Re-Platforming an Omnichannel Retailer: A 90-Day Performance and Conversion Turnaround

## Overview A mid-market omnichannel retailer selling lifestyle goods across online and 18 brick-and-mortar locations approached Webskyne with a familiar but urgent challenge: their e-commerce storefront was struggling under the weight of legacy architecture. Customers experienced inconsistent inventory accuracy, sluggish mobile performance, and frequent checkout errors during seasonal promotions. The business had already invested in marketing to drive traffic, but the site couldn’t reliably convert that traffic into revenue. Webskyne was tasked with re-platforming the storefront experience while keeping existing ERP and warehouse systems intact. The project required a careful balance: modernize the user experience and performance stack without disrupting back-office operations or the team’s daily workflows. Over 90 days we executed a performance-first rebuild, introduced a resilient integration layer, and optimized the checkout flow—delivering a measurable lift in conversion, lower support volume, and a smoother experience for shoppers and staff alike.  ## Challenge The retailer’s existing site was a custom PHP build stitched together over several years. On paper it supported the necessary features—catalog, promotions, customer accounts, and integrations—but in practice it was brittle and inconsistent. Peak-hour traffic caused page load times to spike, the mobile experience suffered from layout shifts, and the checkout flow regularly timed out when the inventory service throttled. Key pain points included: - **Slow mobile performance:** Median LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) hovered around 4.6 seconds on mobile, far above industry benchmarks. - **Checkout timeouts and errors:** 3–5% of checkouts failed during promotion windows, leading to a surge in support tickets and abandoned carts. - **Inventory mismatch:** Stores and the online catalog frequently displayed different availability, causing canceled orders and customer frustration. - **Fragile integrations:** The ERP and warehouse systems were integrated through a brittle set of synchronous calls. Any latency or outage cascaded into the storefront. - **Operational overhead:** The internal team spent significant time firefighting incidents instead of iterating on merchandising and content. These issues were not merely technical; they manifested as revenue leakage and eroded customer trust. The leadership team needed a clear, near-term win with metrics they could communicate to stakeholders. ## Goals Together with the retailer, Webskyne defined specific objectives for the 90-day engagement. We focused on clear, measurable targets that would improve customer experience and operational stability. **Primary goals:** 1. **Performance uplift:** Reduce mobile LCP below 2.5 seconds and improve overall Core Web Vitals. 2. **Checkout reliability:** Reduce failed checkouts to under 1% during peak traffic. 3. **Inventory accuracy:** Achieve at least 97% alignment between online availability and warehouse availability. 4. **Conversion improvement:** Increase overall conversion rate by 15% within 60 days of launch. 5. **Operational efficiency:** Reduce incident response time and support tickets related to checkout by 30%. We aligned these goals with a phased delivery plan, knowing that measurable progress early in the project would build internal momentum and confidence. ## Approach We structured the engagement around three pillars: performance modernization, resilient data integration, and conversion-focused experience design. Each pillar had a clear owner, metric, and delivery timeline. ### 1) Performance-first rebuild We started with an exhaustive performance audit using Lighthouse, WebPageTest, and RUM (real-user monitoring) data. This helped us pinpoint the top bottlenecks: heavy product gallery scripts, unoptimized hero images, and blocking CSS that delayed the first render. We then designed a new front-end architecture using Next.js, server-side rendering, and modular components that could be progressively enhanced. ### 2) Resilient integration layer The most fragile component was the synchronous chain between the storefront and the ERP. We introduced an API orchestration layer with caching and retries to reduce storefront dependency on upstream outages. Inventory availability was restructured as a normalized service with incremental updates rather than per-request validation. ### 3) Conversion optimization We evaluated the entire customer journey—from discovery to checkout confirmation. Using session recordings and funnel data, we simplified the checkout form, reduced visual clutter, and added clear messaging around delivery timelines and stock status. The intent wasn’t only to make it faster, but to make the experience feel more trustworthy. ## Implementation ### Phase 1: Discovery and Architecture (Week 1–2) We began with stakeholder workshops and a technical audit. The discovery revealed that most of the performance issues could be solved without changing the underlying ERP, but only if the storefront stopped relying on synchronous calls for every critical action. We documented the legacy data flows and then identified which calls could be cached or deferred. At the same time, we defined a new UI architecture: - **Next.js + server-side rendering** for fast first paint and SEO stability. - **Edge caching for catalog pages** to reduce load time during promotions. - **Granular component-level code splitting** to reduce the payload on mobile. A key decision was to keep the ERP integrations intact but place a thin orchestration layer in front of them. This allowed us to ship improvements without forcing a costly ERP migration. ### Phase 2: Core Experience Rebuild (Week 3–6) The core storefront was rebuilt in parallel with a newly designed design system. This was critical to ensure consistency across the catalog, product detail pages, and checkout. We introduced: - A **responsive product gallery** that reduced layout shifts by reserving image space. - **Optimized image delivery** with modern formats and adaptive sizing. - **Pre-rendered catalog categories** for high-traffic segments to reduce TTFB. - **Progressive enhancement** so essential content loaded even on slow connections. A focal point of Phase 2 was the product detail page, where we prioritized performance and clarity. Customers now saw accurate availability messaging ('In stock—ships within 24 hours') based on cached inventory data that refreshed every 10 minutes. ### Phase 3: Integration Layer and Checkout Reliability (Week 7–10) We implemented an API orchestration service that sat between the storefront and ERP. The layer introduced: - **Request aggregation** to reduce redundant calls. - **Circuit breakers** to prevent cascading failures. - **Short-lived caching** for inventory and pricing. - **Graceful fallbacks** for partial outages. The checkout flow was re-engineered with a focus on resiliency. Instead of a linear, blocking checkout, we introduced a queue mechanism that staged order data before syncing with the ERP. This meant the user could complete payment even if the ERP slowed down, with the system confirming the order asynchronously. We also simplified the checkout fields, reducing them by 30% while preserving required data. Validation was moved to real-time, inline feedback, which reduced form errors and dropped the bounce rate on the checkout step. ### Phase 4: Monitoring and Optimization (Week 11–12) Once the new storefront launched, we monitored the site with a mix of synthetic testing and real-user analytics. We tracked page performance, checkout funnel behavior, and error logs. We also created dashboards for the internal team so they could track metrics without needing to run ad hoc reports. During this phase, we iterated on smaller optimizations: - Adjusted caching duration for high-volume categories. - Tweaked CDN compression policies to reduce payload size. - A/B tested cart and checkout messaging for clarity. These incremental changes compounded the improvements and helped stabilize performance during a major promotion at the end of the 90-day window. ## Results The improvements were measurable across performance, reliability, and conversion. Within 60 days of launch, the retailer saw a significant uplift in both customer satisfaction and revenue outcomes. ### Performance outcomes - **Mobile LCP reduced from 4.6s to 2.1s** on median devices. - **First input delay (FID)** improved by 40% due to lighter JavaScript payloads. - **Time-to-first-byte (TTFB)** decreased by 52% for catalog pages due to edge caching. ### Reliability outcomes - **Checkout failure rate dropped from 3–5% to 0.6%.** - **Inventory accuracy improved to 98.3%,** reducing canceled orders. - **Incident response time decreased by 45%** thanks to better monitoring and fewer urgent issues. ### Conversion and revenue outcomes - **Conversion rate increased by 18%** across desktop and mobile. - **Average order value rose 6%,** driven by clearer upsell visibility. - **Support tickets related to checkout dropped 38%.** These improvements were not just short-term. The retailer sustained performance gains during their subsequent seasonal peak, which had previously overwhelmed their legacy platform. ## Metrics Summary | Metric | Before | After | Improvement | |---|---:|---:|---:| | Mobile LCP | 4.6s | 2.1s | 54% faster | | Checkout failure rate | 3–5% | 0.6% | 80–88% reduction | | Inventory accuracy | 92% | 98.3% | +6.3 pts | | Conversion rate | 2.4% | 2.83% | +18% | | Support tickets (checkout) | 210/month | 130/month | -38% | ## Lessons Learned ### 1) Performance is a revenue lever, not just a technical KPI When LCP dropped below 2.5 seconds, the immediate impact was visible in conversion and bounce rates. The case reinforced that performance is not only a developer’s concern—it directly affects customer trust and revenue. ### 2) Resilience beats perfection in legacy environments Attempting to replace the ERP would have caused delays and risk. By introducing a resilient integration layer instead, we insulated the storefront from upstream volatility and delivered results faster. This approach is especially effective for mid-market businesses that can’t pause operations for a multi-year ERP migration. ### 3) Checkout reliability is a multiplier Small reliability improvements in checkout produced outsized revenue impact. The queue-based staging and asynchronous ERP sync reduced abandonment and eliminated edge-case failures. This also reduced the support burden and boosted internal confidence in the platform. ### 4) Cross-functional buy-in accelerates adoption The most successful changes were those that included input from merchandising, customer support, and operations. By aligning across teams, we avoided feature resistance and ensured that the improvements matched real-world workflows. ### 5) Monitoring turns a rebuild into a long-term advantage The launch would have been less impactful without a clear monitoring strategy. Real-time dashboards empowered the internal team to spot issues early and maintain performance gains long after the project ended. ## Conclusion This 90-day re-platforming project demonstrated that mid-market retailers can achieve enterprise-grade performance and reliability without a complete systems overhaul. By focusing on performance, resiliency, and the checkout experience, Webskyne delivered a customer-first storefront that improved conversion, stabilized operations, and built a foundation for future growth. If your organization faces similar challenges—legacy systems, inconsistent inventory data, or sluggish mobile performance—a phased modernization approach can deliver fast results without disrupting your existing operations. Webskyne’s playbook emphasizes measurable wins, incremental improvements, and a relentless focus on the customer experience. --- **Additional image reference:** https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1489515217757-5fd1be406fef?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1600&q=80