Ivan Silva
Still stuck with Magento 1 but need to make a move to upgrade or pick a new eCommerce platform? Pretty tough decision—all service for Magento 1 ends at the end of the month. The ‘Upgrade’ from Magento 1 to Magento 2 is also not an upgrade, it’s a full redesign and re-platform of your eCommerce business. Read on to get a leg up on your eCommerce platform decision.
Known challenges
You know what your current struggles are on the old platform. You may have heard them from your team or even your customers. Now is the time to collect feedback and organize it for quick reference as you explore your options.
Integrations
List your current integrations (any service that connects to your website) and define your relationship to each one. Include its purpose, subscription dates and contract details, costs, owners, and your level of satisfaction with the service.
Business processes
Think about how you currently manage changes and updates on your site. How do you ensure things are getting done? Are you tracking the change history to see what's effective? Make note of processes that are repetitive and consider replacement solutions that improve the efficiency of your team.
Fulfillment processes
Diagram your fulfillment from purchase to delivery, including every possible section—even returns. Also include shipping and label costs, any warehouses, and warehouse processes. A visual map can help you understand where time is spent or lost, and what costs may pile up before you realize.
Customization
With your current services and processes sketched out, it's time to look at the tech. How many of your features are supported through customized development? Who maintains the customized code? Who will implement that feature on Magento 2 or your platform of choice?
In-house tech skills
This ties directly into your customization needs. Is your eCommerce team ready for the change? Is there a skill gap between your current practices and where you want or need to be?
Data Hygiene
This isn't a cosmetic move—your entire platform is changing. That means all your product, sales, and order data will need to be in order and ready for your new platform. Scheduled server tasks need to be stopped so they don't change or corrupt data during migration. Create an inventory of your data so you're aware of all the moving parts.
Reporting needs
What kind of reports do you need? Are there reports you wish you had, or that came up in the feedback gathering? List details such as how often they need to run, what type of data export is required, and how they should be delivered.
Moving past the basics
Now that you have your bases covered, it’s time to focus on what you need to make your decision. Can the new platform handle what you need?
Let’s say you need a platform that can connect to a private server, or to a smaller service provider. Your team' has to have' this older service, but also needs to be able to add new services down the line. Does the platform enable you to connect directly, or will there be costly code customizations? Do you have the resources to migrate data effectively?
Magento 1 users are a little too familiar with this situation and the entanglement of spaghetti code for features. Sometimes they work great; other times, not so much. Now is the time to extinguish the adhoc and plug into an environment like Shopify Plus with access to a marketplace with thousands of services, all without having to fork over the time and funding to 'make it work'.
With Magento, you will get an eCommerce website, but you won't get a world-class experience where your inventory, design, and commerce are in tune. In many cases, you'll need to hire the right developers or add on costly third-party systems while paying for customization.
At Virid, helping you make the most informed decision is our goal. We’ve helped clients like Big Kahuna Prime re-platform to Shopify Plus, successfully redesigning and relaunching their website in a fraction of the time typically required. How can we help you?