MijoShop to PrestaShop Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Transition Your E-commerce Store from MijoShop to PrestaShop

As your online business grows, the need for a more robust, scalable, and feature-rich e-commerce platform becomes evident. MijoShop, while a reliable option, might eventually reach its limits, prompting merchants to explore platforms like PrestaShop. PrestaShop stands out with its open-source flexibility, extensive module ecosystem, and a vibrant community, making it an excellent choice for businesses aiming for greater control and expansion.

This comprehensive guide is designed to walk you through the entire process of migrating your store data from MijoShop to PrestaShop. We'll cover everything from initial preparations to post-migration checks, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal downtime and maximum data integrity. By following these steps, you can confidently replatform your store, taking advantage of PrestaShop’s advanced capabilities for enhanced performance and user experience.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before embarking on your data transfer journey, a few critical preparatory steps are necessary to ensure a smooth and error-free process. Addressing these prerequisites will safeguard your valuable store data and set the stage for an efficient move.

• Back Up Your Data: This is paramount. Before any major changes, create a complete backup of both your MijoShop source store and your PrestaShop target store (if it already contains data). This includes database backups, files, and images.
• Install PrestaShop: Ensure your PrestaShop store is fully installed and operational on your hosting environment. You don't need to configure it extensively yet, but it should be accessible. If you need guidance, refer to How to prepare Target store for migration?
• Review MijoShop Data: Take this opportunity to clean up your MijoShop store. Remove any duplicate products, outdated customer information, or irrelevant CMS pages. Migrating clean data will result in a more organized PrestaShop store.
• Admin and FTP Access: You will need full administrative access to both your MijoShop and PrestaShop platforms, including FTP/SFTP or cPanel access to upload the Connection Bridge files to the root directories of both stores. For more details on access credentials, read The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• Sufficient Hosting Resources: Ensure your hosting environment for both stores can handle the migration process. Insufficient resources can lead to interruptions. Consider temporary upgrades if necessary. You can learn more about this at Can my new hosting cause migration interruption?

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

This section outlines the detailed process of moving your e-commerce data. We will utilize a migration wizard, focusing on precise connections and configurations.

Step 1: Get Started

Begin by initiating the migration process through your chosen migration tool. This typically involves registering an account or logging in to start a new migration project.

Step 2: Connect Your MijoShop Source Store

The first crucial step is to connect your existing MijoShop store. Select 'MijoShop' as your source cart from the dropdown menu.

You will need to provide your MijoShop store's URL. For connection, you will primarily use the Connection Bridge method. Download the 'connection_bridge.zip' file from the migration wizard, unzip it, and upload the 'bridge2cart' folder to the root directory of your MijoShop installation via FTP/SFTP. This bridge acts as a secure gateway, allowing the migration tool to access your MijoShop database for data extraction.

Step 3: Connect Your PrestaShop Target Store

Next, configure your PrestaShop store as the target. Select 'PrestaShop' from the target cart dropdown menu and enter your PrestaShop store's Admin URL.

Similar to the source store, the most reliable connection method for PrestaShop is typically the Connection Bridge. Download the 'connection_bridge.zip' file, extract it, and upload the 'bridge2cart' folder to the root directory of your PrestaShop installation. This establishes the necessary secure link for data transfer.

Step 4: Select Entities for Migration

This is where you specify exactly what data you want to transfer from MijoShop to PrestaShop. You can choose to migrate all entities or select specific ones based on your needs.

Commonly migrated entities include:

• Products: SKUs, product names, descriptions, images, prices, weight, variants, attributes.
• Product Categories: Structure, names, descriptions, images.
• Manufacturers: Brands, names, logos.
• Product Reviews: Customer feedback, ratings.
• Customers: Customer data, addresses, password migration (if selected as an additional option).
• Orders: Order IDs, order statuses, purchased products, customer information, billing and shipping details, invoices.
• Taxes: Tax classes and rates.
• Coupons: Discount codes, rules.
• CMS Pages: Static content, informational pages.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options and Data Mapping

This step allows for fine-tuning your migration settings and ensuring data consistency between platforms.

Additional Migration Options

Review and select from various options to customize your data transfer:

• Clear Target Store Data: Opt to erase existing data on your PrestaShop store before the migration begins, ensuring a fresh start. You can learn more about this at Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Preserve IDs: Maintain original Product IDs, Orders IDs, and Customers IDs from MijoShop to PrestaShop. This is often recommended for SEO and historical data tracking. Discover more about this at How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Migrate your SEO URLs and automatically create 301 redirects to preserve your search engine rankings and link equity.
• Migrate Images in Description: Transfer product images embedded within descriptions.
• Password Migration: Migrate customer passwords securely, allowing customers to log in to the new store with existing credentials.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Convert MijoShop attributes into PrestaShop product variants.
• Migrate Groups to Tags: Convert MijoShop customer groups into PrestaShop tags.
• Migrate Invoices: Transfer invoice data associated with orders.

Data Mapping Setup

This critical phase ensures that customer groups and order statuses from MijoShop are correctly assigned to their corresponding equivalents in PrestaShop. The migration wizard will present you with a mapping interface where you can match these fields, maintaining data integrity and consistent logic across your new store.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration (Optional but Recommended)

Before committing to a full migration, conduct a free demo migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) to your PrestaShop store. This step allows you to:

• Verify the connection between the stores.
• Review how your data appears in the new PrestaShop environment.
• Identify and address any potential issues or discrepancies before a full transfer.

Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo migration results, proceed with the full data transfer. Review the final migration summary, including the total cost and selected entities. You may also consider adding a Migration Insurance Service for added peace of mind, which offers the ability to re-migrate your data within a specific period. Learn more about How Migration Insurance works?

Upon confirmation, the migration tool will begin transferring all your selected data from MijoShop to PrestaShop. The duration of this process will depend on the volume of your data.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully migrated to PrestaShop, there are several crucial steps to complete to ensure your new store is fully functional, optimized, and ready for customers.

• Thorough Data Verification: Systematically check all migrated data. Verify product details, SKUs, images, categories, customer accounts, order histories, and CMS pages. Ensure all links are working correctly and product variants are displayed as intended.
• Configure Essential Store Settings: Set up your shipping methods, payment gateways, tax rules (if not fully migrated), currency, and localization settings specific to PrestaShop.
• Install and Configure PrestaShop Modules: Explore the PrestaShop Addons Marketplace for essential modules that extend functionality, such as SEO tools, marketing integrations, customer support, and advanced analytics.
• Design and Theme Customization: Apply and customize your chosen PrestaShop theme to reflect your brand identity and ensure an intuitive user experience. Test responsiveness across different devices.
• SEO Optimization and Redirects: If 301 redirects were not handled during the migration, set them up manually to redirect old MijoShop URLs to their new PrestaShop counterparts. This is vital for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity. Update your sitemap and submit it to search engines.
• Test All Store Functionalities: Conduct comprehensive tests of the entire customer journey: product browsing, adding items to the cart, the checkout process, customer registration, and any custom functionalities. Place a few test orders to ensure everything works seamlessly.
• Update DNS and Go Live: Once you are confident that your PrestaShop store is fully ready, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new PrestaShop store. Monitor your site closely during the initial hours and days post-launch.
• Consider Further Data Syncs: If you continued operating your MijoShop store during the migration, or if new data was generated, consider using services like Recent Data Migration Service to transfer any new orders, customers, or products to your PrestaShop store.