As the Magento 1 end-of-life date approaches, E-commerce store owners still operating on the CMS should begin to think about the future of their store. With the right planning and a well-thought-out strategy, Magento upgradation is the perfect transformation for your organization’s desired results.
Magento 1 official support will end in June 2020, extending the earlier end-of-life date by 18 months. If you own a store operating on Magento 1, you may be worried about how this will impact your store and what needs to be done.
When comparing Magento 1 with Magento 2, the store owners will immediately get access to the latest features, security features as well as the peace of mind. Magento 2 is better for today’s omnichannel selling model. The platform also provides better visibility into the online business.
When support ends, E-commerce sites will become highly vulnerable to security breaches and no further patches will be released. This means the continued security of your customers and your business would be at risk. So, how to deal with such a situation in a seamless manner. Magento 2 migration is the perfect solution that every merchant should focus on.
Why Magento 2 Migration is Essential?
As we already discussed, Magento 1 official support will end in June 2020. Here, some prominent benefits of migration are discussed in detail.
1. Advance Security
Magento 1 support will end by 2020, security patches will no longer be released. That means, running a store on an outdated version will prove very risky and cyber-attacks will become common and no timely solution will be available as well. So migration is very important for a store.
2. Competitive Edge
When your store is not migrated to the latest version, it is very much possible you will be out of the competition. The number of visitors, sales, and the conversion rate will also be less. While the stores having the latest version will enjoy higher sales, and revenue by implementing the latest features of Magento 2.
3. Easy Checkout
People hate troubles of filling the registration details while buying from an E-commerce website. To ease the process, lower down the number of steps involved in the checkout. This has been reduced in Magento 2, and it is a big factor behind customer engagement. Store owners can hire Magento developers to make the purchase process faster like integrating guest checkout, & Instant Purchase feature.
4. Interface
Magento 1 is not known for offering an engaging interface and the community was looking for improvement for a long time. With Magento 2 a completely new interface was released that is engaging as well. Making modifications, adding new products, changing product features has become simple with the latest release.
5. Performance
E-commerce websites offering shoppers quality performance enjoy higher revenue, conversion rate and ROI. Magento 2 is faster in response time as compared to the older version. Thus, making a move is the need for modern business & optimized store performance.
Having so many benefits, more and more store owners are investing in Magento 2 development for the smooth running of online business.
Technical Challenges Faced During Magento 2 Migration
1. Data Migration
Data migration requires skill as all the data is moved from the old website to a new website based on the newest version.
2. Custom Themes
The theme running on the old website will not be compatible with the Magento 2 website. Thus a new theme is required to meet the needs of business enterprises.
3. Image Migration
All media files comprising photos, videos, and audio files are moved to a new website based on the latest version with complete backup.
4. Custom Extension
The extension integrated within the old version website is not compatible with the new version website. Thus it is a big challenge for the Magento Migration Service team to rewrite modules.
When To Migrate…
You may be concerned about the right time to migrate. But this decision needs proper analysis and guidance regarding your E-commerce website needs.
For instance, if your store is coming across issues and needs guidance from the Magento 2 development team, it is the perfect time to migrate. But if it is working fine and it is the festive time, it’s better to delay the migration process for some time period. Check for the features you would need in your new store to have, knowing them is always beneficial.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the latest version of Magento?
Magento 2.3.4 is the latest version which got released on January 28, 2020. It offers timely platform upgrades, security updates, and core payment methods as well as includes other functional fixes with over 30 security enhancements.
2. Should I upgrade to Magento 2?
Magento 2 improved performance and the latest features offer E-commerce users faster, easier shopping experience. This means if major changes are made to the Magento store, you should definitely consider upgrading to Magento 2.
3. What is the appropriate time to Migrate?
Store owners are concerned about the Magento 2 reliability and looking for the perfect time to migrate. Some innovative changes have been made to deliver remarkable features. The right time is now as June 2020 is approaching very fast. If the old version is still in use it triggers issues like:
- No official support
- No improvements
- No help from the community
- Fewer sales, low ROI and conversion rate
Wrapping Up:
Now you are aware of the Magento 2 migration, it is hard to avoid it to remain successful. As we have discussed, it is a new and completely different platform. For successful migrations, it’s important to hire Magento developer. As per experts, migration is a long process and completely depends on the store’s complexity and data volume. As you plan for the store migration, look for the best time when the store is not having peak selling. Magento 2 provides the latest experiences, smooth navigation that will help the company to become a leading brand.