Most likely if you are using Miva Merchant and your store is more than a couple years old you are probably using some version of Miva 4 along with OpenUI. While currently this solution might be working just fine for you and your business, there has never been a better time to upgrade to the new, more robust Miva 5. Miva 5 is a much more feature rich platform and allows you to fully customize your store right out of the box. Also with the looming release of Miva 5.5 just around the corner, you don’t want to miss out on the latest and greatest features Miva has to offer.

The biggest turn off to upgrading to Miva 5 is that is requires you to completely re-do your site. You cannot just upgrade a few files and be ready to go. There is a HUGE difference between Miva 4 and Miva 5 and in order to upgrade you need a Miva web developer to come in and transfer your current site to the Miva 5 platform. This also means that you will have to buy all new modules for your new store, which is another added cost. However don’t be deterred by these small one time costs. I think you’ll see the benefits of upgrading to Miva 5 greatly outweigh these negative factors.

I have created a list of 4 convincing reasons why now (the next 3 to 6 months) is the time to start thinking about upgrading to Miva 5.

Miva 4 is Old no Longer Supported – Lets face it – Miva 4 has been around since 2001. While it was a great shopping cart platform, it is old, outdated, and no longer supported through Miva Merchant (the uncompiled version). Software is not meant to stay around forever. It is constantly being updated, and being improved as technology improves around it.  While you can still get help with Miva 4 in the Miva Forums and from your host, as time goes on people will start to move away from Miva 4 and upgrade to the newer Miva 5.

Also, most module developers have stopped making modules for Miva 4 to focus solely on Miva 5. Some have even stopped supporting old Miva 4 modules as well. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you need the functionality that a certain new module offers, but they only make for Miva 5.

Flexibility – By far the biggest deterrent to upgrading is the cost. It is going to cost you at least a couple thousand dollars or more to buy new modules, and hire a developer to upgrade your store. So it is worth it?

Absolutely. With Miva 5's new Store Morph Technology (SMT) you get complete control over the look and feel of your store. This allows you to fully customize every aspect of your store without the need for additional modules such as OpenUI. When you upgrade to Miva 5, this added functionality will allow you to optimize your stores user interface to increase conversion rates. I have seen previous Miva 5 upgrades where the store owner also chose to incorporate a better design and easier navigation. Overnight the stores conversion rates doubled. It is amazing what a better user interface will do for sales. The increased conversion rate was caused because products were easier to find and buy, and because of the nice new design, customer confidence levels went up. What would your profits look like if your conversion rate doubled?

Miva 5.5 is Coming! – If you haven’t already heard, Miva 5.5 is due to be released in March of 2008. It has a ton of new features and even includes much better built in SEO capabilities. Sounds good doesn’t it? Well, if you are still using Miva 4, you won’t get to use any of these new added features. Why? Because Miva 5.5 is only for current Miva 5 users. And the best part about it – it is free. Once it is released your Miva 5 store will automatically upgrade itself.

From what I have seen you are going to want to be using Miva 5.5 when it comes out. You can see a more detailed feature list here.

Solid Foundation for Future Growth – Miva 5 provides a solid platform for your stores future growth for years to come. In the fast changing world of e-commerce, you always want to be planning ahead. Having a solid foundation to build upon is key. Miva 5 provides that foundation for your e-commerce business. If you are still using Miva 4 you have probably maxed out on what your store can do. No new modules are being developed for Miva 4, and your growth is limited. That is never a good thing in this fast changing marketplace.

No matter what, there will eventually come a time when you have to upgrade. It might be 6 months from now, or it might be a few years from now. Miva is rapidly growing, and you don’t want to be left behind. With the release of Miva 5.5 right around the corner, there has never been a better time to consider upgrading to the new Miva 5 platform.

Looking for a developer to help you upgrade your store? Contact me today!

About the Author: Brennan Heyde is an e-commerce consultant working in San Diego, Ca. He specializes in online marketing and SEO for e-commerce.  Have a struggling e-commerce website? – Contact Brennan today for a site analysis.