Magento 2 migration plan

Magento 1 was created as a flexible platform for e-commerce businesses, on which users can create online stores with various functions and options for trouble-free selling. Stores could use ready-made solutions (unique extensions) or collaborate with a development team to add all necessary functionality to their Magento 1 store. In 2015, the more sophisticated version of the Magento platform was released - Magento 2.

Without a doubt, there are essential reasons for store migration from Magento 1 to Magento2.

The reasons and benefits of Magento 2 migration

The Adobe team stopped supporting and updating the Magento 1 version in June of 2020. Magento 2 has become the main supported version, with the last update (for now) in April of 2022.

Magento 2 carried out some upgrades that made an advanced version more popular. Why should we prepare the online business for migration to Magento 2?

The principal risks of ignoring Magento 2 Migration:

• No upgrades and support
• Security problem
• Lack of Productivity
• Non-Adaptive interface

You can find more details about the benefits of the Magento 2 platform in our early article: "The reasons to love Magento 2 as much as we do".

Migration methods

Unfortunately, no one tool will help you transfer all information from Magento 1 to Magento 2 in one click. But don't worry, it is not as bad as it sounds.

So, here're two main options:

1. Manually

Manual migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2 could be irritable and time-consuming. In essence, this is a complex import of all data from one platform to another, including code and complex web development settings. In this case, qualified specialists should be involved who know the structure of each platform in great detail and have high coding skills. There is one crucial point while transferring the data manually. Some errors may pop up, so this method requires careful verification and time to double-check all materials and fix shortcomings.

2. Automated

This method is quite popular among the owners of many online stores. Instead of choosing a manual migration, you can choose to migrate from Magento 1 to 2 automatically. The automated data migration method is closest to the one-click migration tool. It does most of the work on your behalf, minimizing human involvement and optimizing accuracy.

Magento 2 Migration plan

Planning

It is perhaps the foundation of migration. Before proceeding with any action, it is necessary to think over and foresee everything. Analyze what integrations are needed, what data needs to be transferred to the new website, and what parameters are essential for the SEO of the updated site.

At this stage, with more specific questions you ask the store owner, you will better understand the task. After all, the client's request will be the key to the project's success. It is essential to switch to Magento 2 and think about the result.

Development of data migration process

The transfer of data settings includes products, categories, customers, and orders. It would help if you refined all the attributes for the migration. It may be worth writing scripts to synchronize the data that will be transferred from the old modules to the tables of the new modules. Or install new modules, which will significantly simplify the problem's solution. Store migration can be a good reason to expand its functionality.

Development of a theme or design

Themes provide the structural layout and design of your e-commerce website. Custom themes and templates for Magento 1 will not work in Magento 2 because the frontend patterns and encoding are different. Developers will have to create a new theme for Magento 2, and they will still have to make changes to make the new theme fit your needs.

The sooner the site's layout begins to obtain its form, and the more successful results will be. Time is needed to determine testing approaches, identify errors and eliminate those errors.

Functionality

Probably the most crucial part of the development is functionality. Ready-made extensions can cover the website's functionality, but this is not always possible. Development proceeds depending on the amount of data, scenarios, and resources involved.

Infrastructure

It is essential to understand the requirements and expectations of the store owner. Check with the hosting company. Do they have the necessary capacity to host your Magento 2 website without any problems? Can they keep your Magento 2 site up and running as traffic increases. If not, it might be a good time to switch to a different host, but this can be a complex and time-consuming process, so you need to plan for that too.

After an agreement, you should specify the expected configuration of the server, the cost, and the term of its installation. Also, record access credentials if the server has already been purchased.

Pre-release preparation

It means testing all functionality. Check if the theme is rendered correctly, if all the data is in place, shipping methods, payment methods, transactions, scripts, etc. Depending on the store's scale, if the store owner likes the result and gives permission for the release, it happens in a couple of weeks, a month, or half a year.

Release

We are moving from test mode to production. Of course, for the client, success is the first order on Magento 2 store.

Stabilization releases every 1-2 weeks

Further work with the website continues; developers fix errors that they decide to edit later during the development. It is better to allocate time in advance for this to stabilize the work of the store.

Technical support

Perhaps further, there will be monthly support development of additional features; this will be a bonus for a successful team that has submitted a transition project.

Conclusions

You can continue to work with the Magento 1 platform. But it is in the interests of your business to migrate to Magento 2. There are many reasons for this; you are expanding your business, having more alternatives, and perhaps, having a better future. We wish you good luck with your e-commerce business.