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

Seamlessly Migrate Your E-commerce Store: CoreCommerce to Volusion

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration can feel like a monumental task, but with the right guidance, it's an opportunity to revitalize your online presence. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of transitioning your existing store from CoreCommerce to Volusion, ensuring a smooth and efficient data transfer. Volusion offers a robust, feature-rich environment, and moving your store there can unlock new growth potential, enhance scalability, and improve the overall user experience for your customers.

A successful replatforming project prioritizes data integrity, minimizes downtime, and preserves crucial SEO rankings and link equity. We'll cover everything from essential prerequisites to the step-by-step migration process, culminating in critical post-migration checks to ensure your new Volusion store is fully operational and optimized.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, thorough preparation is key to a smooth transition. Taking these preparatory steps will safeguard your valuable e-commerce assets and streamline the migration process.

• Comprehensive Data Backup: Always create a full backup of your CoreCommerce store's data, including products, customer information, orders, and any custom content. This is your safety net in case of any unforeseen issues.
• Prepare Your CoreCommerce Source Store: You'll need administrative access to your CoreCommerce store. For connection, a bridge file will need to be installed on your CoreCommerce server. This typically involves FTP access to the root folder of your CoreCommerce installation. The Cart2Cart CoreCommerce Migration module is required for this connection. For detailed information on preparing your source store, consult our FAQ on preparing your Source store.
• Set Up Your Volusion Target Store: Create a new Volusion account and set up a basic store. Ensure you have full administrator access. Similar to CoreCommerce, the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module will be required for connecting to your new store. Familiarize yourself with how to prepare your Target store for migration to avoid common pitfalls.
• Review and Clean Your Data: This is an opportune moment to audit your existing CoreCommerce data. Remove outdated products, customer accounts, or irrelevant content. Clean, organized data leads to a more efficient and accurate migration.
• Gather Access Credentials: Have all necessary login details (admin URLs, usernames, passwords, FTP credentials if applicable) for both your CoreCommerce and Volusion stores readily available. For more details on secure credential handling, refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart. Rest assured, the security of your data is paramount; read about how we ensure the safety of your access details.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

The migration process typically involves a guided wizard that makes the complex task of data transfer manageable. Follow these steps to move your store from CoreCommerce to Volusion:

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This initial step allows you to choose your migration path and prepare for the journey ahead.

Step 2: Configure Your CoreCommerce Source Store

Select 'CoreCommerce' as your Source Cart from the dropdown menu. You will then be prompted to provide the URL of your CoreCommerce store. As CoreCommerce connects via a bridge, you'll need to download and install the Cart2Cart CoreCommerce Migration module (the bridge file) to the root folder of your CoreCommerce installation via FTP. This bridge acts as a secure conduit for data transfer. Once installed, confirm the bridge URL to establish the connection.

Step 3: Set Up Your Volusion Target Store

Next, choose 'Volusion' as your Target Cart. Input the URL of your new Volusion store. Similar to the source store, you will download and install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module (bridge file) to your Volusion store's root directory. After installation, verify the bridge URL to ensure a successful connection to your new Volusion platform.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly what data you wish to move. You can select all entities or pick and choose specific items based on your needs. For a comprehensive store transfer, consider migrating:

• Products (including SKUs, variants, descriptions, images)
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customers (including customer data)
• Orders (with historical order data)
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Stores (if applicable)
• Coupons
• CMS Pages

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options & Data Mapping

Tailor your migration with a range of additional options and ensure data consistency through mapping.

Additional Options

These settings allow you to refine how data is transferred and can significantly impact the outcome of your migration. Commonly selected options include:

• Migrate Images in Description: Essential for preserving product descriptions with embedded images on Volusion.
• Clear Target Store Data: If your Volusion store has demo content, this option (Clear current data on Target store before migration option) ensures a fresh start before the migration begins.
• Preserve IDs: Options like Preserve Product IDs, Order IDs, and Customer IDs are vital for maintaining internal references and historical data integrity.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Migrate your existing SEO URLs and set up 301 redirects to preserve your search engine rankings and link equity. This is critical for preventing broken links and maintaining organic traffic.
• Password Migration: Allows your customers to log in to the new Volusion store with their existing CoreCommerce credentials.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Important for products with multiple options (e.g., size, color) to be correctly structured as variants on Volusion.
• Migrate Invoices: Ensures historical financial records are transferred.
• Skip Custom Attributes: An option if you do not wish to migrate specific custom fields.

Data Mapping

This step involves matching corresponding fields between your CoreCommerce and Volusion stores. You will map entities like customer groups and order statuses to ensure they are accurately represented in your new store. This process guarantees that customer roles and order states, for example, are correctly transferred, maintaining data consistency.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration and Initiate Full Migration

Before committing to the full transfer, run a free demo migration. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Volusion store. Use this opportunity to thoroughly review the migrated data, test functionalities, and identify any potential issues or adjustments needed. Once satisfied with the demo, you can proceed with the full data migration.

During the full migration setup, you will review the total cost and have the option to add a Migration Insurance Plan. This plan provides a set number of remigrations within a specified period, offering peace of mind. For a better understanding, learn how Migration Insurance works.

Post-Migration Steps: Securing Your New Volusion Store

The migration isn't truly complete until you've performed critical post-migration checks and configurations. These steps are essential for ensuring your new Volusion store is fully functional, optimized for SEO, and ready for your customers.

• Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously inspect all migrated data. Check a sample of products (SKUs, pricing, descriptions, images, variants), categories, customer accounts, order histories, and CMS pages. Ensure everything is accurately transferred and displayed correctly.
• Test Store Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of your new Volusion store. Verify the entire customer journey, including product browsing, adding items to the cart, the checkout process, payment gateways, shipping calculations, and user account functionalities. Ensure your search function works as expected.
• Configure SEO and Redirects: If you opted for 301 redirects during migration, verify that they are functioning correctly to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity. Update your sitemap and submit it to search engines. Monitor your Google Search Console for any crawl errors or indexing issues.
• Update DNS Settings: Once you're confident in your new Volusion store, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your Volusion storefront. This step officially switches your live store to the new platform. Plan this during a low-traffic period to minimize potential downtime.
• Install Necessary Apps and Plugins: Reinstall or find equivalent apps and plugins from the Volusion App Store that were essential for your CoreCommerce operations (e.g., marketing tools, analytics, customer service integrations).
• Update Integrations: Reconnect any third-party integrations such as ERP systems, accounting software, email marketing platforms, and CRM systems.
• Inform Your Customers: Consider sending out a notification to your customers about your new and improved store experience.
• Consider Recent Data Migration: If new orders or customer registrations occurred on CoreCommerce during or shortly after the main migration, consider a Recent Data Migration Service to bring over this latest data.

By diligently following these steps, you can confidently move your e-commerce business from CoreCommerce to Volusion, setting the stage for future growth and success. If you encounter any challenges or prefer expert assistance, don't hesitate to contact us for specialized migration services.