Migrating from Magento to PrestaShop: What to Look Out For 

Magento is one of the most prominent players in the eCommerce field. However, the platform can be expensive and hard to use for those who don’t have technical knowledge. Fortunately, PrestaShop offers a great alternative. This open-source cart has numerous features, as well as a variety of themes and add-ons, making it easier for users to set up their stores quickly and customize their sites flexibly. Also, it is more cost-effective compared to Magento. Therefore, PrestaShop is an ideal choice for those just starting out or own small-to-medium businesses. As of now, there are 245,764 active websites running on the PrestaShop platform.

For those overwhelmed by Magento’s complexity and cost, PrestaShop may offer a better alternative. Migrating from Magento to PrestaShop manually is achievable but incredibly laborious for those with little technical experience. Unfortunately, it can also lead to data loss or conflicting information if incorrectly done. 

This guide will help you understand the potential challenges to migrate from Magento to PrestaShop successfully.

Go on, Read. 

Comprehending Magento to PrestaShop Migration Process

When it comes to why business owners decide to migrate from Magento to PrestaShop, it is about transitioning to a platform that is better suited without the common issues related to migrations, such as errors in data, defective features, or SEO-related difficulties.

• Cost: Lowered maintenance and hosting costs
• Scalability: PrestaShop’s use of Symfony and lightweight yet solid structure gives it a strong foundation for scalability. 
• The ecosystem: The community and the various integrations open up numerous possibilities for future upgrades. 
• The back office interface: It offers a level of user-friendliness that merchants appreciate.

Finding the perfect CMS for your store requires identifying your specific needs, budget, and goals for growth. Migrating to the new platform necessitates a detailed blueprint of what is to be imported, making sure to preserve all data and features. A successful transition can only be achieved by accurately outlining the beginning and end points of the process.

Avoiding Potential Pitfalls of Magento to PrestaShop Migration

Whether seeking a better eCommerce platform or expanding your business to new markets, the migration process can have potential pitfalls and challenges. However, fear not! With the proper guidance from a top Prestashop development company, you can avoid these potential obstacles and ensure a smooth transition from Magento to PrestaShop. 

• SEO

SEO is essential to your online store, contributing to its capacity to draw in customers. Unfortunately, when migrating from the Magento store to PrestaShop, the URLs will differ, leading to the possible weakening of your SEO. To avoid sacrificing SEO performance, you can employ either of the two solutions:

• PrestaShop custom development can be implemented to create URLs with the same architecture as Magento’s. This will help improve SEO, while the drawbacks should also be considered. Not only will it require extensive work, but it may also interfere with version updates and decrease the website’s performance. Because of these potential issues, it is not the most favored approach.
• Creating a permanent redirect plan (301) is the most efficient and cost-effective way to introduce new products. Although this process may be time-consuming, it will require the least maintenance once completed. There are a few different types of redirection to choose from:

Permanent redirection (301): This redirect indicates to search engines that the page has been relocated to a new URL.

Temporary redirection (302): This form of redirection is not definitive and is typically employed during maintenance procedures.

• Unnecessary features

Merchants often strive to rebuild all the features of their PrestaShop store. However, there may be components that are now superfluous due to their irrelevance or overlap with other features. Thus, migration is the optimal time to delete such components, as it will streamline the process. Further, it will allow you to: 

• Development costs can be reduced by cutting down the amount of time needed for development.
• A streamlined and optimized interface increases efficiency.
• The time needed for acceptance testing is determined by the features present.
• If migrating is taking too long, investing time in the specification and organizing features is a worthwhile option in the long run.

Defining the new site’s specifications is paramount to avoid numerous issues and unnecessary expenses.

• Migration of orders

Migrating orders is imperative for continued operations. Nevertheless, two potential issues arise when relocating orders: those with custom fields and orders from years ago. 

With the first problem, either the modification must be left behind and re-developed, or the more expensive option of carrying it over. 

In the second situation, if the order history consists of a large volume of data, it might be best to limit the transferred information to the past 3-4 years and keep the rest in the ERP or accounting system. Doing so will significantly enhance the performance of the back office.

Final Words

Ultimately, transitioning from Magento to PrestaShop is a wise decision for business owners. Its ease of use and abundance of additional functions can facilitate the growth of your enterprise.

For any migration projects, partnering with a Prestashop Development Company that is well-versed in both Prestashop and Magento is essential. Presta Web Developer offers excellent Prestashop support customized to your specific business needs. Our team provides the easiest data migration way. Contact us today for more information.

Your new and updated PrestaShop store is just a few clicks away.