Magento is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms. It powers more than 2 million online stores globally, and it’s no surprise why. Magento has been designed from the ground up to be an extensible platform for merchants of all sizes. With extensions and themes provided by third-party vendors at every turn, it’s almost as easy to integrate Magento with your existing e-commerce software as it is to set up a brand new store from scratch. This flexibility means that Shopify merchants can also easily move their business to the Magento e-commerce platform. There are many businesses that sell primarily via Shopify but would benefit from the extra flexibility, marketing reach and inventory management that we see in a more structured e-commerce solution, like Magento. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide if now is the right time to make the switch.
Know Before You Go
Before you make a full-scale commitment to Magento, you may want to take a step back and do a bit of research about the platform. You may find it has some advantages over your current environment that you hadn’t noticed before. This research can be as simple as reading a couple of articles on the platform and finding out what other merchants say about it. Another important thing to keep in mind is that transitioning too quickly may be a big mistake. You don’t want to rush into the change because you are in a rush or because someone told you it had to happen right away. You should take your time and make sure that the platform is right for your business and your consumers.
What to Expect When Moving From Shopify To Magento
When you decide to move your e-commerce store to Magento, you’ll want to be prepared for some significant changes. You’ll have to change the way you handle inventory and marketing, and you’ll have to learn a new platform and new software. After you make the move, you’ll continue to get some benefits from Shopify, like the Shopify app and the existing customer base. That means you don’t have to spend time and resources marketing to people who are already customers.
Proper Planning Is Key
When it comes to migrating your e-commerce business to a new platform, you’ll want to make sure you plan properly. That means taking a step back and thinking about what you’re trying to achieve. Will you be looking to increase sales or reduce costs? Are you looking to increase your marketing budget, or would you rather focus on lowering costs? These are all important considerations. You’ll also want to think about your business style. Some businesses work best with a hybrid model that includes both an inventory-based and a service-oriented model.
Get Familiar With Magento Before You Jump In
As with any significant change, you’ll want to get familiar with the platform during the process of moving from Shopify to Magento. That way, you can quickly pick up any new skills you’ll need to get your business up and running. You can also use this time to learn about the best practices for expanding your business with Magento. Some merchants find that expanding their business with Amazon and/or Google Ads is a great way to add more revenue to their Magento-powered store.
Don’t Move Too Quickly Or Too Slowly
If you’re considering a quick migration from Shopify to Magento, you’re probably doing it because a Shopify competitor has made the switch or because you’ve already started to make the transition. While that is a great start, you also need to consider that Magento is a very different platform from its predecessor. That means that it requires learning a new platform and software. That’s an important consideration, because it can take anywhere from two to six months for merchants to feel comfortable with a new platform. If you’re going to make a significant change like this, you want to make sure that you’re prepared.
Undo or Repeat?
It’s a big decision whether to move to Magento or to stay with Shopify. You’ll have to make the decision based on your current business model, your needs and the cost of migration. In the end, you’ll have to decide between moving forward with Magento or repeating the same cycle of trial and error with another e-commerce platform. There is no right or wrong decision here. You just have to make sure you’re ready for the change and that it will bring you the results you’re looking for.
Wrapping Up
E-commerce platforms are nothing new. That means that Magento isn’t the only platform that you can use to power your online store. There are plenty of alternatives out there with different features and price points. When deciding whether to make the switch to Magento, you should keep in mind that the platform is known for its ability to scale. That means that Magento can easily handle the demand of a large number of stores. It’s also important to remember that migrating from one e-commerce platform to another is a significant change that requires careful planning and a lot of research. You can make this change more easily and quickly if you’re prepared.
