We are officially counting away the last few days of Magento Version 1!
When Magento announced the arrival of Magento 2 more than five years ago, everyone was excited! All of us were excited to wait for the new and upgraded version of one of the most loved and used eCommerce platforms. But soon enough, reality hit us.
As Magento 2 was released, the company set out an ultimatum for the end of Magento 1 to be 2018. Soon after, with many Magento 1 merchants feeling lost at this sudden change, Magento extended the support for Magento 1 through June 2020.
Now that we are nearing its end let’s take a look at what this means for Magento users and the alternatives for Magento 1.
What Does the End of Magento Version 1 Mean?
If you are still using Magento 1, then this means a lot for you! Though your website won’t just stop working immediately after June 2020, there will be no support for Magento 1. In such a situation, our eCommerce experts at YellowFin Digital recommend migrating to another platform as soon as possible.
Since there won’t be any improvements in Magento 1 going forward, it will become increasingly challenging to stay ahead of the competition and provide the best user experience to your online shoppers. Here are a few more strong reasons why you shouldn’t ignore the end of life of Magento 1.
After June 2020, Magento won’t search for security vulnerabilities and patches or take any more actions to address security issues. It’s widely believed that hackers will attack the websites with Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). This means you will be opening up your e-store for grave security issues.
PCI DSS compliance is essential for online businesses dealing with processing of payment cards. You can only be PCI DSS compliant if you follow the strict regulations of protecting customer data.
Since Magento 1 will stop updating security patches, many payment providers are concerned about the safety of the sensitive data. Therefore, the payment providers are more cautious than ever to associate with any platform whose security isn’t up to the mark.
Also, in Google results, you will see a mark that shows ‘not secure’ for websites that aren’t PCI DSS compliant. So, all of these put together could affect your online business a lot.
We all know how vital customer experience is in retail shopping. Since Magento 1 won’t release any quality fixes, you won’t be able to provide a consistent, smooth, and quick shopping experience. Your website will soon become unfriendly to the shoppers.
It’s already made clear that there won’t be any support for third-parties used in Magento 1. So, when there are no updates for third-party extensions, the platform’s compatibility will soon become a major issue.
Last of all, if you face any technical issues in Magento 1, you cannot reach out to the reliable, customer service people at Magento. This one change could have a massive influence on the website performance and, thereby, your revenue.
To avoid these issues, we advise you to switch from Magento 1 to a better eCommerce platform to retain your security and user experience.
How Can You Transition to a New eCommerce Platform?
First of all, when you decide to move out of Magento 1, start by assessing your current requirements. There are a few other eCommerce platforms out there that have good capability as Magento 1. It’s essential to compare and choose the right platform to migrate. Here are a few top eCommerce platforms we recommend at YellowFin Digital.
The Obvious Choice – Magento 2
Magento has truly addressed the shortcomings of the first version and has released a better platform that’s far better than Magento 1. Some of the notable features of Magento 2 include:
- Dedicated account manager
- Marketing tools for SEO, email marketing and many other online promotions
- Advanced analytics and reporting tools
- Visual merchandising
- ElasticSearch search functionality inside the website
- Mobile-first templates for website design
The Easiest Choice – Shopify
Shopify is one of the simplest and easiest eCommerce platforms to set up. With numerous websites and frontend controls, Shopify has made it easy to run an e-store without any need for coding. It has several plans depending on the size of your e-store. You can always update to the next version of Shopify if the need arises. Shopify is known for its capabilities like:
- Custom report builder for unique reports
- Calculate carrier shipping in integration with a third-party service
- Automatic emails for reducing cart abandonment rate
- In-built fraud analysis feature
- Manual order creation and multiple staff accounts
- Shopify POS
The Cost-Effective Choice – BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another top contender for hosting eCommerce businesses with minimum hassles. It has reliable hosting with high-security features and advanced tools to serve as an all-in-one platform for eCommerce management. BigCommerce supports multi-channel selling and doesn’t charge extra for using third-party solutions. It has a host of features like:
- Mobile cart conversions
- Drop-shipping management
- Single page checkout capabilities
- Product comparisons on a single page
- Connected with eBay and Amazon
- Wishlists that can be made public or private
All three eCommerce platforms will help you to serve global customers with multi-currency payment options and customized dashboards for easy business operations.
Let’s Help You to Migrate from Magento 1
Since the announcement of the end of Magento 1 was released, we have been working with Magento 1 merchants to migrate to a better eCommerce platform smoothly. At YellowFin Digital, we have worked with all of the top eCommerce platforms and helped many eCommerce businesses build their online shops.
If you are still using Magento 1, it’s crucial to migrating your entire store to another compatible platform quickly. Since we are running out of time, get on a call with our one of eCommerce experts and figure out what’s next for your online shop.
Call us at 361-844-8550 to get the best guidance to cope with the end of life of Magento 1.
