Insights

'Magento 1 End of Life'

Sounds a bit terminal doesn’t it? 'Magento 1 Sunset.' That’s better - far more relaxing!

It doesn’t matter what you call it, it means the same thing. For some time now Adobe (who own Magento) have been telling us that it will end its technical support of Magento version 1 next summer.

So here are the five top questions we've been asked about Magento 1 End of Life and how it could affect your business.

1. What does 'Magento 1 End of Life' or 'Magento 1 Sunset' mean?

Essentially, with an end to support from Magento, it means no more security patches for your website.

This is the biggie for most businesses, as e-comm sites like Magento rely fundamentally on being secure. To achieve this, regular updates, or 'patches', are released to ensure it's watertight. Without these, hackers may eventually find a way in.

So no more support means a greater risk to your site.

2. How can I tell which version of Magento I have?

Here are a couple of simple ways to find out your Magento version:

• Add /magento_version after your domain name i.e. “www.mysite.com/magento_version”. A quick trick this. If you have Magento 2 then it will tell you with a version number such as “Magento2.2”. If you don’t get a result, you’re probably on Magento 1. Sorry.

• Use a free online checker. Free tools like MagentoVersion.com or MageReport.com let you enter your URL and you’ll get a quick reply on your version. Simples.

3. Do I have to upgrade to Magento 2?

No, you don’t have to upgrade to Magento 2.

Obviously Magento are suggesting this as the logical step and they are a very well-known and respected company. After careful thought it may well be right for you to upgrade.

Or if may not be. For many the cost to upgrade is significant, typically tens of thousands of pounds (if it's done right and by a Magento Partner). That’s because this isn’t simply a revision but a complete upgrade, almost akin to a new site build in some cases.

And did you know many digital agencies pay a large premium to be a Magento supplier/partner so they need to recoup that by ensuring their clients (like you) stick with Magento?

Our advice: Don’t automatically go for the upgrade.

It’s a good moment to pause and think if Magento is still right for your business and if the upgrade costs are justified. There’s lots of alternative options out there since you chose Magento 1.

4. How much does it cost to upgrade from Magento 1 site to Magento 2?

For a very simple site typical costs are £2,000 - £3,000. For a more complex site it could be £10,000+.

It's a piece-of-string question but you need to budget accordingly. With these types of figures, you can see why some business owners think long and hard before committing to Magento 2.

5. How long will it take to upgrade or change my Magento 1 site?

You should be planning what to do about this now! Although June 2020 may seem ages away it isn’t. Its only 9 months.

That’s 9 months to re-examine what you need from an ecommerce platform, get quotes, choose a provider or digital agency, schedule in the build, test it, launch it, revise it.

That time is going to fly by very fast so start doing something about it now. It's going to be the e-comm equivalent of PPI.

We all know a whole bunch of people will leave it to the end and all the good providers and agencies will be booked up. Leaving you with the rubbish ones. Enjoy...