It has been over 2.5 years since eBay and Magento split. Immediately after the split, Magento released a newer version of the platform. As often happens, the crisis brings the best out of the individuals. As Magento was about to be sold out, the teams had to think outside the box. They had to bring in fresh ideas as the shields lifted off provided by the eBay.
However, let us not judge the major release of Magento from an irrational approach. Well, yes, they had to create a product with the start-up mindset. And, that is when Pros stretch their muscles. However, when we analyze some of the features covered in Magento 2 as Magento Extensions developer, there is no doubt that it is an improved version amongst the two.
Here are some of the top features of Magento 2.x:
A) Magento 2 – For Tomorrow:
If you are managing your web store on Magento 1.x platform, there are certain performance issues you must be facing. You can manage Issues such as page load time, security fixes, image optimization and heavy JavaScripts using Magento 2.x more effectively.
> Third party modules on the server
Using Magento 2.x, store owners do not require to install third-party modules on the server.
> Page Load Time & Security Fixes
Using Magento 2.x, store owners can boost the site speed as it supports the latest version of PHP. And they already have security fixes.
> Image Optimization
With Magento 1.x, you require to optimize the images manually. However, Magento 2.x has inbuilt features to manage image optimization without external support.
> Reduced JavaScript
A big relief. A critical improvement for UX is the bundled JavaScript. It makes sure that the developers do not require to undergo tedious and unnecessary browser operations for the same.
B) Search Engine Friendly and Better for Security:
With respect to these two critical backend requirements, Magento 2.x is far ahead in comparison to that of Magento 1.x. The hashing algorithms for passwords protect the site in an effective manner. The inbuilt rich snippets for the category pages helps improve the overall page optimization process.
C) An All-New Admin Panel:
- Improved processes for Information Search, Overall Store Management, and Navigation across the Admin Panel
- Easier flow for Products Upload and along with Images & Text, now you can upload videos too
- The Magento 2.x Dashboard displays top & least searched items, recent orders, average order amount, top selling products, premium customers, products you need to ship & total quantity, taxation data, etc.
- Advanced Content Staging
- Advanced Data Import Function
- Data Migration tool for Magento 1.x data 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 distinct master databases for orders, checkout and product data. That too, for all different functional areas. This enables the store owners to improve the scalability and performance of their website. But, you can avail this feature only if you buy Magento Enterprise Edition. The Magento CE (Community Edition) makes use of only one database.
> Better Productivity
Magento 2.x has the potential to help you expand the horizons of your business and helps you so that you can manage your store at the best of your abilities. It has a new Admin Panel Design which offers an interface for your site. You can use the newly introduced Visual Design Editor and set the blocks and containers on your website without having any technical knowhow.
> Enhanced Scalability
Magento 2.x comes with enhanced indexes having efficient updates. It boosts the performance of your website by accelerating the query speed. Magento 2.x and Varnish Cache are integrated, which means, you can lessen the server load and speed up the page loading time. The Admin users can also create and edit products without worrying about any data conflicts.
> Better Conversions
With Magento 2.x, the buyers are sure to have a great shopping experience. The e-store owners can display their products with description, images, and videos. Also, as the website is responsive, they can browse it from any device including smartphone, tablet, or PC. This helps in boosting the conversion rates up to a great extent.
> Easy and Reasonable Upgrades
Magento 2.x has updated information about upgrade compatibility and versioning policies. So apart from improving the basic Magento software, the installation and upgradation of Magento 2.X is simpler as compared to Magento 2.x. The export/import functionality of Magento 2.x enables you to export customer data, records as well as inventory data and import them to Magento 2.x.
> Swift Theme Customization
When it comes to the theme core, Magento 2.x uses its own LESS and CSS instead of Bootstrap. It also supports the CSS processing that helps to speed up the page load, boost the performance and make your system SEO compatible.
Migration from Magento 1.x to Magento 2.x is always a good decision to make as it gives better ROIs to businessmen. And just so that you know, Magento will support M1 only until November 2018. Thereafter, you will rarely get any updates from M1 in features or functionalities.
Magento 2.X is the next big thing for e-store owners and Magento Developers. If you want to make the most out of the enhancement this platform offers, now is the right time. Have any questions pertaining to the migration? Feel free to ask in the comment section below.
