On June 30, 2020, Magento 1 officially ended its support and security updates. This discontinuation has been urging businesses like yours to explore alternative solutions and migrate. Naturally, loyal merchants who know and love Magento choose to migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2.
But instead of simply moving from Magento 1 to Magento 2, many businesses opt for a certain enhancement along the way. Specifically, they move to Magento 2 powered by a Hyvä theme – a contemporary front-end solution promising improved performance and user experience.
Why should you consider deploying the Hyvä theme alongside your Magento 2 migration? And how exactly do you plan all this out? That's precisely what we're here to discuss. Keep reading to understand why transitioning to Hyvä is a more strategic step than a typical migration to Magento 2 and learn how to effectively plan your move.
Magento 1 Risks: A Quick Reminder
Since you’ve looked up and are reading about how to migrate Magento, we believe you already know about the dangers of staying on Magento 1. But we’d still love to use the chance to remind you of the key two risks.
The biggest one is security. With no further patches or updates for the initial Magento version, websites on this platform become susceptible to new vulnerabilities, exposing customer data and compromising the overall integrity of the online store.
If you’re wondering about whether real cyber attacks have already occurred, the answer is – sadly – yes. One such mass breach of over 500 stores running on Magento 1 was detected in just one day in January 2022. Attackers exploited vulnerabilities in a Quickview plugin and used SQL Injection and PHP Object Injection to instantly add malware to hundreds of stores.
The second concern and incentive for Magento 1 to 2 Migration is adherence to e-commerce laws. Continuing to rely on Magento 1 can result in a loss of compliance with many industry standards and regulations, such as:
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Magento 1's outdated security features may pose challenges in meeting GDPR standards for protecting personal data.
- Omnibus Directive. Adding tools or extensions for features like price tracking and review verification is harder on Magento 1 due to its outdated infrastructure.
- Accessibility Standards. Evolving accessibility requirements for web content may not be adequately addressed by Magento 1, potentially leading to breaches of WCAG and ADA laws.
Magento 2, with its regular security updates, addresses the primary risk of vulnerabilities present in Magento 1 and ensures the security of your online store. What’s more, its advanced features enable easy integration of solutions that help to enhance compliance with various e-commerce laws.
Perks of Migrating to Magento 2 and Opting for Hyvä
Beyond ensuring security and compliance, Magento merchants seek a website that is fast, responsive, feature-packed, and designed to make a lasting impression. This is exactly what Hyvä provides.
Prioritizing efficiency and simplicity, Hyvä presents a sleek UI and adaptable front-end architecture, which sets it apart from traditional Magento client-side solutions. With a leaner codebase and the use of modern technologies like Alpine.js and Tailwind CSS, Hyvä achieves a quicker and more responsive user interface.
Let’s look at what specific advantages Hyvä has to offer to those deploying it during their Magento 2 migration:
Compatibility with Magento 2
Developed with the platform’s specifics in mind, Hyvä makes for an extremely smooth Magento upgrade from 1 to 2. Thanks to Hyvä, you gain additional benefits that go beyond the platform’s core while maintaining your existing setup and keeping your investments in the Magento infrastructure.
Faster Speed
Compared to the usual Magento front-end frameworks, Hyvä boasts impressively fast performance. On average, the speed of the websites that migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2 and deploy a Hyvä theme goes up by 37.5%. With page load times significantly reduced – averaging 1.5 seconds compared to Magento 1’s 4.7 seconds – Hyvä positively impacts SEO, bounce rate, and conversion rates.
Read More: How Migration to Hyvä Helped a Store Achieve 0.8s Load Time
Flexible Customization
One of Hyvä's strengths lies in its flexibility for customization, which enables businesses to tailor online stores to specific brand requirements. Its modular architecture allows for effortless integration of extensions or custom features as well as quick updates and easy maintenance. This flexible nature of the Hyvä theme will also guarantee scalability as your business evolves over time.
Enhanced User Experience
Hyvä doesn't stop at increasing business efficiency and significantly enhances the user experience, too. Its user-friendly design and improved navigation make shopping journeys more enjoyable, positively influencing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
How to Migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2
Now that you know about the benefits of Hyvä, let’s look at the necessary steps for migrating to Magento 2:
1. Assess Your Magento 1 Store
Before you upgrade Magento 1 to 2, you need an in-depth analysis of your existing store’s architecture, data, and customizations. This analysis will help you pay more attention to the vital aspects during the migration and let you return to business as usual soon after the move.
Mind that not all components of your Magento 1 store will seamlessly integrate with Magento 2 and Hyvä. That's why you should:
- Prioritize critical elements such as product data, customer information, and order records.
- Conduct a thorough audit of existing custom code to identify potential conflicts or areas requiring adjustments.
- Check the third-party extensions you rely on and see if they have compatibility with Hyvä on Magento 2.
Not Ready to Compromise Your Extensions?
You don’t have to!
Amasty has over 100 Hyvä-friendly modules available for Magento 2.
Psst! We also give a 50% discount if you choose to replace all your third-party extensions with ours!
2. Optimize Your Database
You can significantly speed up the Magento 2 migration simply by clearing out your database beforehand. Delete unnecessary data, organize tables, and fix any existing database issues. Optimizing the database can also increase the efficiency and improve the responsiveness of your Magento store after the upgrade.
3. Set Clear Migration Goals and Timelines
Establishing clear Magento migration goals and timelines brings structure and accountability to your migration process. Clear objectives encourage proactive risk mitigation, stakeholder alignment, and adherence to quality standards. Specific time constraints, in turn, enable cost control, measurable progress tracking, and positive customer experiences.
Your specific goal can be anything: minimizing downtime, enhancing website speed, or keeping high-priority third-party integrations. Even a modest ‘preserving data integrity’ is a good enough goal. Make sure your timelines are realistic and define them based on the complexity of your store and the development team size in mind
4. Back up Magento 1 Store Data
Before you migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2, back your Magento 1 store data up. If something goes wrong during the migration, a reliable backup will prevent drastic data loss, saving your entire business. We also recommend periodic backups leading up to the migration day to mitigate risks and allow for quick recovery if needed.
5. Run Phased Magento 2 Migration
We recommend choosing a phased, or step-by-step, approach to moving Magento. According to data management leaders, this type of migration reduces migration time by 46% and cuts upgrade costs by 38%.
Phased Magento 1 to 2 migration also allows for better risk management. Regular testing at each migration step helps identify and resolve issues promptly, ensuring a successful transition. In contrast, methods like Big Bang migrations can risk disruptions across the entire system, and parallel migrations may incur higher resource costs.
The phased migration process usually consists of three steps:
- Data migration – Transferring data from the Magento 1 database to the new Magento 2 system.
- Hyvä theme deployment – Implementing the visual design and layout of the online store with Hyvä. You can choose to develop a custom Hyvä theme or set up a template one.
- Configuration adjustments – Making necessary adjustments to payment gateways, shipping methods, tax configurations, and other system settings. In other words, this step ensures that the Magento 2 system is configured correctly for the specific needs of your business.
6. Test Your New Hyvä-Powered Magento 2 Store
Before you go live with your new Magento 2 store, you need comprehensive testing, thorough data validation, and integrity checks. The purpose of rigorous tests is to ensure seamless functionality of all your features and extensions. Data checks, in turn, help you verify that product information, customer records, and order history have migrated accurately.
We also recommend simulating real-world scenarios in safe test environments. There, you can identify and fix any discrepancies, ensuring a smooth experience for administrators and end-users at the official launch of your Hyvä-powered store.
7. Check Your Goals and Optimize Performance
After migrating to Magento 2, it's time to evaluate your store against your initial performance goals. If performance was one of them, use tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix to assess the speed. These tools – as well as additional Google PageSpeed extensions – will offer valuable insights on further optimizing Magento 2 loading times and improving overall website performance.
8. Train Your Administrators (and Give End-Users Some Time)
Post-migration training programs can significantly reduce the learning curve associated with the specifics of the new Magento and Hyvä front end. Conduct dedicated introductory sessions for administrators and staff working with the website. Make sure to create or update your knowledge base with relevant guides and how-tos.
While you can also invest in creating an interactive guide for the end-users, what you owe them most is some time for adjustment. Fortunately, thanks to Hyvä's extremely intuitive and speedy interface, adapting to the new front end should be quick and easy. Instead of facing challenges, your customers will celebrate your move along with you!
Wrap-Up
Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration with Hyvä theme deployment offers a strategic response to the downsides associated with Magento 1's outdated platform and the somewhat lacking speed of Magento 2. The advantages of Hyvä are compelling for businesses seeking not only security and innovation but also high performance and sleek UI.
While the move may involve challenges at times, the potential for growth and improved user experiences definitely makes the shift worthwhile. Happy moving!
To avoid complications during your transition or learn more about Magento 2 migration, reach out to Amasty’s team. We’ll be glad to share our risk- and cost-mitigation strategies that have helped us migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2 and develop & deploy Hyvä for multiple customers!
