Migration to Magento 2 – what is worth knowing?

Magento was published in 2015 as a newer and refined version of the e-commerce platform. These are the differences between Magento 1:

• Improved performance: Magento 2 sites will work 20% faster on average. Fast loading websites will improve sales and their position in search results.
• Facilitated purchase process: Magento 2 has a two-stage finalization of purchases compared to the six-stage Magento 1. Magento has also gained the function Buy now, thanks to which the returning buyer does not have to re-enter his data. It also attracts customers.
• Better admin interface: The downside of Magento 1 was the complicated admin interface. Magento 2 has gained an intuitive service in which even technological laymen can cope.
• Better mobile accessibility: the key issue – Magento 1 did not work well on mobile devices. For Magento 2, this is a priority. The release of the Progressive Web Application for Magento 2.3 will enable mobile support to be even higher.

Why should you migrate to Magento 2?

In June 2020, Magento 1 will no longer be a supported platform. It’s true that there is still some time left, but it’s no longer worth the use of an obsolete platform. If you stay in Magento 1, you have to take into account several issues that may cause difficulties. Security patches will not be produced after the license expires. In addition, you will not stay at the top of the competition, because Magento 1 will not introduce any innovative solutions anymore. They will be transferred to M2.

Using unsupported software is a risky policy. However, migration to the new platform may take a while. This time depends on the size and level of development of your e-commerce site, but migration will not take place faster than in three months. Therefore, a prudent strategy would be to start the migration in 2019.

Magento 2 is ready for the future

Magento 2 uses the latest technologies, such as the LAMP software team, Apache / Nginx MySql, PHP – all in the newest versions. It will also use the latest techniques such as collecting databases, caching full pages, monitoring performance via New Relic, Blackfire.io, building WYSIWYG CMS pages, extended reporting by Magento Business Intelligence and Magento Shopping. Magento 2 will also use PWA technology at Magento PWA Studio. This will allow you to run a completely mobile store. Integrity and co-operativity through API is another reason why the transition to Magento 2 pays off in the long run. It will enable adapting to future innovations in the e-commerce industry.

Details about migration to Magento 2

Migration from M1 to M2 requires rebuilding the database structure and updating the work in the new API. Therefore, this process should be carried out by specialists. Thanks to this, everything will be shorter and trouble-free.

Consider the possibility of simultaneously updating the website itself. These are the perfect moments to synchronize modernization and enter a higher level. Reconcile your case with professionals who will assess whether you will not need hardware or software upgrades.

The elementary migration plan will look like this:

1. Conducting an analysis of your current status. Decide which extensions fit Magento 2. Some clients don’t need a complicated configuration during migration. By the way, you will delete unneeded data from Magento 1.x to simplify the process.
2. Construction and preparation of the store in Magento 2 for the migration. To properly insure against changing the platform, it is worth duplicating the database with Magento 1, which will also be used as a source of data for migration.
3. Test – before the actual one, conduct a test migration step by step in the test environment. It’s best to do this without the admin activity.
4. Beginning the migration with the help of Data Migration Tool. It will allow the migration of customer data, catalogs, orders, shipments and general information. At the same time, you should know what is not going to be migrated: configuration data, admin permissions, multimedia files and other personalized technical properties.
5. Migration of the main theme from M1 to M2 and configuration of user settings.
6. Possible changes in data after migration.
7. Update of additional data – after migration, you should gradually move (in Delta mode) data such as the latest orders or product data.
8. Opening of the updated store.

Which Magento 2 version is the best for you?

Magento 2 Open Source is based on an open software model. It is devoid of technical support or account management support. It fits best with small stores.

Magento Commerce 2 is designed for medium and large stores and has a wide range of management, promotion, B2B and business intelligence.

Other migration issues

Migration costs depend on the size of the store and the amount of additional software and the level of adaptation to your needs. Also making additional updates in the software and configuration can increase the cost. However, this is a good moment to think about improving UX (User Experience).

Additions and personalisation is another important issue of migration. If you have software outside of the Magento family, it is worth considering whether you should not replace their functionality with the base Magento 2 extensions or additional extensions from Magento Marketplace.

The appropriate migration partner is probably the most important issue. Regardless of your approach and the plan of this operation, it must be carried out in an appropriate manner so that the change of the platform does not become a disaster.