The support for Magento 1 ceases from the end of June, 2020. This means no more security updates, unless you move to Magento 2. And we all know how vulnerable a content management system can get without security updates. The risks of getting hacked will be higher than ever and you do not want that.
The technology level for Magento 2 is quite different from that of Magento 1. This makes the migration a bit complex with all the importing/fixing/adjusting CSV’s and so on. The job here is for an expert and not for a regular guy. And this will lead to the next question of is it worth investing in recruiting people for this? How important is it really? So, here is a list of benefits to help you understand the importance of this migration.
- Enhances performance: It comes with a new and improved indexer that results in faster and better performance. The HHTP accelerator technology simplifies the cache requests, making it easy for multiple admin users to create and edit the product information. That is not all, it provides faster delivery of the web pages, boosts server response times, improves the performance of backend operations, and enhances database flexibility and scalability.
- Improves the checkout process: This platform provides a safe and simple checkout – a very important factor for all eCommerce websites. It provides features that eliminates the registration form that users have to fill-in before checking out. This is done by giving the option of placing the orders as a guest. Based on the shipping address, it automatically updates the shipping rate and provides the best options for payment – including PayPal. The payment module is customizable and can be integrated with the preferred payment vendor. All-in-all, it reduces the checkout time and enhances the user experience.
- Advanced reporting: The features in Magento 2, offer the option of pulling out 20 reports through the web interface. The feature also provides insights into the order details, customers, and products. These are real-time reports with metrics required for the better management of eCommerce businesses.
- Improved data security: Magento 2 comes with new and improved data security. This means, the data of your customers is safe – critical factor for eCommerce websites. Users do not frequent websites where customer data was compromised. The features in Magento 2 however, offers a fast and secure checkout process along with enhanced password security, two-factor authentication, and a dynamic backup plan.
In order to reap these benefits, you need to follow a complicated process that starts from downloading the new platform, followed by the data migration tool, configuring the tool, providing the prerequisites, and finally migrating the websites to this new platform.
And as you might have already guessed, this is not an easy task. There are a lot of challenges such as:
- Issues with the Homepage appearing: This happens if the Magento 1 version of the website has a custom layout. This, however, can be sorted by creating a custom layout on Magento 2 or changing the layout of the home page using the admin panel.
- Product/Category listing related issues: The product and category listing on the website can go berserk. This can be fixed by re-indexing all the indexers. This can be done only by going through the command line and not through the admin panel.
- CSS JS file errors: This is a common error that occurs after the migration. This can be fixed by deleting the cache and deploying static content. You might have to manually remove the subfolders from the cache folder, if the error occurs again.
And as we mentioned earlier, you will need a professional who has expertise and experience to handle the migration and keep your website up and running post-migration. We can help you with this, by digging into our vast network of Magento professionals and selecting the right candidates for your organization.
Get in touch with us, we have our bench of certified Magento 2 Developers ready to go.