It has been more than two and a half years since eBay and Magento parted ways. Immediately after the split, Magento released a newer version of the platform. As is often the case, crisis brings out the best in individuals. As Magento was nearing demise, the teams had to think outside the box. They had to come up with new ideas as the shields provided by eBay peeled off.
However, let’s not judge the main release of Magento from an irrational approach. Well yes, they had to create a product with a startup mindset. And that’s when the pros stretch their muscles. However, when we look at some of the features covered in Magento 2 as a Magento Extensions developer, there is no doubt that it is an improved version between the two.
Here are some of the main features of Magento 2.x:
A) Magento 2 – For tomorrow:
If you are running your web store on Magento 1.x platform, there are certain performance issues that you have to face. You can manage issues like page load time, security fixes, image optimization, and heavy JavaScripts using Magento 2.x more effectively.
Third party modules on the server
With Magento 2.x, store owners do not need to install third-party modules on the server.
Security and loading time fixes page
With Magento 2.x, store owners can increase site speed as it supports the latest version of PHP. And they already have security fixes.
Image optimization
With Magento 1.x, you need to optimize images manually. However, Magento 2.x has built-in features to manage image optimization without external support.
Minified JavaScript
It has a great relief. A critical UX improvement is the included JavaScript. It makes sure that developers don’t have to undergo tedious and unnecessary browser operations for the browser.
B) Search engine friendly and better for security:
Regarding these two critical back-end requirements, Magento 2.x is way ahead compared to Magento 1.x. Password hashing algorithms protect the site effectively. Built-in rich snippets for category pages help improve the overall page optimization process.
C) A brand new admin panel:
Improved processes for information search, general store management, and admin panel navigation
Easier flow for uploading products and along with images and text you can now upload videos too
Magento 2.x dashboard shows most searched and least searched items, recent orders, average order amount, top selling products, premium customers, products you need to ship and total amount, tax data , etc.
Manage Customers vs. Orders columns from the interface without the need for developer assistance
Advanced content staging
Advanced data import function
Data migration tool for data from Magento 1.x to Magento 2.x
New Marketing Tools section for SEO, Promotions, User Content, etc.
D) Split Database Performance Solution (Enterprise Edition only)
Magento 2 uses different master databases for order, payment and product data. That too, for all the different functional areas. This allows store owners to improve the scalability and performance of their website. But, you can take advantage of this feature only if you purchase Magento Enterprise Edition. Magento CE (Community Edition) makes use of a single database.
better productivity
Magento 2.x has the potential to help you expand your business horizons and helps you manage your store to the best of its ability. It has a new admin panel design that offers an interface for your site. You can use the newly introduced Visual Layout Editor and configure the blocks and containers on your website without having any technical knowledge.
Improved scalability
Magento 2.x comes with improved indexes that have efficient updates. It increases the performance of your website by accelerating the query speed. Magento 2.x and Varnish Cache are integrated, which means it can decrease server load and speed up page load time. Admin users can also create and edit products without worrying about any data conflicts.
better conversions
With Magento 2.x, shoppers are sure to have a great shopping experience. E-store owners can display their products with description, images and videos. Also, since the website is responsive, they can browse from any device, including smartphones, tablets, or PCs. This helps increase conversion rates to a great extent.
Easy and reasonable upgrades
Magento 2.x has updated information on upgrade compatibility and version control policies. So, apart from improving the basic Magento software, Magento 2.X installation and upgrade is simpler compared to Magento 2.x. Magento 2.x export/import functionality allows you to export customer data, registrations and inventory data and import them into Magento 2.x.
Swift theme customization
When it comes to the core of the theme, Magento 2.x uses its own LESS and CSS instead of Bootstrap. It also supports CSS rendering which helps speed up page loading, increase performance and make your system SEO friendly.
Migrating from Magento 1.x to Magento 2.x is always a good decision as it brings better ROI to entrepreneurs. And just so you know, Magento will support M1 only until November 2018. After that, you will rarely get M1 updates in terms of features or functionality.
Magento 2.X is the next big thing for e-store owners and Magento developers. If you want to take full advantage of the improvements this platform has to offer, now is the right time. Do you have any questions related to migration? Feel free to ask in the comments section below.