Magento 1 End of Life & What it Actually Means for Retailers

Is your ecommerce website built on Magento 1? If so, you’ll probably be aware that Magento will no longer be supporting the platform from June 2020 onwards. Although it might sound like there is plenty of time to migrate your platform, this is definitely not the case!

Many retailers are unclear about the process involved in upgrading to Magento 2, and why it’s important to start planning for this as soon as possible. We thought we would help by answering some of the common questions merchants have about support for Magento 1 coming to an end.

When should retailers upgrade to Magento 2 or replatform?

As soon as physically possible! Upgrading from Magento 1 to Magento 2 isn’t a quick process. Unlike typical upgrades which involve installing an update, upgrading to Magento 2 involves redeveloping your entire website. This is because Magento 2 is an entirely new platform, with a very different internal structure to Magento 1.

Full redevelopment projects for Magento sites usually take several months. You should also keep in mind that there are a HUGE number of retailers who still run their websites on Magento 1, but there aren’t a huge number of Magento developers in the UK! With so many retailers looking to upgrade before the deadline, leaving things to the last minute will really restrict your choice of who redevelops your website.

Of course, upgrading to Magento 2 isn’t your only choice. You might want to see if there is another platform that’s a better fit for your company, such as Shopify Plus. Either way, there will be a fair amount of planning involved and this should start as soon as possible. Development projects tend to go much more smoothly when there’s not a tight deadline.

What are the risks involved in staying on Magento 1?

Once Magento 1 reaches end of life, Magento will no longer be providing merchants with bug fixes or security patches. This means Magento 1 sites will immediately become vulnerable to hackers that crawl the web for sites built on outdated, non-secure platforms.

Hackers could harm your site in various ways; from hosting illegal content to installing malware. Also, ecommerce sites contain a lot of confidential customer information, and a non-secure online store could lead to a data breach. This would be costly from a financial perspective but also highly damaging to your reputation – would you buy from an online store that didn’t look after your data?

Another risk of sticking with Magento 1 is that you won’t be keeping up with your competition. Magento 1 will not be releasing any new features, so over time it will start to lack the functionality that other online stores offer. If your site visitors’ expectations aren’t met, they’re likely to shop elsewhere.

What are the main benefits of upgrading to Magento 2?

Although migrating to Magento 2 is a big undertaking, it’s also a great opportunity to update your website’s design and make improvements to user experience (UX) and functionality. Also, Magento 2 offers some major advantages compared to Magento 1. These are just some of the benefits:

Better checkout experience: the new checkout is much more streamlined with a 2 step checkout process. This can help reduce your abandoned cart rate and increase conversions
Improved performance: due to the introduction of a separate database for order processing, an enhanced indexer, better image compression and reduced amounts of code
Faster load time: the full-page caching built into the platform helps deliver up to 50% faster page load times
Improved admin panel: the new admin interface is much more user friendly and has been designed to reduce time managing your site
More native features: meaning there are fewer extensions required
Enhanced B2B functionality: including quote management and customer negotiation capabilities
More engaging shopping experience: for example you can showcase your products in a more immersive way through integrated video

How can I find out more about my options?

Our in-house development team at Digital Six are not only experienced in developing websites on Magento 2, we’re also recognised as Scotland’s only Magento Business Solution Partner.

We’ve put together this short form so that we can assess the perfect ecommerce platform for you and your business. Complete the form below and one of our technical wizards will be in touch to direct you to the right platform for your needs, and ecommerce brilliance!

The answers you supply should be based on how you’re currently performing in your market and how you would like to grow to perform in the future. This will allow Digital Six to better understand your requirements for a redevelopment that is in keeping with your business strategy for growth. By providing this information, you enable Digital Six to propose a redevelopment on an appropriate platform and with the tailored functionality your business will require.