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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Airsquare to PrestaShop

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration can feel like a monumental task, but with the right guidance, moving your online store from Airsquare to PrestaShop can be a smooth and rewarding process. This guide is crafted to provide you with clear, actionable steps, ensuring your valuable customer data, product listings, and order history are transferred with precision and integrity. PrestaShop offers robust features, extensive customization, and a vibrant community, making it an excellent choice for scaling your business.

As Airsquare is a closed platform, the most effective way to transfer your data to a new platform like PrestaShop is through a CSV file export. This method ensures you retain full control over your data during the replatforming journey. We’ll walk you through each stage of this data transfer, from initial preparation to post-migration optimization, helping you minimize downtime and maintain your SEO rankings.

Why Migrate to PrestaShop?

• Open-Source Flexibility: Gain complete control over your store's code, design, and functionality.
• Scalability: PrestaShop is designed to grow with your business, handling increasing product catalogs and customer bases effortlessly.
• Rich Feature Set: Benefit from advanced product management, order processing, marketing tools, and multi-store capabilities.
• Vast Ecosystem: Access a wide array of themes, modules, and a global community for support and customization.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, thorough preparation is crucial for a successful migration. This involves readying both your Airsquare (as the source for CSV export) and your new PrestaShop store.

• Airsquare Data Export: You will need to export all relevant data from your Airsquare store into CSV files. This typically includes products (with SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), product categories, customer information, order history, invoices, coupons, and CMS pages. Ensure your CSV files are well-organized and include all necessary metadata. If you need assistance, consider our CSV.File Data Migration service.
• PrestaShop Store Setup: Have a fresh installation of PrestaShop ready. Ensure you have administrative access to your PrestaShop backend.
• FTP/SFTP Access: For PrestaShop, you will need FTP or SFTP access to your hosting server to upload the necessary connection bridge. This bridge facilitates secure communication between the migration tool and your PrestaShop instance. If you’re unsure what a root folder is, refer to What is a root folder and where can I find it?
• Admin Credentials: Have your PrestaShop admin URL and login details readily available. Learn more about secure access credentials in The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• Data Backup: Always create a complete backup of your existing Airsquare store data and your new PrestaShop database before starting any migration process. This safeguards your information against unforeseen issues.
• Review Preparation Guides: For more detailed information on preparing your stores, consult How to prepare Source store for migration? and How to prepare Target store for migration?

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to migrate your e-commerce data from Airsquare (via CSV) to PrestaShop using an automated migration tool.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration wizard. You’ll typically find options to start a new migration. Choose the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) option to proceed with the automated tool.

Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (Airsquare via CSV)

Since Airsquare is not directly integrated, you will select 'CSV File to Cart' as your source platform. This indicates that your migration data will come from the CSV files you exported from Airsquare. You will then upload these CSV files containing your product data, customer information, orders, and other entities.

The data entities typically supported for migration from CSV include:

• Products
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customers
• Orders
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Stores
• Coupons
• CMS Pages
• Blogs
• Blog Posts

Step 3: Set Up Your Target PrestaShop Store

Next, select PrestaShop as your target shopping cart. Provide your PrestaShop Admin URL. For connecting your PrestaShop store, the recommended method is to use the Connection Bridge. This involves downloading a zip file, extracting the ‘bridge2cart’ folder, and uploading it to the root directory of your PrestaShop installation via FTP/SFTP. This bridge acts as a secure gateway for data transfer.

PrestaShop requires the Cart2Cart Universal PrestaShop Migration module for a seamless connection and data transfer.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

In this crucial step, you choose exactly what data you want to move from your Airsquare CSV files to your new PrestaShop store. You can select all available entities with a single click or meticulously pick and choose specific items like products, customers, orders, categories, and reviews. This gives you precise control over the scope of your data transfer, ensuring only necessary information is migrated, maintaining data integrity.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

To tailor the migration to your specific business needs, consider various additional options. These can significantly impact the outcome of your store replatforming. Common choices include:

• Preserve IDs: Opt to retain original Product IDs, Category IDs, Order IDs, and Customer IDs. This is highly recommended for maintaining data consistency and internal linking, as detailed in How Preserve IDs options can be used?
• Create 301 SEO URLs: Essential for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. This option automatically sets up redirects from your old Airsquare URLs to your new PrestaShop URLs.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures that all product and category images embedded within descriptions are transferred correctly.
• Password Migration: Securely migrates customer passwords, allowing your existing customer base to log into the new store without needing to reset their passwords.
• Clear Target Store Data: If your PrestaShop store has existing dummy data, selecting this option will clear it before the migration, ensuring a clean transfer. More on this at Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Multi-tax Allowed: If your business operates with multiple tax rules, this option ensures they are transferred accurately.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

Data mapping is a critical step to ensure that information from your Airsquare CSV files is correctly aligned with the corresponding fields in PrestaShop. This involves matching customer groups, order statuses, and potentially product attributes. The tool provides an intuitive interface to help you map these fields, ensuring consistent data organization and a smooth user experience on your new platform.

Step 7: Run a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to a full migration, execute a free demo migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., a few products, customers, and orders) to your PrestaShop store. It's an invaluable opportunity to:

• Test the connection between your stores.
• Preview how your data will appear on PrestaShop.
• Identify and resolve any potential mapping or configuration issues.
• Ensure the integrity of your transferred data.

Step 8: Initiate Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full migration. Review all the selected options and the total cost. During this stage, consider adding Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional remigrations in case any unforeseen adjustments are needed after the initial transfer. You can find out more at How Migration Insurance works?.

The full data transfer will then commence, moving all your specified data entities to your new PrestaShop store. The time required will depend on the volume of your data.

Post-Migration Steps

Successfully migrating your data is a major achievement, but the journey doesn't end there. These post-migration steps are crucial for ensuring your new PrestaShop store is fully operational and optimized for success.

• Thorough Data Review: After the full migration, meticulously check your PrestaShop store. Verify all products (SKUs, descriptions, images, variants), customer accounts, order history, categories, and other migrated data. Ensure data integrity and accuracy across the board.
• Set Up 301 Redirects: Even if you opted to create 301 SEO URLs during migration, it's wise to double-check and implement any additional redirects manually. This preserves your SEO rankings and link equity from Airsquare, preventing broken links and maintaining a seamless user experience.
• Install Essential Modules and Themes: Explore the PrestaShop Addons Marketplace to install modules that replicate or enhance the functionality you had on Airsquare (e.g., SEO tools, payment gateways, shipping integrations). Customize your PrestaShop theme to align with your brand identity and provide an optimal user interface.
• Configure Store Settings: Adjust general store settings, shipping methods, payment gateways, tax rules, and email templates within PrestaShop to suit your business operations.
• Update DNS Records: Once you’re confident with your new PrestaShop store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new PrestaShop hosting. This is the moment your new store officially goes live. Plan this carefully to minimize downtime.
• Perform Extensive Testing: Before announcing your new store, conduct comprehensive testing. This includes:
  • Placing test orders to ensure the checkout process, payment gateways, and order confirmations work correctly.
  • Testing customer account logins and functionalities.
  • Verifying search functionality, navigation, and product filters.
  • Checking mobile responsiveness and overall site performance.
• Monitor and Optimize: Continuously monitor your store's performance, user behavior, and SEO rankings. Utilize analytics tools to identify areas for improvement and ongoing optimization.
• Consider Post-Migration Services: If you continue to receive new orders or updates on your Airsquare store before the full cutover, services like Recent Data Migration Service can help transfer new data. For any subsequent data adjustments or transfers, the Cart2Cart Remigration Service is available.

Migrating from Airsquare to PrestaShop is a strategic move that can unlock significant growth potential for your e-commerce business. By following this detailed guide, you can ensure a successful, secure, and efficient transition, setting the stage for a thriving future on your new platform. Should you encounter any challenges or require expert assistance, remember our team is ready to help through our various Contact Us options and Frequently Asked Questions resources.