Pantherella

Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration with multiple instances and storefronts.

Client Link

pantherella.com

Services Used

BACKGROUND.

A Magento 2 site for the world's finest sock manufacturer. Established in 1937, Pantherella are manufacturers of the finest socks in the world, made in the heart of England at Pantherella's Leicestershire factory.

Pantherella’s socks can be found in many prestigious retailers including Harrods and Selfridges, plus on their new Magento 2 online store.

BRIEF.

Our objective was to improve the customer journey and functionality of the Magento 1 site, including bespoke modifications to third party modules. The M2 migration involved the transfer of two M1 instances (with 3 storefronts) into a single Magento 2 instance, with three corresponding storefronts.

HOW WE HELPED.

The first step was the creation of a contemporary design that reflected the direction of the evolving business and maintained the brand’s integral historical elements.

Implementing the design in conjunction with the required modules and integrations used by Pantherella’s internal teams was not without complication, as there were multiple conflicts between modules which we had to resolve.

Key Features Include:

Modules

ShipTheory module is at the core of Pantherella’s business-as-usual operations. We found issues with the data connection with M2, causing inconsistent order data. The site selector module (which helps users find the correct site, currency and relevant shipping rates) needed custom modification to reflect the client's desired function and layout. Each of the three storefronts required custom tax and pricing structures. A monogram module allows socks to be treated as customised products, enabling customers to personalise gifts and is a unique selling point.

Gift Card Check Status

This tool has been implemented to the basket and checkout for customers to be aware of how much is left to spend on their card. This is a very user-friendly feature to improve customer awareness of their spending capacity.

Data Migration

This was a particular challenge for this project. Tools already exist for migrating one instance of M1 to a single instance of M2 (delta migration mode), but these tools override data if run on a second instance. We had to work out a way to migrate and integrate a second instance with two storefronts and their associated orders, categories, attributes, customer, and product data. This took two weeks to process, running multiple scripts overnight. We also had to contend with the change of data format between M1 and M2.

Reports

Pantherella extensively uses the reporting features of core Magento as well as bespoke processes and modules. The team have become accustomed to the M1 reports and wanted to replicate these on M2.

Internal audiences are often overlooked as a crucial stakeholder in site builds. We provided training for the team to identify some changes between M1 and M2, some differences were picked up by the client along the way. The customer support teams were able to test the developer site for a smoother transition to the new M2 platform.

SUMMARY

Pantherella were looking for an update in visual experience as well as expanding their market. The new site has achieved the desired improvement in both aesthetics, user journey and functionality for the next chapter of the brand. Now Pantherella has UK, EU, US and ROTW storefronts catering to the needs of their international customers - all managed in one site with the help of modules such as ShipEasy and ShipTheory.