A Century of Success: Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace and Magento Migration

Successful Migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2

Increased visitor traffic through mobile devices

Meet the Client

Ingebretsen’s is a historic Scandinavian store in Minneapolis. For over a century, Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace has been a cornerstone in the Scandinavian immigrant community of Minneapolis. Established in 1921 as the Model Meat Market, the business has flourished into a multi-faceted destination encompassing four brick-and-mortar shops and integrating three erstwhile enterprises within the same block. This expansion has transformed Ingebretsen’s into a vibrant Nordic marketplace, attracting Scandinavians and enthusiasts from across Minnesota and beyond, making it a cultural and commercial hub for Scandinavian heritage and commerce. Ingebretsen’s eventually also launched their online store that was revolutionizing the shopping experience.

Challenges

Ingebretsen’s needed a Magento 1 to 2 migration due to the end of support for Magento 1. The end of support for Magento 1 platform made it necessary for compelling businesses like Ingebretsen’s to migrate to Magento 2. This transition was necessary to avoid security vulnerabilities, loss of functionality, and compatibility issues that would arise from using an unsupported platform.

High costs associated with Magento licenses and customizations:

Financial Constraints: Magento 2, especially its enterprise editions, involves significant licensing fees and may require extensive customizations to meet specialized business needs. Given Ingebretsen’s adherence to a strict budget, these expenses posed a considerable challenge, necessitating careful financial planning and prioritization to avoid overextending their available resources.
Customization Concerns: While Magento 2 is highly customizable, the complexity and cost of custom features can escalate quickly, potentially leading to higher long-term maintenance costs and dependency on specialized development skills.
Impact of global pandemic and local unrest affecting physical store operations:
Operational Disruption: The COVID-19 pandemic and local unrest following significant social events dramatically impacted Ingebretsen’s physical store operations. With lockdowns in place and safety concerns due to nearby unrest, the brick-and-mortar store faced unprecedented disruptions.
Adaptation Necessity: These challenges necessitated a swift pivot to more robust online and curbside sales strategies to maintain business continuity and ensure the safety of both customers and staff.

Client Requirements

Cost-Effective Migration: Ingebretsen’s required a budget-friendly Magento 1 to 2 migration, emphasizing cost control while ensuring a smooth migration process.
Minimal Customizations: The upgrade needed to involve minimal customizations to maintain ease of use and system stability, reducing potential complications and future maintenance costs.
Enhanced Mobile Experience: To increase online sales, Ingebretsen’s sought to improve the mobile shopping experience, focusing on usability and responsiveness to cater to a growing number of mobile users.

Solutions

With their decision made to stay on the Magento platform, the Ingebretsen’s team set out to find the right agency for this job. Hiring a local developer was one of their main priorities.

Partnership with Wagento: Acknowledging budget constraints, Wagento and Ingebretsen’s focused on minimizing customizations and managing costs. This approach was crucial in adapting a Magento solution that was financially viable while still achieving the necessary eCommerce capabilities.
Strategic Migration Planning: Acknowledging budget constraints, Wagento and Ingebretsen’s focused on minimizing customizations and managing costs. This approach was crucial in adapting a Magento solution that was financially viable while still achieving the necessary eCommerce capabilities.
Transparency and Trust: Our dedicated Head of Development, Joe Shelton, maintained open communication about expenses, advising against unnecessary customizations and expenditure. This transparency helped build trust and ensured that all actions were in line with Ingebretsen’s financial goals.
Utilization of Magento Expertise: Wagento’s deep understanding of Magento allowed for optimal integration of the new system, ensuring that it functioned well within the established budget and operational needs.
Project Management Excellence: Paul Fraser, the project manager, was pivotal in maintaining frequent communication, using tools like Wagento’s Jira ticket system to manage tasks and updates effectively. His role was critical in navigating the migration process, ensuring that all project aspects were covered and potential issues were addressed promptly.

Results

Successful Migration
Wagento helped Ingebretsen’s with Magento 1 to 2 migration right before the 2020 holiday season, during a very tough year with the pandemic and local protests causing damage to their store. They quickly moved to selling online and offering curbside pickup.
Boost in Online and Mobile Sales:
The Magento 2 platform significantly enhanced the mobile shopping experience, leading to increased mobile transactions and positive feedback on the website’s design and usability.
Continued Evolution:
Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2021, Ingebretsen’s not only marked a century of operation but also embraced ongoing improvements, ensuring its legacy and relevance in a digital-first retail environment.

Final Thoughts

Ingebretsen’s, leveraging a century of community trust and tradition, successfully navigated the challenges of modern eCommerce with a strategic Magento 1 to 2 migration. This case study exemplifies how businesses can thrive by blending traditional values with modern technology solutions, ensuring resilience and continuity even in turbulent times. For businesses considering a similar migration, the Ingebretsen’s case demonstrates the importance of strategic planning, local expertise, and a focus on core functionalities to optimize performance and costs.

If your website is in need of an upgrade, redesign, Magento migration, or platform migration, Wagento can help! Certified Magento developers and experts will work with you to create a customized plan for improving your site, maintaining its performance, applying security patches, and much more. Just reach out to us and we can get started!

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