The eCommerce marketplace is continually changing as consumers demand more during their shopping experience. Today’s customers want sleeker, faster responsive sites which require more advanced eCommerce platforms. As a result of changes in the marketplace, Magento recently announced the upcoming termination of their Magento Go technology, effective January 2015. As Mark Lavelle, SVP, Product and Strategy, eBay Enterprise, stated in his notice to Magento Go merchants, “Going forward, we’re focusing our resources on Magento Enterprise Edition and Magento Community Edition, two solutions that better support and better equip small and medium size merchants to prosper in the evolving and increasingly competitive eCommerce landscape.“
Magento announced its decision seven months prior to terminating the products so that merchants would have ample time to prepare for the change so as to not disrupt the busy holiday season. Magento has set up a resources page for Magento Go merchants (log in required) to help them evaluate their eCommerce platform options.
Migrating your site to Magento Community or Enterprise enables you to take advantage of all that Magento has to offer. Recently named as one of the top three providers (2014 IR Top 500 Guide) to the Top 500 internet retailers in US and Canada, Magento’s growth is tied to its ability to scale its products to meet the needs of SMBs to enterprise organizations. The move to Magento Community or Enterprise opens the door to a world of possibilities for your eCommerce site because of the vast array of modules, support levels and customization offered.
Magento Community Edition 1.9 was released at this year’s Magento Imagine Conference. Choosing to migrate your store to the Community platform offers access to features that are limited in Magento Go, such as custom themes, extensions, and support from partners and certified Magento developers. The “free” download price is a plus as well.
While switching to Community may seem like the easy choice for former Go merchants, however, moving to the more robust Enterprise Edition could be the right decision for your company. We have discussed before the benefits of upgrading to Enterprise, check out our blog, 8 Reasons to Switch from Magento Community to Enterprise, but if you needed more incentive, the newest edition, Enterprise 1.14, now features a responsive design theme and more robust financing options through extended PayPal integration.
A migration of any sort can be daunting, but the process is especially stressful with a shutdown date looming. So, how do you choose between the remaining platforms, Community or Enterprise? You can start downloading our Magento Platform Checklist, or by contacting one of our Certified Magento Developers to help you develop your migration plan.
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