The news that Magento 1 is shutting down may be new to some of the folks, but it is not. The closure was planned in 2015 when the Magento 2 was launched. However, the Magento 1 users are given ample time to shift to a reliable and secure platform until June 2020.

Adobe owns Magento. It is a multinational computer application company and known for providing the best possible solutions in the software industry. The reason it keeps on producing new versions of Magento is to help online stores avail better performance, unbreakable security, and unmatched functionality.

The end of life of Magento 1 is also in the continuation of the company’s mission to focus on a version and bring it to perfection. The support closure may help the company to be more productive in fixes bugs, enhancing customer experience, increasing sales, and building the capacity of the online businesses.

Magento 1 End of Life leaves you with 3 options

Now that the official support for Magento will end, the eCommerce managers are left with three options. A small business may decide to continue with the same platform, whereas others may consider or try a new platform. Let us quickly review all the three scenarios.

1. Stuck with Magento 1 = Live in the Caves

From June 2020, Magento 1 is shutting down with an end of life to its updates, security patches, and support. If you have not decided to go with Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration or explored other alternatives, then your business is on the brink of collapse.

Staying on Magento 1 is a clear indication that you are not serious about your business and that you are prepared for the years ahead. Let me draw you a scenario as to how it can adversely affect your business if you stick with an obsolete version.

• Extensive hackers attack in the absence of security patches
• Out of fashion platform because of no updates
• Difficulty in finding compatible themes and extensions
• Hard to find an expert resource for Magento 1
• Expensive maintenance as few agencies may be offering it

2. Migrate to another platform = Start from Zero

Now that you are familiar with the basic to advanced functionality of Magento, trying any other platform is like a completely new experience. You have to unlearn all that you know about an eCommerce website set up and relearn it according to an unfamiliar platform.

Imagine the days when you have started with Magento for the first time and you knew nothing about it. You will have to go through it all again. Let me recap it for your convenience.

• Stressful and time consuming to understand the new platform
• Loss of data as the formats may not be 100% compatible
• High risk of losing identity in search engine
• Hiring platform-specific experts are tiresome
• Paying heavily for the entire migration

3. Move to Magento 2 = Stay Progressive

Magento is a pioneer in providing reliable eCommerce solutions. Closure of Magento 1 is not a dead-end. In fact, it is shutting down to push your online venture further in progression if you upgrade to Magento 2. Moving to the latest version is the only viable solution if you are accustomed to the Magento platform.

It is developed exclusively for stellar performance, impenetrable security, and outstanding user experience of online stores. Here is why you must consider updating to the latest edition of Magento rather than trying other platforms as it has advanced features available by default.

• Superfast page loading speed
• Impeccable website performance
• Expand with multilingual and multiregional presence
• Interactive and advanced user interface
• Simple navigational aid

What makes Magento 2 migration the safest move?

If you are not moving to the latest version and plan to rely on Magento 1, your store may shut down because of hacking and malicious attacks, or the users may stop visiting it because of obsolete functionality.

Now, the debate may be either to select Magento 2 or any other platform. In either case, you may need to new a theme, compatible extensions, and all the required customization. Whereas, Magento provides you with a tool to safely migrate all your store’s data.

It includes carrying forward all the products, categories, customers’ data and orders, invoices, and receipts, shipments, and tons of other data. In addition to swift data import, you can avail many other benefits that I am highlighting below.

– Top-notch security and functionality

Magento is improving with every passing day. The recent version is packed with a plethora of security patches, functionality enhancements, and payment integrations. In addition to the in-house developers, the latest version has a bundle of improvements done by the developers’ community of Magento.

– Boundless customization options

Magento 2 gives you the freedom to go out of the box in creating a custom solution for your online store. With extensive personalization settings, you can develop a completely new extension of your own.

– Scale a business as you planned

Magento 2 is a one-stop solution for small to medium and large-sized enterprises. You can start as low as you can and become a conglomerate or a multidisciplinary business center. Explore a vast collection of extensions and integration tools to kick start your B2B or B2C concern without any barrier in eCommerce technology.

– Quick page loading speed

Accelerating web pages of an online store may require extensive speed optimization techniques, but Magento 2 has already achieved fast loading speed. Most of the techniques are built-in such as full-page cache, Ajax, Varnish Cache.

– Mobile readiness

The Magento 2 is a fully responsive eCommerce platform. Stop taking further measures in making your online store mobile-friendly. The platform works perfectly on different smart devices that have varying screen sizes.

– Built-in revenue maximization

Trying the advanced marketing strategies like cross-selling, up-selling, or offering discounts are easily in Magento 2 as you are provided with all such features. You do not need to code it separately or install an add-on.

– Simple admin panel

The admin panel of Magento 2 is revamped with lots of administrative tools. It includes reviewing order history, popular products, and the terms users are searching the most. Furthermore, features like Ajax loading, product video uploads, and filters are useful in assisting various administrative tasks.

Final words

Magento 2 is a major breakthrough for online stores that are using the older version for long. Accepting a change and transforming an entire business is difficult as most of the old-school merchants are not in favor of interrupting their well-settled business.

As the technology updates and the common user behavior changes, the platform needs to be tweaked. The drastic changes we have experienced in the past five years demand a complete makeover of your eCommerce website that’s why Magento 2 is the safest solution for it.