Migration to Magento 2: 5 Incredible Questions to Ask

Magento 2 is a platform of choice for top brands in the e-commerce space. Among the top brands using Magento 2 are Land Rover, Cultcha kids, The Irish Store, Grace, SOL, Rubie’s, etc. The reason for this is not unconnected with Magento 2’s many benefits. These include: 

  • Improved performance and scalability
  • Improved checkout process
  • Mobile friendliness
  • Ease of upgrade and customizations
  • Offer key integrations
  • Offers instant purchase
  • Email marketing automation
  • Advanced reporting
  • Boost conversion rates and sales
  • Improved efficiency and agility for business users.

The truth is, despite the benefits of Magento 2, out of the 420,000 websites running on Magento, less than 20,000 or 4% of them are using Magento 2 and these are mostly from the U.S. That means about 95-96% of Magento users are still operating the Magento 1 version.

Before you migrate to Magento 2, there are five questions you need to ask, they are:

1. Is it worth it to migrate to Magento 2?

The first question you need to ask is, Is it worth it to upgrade to Magento 2?

Magento 1 version is limited in its functionalities and features compared to the Magento 2, which have several improvements such as: 

  • 50% faster page loading speed than Magento 1
  • The checkout is 38% faster than Magento 1
  • It can take 117% more orders per hour compared to Magento 1
  • It can handle 2.1 million more page views per hour
  • It has boosted security features compared to Magento 1
  • Magento 1 supports older versions of PHP 5.6 or lesser while Magento 2 supports the latest versions of PHP 7.0, 7.1 & 7.2.  

Magento 2 features are great. If you want your store to run efficiently and effectively, you need to migrate your store to the new version–Magento 2.

2. When is the right time to migrate to Magento 2?

The second question you need to ask is, when is the right time to migrate to Magento 2?

The best time depends on the individual business owner. However, there are times that are favorable to migrate to Magento 2. They are:

  • When planning for a marketing campaign, e.g. during the holiday period. At such a period there will be more traffic and you will need an improved interface or a good user experience for your visitors.
  • When you need improved functionalities and features. Magento 2 offers top features and functionalities that will improve the efficiency, personalization, and search engine ranking of your e-commerce store.
  • When planning to carry out major changes or redesign.

3. What are the essential checklist for Magento migration

Below is the checklist that will help you plan your migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2.

  • Know the right time to migrate - The best time to migrate to Magento 2 platform is when you are planning to carry out major changes on your website. When you are planning marketing campaigns such as holiday marketing. When you need more functionalities and features on your web store.
  • Choose the best Magento 2 migration service. There are lots out there. However, you need professional hands to handle it for you.
  • Review your current implementation. i.e. Know the number of extensions on your website integrations with other platforms, data types you want to migrate, etc.
  • Review the Magento 2 templates.

4. How to migrate to Magento 2?

Now, that you are through with your checklist, the next question is how to migrate your e-commerce store to Magento 2?.

There are different ways you can migrate your e-commerce store to Magento 2. The steps below will show you one of the ways to do it. 

  • Plan and analyze 

In this stage, you will want to plan how to migrate your data i.e. products, pages, content, etc. You will want to know whether you will still use the extensions on your Magento 1 on Magento 2 or not. There are several things about your store you will need to plan and analyze. 

  • Create a different environment of the Magento 2. 

Because you run an e-commerce store, you cannot shut down your website because you want to migrate. You will need to create a different environment for the Magento 2 platform. This will ensure that you still have your Magento 1 installation intact, pending when you will launch the new one.

  • Choose the theme for the Magento 2 platform.

There are both free and paid Magento 2 themes. Choose the appropriate one for your store.

  • Choose the necessary Magento 2 extensions. 

You will need to search for necessary Magento 2 extensions for your store.

  • Migrate your data.

Since you've chosen the data you want to migrate in step 1, the final step is to migrate the data (e.g. products, content, orders, configuration, promotions, pages, etc). Sure, you are wondering how to migrate the data, this is where you need the help of a Magento 2 migration service. Hiring a Magento migration service will help you to avoid making avoidable mistakes.

5. How to choose the best Magento 2 Migration Service

The fifth question is “How to choose the best Magento 2 Migration Service”?

There are many Magento 2 migration services online, but choosing a good one that will help you to move your website to the new platform is an arduous task. You need a professional hand who will do a neat job for you. Below are 5 ways you can choose the best Magento 2 migration service: 

  • Hire a certified Magento developer
  • Hire an experienced Magento Developer
  • Hire a Magento developer that offers pre and post-migration support
  • Know the charges
  • Know the time it will take to complete the migration. 

What happens if you did not migrate your store because of one reason or the other?

The risks of remaining on Magento 1

The support for Magento 1 will end and that soon. Once that happens all the websites on Magento 1 will be prone to website attacks, spam attacks, etc. Also, store owners will encounter slow performance and difficulty in website navigation. If you still want to keep your customers happy and your business thriving, you will have to migrate now.

Pronko Consulting has a team of certified and experienced Magento developers. We have successfully launched and migrated a couple of Magento 2 websites.  We won an award for the best Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration during the Magento imagine 2017.  So, if you are looking for the best Magento developer for your websites, we are the best for you. You can send us an email on info@pronkoconsulting.com message or call +353 85 85 32 401.