Key things to keep in mind with the Yahoo Small Business spin-off

23 Feb 2015

Mike Patel

Key things to keep in mind with the Yahoo Small Business spin-off

As you’ve heard, Yahoo recently announced plans to spin its eCommerce platform, Yahoo Small Business, off into its own separate company called SpinCo, later this year. If your business currently runs on the Yahoo platform, you may have some concerns about what this change could mean for your business – and what you may need to do to prepare.

While this announcement is still very fresh and we’re all still waiting for more details from Yahoo, here are some things to keep in mind:

You have time on your side. This change is not slated to happen until much later this year. An exact date has not been made public but Yahoo says this spinoff should happen in Q4 of this year. So if you’re considering switching to another platform but aren’t sure, you have some time to wait and see whatever information Yahoo releases over the next few months.
You may not even notice a difference at all: While we don’t know all of Yahoo’s plans with certainty, it can be reasonably assumed they’ll want to keep you as a customer. They also know the importance of letting your business run smoothly. So it’s likely they’ll do everything they can to make this transition as easy or even undetectable as possible for all of their Yahoo Small Business merchants.
You’ll be working with the same people: The current Yahoo Small Business employees will keep their jobs with the new, spinoff company. So whatever changes may come, there shouldn’t be any bumps due to new management. While the managers will have new freedom from Yahoo – they aren’t new themselves. They know the company and they know their platform.
This spinoff could bring positive changes: Right now, Yahoo Small Business is obviously a part of a very large corporation that focuses on much more than eCommerce. By spinning off into its own separate business, you may benefit from partnering with an independent company focused entirely on eCommerce. It may be easier for this independent company to make changes or advancements that were slowed by corporate red tape with Yahoo.
What if it’s not a positive change? It’s still too soon to tell. But just as spinning off from Yahoo could be good, frustratingly, it might not be the best for you, too. We know that SpinCo won’t be under the large, protective and resourceful umbrella of Yahoo anymore. So as new information is made available, it’s important to keep an open mind so you’re prepared either way. In the event that you stay with the spinoff company to give it a chance, ioVista will be here to support you no matter what that change brings. If you’re happy, we’re happy. But if you’re not, we’ll help find the solution for you. If you need to make adjustments to your current site or decide to move to another platform, we can help you do that when the time comes.
You’re not “stuck” with Yahoo: If you do decide to move to another platform, you can. You’re not under contract to stay with Yahoo. You can leave anytime and ioVista can help you do it. As partners with Yahoo, BigCommerce and the Magento platform, we specialize in migrating eCommerce sites from one platform to another. If you are considering this option, please email us or give us a call. Even if you’re not sure what you want to do, we can help you go over the pros and cons and give you a better idea of what your options are if you’re thinking of going this route now or in the future.

We will publish more information as it’s made available as well as what that information could mean for your online store. If you ever have any questions, please let us know. You can email or call us anytime.

Mike Patel

Mike Patel is a digital marketing enthusiast, innovator and President of a leading Digital and E-commerce Development Agency in Dallas, Texas. Mike holds a BS, Computer Science degree from Wayne State University and is a key player in the E-commerce development and digital marketing industry since 2004. The scope of technology in his extensive experience of more than 15 years ranges from Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay Per Click) management, E-commerce SEO, Google Shopping Ads and more.

Key things to keep in mind with the Yahoo Small Business spin-off

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