Last September, the expected announcement of the Magento 1 end of life date was revealed as June 2020. Security patches are still being released right up until this date. However, no more patches will be released after that and the requirement to either move to Magento 2.0 or another platform will become necessary.
The average website rebuild taking three months to complete. If you factor in the time needed to run your business and avoiding peak trading periods (e.g. Christmas), now is the optimum time to start planning for your next website and, in most cases, start the website build.
So where do you go from here?
Magento 2 is an impressive platform. We have seen great websites, with impressive functionality, being built in it by our sister team at Magium. However, with the complexity of the system, this type of website build shouldn’t be taken lightly as projects can take a substantial amount of time to complete. They also require specialist developers to ensure the ecommerce solution is built in the right way.
If you don’t have the budget or the time to grow with the Magento platform, now is the time to consider your options. Due to so many platforms being available and with mixed messaging regarding the pros and cons, it can often be confusing and difficult to decide what is right for your business. You can choose from hosted software solutions like BigCommerce and Shopify or open source software solutions as an alternative. Before thinking about the technology, here are some pointers to consider when choosing a platform.
Consider a solution that will grow with your business
Having functionality available which may not be useful until your business grows isn’t a bad thing. This will help future proof your website. Also, having the flexibility to add functionality on later is an added bonus.
How you are managing stock levels
Having a separate stock management system, that doesn’t integrate with your website, can cost you time and increase the likelihood of mistakes being made in the long run. Having a website that can integrate now or in the future will be paramount during growth.
Order management system
The order management system needs to be explored to see if it can cope with your business requirements. This includes the downloading of order details and the improvement of business efficiencies.
Speed and hosting
Your new ecommerce website will need to run smoothly and load fast to cope with different devices. This will not only help user experience, but will also help with organic rankings. Will your new solution be quick and hosted in a secure environment that doesn’t need ongoing security patches?
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PCI Compliant
Will your new solution be PCI compliant, secure and in line with GDPR policies? Additional paperwork may seem straight forward, but keeping this up-to-date will cause additional workload that isn’t necessary. This can be avoided if you pick the right ecommerce solution.
Trading outside the UK
If you are trading outside of the UK or hope to target different countries in the future, ensure the platform can handle this and has options for growth.
Multiple payment options
With Amazon Pay, Apple Pay and PayPal providing quick solutions for storing payment details, ensuring that you have this functionality could improve conversion rates instantly across all countries.
Compare platforms
Compare platforms to ensure all the features you require now and in the future are available. As ecommerce experts, we have developed and worked on a large number of platforms over the years. Take a look at our comparison table to see which features are important to you.
If all of this still leaves you unsure where to start, talk to our ecommerce team today on 01904 21 51 51.We can provide you with a solution that will suit your business needs.