #1 reason businesses can’t grow.
Another problem with Yahoo Aabaco is that it is not scalable. This means that if you want to grow your business, you will likely have to switch to a new platform at one point or another.
Yahoo Aabaco is not built for businesses that want to scale. It is designed for small businesses that have a limited number of products and customers.
If you want to scale your business, you will need to find a new platform like Bigcommerce or Shopify that can support your growth.
6 Benefits of Migrating from Yahoo Aabaco to a Modern eCommerce Platform
There are many benefits of migrating from Yahoo Aabaco to a modern eCommerce platform like Bigcommerce.
Here are some of the most important benefits:
1. Custom Built Apps and App Marketplace
One of the best benefits of migrating to modern eCommerce platforms like Bigcommerce or Shopify is the app marketplace. The app marketplace offers a variety of ready-made integrations and extensions.
You can add new features and functionality to your store quickly and easily. Better still, most apps are plug-&-play, so you won’t need to go to a third-party developer to integrate the simplest app into your online store.
Another huge benefit is the wide range of custom apps and functionalities you can install to your store.
Most modern platforms use open-source technology. That way, developers can create custom apps and integrations for the platform.
This gives you a lot of flexibility when it comes to adding new features and functionality to your store. You can either find an app in the marketplace or hire a developer to create a custom app for you.
Optimum7 created hundreds of incredibly useful custom apps and functionalities that can not be found on the app marketplace.
2. SEO Friendliness
Most modern platforms are designed with SEO in mind. Therefore, they offer features and functionality that can help you improve your store’s SEO. For example, BigCommerce is known for its user-friendly interface and wide range of features.
However, one area where it really shines is in its SEO-friendly features.
Out of the box, BigCommerce offers on-page SEO customizations such as SEO titles, meta tags, image alt tags, etc. In addition, BigCommerce also has built-in schema markup features which enable you to rank for rich snippets without you having to do anything about it.
As a result, BigCommerce can be a great platform for those looking to improve their SEO game.
In addition, most modern platforms offer support for popular SEO plugins and extensions. This means that you can add new features and functionality to your store without having to hire a developer.
3. Improved Security
One of the biggest benefits of migrating to a modern platform is improved security. Most modern platforms offer advanced security features that Yahoo Aabaco does not, such as two-factor authentication and fraud detection.
These features protect your store from hackers and fraudsters. In addition, most modern platforms use stronger encryption to protect customer data. This can give you peace of mind knowing that your customer’s information is safe.
4. Better Usability and Functionality
Another benefit of migrating to a modern platform is better usability and functionality.
Most modern platforms are designed to be user-friendly and easy to use. They offer a variety of features and functionality that can help you run your store more efficiently.
Moreover, most modern platforms offer support for integrations and extensions. This means that you can add new features and functionality to your store without having to hire a developer.
5. Scalability
Most modern platforms are designed to scale with your business. As your business grows, the platform can grow with you. This is in contrast to Yahoo Aabaco, which can be difficult to scale.
This is because the platform lacks support for integrations and extensions. As a result, you will need to hire a developer to custom-build even the simplest features and functionalities for you as your business grows.
6. Improved Performance
Another benefit of migrating to a modern platform like Bigcommerce or Shopify is improved performance.
Bigcommerce is designed for speed and performance. They use cutting-edge technology to help ensure that your store loads quickly.
Additionally, most modern platforms offer caching and content delivery network (CDN) support. This can help further improve the speed and performance of your store.
What is the Best eCommerce Platform to Migrate to?
You have several options to choose from such as BigCommerce, Shopify, Magento, and SF Commerce Cloud. Each platform has its own set of pros and cons.
For example, Shopify is known for being user-friendly. However, it lacks the flexibility that some other platforms offer. Magento is another popular eCommerce platform. It is known for being very flexible and customizable. However, it can be difficult to use if you are not a technical person.
BigCommerce offers a wide range of features and functionality out of the box. In addition, it is designed to be highly scalable with extensive SEO features and an infinite amount of apps on the app marketplace to choose from.
If you are not sure which platform to choose, we recommend talking to an eCommerce expert.
An eCommerce expert can help you assess your needs and find the right platform for your business. Remember, the eCommerce migration is a big project that will cost a decent amount of money, so it’s best if you measure twice and cut once with the guidance of an eCommerce expert.
How Does the Migration Process Work?
Any successful eCommerce migration project is made out of four different stages: discovery, planning, execution, and deployment.
1. Choose Your Target eCommerce Platform
As we mentioned earlier, there are a number of different platforms to choose from — any of which may be best suited to your unique needs. An eCommerce expert can help you assess your needs and find the right platform for your business.
Remember, the eCommerce migration is a big project that will cost a decent amount of money. Therefore, it’s best if you measure twice and cut once with the guidance of an eCommerce expert.
Most of our Yahoo Aabaco clients migrate to modern and powerful eCommerce platforms like Bigcommerce, Shopify, Magento, and SF Commerce Cloud. These platforms are modern, robust, and up to date. They are not outdated and unstable like Yahoo Aabaco or Volusion.
After you decide on an eCommerce platform we initiate the discovery phase.
2. Discovery and Planning Phase
In the Discovery Phase, we assess your current store. This includes products, customers, orders, and any other data that needs to be migrated.
During this phase, we further discuss your business goals and objectives. This helps us understand what new features, functionalities, and 3rd party integrations you are going to need in your new store.
It’s important to discuss any design changes that need to be made, during this phase.
For example, if you want to change the layout or design of your website, you’ll need to plan for that in the discovery phase. While redesigning a website, it’s important to take the ideal customer journey into account and create a user flow accordingly.
Here’s what an ideal customer journey looks like:
Based on our findings, we create a detailed project plan that outlines the steps needed to successfully migrate your store. The project plan is then reviewed with you to ensure that everything is clear.
3. Execution Phase
Once the project plan is approved, we begin working on the migration. First, we set up a development environment where we will build and test your new store.
Then, we migrate all of your products, customers, orders, and other data to the new platform. This is done using a combination of manual processes and automated scripts.
During the execution phase being transparent with the client and keeping them up to date is incredibly important. Transparency and good communication can help both parties avoid losing resources and wasting too much time on wrong deliverables.
After the data migration, we work on additional but necessary features.
This includes building and implementing custom functionalities, integrations, and other features.
After all of your data has been migrated and the design and development are done, we test everything to make sure that it is working correctly.
4. Deployment and Maintenance
After everything has been tested and is working correctly, we deploy your new store. During the Deployment Phase, we also train you and your staff on how to use the new platform and give you as much support as possible while settling in.
Later on, if you have any issues, new ideas, requests, etc. we give you %100 support and maintenance to make sure that everything is running smoothly after the project is finished.
Conclusion
Migrating your store from Yahoo Aabaco to a modern eCommerce platform is a big project. But, it’s worth it.
An eCommerce Migration Agency like Optimum7 can help you migrate your store quickly, efficiently, and without any downtime.
We have successfully migrated hundreds of stores from Yahoo Aabaco and other outdated platforms.
If you are thinking about migrating your store, contact us today for a free consultation. We would be happy to answer any questions that you have.
