Magento 2 Migration: Key Steps to Keep in Mind

Magento e-commerce stores have long been considered the gold standard in the industry but of late there has been a growing focus on migrating to the Magento 2 platform. This is because the latest Magento iteration offers a whole new world of conveniences to store owners.

Did you know - Magento 1.x has been continuously supported since the release of Magento 2, but updates and support cannot last forever. Further, all the critical updates for the first generation Magento platform cease to exist during 2018. Therefore the future focus and efforts can be shifted entirely to Magento 2. If you haven’t migrated yet, it’s time you must start planning to change right away. With this not only would you lose the support, but the newest concepts with omnichannel commerce can be designed and implemented using Magento 2.

So, if you too are considering moving to Magento 2, here is a quick guide to the whole migration process.

1. Make a migration plan: Experts advise against kicking off the migration process without a proper plan in place.

2. Establish a separate environment: It is highly recommended that every single phase of the migration is first executed on an allocated server before the actual migration process. This helps minimize downtime during the migration process.

3. Review and install extensions: While extensions are a crucial aspect of any Magenta-based e-commerce digital store, Magento 1’s extensions do not work in Magento 2. Thankfully, there are Magento 2 versions of most Magento 1 extensions. In case you can’t find a corresponding Magento 2 version, you can either develop your extension or simply use a similar extension.

4. Migrate the data: Data migration is among the most important facets of the entire migration process, so pay close attention to this bit. At this stage, all the data, such as store configurations, settings, orders, products, categories, customers, etc. will need to be seamlessly moved to the Magento 2 platform via the data migration tool.

5. Design the front-end: While Magento 2 offers a mighty-useful data migration tool, the platform lacks a tool for migrating the themes. If you are wondering why that is, well, it is because the front-end codes in the two iterations are incompatible. So, you will need to either buy a new Magento 2 theme or design a personalized theme with the requisite features, functionalities, visuals, etc.

6. Time for a test run: Before you execute the migration process, it is highly recommended that you take a test run at least once. This step is meant to allow companies to identify any issues as well as how to address said issues that may emerge albeit without compelling them to further extend the downtime.

7. Database sync: Among the final steps in the transition process is testing the front-end design and setting up the hosting server following the new system requirements for the Magento 2 e-commerce website. Once all that is done, it is also imperative to ensure sync of the final database. This last bit helps make sure that the company does not miss out on any orders while the website is being migrated to Magento 2.

8. Launch new Magento 2 store: As soon as the new Magento 2-based website is updated with all the requisite data, media, and appropriate settings from the Magento 1-based website, it is now time to push the new website live in the digital realm.

The act of migrating to Magento 2 is not merely about ensuring access to the latest technologies for your e-commerce store; no, sir. Such migration also seeks to help digital store owners to streamline their operations and brace for the evolving demands of their customers as well as the market in general. So, go ahead and start looking for an experienced Magento website development company so you can be started on making this transition ASAP.