The end of Magento 1 support is coming soon? Yes, and even for very soon!
Originally scheduled for November 18, 2018, three years of hair after the release of Magento 2, the end date of Magento 1 has recently been officially postponed.
The Magento leaders have indeed announced that the end of support for all versions 1.x would not take place before June 2020, to give e-merchants enough time to plan their migrations Magento 2.
Since its first public release launched in 2008, Magento has become the most popular e-commerce platform in the world. Between 25% and 30% of all e-commerce sites on the web use it. Globally, approximately 420,000 e-shops are Magento, but less than 20,000 use Magento 2.
These figures are due to the many difficulties and concerns related to migration. And they are perfectly grounded since Magento 2 is not just a facelift of Magento 1. Unlike previous Magento 1.x releases, version 2 is an entire rebuild of the platform from scratch, not a fix from the previous version.
As a result, thousands of e-merchants, discouraged by time and costs, are still reluctant to migrate.
Yet, from this “end of life”, no new hotfixes, security updates, and new features will be available for Magento 1. As a result, e-shops of hundreds of thousands of businesses will become vulnerable and obsolete. if they decide not to migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2.
End of support is scheduled for June 2020. In 18 months. It may seem long, but in fact, it’s tomorrow. If you are still using a Magento version 1.x, it is better to start planning a migration as soon as possible so you do not get caught off guard as the deadline approaches.
And while this may seem painful and worrying in the short term, the move to Magento 2 has significant long-term benefits.
To get back to the topic, let’s take a closer look at what’s new in Magento 2 and how migration will benefit your business in the future.
BENEFITS OF MIGRATING TO MAGENTO 2
The versions of Magento 1 already have limited functionality compared to those provided with Magento 2, with significant improvements such as:
Up to 50% faster loading time.
✓ Enhanced security via multiple payment gateways.
✓ New B2B and B2C features.
✓ A responsive platform that can be used on any device.
✓ A more intuitive and user-friendly administration panel.
✓ More flexibility for custom features and easier extensions updates.
✓ A verification process requiring less customer information and fewer steps, saving time and reducing the basket abandonment rate.
✓ Improved search functions and a simplified payment process that make navigation more convenient for mobile users.
✓ Three separate databases to avoid overloading: one for products, one for payments and one for orders.
We must also realize that Magento is now focusing on the development and support of the second version, to the detriment of Magento 1. All developments, new extensions, and improvements will now be intended for Magento 2.
An e-commerce site Magento 1 will not stop working on June 20, 2020 … but it will inevitably become obsolete.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF STAYING ON MAGENTO 1?
Currently, Magento 1 sites remain secure with regularly released patches and upgrades to address vulnerabilities and issues detected on the system.
But since the end of the support will also sign the end of the release of security updates, the Magento 1 sites will be left to face any future security flaws.
Concretely, this means that all the websites that will continue to use Magento 1 can become privileged targets for:
- server attacks;
- web site attacks;
- spam attacks;
- capturing payment details.
In addition to security risks, there will also be a need to continue to manage performance issues that could result in decreased traffic, customers, and sales.
WHEN TO START A MIGRATION TO MAGENTO 2?
For the moment, staying on Magento 1 is not a problem. But with the imminent arrival of the end of support, choosing not to switch to Magento 2 carries many risks, especially from a security point of view.
According to our web agency, migration is no longer a question of whether to do it; but when should we do it?
Two e-merchants will not have the same answer to this question because there are many different factors to consider.
For example, if your Magento 1 has many problematic bugs and features, we advise you to start the migration process as soon as possible instead of continuing to invest in a platform that will eventually be abandoned,
However, if your Magento 1 site is working properly, do not bother rushing. This does not mean that you should not start preparing yourself. You can already begin to formulate a migration plan so that the big jump to Magento 2 is not done in haste!
As this is a long process, a few steps will help you to make this transition smooth:
- a check of the compatibility of your server, the requirements of the server being different for Magento 2;
- a reflection on the features to add to your e-commerce Magento 2, Magento 1 extensions being mostly incompatible with Magento 2. You can take advantage of this apparent disadvantage to reconsider the extensions currently installed on your e-shop and identify the really needed features. Note that most important extensions have already been upgraded for Magento 2;
- a reflection on the migration of your themes and templates, they can not be directly migrated to Magento 2. As a result, you will have the choice between three options: create a new theme, choose one in the Magento market or use the default Luna theme.
Do not see your Magento 2 migration as a constraint, but rather as an opportunity to rethink and improve your site.
Instead of simply transferring the current features to a Magento 2 store, take the opportunity to analyze performance and the customer experience by involving all stakeholders: marketing teams, web development team …
You can then set up a migration plan that will positively change the activity and performance of your e-commerce site.
Conclusion
As a Magento specialized web agency, we are now developing new e-shops only on Magento 2. With the end of Magento 1 support coming up, we can only recommend that you no longer create new e-shops on Magento 1.
For e-merchants with a Magento 1 site, we strongly advise you to start the migration process to the Magento 2 platform.
We are deeply convinced that the transition from your site to the Magento 2 platform is the “future” of Magento. From a technical point of view, Magento 2 is more advanced and durable than Magento 1, even with some flaws and complexity in some respects.
Inevitably, a migration is therefore the safest choice for the future of your e-commerce site and your business.
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