Etsy to Square Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Migrating from Etsy to Square: Your Comprehensive Guide to a Seamless Transition

As your e-commerce business grows, you might find yourself needing a platform that offers more control, scalability, and robust features than your current setup. Many successful Etsy sellers reach a point where they consider replatforming to a more versatile solution like Square. Making the move from Etsy to Square can unlock new opportunities for branding, inventory management, and a unified point-of-sale (POS) and online presence.

This detailed guide will walk you through the entire process of transitioning your valuable store data—including products, customer information, orders, and more—from Etsy to Square using an efficient migration service. We'll ensure you understand each step, from initial setup to post-migration checks, making your switch as smooth as possible.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, it's crucial to prepare both your existing Etsy store and your new Square store. Proper preparation minimizes potential issues and ensures a more efficient migration process.

• For Your Etsy Source Store:
  Your Etsy store will require specific preparation to allow for data extraction. This typically involves setting up an Etsy Developer App and obtaining the necessary API credentials (such as API Key, API Secret, and Access Token). This is vital because Etsy's connection method is "API only" and requires "Custom app development needed" for data access. You will also need the Cart2Cart Etsy Migration App required to facilitate this connection. Ensure your Etsy store uses HTTPS, as this is a requirement for API access. For more details on preparing your source store, refer to our How to prepare Source store for migration? guide.
• For Your Square Target Store:
  You will need a live and accessible Square store. While no specific Square data is provided in our platform table, general target store preparation involves ensuring you have administrative access and the capability to generate API credentials or access tokens. These details are essential for the migration tool to connect and import data into your new Square store. Check Square’s official documentation on how to obtain these. For general guidance, see our How to prepare Target store for migration? FAQ.
• General Preparations:
  It's always recommended to perform a full backup of your Etsy data before starting any migration. This ensures you have a copy of all your information in case of unforeseen circumstances. For details on access credentials, read The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to seamlessly transfer your e-commerce data from Etsy to Square.

Step 1: Get Started with Your Migration Wizard

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. If you're new, you'll need to create an account. Once logged in, select the option to start a new migration.

Step 2: Connect Your Etsy Source Store

In the migration wizard, you'll be prompted to set up your source store. Choose "Etsy" from the dropdown list of available platforms. Then, enter the URL of your Etsy store. As Etsy utilizes an "API only" connection method requiring "Custom app development needed", the system will guide you through installing the Cart2Cart Etsy Migration App required. This app streamlines the process of providing the necessary API credentials (e.g., apiKey, apiSecret, accessToken, refreshToken) to establish a secure connection and initiate the data extraction.

Step 3: Connect Your Square Target Store

Next, you'll need to set up your target store. Select "Square" from the target platform dropdown. Provide the URL of your Square store and the required API credentials or access tokens. These details allow the migration tool to authenticate and import your data into your new Square environment.

Step 4: Select Data Entities to Migrate

This critical step allows you to choose exactly which data types, or entities, you want to transfer from Etsy to Square. You can select all available entities or handpick specific ones based on your needs. For Etsy, supported entities typically include:

• Products (including SKUs and variants)
• Product Categories
• Products Reviews
• Customers (including customer data)
• Orders (with their respective statuses)
• CMS Pages
• Gift Cards
• Coupons
• Blogs Posts

Carefully review this list to ensure all essential information is included in your data transfer.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your migration with various additional options designed to improve data integrity and SEO. These options can significantly impact the user experience and your store's performance post-migration.

• Preserve Order IDs: Maintain original order identifiers, which can be crucial for accounting and record-keeping. Learn more about How Preserve IDs options can be used?
• SEO URLs: Migrate existing SEO-friendly URLs to help maintain your search engine rankings and link equity.
• Create 301 SEO URLs: Automatically generate 301 redirects to point old Etsy URLs to their new Square counterparts, preventing broken links and preserving SEO value.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product images embedded within descriptions are transferred correctly.
• Clear Target Store Data: If your Square store already contains dummy data, you might opt to Clear current data on Target store before migration option to ensure a clean import.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

This step involves matching specific data fields from your Etsy store to their corresponding fields in Square. This data mapping ensures consistency for elements like customer groups and order statuses. For example, you might map Etsy's 'Completed' order status to Square's 'Fulfilled' status, ensuring all transferred data makes sense in your new environment.

Step 7: Run a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to the full migration, it's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Square store. Reviewing these sample entities helps you verify that data is transferring correctly and that the mapping is accurate. This Migration Preview Service is a crucial step to identify and resolve any potential issues early.

Step 8: Initiate Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full data transfer. At this stage, you'll review the total cost and confirm all settings. Consider adding a Migration Insurance Service, which offers a set number of re-migrations for a specified duration, providing peace of mind during your transition. Learn more about How Migration Insurance works?.

The full migration will transfer all selected data from your Etsy store to Square, aiming for minimal downtime. You'll be notified once the process is complete.

Post-Migration Steps

After your Etsy data has been successfully moved to Square, a few critical steps remain to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized:

1. Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check your Square store to ensure all products (including SKUs and variants), customer accounts, orders, product categories, and reviews have been transferred accurately and completely. Compare counts and spot-check individual entries.
2. Test Store Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of all core functionalities on your Square store. This includes placing test orders, verifying checkout processes, testing search functions, confirming customer account logins, and ensuring all payment gateways are working correctly.
3. Update DNS Settings & Redirects: If you're moving your domain, update your Domain Name System (DNS) records to point to your new Square store. Crucially, implement 301 redirects for any old Etsy URLs that weren't automatically handled during migration. This preserves your SEO rankings and link equity, preventing broken links and ensuring a seamless user experience.
4. Install Essential Apps/Plugins: Square's App Store offers various integrations. Install any necessary apps or plugins for features like advanced marketing, shipping, or accounting that you relied on or plan to use.
5. Update Internal Links: Scan your new Square store for any internal links that might still point to your old Etsy store and update them.
6. Notify Customers: Inform your loyal customers about the store's new home and any changes they might experience. This builds trust and ensures a smooth transition for them.
7. Monitor SEO Performance: Keep a close eye on your search engine rankings and traffic post-migration. Tools like Google Search Console can help you identify and resolve any crawl errors or indexing issues.
8. Consider Recent Data Migration: If new orders or customer data appeared on your Etsy store after you initiated the full migration, you can use a Recent Data Migration Service to transfer this new information without affecting your existing Square data.

By following these post-migration steps, you can ensure your Square store is fully prepared for success, offering a robust and scalable platform for your growing e-commerce business.