April 2017 Update- New Website Platform Finally Launched!

by Susan Mosquera

It's been a wild and crazy ride, one that began a little over 3 years ago as I started the process of looking into a different platform to host my ecommerce and informational resources site, MyForeverChild.com  I had originally started out on a terrible ecommerce platform in 2004 and then moved to a better estore platform that marketed to work at home moms in early 2005. Mind you, this was before Etsy itself was even launched!

It was a wonderful way to connect with my customers, most of them were fellow bereaved parents and grandparents looking for meaningful remembrances of their precious little ones. I loved engraving and hand making these special keepsakes for them.  After a few years, online shopping had begun to gain much more popularity and became mainstream, and eventually I outgrew my website platform. But I was very reluctant to start over somewhere new, and so I procrastinated for a few years, not really having a clear direction for my business' future. 

Fast forward to April 2015 and Google's "Mobilegeddon" and several other algorithm changes, which would shake up the world wide web and disrupt us from our comfort zones. My website platform was not mobile optimized and the web developer would not make those changes for us or try to keep up with the fast paced changes that were happening on the internet. Aspects of the website were very buggy and contributed to a less than optimal customer experience. If you had ordered from me on my previous website, you know what I'm talking about! I knew I had to make a decision and actively search for a new platform to host my online store. 

I ended up setting up and trying out 3 different website platforms until I decided on this current one. It was a ton of trial and error and testing out different functions that I knew were necessary for my customer's experience and my satisfaction. All had failed for one critical reason or another.

And so in April 2016 I took a leap of faith and committed to start building up this website you see now under the domain myforeverchild.net. It wasn't just as easy and copying and pasting things over, or importing all products to the new site. The whole structure and layout of the new website had changed. I decided that if I was going to put in the effort to make a new website, it was going to be waaay better than the old one. I spent many months making new sample pieces, photographing and editing products, writing clearer and more helpful descriptions, and simplifying the way products can be searched and found in different collections. I liken it to having a custom house built, and then cleaning, packing, moving, and re-decorating all at the same time. It was not an easy or quick process by any means. Some products are still not live on the site yet, but will be later this month.

On March 2, 2017, I finally officially moved my website domain myforeverchild.com to this platform, and I couldn't be happier! It has been a much better experience for my customers and less headaches and paperwork for me. I feel like my creativity has finally returned and am inspired to write more, create new products and be a part of the community again that I've known and loved the last almost 15 years since my son passed away. I never really left, but needed to find my way back after wandering around with a heavy burden and so much indecision for so long.

What does this mean for you? I will be posting on the blog again, launching new product lines and special sales in April for Mother's Day, May for Father's Day, Cause Awareness in September, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness in October, plus more. I'll be hosting monthly giveaways again, so be sure to sign up for my VIP List to be kept up to date on all new happenings and special deals that will only be offered to my VIP's.

I had been very quiet on social media the last several months so I could concentrate on finishing up the migration to this platform. I'll be posting on social media more regularly so be sure to follow @myforeverchild on your favorite sites: 

The only non-optimal aspect of the new platform is that you won't have access to your old customer account, list of previous orders, or wish list. It is a whole new database. However I do have access to the old databases and can look up your info for you. I have many repeat customers that want to reorder the same exact pieces as gifts for family members, or to have a matching piece made to honor the birth of a new child or sadly to memorialize the loss of another baby. Just reach out to me and I will look up your previous orders and image files for you. Or if there was a product you had your eye on from the old website and no longer see here, email me a picture or description and I'll find it for you :)

In upcoming blog posts I will elaborate on all the great new website features {yay, you can now upload your handprint and footprint images right on site when placing your order!}. But undoubtedly, the most important aspect of the new shop is that it is ALL SECURE with https protocol now. You can feel more confident in purchasing online and knowing that your sensitive information is safe.

I am looking into adding even more functionality and features to the new website. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know. I'm listening! 

Welcome to our new "home" for My Forever Child! Hope you'll love it as much as we do!

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