After its initial release back in 2015, Magento 2 has been mostly positively received and is widely considered a considerable step up from Magento 1.x, with key improvements in usability, scalability and core functionality. Some of the biggest improvements for me have been in the performance of the back end, the re-built native checkout (as per this piece), visual merchandising (which has been re-factored and significantly improved in Magento 2), staging and preview functionality, and Bluefoot (set to be released in Q1 2018). [Magento acquired the technology behind the Bluefoot content management system and page-building technology late in 2016.]

Initial challenges with earlier releases (particularly around payments, data migration and the checkout) have now been addressed and resolved which means the platform is far more stable—especially following the most recent releases, which is really encouraging for merchants. Many stores have already completed the move, some well-known examples include Linda Farrow (also my client), alexachung.com, Micro Scooters, Byredo, Osprey London, Richer Sounds and Topshop (Australia) amongst many others..

A couple of key points to be aware when considering a Magento 2 move:

• The move to Magento2 isn’t a standard Magento upgrade that merchants have been used to in the past—it should be considered a full replatforming project really, as most things cannot be migrated (including custom modules and the theme).
• Although it’s not an actual platform change per se either, the scope of the migration is very much like a full-scale replatforming project requiring careful planning, sufficient resources and a solid timeline for release.

Once you have decided to start the process of migrating your Magento 1 platform, here are my four milestones for your project road map:

1. What (the scope of the project)

This is essentially an assessment of your current setup, which should include everything from processes & workflows (i.e., creating products, order processing, payment options, etc.) to third-party extensions, to any custom modules currently on your store. This is also an opportunity to strip back the number of third-party extensions you’re using, with a view to making your store faster, more maintainable and more secure.

You might also want to review moving to a new agency, in which case you will need a detailed functional specification to ensure both sides are clear on what the end result should be. In my opinion, this should be done pre-RfP / initial meetings to give the prospective agency a better idea of the scope of the project.

Obtaining a list of your third-party extensions and custom modules can be done by simply requesting this information from you current agency or looking up the information directly in the Magento admin panel (by visiting system > config > admin > advanced > disable module output). Be aware that some Magento 1 extensions won’t be available for Magento 2 at all and if they are, the majority will require purchasing a new license, so you’ll need to add this to the project cost.

Another area you might want to review is your product catalog. This is the ideal time for a product data clean-up or even a complete restructure of your product attributes if necessary.

Furthermore, a lot of the retailers I’ve worked with have taken the opportunity to improve other aspects of their store as part of the Magento 2 migration project, including search, product reviews, product recommendations, email marketing, integrating social content etc.

Here are some solutions I’ve been working with a lot on Magento 2 projects:

• Klevu
• Yotpo
• Dotmailer
• Klarna
• Nosto
• Loyalty Lion

And finally, hand-in-hand with changes mentioned above, this is also a good opportunity to re-design page templates / the whole store, as you’re going to need a new theme built for Magento 2 anyway.

2. Who (the people involved)

A project like this will require buy-in from senior management and other teams within your business as changes will impact the way business operates—both short term and long term. Investing in an experienced solutions architect or a project consultant is a smart move as some areas of a migration might not be immediately obvious or straightforward, especially if you are making lots of changes or bringing in new functionality.

Training is another obvious but extremely important part of the process—I generally recommend either assigning a superuser to a public course or investing in in-house training by a specialist provider, such as MageTraining (who I’ve used a few times).

3. When (the timing)

In terms of timing, it is crucial to ensure the project release date doesn’t interfere with any key trading events in your business calendar, allowing teams to fine-tune new workflows and master new functionality without compromising sales. If you’re using Enterprise Edition, you’ve got time on your hands, with the support cut-off date rumored to be 2020. If you’re on Community Edition, it’s still unknown as to what will happen with the currently set November 2018 end-of-life date

You also ideally want to start using the system as early as possible, including your teams and end-users in the process. This alleviates pressure later on when it’s time to launch. Familiarizing yourself with the system early also means any concerns or issues can be addressed before it’s too late. The same applies if you are bringing in new extensions or third-party functionality into Magento 2, as these also require training and set-up time from your team.

Another extensive task is migrating your data, which is generally a joint effort between you and your agency. This is a labor- and time-intensive task, as data needs to either be mapped using Magento’s data migration tool or re-formatted to fit the new set-up if you have restructured information. QA [Quality Assurance] is especially important when it comes to data migration, as it’s very difficult to roll back or amend once the project is live.

4. Launch (the final stretch)

Allowing plenty of time for testing (not just in the final days pre-launch, but as a full phase and throughout the build on both sides) is a key part of the project road map. Involving all stakeholders from operational teams to senior directors in the soft launch can be a good move as it means feedback can be addressed early on, avoiding disappointment or the need to roll back post-launch.

Overall, I would suggest that Magento 2 is a positive step forward in terms of native functionality (EE) and general scalability, but the migration process shouldn’t be under-estimated. This piece I wrote also covers some of the new functionality available in Magento 2 EE, designed to help the platform meet the requirements of larger and more complex online retailers.

Paul Rogers provides enterprise-level Magento consulting and auditing services.