Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2: A Guide for a Painless Upgrade

The popularity of Magento 2 is growing, and sooner or later you will have to upgrade your web store to the newest platform. This release seems promising regarding usability, development, and quality assurance. That`s why we have put together some tips and strategies useful for migration planning and enhancing website quality with the new platform.

Why does Magento 1 Support Stop?

2008 is a release date of Magento 1, an e-commerce platform that has become a leading open source for merchants. In 2010, it shook the world of online trade by introducing a new Magento edition. The bugs of Magento 1 created a range of hurdles for a flawless web store functionality. That`s why Magento 2 aims to meet modern programming standards, enhance scalability, security, and performance. With the new edition, online stores get access to advanced SEO tools, enjoy a better site administration, develop mobile optimization for their shops. Thus, Magento 2 team seems enthusiastic about transforming the online stores to powerful sales drivers.

The merchant beta version of M2 was released in July 2015. Replatforming to the newest version is the way full of options and challenges. Magento Inc announced November 2018 as the date M1 is no longer supported. However, due to heated discussions, the management team reconsidered this decision. Thus, Magento 1 will expire by June 2020.

Why should you upgrade to Magento 2?

The exact expiration date of an older platform does not mean you need to make immediate changes. The process is complicated without professional assistance. It will take human resource and financial investment. So, it is better to thoroughly define your business development plan. Magento 2 is worth investing if:

1. • You are about to implement large changes at the store. For example, you may think of website functionality changes or theme redesign. In this case, it is better to upgrade before making significant shifts. Unfortunately, Magento 2 supports limited design and functionality features for now. You won`t have to redo the work and waste money in vain with M2 on background.
   • You look for new ways to increase sales. Magento Inc launches the updated conversion rate optimization features. For instance, the pre-selling system is an efficient way to boost conversion. Aitoc`s Pre-Orders extension enables customers to pre-order the products from the storefront. Another feature deals with reviews. Product rating feature encourages the clients to share reviews and make your store trustworthy. The more consumer experience you demonstrate, the higher your conversion. All the extensions are in-built and will be helpful in making your website more profitable.
   • You are in a highly competitive industry. M2 developers listened to the complaints and made the platform user-friendly with a simplified checkout process. It is also easier to develop a mobile compliant version.

What affects the speed and complexity of the upgrade?

The amount of time and effort for migration depends on the number of customized front and back end settings. You have to make sure that there are M2 modules for integration with third-party services. In case of their absence, you will have to create modules for your needs or look for alternative solutions. The complexity and size of the data are likely to be the biggest obstacles, so it is important to analyze them at the earliest stages.

What`s New for Quality Assurance?

In Magento 2, testing has become a mandatory part of several migration stages. Quality assurance is required when:

1. • Upgrading platform developing extensions
   • Customizing features
   • Detecting introduced bugs early
   • Enhancing code quality

One of the biggest benefits of Magento 2 is an in-built testing framework. These advances in automated testing enable QA engineers to simplify testing procedures during migration. Although the platform enables both automated and manual testing, the key goal of Magento 2 is to improve test automation. Magento 2 platform helps to fully manage over the test results, freely adjust test input data, make frequent releases, and openly re-run automation tests if needed. Therefore, the testing process becomes time and human resource consuming. Here are some updates Magento 2 has for QA process:

Integration Testing
Here testers check the interaction between the system parameters. QA engineers ensure smooth store`s functionality as an entity and cover the interaction between e-store components. Magento 2 enables performing integration tests in one week with minimum human resource waste if all tests run correctly.

Functional Tests
Magento 2 applies Functional Testing Framework (FTF). QA engineers employ it by comparing features and functions with the business and user requirements. Keeping end-user experiences in mind, testers check whether the feature provides the expected output. Also, the task of functional Magento QA is to ensure smooth purchase process. It helps to check the customized modules of payment, shipping, search, discounts and ensure the data communication is faultless.

Regression Testing
An inbuilt Magento Test Automation Framework helps to keep the website on a high-quality level. It also reduces the time required for regression testing by 50%. Here, testers make sure that code changes implemented during the migration work fine and do not affect the existing features.

Performance Testing
This testing type is critical for e-commerce business during migration. In this case, the testers check the reliability in the Magento website with the help of Magento Performance Toolkit.

More and more web store owners customize Magento for their own business needs. This tendency makes the updated platform to ease the testing process. Apart from customization opportunities, Magento 2 provides the low-cost extensions. It means that the developers don`t have to write complex codes. That is why QA automation becomes more effective for migration with Magento Automation Framework. It speeds up the quality process, helps to add new features without breaking store`s system functionality.

Obstacles on the Way

So, the new platform brings a variety of benefits to the e-commerce world. Despite the simplified migration process, moving to M2 might be challenging for store owners.

Data Risks
Data safety while transferring to the new platform should be a top priority for the web store owners. Unfortunately, there is no perfect solution for painless data transfer. Here you`ll need the help of skillful developers. It requires a thorough approach to keep the information on orders, customers uncompromised. Good news, however. Today`s market is full of effective data migration tools that might ease the tough way to re-platforming.

Magento 1 Themes aren`t Available
The 2nd Magento edition doesn`t support the existing M1 themes. It is a relatively new release and contains fewer themes than on M1. You may choose the one among offered and customize it to your tastes and requirements. However, you should consider creating an impressive, catchy theme from scratch.

Performance Issues
Due to insufficient use of M2 architecture, your web store might face poor loading speed, low site performance, and product content visualization. These problems slow the navigation down and reduce conversion, as a result. The team of professional QA engineers can check the system before its release. Stress and load testing will check the web page functionality under various load conditions and traffic. These tests also make sure if product pages and filtering process work correctly.

Magento 2 is a unique solution for building a successful online store. Together with new features, the new version is flexible. It enables launching powerful and user-friendly retail portals. Its popularity doesn`t seem to fade away in the nearest future, despite the challenges. Luckily, migration limitations can be easily tackled, especially with the help of QA and development professionals.