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Magento 1 vs Magento 2: 8 reasons to migrate

In this article, we discuss Magento 1 vs Magento 2 and the key benefits Magento 1 users will benefit from by making the switch.

In June 2020, Magento discontinued their support for Magento 1. But what does that mean for retailers operating on Magento 1?

Well, unless you migrate to, Magento 2, then you will no longer receive Magento support on the following functionalities: 

  • Security patches
  • Documentation updates
  • Quality fixes

And as the end-of-life date has now surpassed, it’s now a crucial time to make the move to Magento 2 as your site’s vulnerability to security threats increases by the day.

Ultimately, putting your business at risk of a GDPR breach.

What are the benefits of migrating to Magento 2?

1. Security enhancements

Since Magento have ended their support on Magento 1, any retailers still using the platform are at an ever increasing risk of being hacked and customer data being compromised. 

Therefore, Magento 1 users in the UK could be potentially facing fines of thousands of pounds due to data protection laws (GDPR) if they don’t migrate to a new platform. 

Magento 2 also offers retailers enhanced security measures compared to its predecessor.

    2. Improved speed

    Magento 1 vs Magento 2 = a page load time reduction of 30-50%. Meaning a Magento 2 site has the potential to load twice as fast as Magento 1!

    Site performance was one of the key drivers in the development of Magento 2, hence why users will also reap the benefits of; 

    3. Enhanced Scalability

    Retailers on Magento 1 have a limit to the number of page views they can serve in an hour – capped at 200,000 before the site performance is dramatically compromised. 

    This is also the case with order capacity, with the newer platform able to take on 39% more orders per hour compared to Magento 1.

    Magento 2 therefore has the capability to scale with your business. 

    4. Advanced customer experience

    The customisation available to retailers offers the ultimate personalised experience for the end user. How? By making recommendations and offering discounts based on how they have previously interacted with your site. 

    And when it comes to the actual product pages, Magento 2 offers the capability to add product videos. This allowed for an interactive shopping experience that empowers the user to make smarter decisions.

    5. Upgraded checkout

    Site conversion rates are bound to improve with the enhanced checkout on the Magento 2 platform.

    As we know, the longer it takes for a user to checkout, the higher the drop-off rates, ultimately affecting your sites conversion rate. 

    Users can checkout 38% faster on the Magento 2 platform compared to Magento 1.

    They’ve simplified the process, where users can now also checkout without having to register for an account. 

    6. Add-to-cart improvements

    A simple add-to-cart action on the Magento 1 platform results in a page reload, coupled with slow-loading pages and/or multiple add-to-cart actions and page bounce rate would be compromised. Losing customers and bounce rate performance across the site.

    Magento 2 has improved the experience with the Ajax add-to-cart functionality, allowing users to add multiple items to their basket without the need to reload the page. 

    7. Segmented database

    Magento 1 users may fall victim to UI being affected by heavy loads in the backend system. This is down to one single database.

    Magento 2 users have the advantage of a database that is segmented into 3 categories; product data, checkout and orders. Allowing to scale each individual segment without having a negative impact on each other. 

    8. Healthier search ranking

    As Google places websites with mobile responsiveness higher in its search results, Magento 1 users will find their SEO ranking improves when making the switch to Magento 2.

    This is down to the sites being easier to browse on a range of devices and browsers.

    When it comes down to Magento 1 vs Magento 2, businesses should consider the significant improvement migrating to Magento 2 will have on their site conversion rate. 

    So although there is a higher cost as it’s a new platform, rather than an upgrade, retailers will no doubt reap the rewards with an impressive ROI.

    Ultimately, allowing for scalability and growth.

    Aware Digital offer Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration services.