With ‘website platform’ set-up we define the process through which our end-to-end sets of services are constructed and shaped into its final form through coding and programming. In the reference of computers/software/eCommerce, working on the advancement of a website platform is, in fact, deriving a compiled version of a program through a number of technology, maintenance and hosting partners which for us would include: IBM, Magento, Adobe, Shopify, WordPress, SalesForce, Netsuite and others.

We like to think of ourselves as virtual architects; our approach to website platform development closely mirrors that of architects of physical infrastructures, which is why we often use the word ‘build’ to refer to this phase within the netamorphosis broader digital transformation process. Additionally, our attitude towards web development also reflects our customer-centric approach and how we would conceive and take into account the final experience of projected end-users in our web platforms from the very beginning of our Strategy phase, as that applies tactics and recommendations across all systems and that then integrates with our CMS of choice.

Once we’ve outlined effective strategic planning, our ‘build’ means implementing the tactics of that plan and putting it into place over the next 3-18 months, to finalize the delivery of a fully functional end-to-end web platform and ultimately of an omnichannel type of experience. This spans across different operational areas, and may involve everything from information architecture, UX design and website development to resource procurement/hiring, team building, marketing and goal setting. Moreover, our philosophy surrounding ‘builds,’ especially with eCommerce or dynamic content-based digital platforms, is that a website platform should have a minimal life span of 3 years with an ideal target of 5+. Many of the websites where we’ve overseen end-to-end website platform builds have actually lasted up to 10 years, an eternity in the land of technology but not the impossible. For instance, the website platform development work that neta’s Founder, Lyde Spann, envisioned for Zara’s eCommerce debut in 2011 has not been re-platformed for more than 8 years and continues to generate billions of dollars in revenue each year. This proves that, in our experience, if the appropriate strategy has been applied within a technology or framework you can keep it up-to-date and refresh it quite easily – much like when building a house, you should be able to add furniture, extensions/additions or even a pool house, when the time is right.

Behind the building process of successful web platforms, there are two main aspects that come into play:

  1. appropriate scale, or how much volume your web platform will be to serve and sustain (think of it as load-bearing)
  2. the choice of the most appropriate website building tool/platform, (i.e. WordPress, Magento or Shopify being our most common choices).

Since our capabilities range from eCommerce platforms to CMS platforms to every type of digital marketing integration, in our experience, choosing the most appropriate website platform management tool becomes a rather pivotal aspect, as that allows us to set-up, launch, and oversee the growth of a digital platform from a performance perspective, which is always our end-goal. In fact, we typically envision the future scale we set out to achieve and based on the infrastructure and budget for each launch, scale that web platform for its immediate debut and revenue objectives; we’ve found that this progression and scalable approach to website infrastructure best serves our launch budgets, current and future customers as well as the revenue targets we establish prior to initiating any design or programming.

Ultimately, we care about results, and we want to develop web platforms that not only win awards but that drive businesses to be better every day.