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Magento 1 End of Life by

June 2020: Which Path to
Choose?

Guidance for replatforming your current Magento 1 website.

Co- Authored by
Introduction
In Sept 2018 Magento
announced that Magento 1
will end its life-cycle in 2020.

If you are currently operating on Magento 1, it is important

that you understand what this means and how you can
plan to move forward effectively. With the support and
updates for Magento 1 coming to an end on June 2020,
merchants like you will soon have to decide whether to
re-platform and then determine whether Magento 2 or
some other platform will be the best fit.

Although June 2020 may seem like some time away, it’s
important to realize that the migration from Magento 1.x
(M1) to the latest version of Magento 2 (M2) isn’t really a
simple upgrade but more of a replatform. Which means it
is not just a click to upgrade the platform but a total
rebuild from scratch.

Depending upon the complexity of your current

eCommerce solution on M1, it could take several months to
do the migration from M1 to the desired platform,
especially dependent upon the volume and complexity of
your store’s data, the number of extensions,
customizations and integrations. Making a decision as
soon as possible will ensure that your store is secure and
functional prior to June of next year.

And while replatforming may seem a bit daunting at first,

it can actually lead to an improvement of your online
presence, increase revenue and make your store easier to
manage.
What are my options?
All of this said, it doesn’t mean that your Magento store will
stop functioning after June 2020. But they will no longer
release any security patches which can be very unsettling
for any merchant. Also, the support from the community
for extensions, etc. is likely to quickly atrophy.

The choice is simple, but not easy:

● Continuewith Magento 1.x

● Migrate onto a new platform

What platform are other merchants choosing?

Continue with Magento 1.x

Continuing with Magento 1.x might appear on the surface
to be the most cost effective approach. With security and
compliance at greater risk, support for platform bugs or
extensions quickly tapering off, this ostensible savings is
likely an illusion, however. The reputation of your online
store and business will be in jeopardy, vulnerable to
security attacks and to obsolescence. To highlight some of
the risks of staying on Magento 1.x:

● Financial and account information will be more

susceptible to hackers
● Existing extensions will become obsolete and new
extensions will be non-existent.
● The cost of maintenance and future development
will increase as M1 developers become more scarce.
● Eventually, your store will start to decay with no
upgrades or security patches
Migrate to another
eCommerce platform
This is likely the more prudent and prescient way to move
forward to continue thriving in today’s rapidly evolving
digital commerce market. Migrating to another platform
like Magento 2, Bigcommerce or Shopify will optimize
performance and security for your store. Coupling a
replatform with a data-driven design refresh will improve
the user experience, increase conversion rates and propel
business growth. The advantages of migrating to a new
platform include:

● Improved security, especially with SaaS where it will

no longer be a big concern
● Greater performance and scalability
● An improved User Experience
● Increased conversion rates and revenue
● Greater relevance in the marketplace

Some Common Questions to be

Answered:
Q. Can I reuse any of my existing website? What can I keep
and what can change?

While the design is something that can be translated, it

will still require substantial time and effort for design
integration into the chosen new platform. It is also a great
opportunity to refresh your eCommerce site design,
especially with CRO in mind. Current extensions will have
to be replaced, custom features will have to be reworked
and integrations will have to be remapped and configured.
Q. Can I reuse any of my existing website? What can I keep
and what can change

While the design is something that can be translated, it

will still require substantial time and effort for design
integration into the chosen new platform. It is also a great
opportunity to refresh your eCommerce site design,
especially with CRO in mind. Current extensions will have
to be replaced, custom features will have to be reworked
and integrations will have to be remapped and configured.

Q. What are the costs involved?

Migration from Magento 1 to any other platform (including

Magento 2) should be viewed as a new website rebuild
project and will usually have a scope similar to the original
site build..

Q. What are the data migration concerns involved in the

move to other platforms?

Typically, four types of data need to be considered

1. Product Catalog
2. Customer Profiles
3. Site Content - this may include blog content, ratings and
reviews
4. Order History - when required, usually the most
challenging data type

Data migration should begin early in the replatforming

process or it risks becoming a project bottleneck. It should
be done by engineers who are very experienced in the
practice and well aware of potential pitfalls, otherwise it
can push timeline and costs substantially.
Thinking about
Replatforming?
Replatforming your eCommerce store can be a complex
undertaking that requires planning, foresight and support
from an experienced partner. The proper Discovery
includes a thorough audit of your current website’s
extensions, customizations and integrations. The process
should also include platform comparisons, analytics
review, competitor analysis and looking for CRO
opportunities by improving the UX. This is a good juncture
to evaluate your marketing approach as well, since that
can impact elements of the design and development of
the new site.

Summary of Tips for

Replatforming
1 · Current site audit

A · Extensions which extensions are still being used?

Do they exist in Magento 2? Can they be replaced
on another platform?

B · Customizations which custom features are

essential with the new build? Can any of the
existing code be leveraged or does it have to be
recreated from scratch?

C · Integrations does a connector exist for the

system (such as an ERP, OMS, POS, PIM, etc.) and
Magento 2 or another platform? What will be the
effort to customize the data sync?
2 · Site Improvements

A · Design/UX the zeitgeist of design on the internet

has a cycle similar to new cars. If it’s been a while, a
design refresh will make good business sense since
customers often make a subliminal decision within
the first couple of seconds as to whether or not the
site is credible and the primary driver of that
assessment is design.

B · New Features it usually makes sense to release new

features when platforming, creating more
excitement about the project, taking advantage of
new opportunities and giving more impact to the
release.

C · Optimize & Automate streamline backend

processes with new integrations and data sync that
will reduce time, errors and increase customer
satisfaction. Optimize the site for performance, SEO
and conversion, which can include heat-mapping,
heuristics, A/B and multivariate testing.
3 · Find the Right Partner
Choose a partner who can provide experience and
guidance on:

A. Platform Comparisons

B. Data Migration

C. Data Driven Design/UX

D. System Integrations

E. Site Optimization

F. Strategy & Analytics

G. Marketing Roadmap:
 About

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