Magento Migration: Have you given a Thought to Theme Migration?

Not planning to move to Magento 2 before June 2020? Well, your store won’t get shut down but Magento will stop the support for all Magento 1 stores. There are many reasons to say goodbye to Magento 1. However, the main reason is that there will be no security patches and quality fixes for Magento 1 merchants after the scheduled date. This means no support and/or security maintenance. Therefore, migrating to the latest Magento 2 version is the best way to ensure uninterrupted experience and a safe e-commerce store for your customers.

According to the official Magento documentation, the process of migration involves four essential stages: 1) Themes 2) Extensions 3) Customizations and 4) Data Migration. Migrating themes is one of the fundamental stages of a successful Magento migration process and you should never ignore it.

You should give Theme Migration a Solid Thought!

Theme determines the layout of your website and helps you build a robust e-commerce store. It ensures a consistent look and feel for the entire front-end as well as the back-end. With a quality Magento theme, your customers will enjoy storefront that’s fun and functional at the same time.

Fact: Your Magento 1 theme will not work in Magento 2.

The newest version has a different structure with improved technologies and methodologies. So, you cannot migrate the Magento theme As-Is to the new store because Magento 2 is a completely different ball-game. It is very costly to migrate the Magento theme because it will require several changes in the code to make it compatible with the latest version.

This makes two things essential:

1. Hire a dedicated Magento developer to sort out the theme issue for you.
2. Use this aspect of theme migration as an opportunity to better the store features.

Magento Theme Migration: Multiple Options to Choose From

As a Magento store-owner, you have multiple theme options to manage the look of your new M2 store. But your choice will depend on your requirements and reasons.

1. Do you want the Exact Same Theme?

If you have made a new website recently and do not want to change the M1 theme, you can create a similar theme that is compatible with the M2 version. Usually, merchants who do not want to alter the customer shopping experience choose replicating the same theme for Magento 2. It may take some time and cost you extra money but if you want to maintain the same level of consistency, you can choose this option.

Tip: Hire a dedicated developer if you want the same theme as Magento 1.

2. You have got Ideas

If you have an idea of your own, work with a Magento developer and build a unique theme. When you create a theme from scratch, you will be able to incorporate all the functionalities required for your e-commerce store. Make sure you list down all your ideas and create a new design for your store. Having a visual description will give you a clear idea of how the website will look in the future. You need a big budget for creating a new theme because you will need help from experienced front-end and back-end developers. It will also mean that the launch of your e-commerce store will be delayed until the theme is final.

Similarly, if you like what you see online, you can ask the developers to replicate the same theme for your store. It will be less time consuming than building a brand-new theme because the developers will have to clone the look and features of another website.

Tip: List your ideas or take inspiration from an existing website.

3. Are you Budget-Conscious?

If your budget is a constraint, you do not need to choose the default Magento theme. There are many free responsive Magento 2 themes available in the marketplace. However, remember that a majority of the free themes have limited functionality and simple design. It will take you a lot of time to find a theme that matches your requirements. You will also have to spend considerable time testing the themes and ensuring the correct choice for your website.

Tip: A free Magento theme will make the task of migration affordable.

4. Do you need a Quick Solution?

In the world of business, time is of the essence. If you lose out on the opportunity, you cannot win the game. If you are on a deadline and want to build an e-commerce store quickly, it is best to choose a readymade theme such as fashion theme, car parts store theme, etc. The paid Magento 2 theme comes with all the required functionalities to get your website up and running in no time. You will be able to customize the colors and fonts, choose from the pre-built layouts for the home page, category pages and products pages. A paid theme offers incredible features such as multiple header & footer layouts, better navigation, built-in widgets, blog posting, social media sharing options, etc.

Tip: Check out why ready-made Magento themes make sense for your business.

Magento Theme Migration: What’s your Decision?

After learning about all the different options, what is your choice? Do you like the effortless readymade themes or will you assume the task of creating a theme from scratch? Make a decision after a thorough analysis of your situation. If you are in a hurry and want a quick solution without compromising on features, go for a readymade Magento 2 theme.

Do you want to migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2? Get in touch with a Magento solutions company that offers start-to-end Magento migration services to make the move simple and effortless for your business. It will also help you in choosing the best Magento 2 themes to ensure a beautiful and functional e-commerce store.

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