BigCommerce to Volusion Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Migrate Your E-commerce Store from BigCommerce to Volusion

Replatforming your e-commerce store is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your business's future. If you're considering a transition from BigCommerce to Volusion, this comprehensive guide will walk you through every essential step to ensure a smooth and successful data transfer. Volusion offers a robust platform tailored for online retail, and migrating your valuable store data requires careful planning and execution to maintain data integrity, preserve SEO rankings, and ensure a continuous, positive user experience.

This guide is designed for merchants who want to understand the process, from initial preparation to post-migration verification. We'll cover the prerequisites, the step-by-step migration process, and crucial post-migration tasks.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating your BigCommerce to Volusion transition, thorough preparation is key. Addressing these points upfront will help minimize potential issues and ensure a more efficient migration process.

• Backup Your BigCommerce Store: Always create a full backup of your BigCommerce store's database and files. While the migration process is designed to be secure, having a backup provides an essential safety net for your valuable customer data, product details, and order history.
• Set Up Your Volusion Store: Ensure your new Volusion store is fully installed and accessible. You don't need to populate it with products, but the basic setup must be complete. For more details, refer to our guide on how to prepare your target store for migration.
• BigCommerce API Credentials: BigCommerce utilizes an API for data extraction. You will need to generate specific API credentials: a Client ID, Access Token, and API Path. This often involves custom app development within BigCommerce to ensure the required scopes are granted for data access. Be aware of API rate limits, which can affect the speed of data extraction, and ensure your store uses HTTPS. For detailed instructions on obtaining these, consult The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials.
• Volusion Bridge Installation: Volusion migrations typically require a 'bridge' file to facilitate the connection. This involves installing the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module and uploading a connection bridge file to your Volusion store's root folder, often requiring FTP access.
• Review Supported Entities: Understand which data entities can be transferred. Both platforms support core entities like Products, Product Categories, Customers, and Orders. Volusion also supports Reviews and Invoices, while BigCommerce includes Blogs and Coupons.
• Consider Downtime: Plan your migration during off-peak hours to minimize potential disruption to your customers. While storefronts generally remain operational during data transfer, making significant changes is best done during low-traffic periods.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

The migration process from BigCommerce to Volusion typically involves a structured wizard. Follow these steps to guide your store's data transfer.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This initial screen will prompt you to select your migration type and prepare for the upcoming steps. Here you'll find options to start your DIY migration.

Step 2: Connect Your Source Cart (BigCommerce)

The next step is to establish a connection with your existing BigCommerce store. Select BigCommerce as your Source Cart from the dropdown menu.

• Provide your BigCommerce Store URL: Enter the full URL of your BigCommerce store.
• Enter API Credentials: Input the Client ID (Username), Access Token (API Token), and API Path. Remember, BigCommerce requires HTTPS and a custom app with specific API scopes for connection. Be mindful of API rate limits during data extraction.

For more insights on preparing your source store, you can refer to our guide: How to prepare Source store for migration?

Step 3: Connect Your Target Cart (Volusion)

Now, you'll configure the connection to your new Volusion store. Select Volusion as your Target Cart.

• Provide your Volusion Store URL: Enter the full URL of your Volusion store.
• Install the Migration Module and Bridge: As Volusion uses a bridge connection method, ensure the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module is installed and the connection bridge file is uploaded to your Volusion store’s root directory. The migration wizard will typically guide you through this process or verify its presence.

Our guide on preparing your target store offers further advice.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly which types of data you wish to migrate from BigCommerce to Volusion. You can choose to migrate all entities or select them individually based on your needs.

• Common Entities: Products, Product Categories, Customers, Orders, Product Reviews (if applicable from BigCommerce to Volusion), CMS Pages, Coupons, and Manufacturers.
• Consider specific data: Volusion supports Invoices and Taxes, which can be transferred.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your migration with a range of additional options designed to provide greater control over the data transfer process. These options help preserve data integrity and SEO.

• Preserve IDs: Options like "Preserve Product IDs," "Preserve Category IDs," "Preserve Orders IDs," and "Preserve Customers IDs" can be selected to maintain the original identifiers from BigCommerce to Volusion. Learn more about how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• Clear Target Store Data: The "Clear Target" option allows you to remove any existing data in your Volusion store before the migration begins, ensuring a clean slate. Read about the Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Migrate your existing SEO URLs and create 301 SEO URLs to preserve your search engine rankings and link equity. This is critical for maintaining your online visibility. Note that Volusion has limitations for SEO options related to blogs.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
• Password Migration: For customer convenience, you may choose to migrate customer passwords.
• Create Variants from Attributes: If your BigCommerce products use attributes that translate into product variants, this option helps recreate them correctly in Volusion.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

Data mapping ensures that specific fields from your BigCommerce store correspond correctly to their counterparts in Volusion. This is particularly important for customer groups and order statuses.

• Customer Groups Mapping: Match BigCommerce customer groups (e.g., 'Wholesale,' 'Retail') to appropriate Volusion customer types.
• Order Status Mapping: Align BigCommerce order statuses (e.g., 'Pending,' 'Shipped') with the corresponding statuses in Volusion.

Proper mapping is vital for maintaining logical consistency in your new store.

Step 7: Perform Demo Migration (Optional but Recommended)

Before committing to a full data transfer, consider running a free demo migration. This allows you to migrate a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your Volusion store. It's an invaluable step for:

• Testing the connection between BigCommerce and Volusion.
• Verifying how data, such as product SKUs, variants, and customer data, appears in your new store.
• Identifying and resolving any potential issues or mapping discrepancies before the full migration.

Step 8: Initiate Full Data Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results and have reviewed all your selections, proceed with the full data migration. This step will transfer all chosen entities from your BigCommerce store to Volusion.

• Review & Confirm: Double-check the list of selected entities, additional options, and the total cost.
• Migration Insurance: Consider adding a Migration Insurance Service. This offers the flexibility to perform remigrations within a certain period, which can be useful if you discover minor issues or need to transfer recently updated data. Understand how Migration Insurance works.

Post-Migration Steps

Completing the data transfer is a significant achievement, but the process isn't over. Post-migration tasks are crucial for ensuring your new Volusion store is fully functional, optimized, and ready for customers.

• Verify Data Integrity: Conduct a thorough audit of your new Volusion store. Check a sample of products (including SKUs and variants), customer accounts, orders, images, and reviews to ensure all data has been accurately transferred and appears as expected.
• Configure SEO & Redirects: If you opted for 301 redirects during migration, verify they are working correctly. Update any internal links within your store content and submit your new Volusion sitemap to search engines (Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools). Remember Volusion's limitations regarding blog SEO options. This helps preserve your SEO rankings and link equity.
• Test Store Functionality: Go through the entire customer journey. Test product browsing, adding items to the cart, the checkout process, various payment gateways, contact forms, and customer account login. Ensure all features work flawlessly.
• Update DNS Settings: Once you are confident in your new Volusion store, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new Volusion platform. This will make your Volusion store live to the public.
• Communicate with Customers: Inform your customers about the replatforming. Provide them with details on how to access their new accounts (if passwords were migrated) or if they need to reset them.
• Consider Recent Data Migration: If your BigCommerce store remained active for a period after the initial migration, you might have new orders or customer registrations. A Recent Data Migration Service can transfer these incremental changes, ensuring no new data is lost. Learn more about choosing entities for Recent Data Migration.

Migrating from BigCommerce to Volusion is a complex but manageable task. By following this detailed guide and utilizing the available tools and support, you can achieve a successful transition, setting your business up for continued growth on your new platform.