Magento is the hottest eCommerce development platform worldwide. In this post, we are going to discover the different sides of Magento 2 migration and is it worth migrating now considering the specific business needs of your business. Since it is a complex process, with a number of nuances involved, you should better understand all the existing themes, modules, data and custom functions. Let’s discover helpful tips and various reliable tools to migrate as smoothly as possible. 

Magento finished its official support for the first version in June 2020, after Adobe acquired Magento, intensifying its services with a scalable solution. However, a lot of websites still run Magento 1. Do they have to change the platform or migrate to Magento 2 version?

Reasons to Upgrade from Magento 1 to Magento 2

There are no grounds why an eCommerce website won’t run smoothly on Magento 1 version. Nevertheless, using obsolete software is usually risky and full of drawbacks. User data security is a top concern, your website solution will be exposed to various risks and threats. Security patches for various versions of Magento 1 won’t be provided anymore. This means that if you continue running your Magento website on Magento 1, you will be at great risk of various threats, that could not have an official solution. So it’s crucial and highly recommended to keep your website up to date. Migration to Magento 2 allows eCommerce entrepreneurs to reduce big data leakage, by updating the outdated version of the Magento platform in a timely manner.

Also, it might be a well-timed sign that it’s high time for:

• adjust your eCommerce solution to the latest digital trends
• eliminate unnecessary data and unused logs
• improve the online shop functionality with fresh Magento 2 innovative and forward-looking features and extensions
• conversion of the storefront into a progressive web application for maximum site optimization and improved user experience.

Consequently, Magento 2 migration provides a chance to have an effect, in particular with how fast mobile commerce is gaining momentum.

What can go wrong?

Magento 2 migration is a complex technical and time-consuming procedure. If not consulting a professional Magento Migration Agency, you might encounter problems and experience post-migration challenges, affecting sales, data and brand loyalty.

Magento 2 is an entirely different platform from Magento 1. They are incompatible meaning that if you have Magento version 1, its modules and the current theme cannot be used with Magento version 2. The migration process is rather the creation of a new store (website) using existing data and not the usual upgrade to the latest version. 

The loss of information about customers and products is the most common issue with migrating an online store. Such data loss impairs the website’s performance. 

You might experience a slow performance speed of the current online store on Magento 1 during the migration process. 

Before migrating, as a good practice you should answer the following questions:

1. What Magento 1 modules are currently in use on your site?
2. Which of the modules you use are compatible with Magento 2?
3. Does your current hosting meet Magento 2 requirements?

Main steps

Let’s focus on Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration. Usually, Magento 2 migration process includes the following steps:

Create a Migration Plan

A proper plan increases the chances of success in all spheres. Irrespective of the project’s complexity level skipping the planning step will result in additional challenges and troubles. Planning is a step where migration starts. Deciding and defining the objectives of the process is of paramount importance. It is recommended to hire qualified consultants who can ensure that the migration goes smoothly. The cost of hiring such experts can be negligible compared to the costs and downtime of a failed migration.

The business must begin migration by appointing a leader and a project team to manage the whole process, planning it as accurately as possible. It is recommended to hire qualified a professional Magento Migration Agency who can ensure that the migration goes smoothly. 

Prepare Testing Environment

It is recommended that you perform each step of the migration and develop all related projects in a separate environment (on a separate server) so that your current store will work as before without any interruptions associated with the migration process. At this stage, you should prepare a testing environment and install the standard Magento 2 (Community or Enterprise), as well as configure the version control system (GIT / SVN) so that everything is ready to start the project.

Migrate a Theme

During the migration from Magento 1 to 2, theme migration is one of the most simple steps, requiring a technical background to succeed in the Migration. Magento 2 has set up proven standards for providing advanced online eCommerce experience to sellers and customers. Magento Developers may design Magento 2 themes or qualify the existing ones meeting the Magento 2 standards.

Since both Magento 1 and Magento 2 are very different in their structure, it is impossible to migrate straight. You have to make sure Magento 1 theme is compatible with Magento 2 version or choose some Magento 2 ready-made themes.

Install Extensions

At this step you have to determine and install third-party Magento 2 extensions for your online solution, switching the ones utilised in Magento 1. Extensions have to be compatible with each other. If necessary, new functionality or customizations should be created. After that, you can test them and 

checking the compatibility of these Magento extensions with each other creating new extensions for functionality that you can’t find on the Magento Marketplace testing their collaboration and troubleshooting inconsistencies, if any. You should choose extensions from reputable providers such as Mageplaza. Extensions from the same provider tend to have compatibility and avoid conflicts.

Customize Functionality

Once you have migrated a theme and installed extensions, it’s time to customize the functionality of your online shop, such as establishing payment methods and shipping options or creating new features that match the design. 

Migrate Data & Info

The last and most important step in the Magento 2 migration process, is considered as most challenging and risky. It involves all your eCommerce solution data, such as information about clients, orders, goods, online shop configurations, and much more. Magento 2 Data Migration Tool is available, making the migration process easier. Yet, it is being strongly urged to back up the data before transferring. If something goes wrong during the implementation, you can’t afford to lose valuable data. You have to ensure backup resources are properly tested before you proceed.

Test and Synchronize Database

The next to last step is to check whether everything runs smoothly. Before you launch your new store, be sure to thoroughly test it to make sure everything is working correctly. This includes testing all of your products, orders, customer accounts, etc. to make sure they are all migrating over correctly.

Launch a Magento 2 Store on a Live Server

Once all of your data is migrated, it’s time to test and synchronize your database. This is an important step, as it ensures that all of your data is properly transferred over to Magento 2. After your database is synchronized, you can then launch your Magento 2 store on a live server. Check VSTechPanel.com.

Conclusion

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your Magento 2 migration goes smoothly and without any issues. By taking the time to plan ahead and prepare thoroughly, you can avoid any potential problems and make sure that your store is up and running on the new platform as quickly and smoothly as possible.