5 Reasons Why Magento 1 Isn't Ideal for Christmas Trading
Magento 1 is a popular eCommerce platform used by a large number of retailers around the world, and whilst it has provided eCommerce merchants with many benefits, as Magento 1 End-of-Life approaches, the platform brings its fair share of limitations and risk - which can be problematic for stores particularly around peak times such as Christmas.
The Christmas period is one of the busiest times of the year, and so requires a stable platform so that your site can function well and perform to the best of its ability.
Here are some of the reasons why Magento 1 isn't the ideal platform for Christmas Trading:
1. Added Costs
There are a number of added costs to consider when it comes to Magento 1, which can add up over time. Adding features to your store for added flexibility and efficiency will not only cost more to add, but you will also need developer time to install said features.
With alternative cloud-hosted platforms such as Shopify and Shopify Plus, features may already be enabled or may be easily enabled by your internal team, such as Apple Pay, so you won't have to invest in development time.
2. Outdated Back End
Magento 1's back end is also outdated and is not easy to work with. This is also why the Magento team have developed Magento 2, a newer version of the original platform.
At peak times, having multiple customers using a site with an outdated backend can cause issues for your internal customer support, marketing or delivery teams, leading to frustrated customers.
3. Slow Speed
Magento 1 may be slow depending on your hosting provider, which is not ideal during peak trading times such as Christmas. When used on multiple different servers, the platform can become very slow and therefore disrupt your user experience. The last thing you want is to lose potential customers because your site is too slow to accommodate their needs.
Busy retail periods such as Christmas mean an influx of users on your site which can cause speed issues naturally, but if your site is even slower, this may cause your site to crash during vital stages of a customers journey.
4. Limited Technical Support
Magento 1 has very limited technical support compared to other eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, which is not ideal during busy times such as Christmas, as stores are faced with multiple challenges and issues during peak times.
If a problem arises that requires immediate attention, such as sudden downtime, there may be a waiting period before your site can be resolved, which may cause further issues with your store and result in lost customers during such a vital period.
5. Faster Deployment for Other Platforms
If you're looking to replatform ahead of Christmas trading times to get your store on a more reliable and stable platform, it's best to opt for a platform that will allow you to replatform as quickly as possible so that you can get your site up and running ready for peak times.
Replatforming to Magento 2 could take significantly longer and is not the ideal option if you want your store set up ahead of the busy trading times. Shopify Plus, however, is known for its fast deployment time and may be the better option ahead of peak trading.
So What Are the Alternatives?
If you're on Magento 1 and it isn't looking like the ideal option for you ahead of peak times, it may be a good idea to replatform and look at alternative platforms that will be of benefit to your store during such periods.
If you have any questions about replatforming from Magento 1 and are interested in an alternative platform such as Shopify Plus, just get in touch with our team and we'll be happy to help.
Read a success story.
We replatformed Slendertone's site to Shopify Plus, helping to generate a 60% increase in sales.
Download a free guide.
Download our free guide to find out all you need to know about cloud hosted eCommerce platforms.
Get in touch with our expert team today to talk about how we can help you to replatform to Shopify.