Post-Acquisition Platform Integration

Problem

Following a major acquisition, two e-commerce platforms needed to merge product data, seller catalogs, and inventory systems. The migration had to preserve data integrity for the platform’s highest-value sellers while maintaining uninterrupted buyer experience.

Approach

I owned the product data perspective of the merger. Mapped every data field across both systems, identified conflicts and gaps, and designed a migration sequence that prioritized high-value sellers first. Built validation checkpoints at each stage.

The judgment call

Stakeholders wanted a “big bang” migration — move everything at once, rip the band-aid off. I argued for waves. Small cohort first, validate, fix edge cases, expand. The same way you train for a triathlon: you do not race all three disciplines at full intensity on day one. You build one discipline at a time, then combine them gradually. Migration is the same — each wave teaches you what will break in the next one.

Outcome

The vast majority of high-value sellers migrated without product data or user experience issues. The integration completed on schedule with no significant rollbacks.

What I think about differently now

Platform mergers test every assumption you have about your data model. The things you assumed were standardized turn out to have dozens of local variations. I learned to start by mapping reality, not reading documentation. In endurance, this is the equivalent of running the actual race course before race day — the elevation profile on paper never matches what your legs feel on the road.