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

Seamlessly Transition Your E-commerce Store from AlegroCart to Volusion

Replatforming your e-commerce store is a significant undertaking, but it's often a crucial step towards growth, enhanced functionality, and a superior user experience. If you're currently operating on AlegroCart and considering a move to Volusion, you're looking at transitioning from a platform that may lack modern scalability to a robust, feature-rich solution designed for evolving online businesses. This guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring a smooth and efficient data transfer.

Given that AlegroCart is not directly supported by most automated migration tools, the migration will be performed via CSV file export from AlegroCart, treating it as a CSV.File Data Migration source, and then importing that data into your new Volusion store. This approach ensures you retain your valuable product data, customer information, orders, and more.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, proper preparation of both your source (AlegroCart) and target (Volusion) stores is essential to minimize downtime and ensure data integrity.

Preparing Your AlegroCart Source Store

• Data Export: Since direct migration from AlegroCart is not typically supported, you will need to export your store data into CSV files. Ensure you capture critical information such as products (including SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), product categories, customer records, order history, and any relevant CMS pages or blog posts.
• Data Cleanup: This is an opportune moment to audit and clean your existing data. Remove outdated products, duplicate customer entries, or irrelevant information to ensure only high-quality data is transferred to Volusion. This helps improve future store performance and accuracy. For more tips, read our guide on How to prepare Source store for migration?
• Backup Your Store: Always perform a complete backup of your AlegroCart database and files before attempting any data export or migration process. This provides a safety net in case of unforeseen issues.

Preparing Your Volusion Target Store

• Set Up Your Volusion Store: Ensure your new Volusion store is set up and accessible. You don't need to add products manually, as they will be migrated.
• Install the Migration Module: Volusion requires a specific migration module (often referred to as a 'bridge') for data transfer. You will need to install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module. This typically involves uploading the bridge files to your Volusion store's root directory via FTP. This module facilitates the secure connection between the migration service and your Volusion platform. Understanding access credentials is key here.
• FTP Access: Confirm you have full FTP access credentials for your Volusion store's server to upload the necessary bridge files. For details on where to upload, refer to What is a root folder and where can I find it?
• Consider Clearing Data: If your Volusion store is not brand new and contains existing data, you might opt to clear its current data before migration to prevent conflicts or duplicates. The migration wizard often provides a “Clear Target” option. Learn more about this option here: Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Review Volusion Limitations: While migrating, be aware of Volusion's platform-specific nuances. For instance, some advanced SEO options for blogs might be handled differently, as noted in Volusion's limitations. For more information, please consult How to prepare Target store for migration?

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your stores prepared, you're ready to begin the automated data transfer process. This guide assumes you are using a migration service like Cart2Cart.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Navigate to the migration wizard. You'll typically be presented with options to start a do-it-yourself migration or explore managed services. For this guide, we'll focus on the DIY approach using the wizard.

Step 2: Connect Your Source Store (AlegroCart via CSV)

In the migration wizard, select "CSV File to Cart" as your Source Cart. You will then upload your prepared CSV files containing your AlegroCart data. This method allows you to transfer a wide range of entities, including products, product categories, manufacturers, product reviews, customers, orders, invoices, taxes, coupons, CMS pages, and even blog posts if exported.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, select "Volusion" as your Target Cart. You'll need to provide the URL of your new Volusion store. The wizard will then prompt you to upload the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module (bridge) to your Volusion store's root directory via FTP. This bridge ensures secure communication and data transfer between the migration tool and your Volusion installation.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which types of data you want to migrate. You can opt to transfer all entities or select specific ones based on your needs. Commonly migrated entities include:

• Products: Including SKUs, names, descriptions, images, prices, variants, attributes.
• Product Categories: Maintaining hierarchical structure.
• Customers: With associated accounts and historical data.
• Orders: Complete order history, statuses, and details.
• Product Reviews: Preserving social proof.
• Manufacturers, Invoices, Taxes, Coupons, CMS Pages.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your migration by selecting various additional options. For your move to Volusion, consider:

• Migrate Images in Description: Essential for rich product content.
• Clear Target: To remove existing data from your Volusion store before migration.
• Preserve Product IDs, Preserve Orders IDs, Preserve Customers IDs: Recommended for maintaining internal data consistency and how they can be used.
• SEO URLs / Create 301 SEO URLs: Critical for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity from AlegroCart to Volusion. This ensures old URLs redirect to new ones, preventing broken links and preserving SEO value.
• Migrate Invoices: For complete financial records.
• Password Migration: Allows customers to log in to their new Volusion accounts with their old passwords.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

The data mapping step ensures that customer groups, order statuses, and other custom fields from your AlegroCart CSV files are correctly matched to their corresponding fields in Volusion. This prevents data inconsistencies and maintains the logical structure of your store data.

Step 7: Perform a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to a full data transfer, it's highly recommended to run a free demo migration. This process moves a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) from your AlegroCart CSVs to Volusion, allowing you to preview the results and verify data integrity. It's an excellent opportunity to catch and correct any issues before the main migration.

Step 8: Initiate Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. Review your selections and the estimated cost. You may also consider adding a Migration Insurance Plan for added peace of mind, allowing for future re-migrations if needed. The system will then begin transferring all selected data to your new Volusion store.

Post-Migration Steps

After the data transfer is complete, there are several crucial steps to ensure your new Volusion store is fully operational and optimized.

• Thorough Data Verification: Systematically check all migrated data. Verify product listings, images, SKUs, pricing, categories, customer accounts, and order histories. Ensure all data entities are present and accurate.
• Test Store Functionality: Conduct comprehensive tests of your new Volusion store. This includes testing the checkout process, searching for products, logging into customer accounts, and submitting contact forms. Ensure the user experience is flawless.
• Configure SEO & Redirects: If you opted to create 301 redirects during migration, verify they are working correctly. Update your sitemaps and submit them to search engines. Implement any additional SEO settings specific to Volusion to maintain your search rankings and link equity.
• Update DNS Settings: Point your domain name to your new Volusion store. This step makes your new store live to the public.
• Install & Integrate Apps/Plugins: Re-install and configure any necessary third-party applications, plugins, or integrations (e.g., payment gateways, shipping tools, marketing automation) that were part of your AlegroCart setup.
• Clear Cache: Clear your Volusion store's cache and browser cache to ensure all new content and configurations are displayed correctly.
• Monitor Performance: Keep a close eye on your store's performance using analytics tools. Track traffic, sales, conversions, and bounce rates to identify any post-migration anomalies.
• Consider Ongoing Services: For new data generated after your initial migration, consider services like Recent Data Migration Service to sync recent orders, customers, or products. If you need to re-run the entire process, our Remigration Service can assist.

Migrating from AlegroCart to Volusion is a strategic move that can revitalize your online business. By following this detailed guide, you can ensure a smooth transition, preserving your valuable data and setting the stage for future growth on your new, powerful Volusion platform. If you encounter any challenges, don't hesitate to contact our support team for assistance.