Magento 1 Migration to Magento 2
Magento 1.X users, this is a post that will particularly speak to you to give insight on everything from what Magento 2 editions are available to what an expected cost and timeline looks like, and of course, does your site need to migrate off of its Magento 1 version (hint: it does).
Check out our most up to date Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Guide (2020 Version)
Magento 1 to Magento 2 Guide: 2020 Version
What does a Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Mean?
Look up the meaning of migration and you'll see it is defined as a movement from one part of something to another. That is exactly what is taking place when you move from Magento 1 to Magento 2. Many brands mistakenly look at this move as an upgrade, which it is not. Don’t expect a point and click operation, but instead a change in database structures, themes, and working with a new API.
Continue reading to learn basic Magento 2 migration steps, what to know if you stay on Magento 1, and other considerations or
Contact Us
What To Know if You Stay on Magento 1
If you decide to stay on Magento 1 you are ultimately putting your brand at a standstill in terms of continual innovation and steps behind in future-readiness, giving your competitors a huge edge. Not only that, running unsupported software is extremely risky.
Magento 2 Key Benefits:
Magento 2 was released back in 2015 as the latest version of the eCommerce platform that is utilized by 1 in 4 businesses worldwide. It offers beneficial features that resolve issues many encountered with Magento 1 such as:
- Improved Performance: Magento 2 sites will run on average 20% faster than Magento 1 run sites. Quicker run sites have been proven to see increasing sales and improved search engine rankings.
- Streamlined Checkout Process: Magento 2 has a 2 part check-out process, while Magento 1 has a hefty 6 steps. Sites with easier check-out processes have historically seen increased sales.
- Better Admin Interface: A non-technical user's dream! Magento 1’s user interface was often touted as confusing for business users, but Magento 2 offers a clean, user-friendly experience where even the most non-technical users can find tools and add new product listings with ease.
- Mobile-Friendly: With more customers than ever shopping on smartphones, it is imperative to have a mobile responsive site. Magento 1 sites did not deliver optimum performance on mobile devices, but Magento 2 made this a priority on their platform.
Magento 2 Offers Future-Readiness
Magento 2 utilizes the newest technologies and features such as; LAMP stack - Linux, Apache/Nginx MySql, PHP with latest versions of each + Other techniques like Database Clustering, Full Page Caching, Performance Monitoring through New Relic, Blackfire.io, WYSIWYG CMS (Bluefoot), Extended Reporting through RJ Metrics, Extended Shipping through Temando. This is one of the best ways to prepare for the future of your brand and digital store.
What to Expect with a Magento 2 Migration
Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2 involves changing database structures, themes, and working with a new API. Don’t expect a point and click operation, it is a migration not an upgrade. You will want to have the migration expertly managed to avoid data loss and downtime. We have a few considerations when you look into making the migration:
Before you start: Do consider an upgrade of your site at the same time as the migration. It is a perfect moment to make serious changes and get your site ready for the next level of digital growth. Work with experts in user experience and technology to consider whether your site needs to be designed with more hardware, more advanced topology, etc.
Basic Magento 2 Migration Steps
Magento 2 migration steps will slightly vary from site to site depending on how your current storefront is built. However, this process below gives you a good idea of the basic Magento 2 migration steps you will need to prepare for.
- Review extensions on your current site;
- Build and prepare the Magento 2 store for migration;
- Dry run: Before you start migration on the production environment, it is best practice to go through all the migration steps on your testing environment;
- Start your migration with the Data Migration Tool. This tool will migrate customers, catalogs, orders, shipments, and your core configuration. However, it is important to know what it does not migrate. Your custom data, admin rights, media files, and certain other custom technical aspects will not carry over seamlessly on the tool;
- Migrate Magento 1 theme to Magento 2 and make User Interface level changes;
- Make changes to the migrated data as needed;
- Update incremental data. After migrating data, you will then have to gradually collect the data updates that have been added in the Magento 1 store (such as new orders and reviews) and go into Delta mode to transfer these updates to the Magento 2 store;
- Go live- Now that your Magento 2 site is up-to-date and is functioning normally, you can cut over to the new site!
Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Timeline
The timeline for a Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration will vary depending on your site's level of customization and if you are looking to update the user experience, but a safe bet is to allow a minimum of 3 months.
Considerations affecting the Magento 2 migration timeline might include:
- How you have built your current site and its level of customization.
- If you choose to improve upon the user experience at the same time as your migration. It is a perfect moment to make serious changes and get your site ready for the next level of digital growth. Work with experts in user experience and technology to consider whether your site needs to be designed with more hardware, more advanced topology, etc.
- Third-party extensions that have been used on your Magento 1.x site. While migrating to Magento 2, a diligent review needs to be done to see if an extension can be removed and replaced without of the box Magento 2 feature or a Magento 2 equivalent extension is available.
- Your delivery partner is crucial to your timeline. You will want a Magento 2 Certified Partner that will take a careful, considered approach to manage your migration and keep you on track (and budget).
What Magento 2 Edition is Right for Your Needs?
- Magento 2 Open Source — This is your free version of Magento 2 and is generally best suited for the small business owner. It used to be called Community Edition.
- Magento 2 Enterprise Edition — The premium version of Magento 2 geared towards medium to large businesses. This version has everything the Open Source edition has, and then some. With extensive management and marketing options it has a lot of added features.
- Enterprise Cloud Edition — Magento 2’s SaaS option will provide the same features as Enterprise Edition, plus eliminate the need for self-hosting.
Other Planning Considerations:
- Cost: Just like an upgrade between 1.x versions, the level of effort to migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2 depends upon how you have built your site and its level of customization. Also, as mentioned earlier migration is the right time to consider an upgrade to the site, such as improving upon the User Experience (UX). Changes like these will further influence the cost of migration to Magento 2.
- Extensions & Custom Code: You might have used third-party extensions on your M1 system to fulfill some functionality not offered OOTB. While migrating to M2, a diligent review needs to be done to see if an extension can be removed and replaced with OOTB M2 feature or an M2 equivalent extension is available.
- The right delivery partner is crucial to success, whichever Magento 2 migration procedure you decide on. Moving from Magento 1 to Magento 2 requires a careful, considered approach, but Echidna has the expertise to make it simple. We’re experts in Magento, visit our contact us page to start a conversation and learn more.
If you haven’t made the move to Magento 2 or another eCommerce platform, the time to start is now. If you are sitting on a Magento 1.X site, you probably know Magento declared it will end its official support to Magento 1 in 2020 which makes this move not only desirable from a future-readiness standpoint in order to be competitive, but also necessary from a security standpoint.
Contact Us