Your website is a sitting target. If your Magento e-commerce platform is still running on 1.9, then it is an easy target to be hacked. This version no longer receives security patches from Adobe. It is vulnerable and could ultimately cost your business thousands. Beyond the risks, there are also countless advantages to upgrading to a more recent and stable version of Magento such as version 2.4. Check out our top 5 reasons to upgrade from Magento 1.9:
-
Security
Support ended in June 2020. As mentioned above, Adobe no longer provides security patches for this version of the platform. Therefore, your website may be susceptible to hacking. It is also a risk to your customer’s data to operate on a vulnerable version. Without these patches, you risk failing PCI compliance scans and your business’ reputation. However, with the latest versions of Magento, there are regular security updates with bug fixes.
-
Loading Speed
A big complaint about Magento 1 is the slow loading speed. A one second delay in loading page time, results in a 7% drop in conversions. Google claims 2 seconds is the absolute threshold for e-commerce page loading acceptability. Magento 2 is faster in front-end performance. It boasts 50% faster homepage and product page loading and 38% faster checkout. It has been integrated with the Varnish Cache and Elastic Search in order to increase these speeds. Imagine the potential for conversions if the website is loading that much faster.
-
Flexibility
Magento 2 is highly flexible and customizable with more than 2,000 extensions in the marketplace. Furthermore, Magento 2 allows third-party extensions to overlap. There are new technologies to assist in installing these extensions and it provides increased scalability and administrative options to enhance the customer shopping experience. Magento 2 is powered by next-generation architecture to assist in bringing your e-commerce vision to life.
-
Mobile Friendliness
Another major complaint about Magento 1 was mobile friendliness. It is incredibly important that your website is responsive for mobile users, as mobile shopping has seen tremendous growth over the last year. Magento 2 offers mobile responsive themes and the checkout is optimized for mobile.
-
Admin Panel Updates
This upgrade offers a much more user-friendly interface, especially for the admin panel. It is easier to learn and better for store management. It allows for customization and includes a drag and drop functionality. Creating an attractive interface just became much easier.
Wrap Up
When is the best time to upgrade the Magento 2? As soon as possible. It may be intimidating to invest now, but it could save you in the long run. We hope these top 5 reasons to upgrade from Magento 1.9 help you make the right decision for you. You may want to explore another platform such as WooCommerce if this upgrade does not suit your business . If you would like more information on upgrading your platform, contact us at (865) 465-4040 or request a meeting.
Also, check out this article for more information on E-commerce Trends for 2021.
