Magento migration without carrying over legacy problems

Changing platforms is about more than moving products, customers and orders into a new database. You need to preserve what works, protect integrations and search visibility, while deciding which limitations of the old solution are not worth carrying forward.

We migrate Magento 1, custom-platform, WooCommerce and other stores to Magento 2. We design the new platform around the company’s actual processes and requirements for the years ahead instead of recreating the previous store feature by feature.

A free 30–60 minute call. We will learn about your current platform, data scope, integrations and migration constraints. We will outline the main risks and the areas that require further discovery.

Context

When changing platforms starts to make sense

The decision to migrate rarely stems from a single problem. Over time, the current platform begins to require more and more workarounds, integrations become harder to maintain and every non-standard feature ends in a compromise.

Magento makes particular sense when a company needs greater control over its code and architecture, extensive integrations, custom business logic or support for multiple markets and sales models.

In a project like this, the goal is not simply to launch Magento. It is to move an operating business to new technology without losing data, processes or sales continuity.

Decisions

We do not copy the legacy system 1:1

An old store usually contains layers of logic created under specific circumstances several years ago. Some still make business sense. Some solve a problem that no longer exists. Some manually perform work that Magento supports as standard.

That is why, during discovery, every important element of the existing solution is subject to one of four decisions:

Existing process

  • Keep

    The feature is needed and works well.

  • Rebuild

    The need is real, but the implementation can be simpler or better aligned with Magento.

  • Replace with Magento standard

    The feature exists natively or can be handled by a proven solution without creating another custom mechanism.

  • Remove

    The process no longer adds value, even though it still operates in the current system.

The last decision is often the most uncomfortable because it requires questioning features that once had a valid purpose. It is worth having this conversation before development begins, while assumptions can still be changed without the cost of rewriting a finished solution.

Attempting to recreate the legacy platform 1:1 usually ends with transferring its problems into the new system and paying the full price for doing so.

Safeguards

What we protect during migration

Data

The scope depends on the project. We can migrate products and variants, categories, customer accounts, addresses, orders and purchase history, prices, pricing rules, discounts, coupons, CMS content, media, B2B data and the configuration of languages, store views and markets.

Not all data is always worth migrating. Order history is a good example: it can be moved to Magento when customer service or reporting uses it, but with large volumes it may be more rational to leave older data in the legacy system as an archive.

The scope follows business needs, not a rule that everything must be migrated.

Integrations

A platform migration usually also changes how the store communicates with ERP, PIM, CRM, warehouse systems and dedicated solutions.

First, we establish which processes the current integration supports and which must be preserved. Only then do we decide whether the existing technical solution is worth reusing or whether the integration should be redesigned for Magento.

For each flow - products, prices, inventory, customers, orders and statuses - we define the direction and frequency of synchronisation, error handling and which system is the source of truth. In older implementations, that last decision is often undocumented, and its absence is precisely what causes data discrepancies.

We have experience integrating SAP, Comarch, Microsoft Dynamics and Enova, as well as dedicated client-side systems.

System integrations →

SEO

One of the greatest replatforming risks is losing organic visibility after changing URLs and site structure. The technical SEO migration should be part of the project, not a task left until the day before launch.

We prepare mappings from old URLs to new ones, 301 redirects, canonicals, sitemaps and other indexation-related elements. Where it makes sense, we preserve the existing URL structure. We can also implement recommendations prepared by your SEO team or agency.

It would not be honest to guarantee that rankings will never fluctuate after a major platform change. What we can do is prepare the migration properly and reduce the risk caused by technical errors.

Sales continuity

We migrate data before the final launch so that its completeness and correctness can be verified before the new platform begins processing orders.

We prepare go-live as a controlled switchover: we define when changes in the old system will be frozen, perform the final incremental data load and tests, switch the domain, verify integrations under production conditions and monitor the first orders.

The rollback scenario is prepared in advance, not during the cutover.

The old system is usually not switched off immediately. It can remain available for a period as an archive of historical data or as a fallback solution.

Migration, validation and data clean-up

~500,000

products

Migrating a large catalogue also means working on data quality

In large migrations, importing records is only part of the task.

In one of the migration processes we delivered, the scope included approximately 500,000 products. Before and during migration, the data required validation, cleaning and completion of missing information.

The work included:

  • detecting missing data,
  • validating data before import,
  • cleaning and normalising values,
  • completing missing information,
  • correcting incorrectly assigned or inconsistent attributes,
  • checking data after migration.

At this scale, it is not enough to ask whether the products were imported. You also need to verify that the migrated data is complete, consistent and can be safely used by Magento, search, integrations and store customers.

UX/UI

Migration may include a redesign, but it does not have to

A technology change is a good opportunity to redesign the UX/UI, but not every project needs it.

If the current interface works well, we can retain its direction and focus the project on technology, architecture and integrations. This reduces the number of variables in the project and makes it easier to assess the impact of the technology change itself.

If the old store also requires changes to the user experience, we can carry out a complete UX/UI process and design a new interface.

These are two independent decisions. Migrating to Magento should not automatically mean a redesign simply because a new platform is being built.

Option 01

Migration without redesign

A technology change that retains the current interface direction.

Option 02

Migration + redesign

New technology and a new UX/UI.

Process

How migration with Velocity works

  1. 01

    Discovery

    A review of the current platform: features, processes, data and integrations. Defining the requirements for the new solution.

  2. 02

    Solution design

    Deciding what to keep, rebuild, replace with Magento standard functionality or remove. Functional and technical documentation and the target architecture.

  3. 03

    Magento + Hyvä development

    Building the platform, custom functionality and integrations. UX/UI, when it is part of the project.

  4. 04

    Data migration and verification

    Migrating data before launch and checking its completeness and correctness in a working environment.

  5. 05

    Cutover

    Final incremental data load, testing, switchover and verification of key processes.

  6. 06

    Stabilisation

    Monitoring orders, integrations and performance after launch.

Individual areas can be delivered in parallel. We do not treat this process as a rigid waterfall.

Risk

Four risks that must be controlled before migration

SEO

We plan URL mapping, redirects and indexation control before launch, not after rankings decline.

Data

We perform the migration before cutover and verify data completeness on the new platform. The fact that records were imported does not mean that they are correctly connected.

Custom logic

We identify the processes that genuinely need to be recreated. Underestimating this area can increase scope and costs while development is already underway.

Recreating legacy 1:1

The new platform should not inherit the limitations of the old system. Every important element is subject to a conscious decision: keep, rebuild, replace with standard functionality or remove.

Technology

Why Magento

Magento is not the right choice for every store.

Its advantage appears when e-commerce requires control over technology, custom processes, multiple integrations or sales across several markets.

For new projects, we most often work with Magento Open Source and Hyvä. We recommend Adobe Commerce when specific requirements justify its additional features and licence cost.

We do not start with the licence - we start with the requirements.

Fit

When this is not the right service

You only want a technical replica of the current system

We add the most value in projects where migration also creates an opportunity to review existing processes. If questioning the current solution is entirely off the table, we are probably not the right delivery partner.

Questions

FAQ

VLCT

Yes. This is not a standard version upgrade - the architecture of the two versions is fundamentally different, so M1 → M2 means implementing a new platform with a planned data migration and rebuilding or redesigning features and integrations.

VLCT

Yes. Products, customers and orders can usually be migrated in a predictable way. Features based on plugins and custom logic require more analysis - we need to decide which should be rebuilt in Magento and which can be replaced with standard platform functionality.

VLCT

No, and that is usually not a good idea. Some features can be replaced with Magento standard functionality, some rebuilt and some removed if they no longer add value. Every significant element is subject to a conscious decision during discovery.

VLCT

No. The decision depends on how the data is actually used: customer service, complaints, reporting or other business processes. Some companies migrate the full history, while others leave older data in a legacy system available as an archive.

VLCT

We begin by establishing what the current integration actually does and which processes must be preserved. We then assess whether it is worth recreating the existing solution or designing it again for Magento. For every flow, we define the direction and frequency of synchronisation, error handling and the source of truth.

VLCT

Every major platform change carries risk, but it can be reduced. Correct URL mapping, 301 redirects, indexation control and preparing the technical SEO migration before launch - rather than after rankings decline - are essential.

VLCT

No. We can retain the current UX/UI direction or carry out a complete redesign. These are two independent decisions.

VLCT

It can be switched off or retained for a period as an archive of historical data or as a fallback solution. We agree on the approach while planning the cutover.