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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from BorderFree to Volusion

Replatforming your e-commerce store is a significant undertaking, offering the opportunity to enhance scalability, streamline operations, and improve user experience. If you’re currently operating on BorderFree and considering a move to Volusion, you’re embarking on a strategic transition that promises a robust and feature-rich new home for your online business. This guide will walk you through the entire data transfer process, from initial preparation to post-migration verification, ensuring a smooth and successful switch.

Given that BorderFree typically handles international fulfillment and payment processing rather than acting as a full-fledged e-commerce platform for direct data export, our migration strategy will involve exporting your core store data from your BorderFree-integrated platform into CSV files. These CSV files will then serve as the source for transferring your valuable business information to Volusion, a comprehensive e-commerce solution known for its powerful features and dedicated support. This method ensures all your critical assets, from product SKUs and customer data to order histories and reviews, are accurately moved.

We’ll leverage a specialized migration tool to simplify this complex process, providing a clear, step-by-step path to replatforming your store with minimal downtime and maximum data integrity.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, careful preparation of both your existing BorderFree-integrated store (from which you'll export CSVs) and your new Volusion storefront is essential. This groundwork will significantly contribute to a seamless migration and minimize potential issues.

BorderFree (Source Store) Preparation

• Data Export: Since BorderFree primarily functions as an international checkout and logistics solution, you will need to export your store’s core data from your existing e-commerce platform (which BorderFree is integrated with) into CSV (Comma Separated Values) files. This export should include:
  • Products: All product details, including SKUs, names, descriptions, pricing, inventory levels, images, product categories, and variants.
  • Customers: Customer records, including names, email addresses, billing/shipping addresses, and potentially customer groups.
  • Orders: Complete order history, including order IDs, line items, customer information, order statuses, and transaction details.
  • Reviews: Product reviews and ratings.
  • Other Entities: Manufacturers, coupons, and any relevant CMS pages or static content.
• Data Cleanup: Review your source data for any inconsistencies, duplicates, or outdated information. Cleaning your data prior to export will ensure a cleaner transfer to Volusion.
• Backup Your Data: Always perform a full backup of your current store's database and files before exporting any data. This provides a safety net in case any unforeseen issues arise.

Volusion (Target Store) Preparation

• Set Up Your Volusion Store: Ensure you have an active Volusion store account. You don't need to populate it with products or customers yet, as the migration process will handle that.
• Install Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: Volusion requires the installation of a specific module to facilitate data connection. You will need to install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module on your Volusion store. This typically involves uploading a small 'bridge' file via FTP, which acts as a secure connection point.
• FTP Access: Have your FTP client ready and your Volusion store's FTP credentials at hand. This is crucial for uploading the necessary bridge file. You should also know the root folder of your Volusion installation.
• Admin Access: Ensure you have full administrator access to your Volusion store, including the admin URL, username, and password, as these will be required for the migration tool to connect. For more details on credentials, refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• Review Target Store Readiness: Familiarize yourself with how to prepare your target store for migration to avoid common pitfalls.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, you're ready to commence the data transfer using a migration wizard. Follow these steps for a structured and efficient replatforming process.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration service platform and selecting the option to start a new migration. This will launch the interactive wizard that guides you through each stage of the process.

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

In this step, you will specify your source platform. Since BorderFree is an overlay, you'll be migrating data from CSV files exported from your BorderFree-integrated platform. Select “CSV File to Cart” or “CSV File” as your source cart type.

You will then be prompted to upload the CSV files containing your product data, customer information, order history, and other entities that you prepared earlier. Ensure your CSV files are formatted correctly for optimal data ingestion. For more guidance on this, consider our CSV.File Data Migration service.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Volusion Store

Now, select “Volusion” as your target shopping cart from the dropdown menu. You will need to provide the full URL of your Volusion store. Additionally, you will be required to input your Volusion admin login and password.

To establish a secure connection, you must upload the Cart2Cart bridge file to the root directory of your Volusion store via FTP. This bridge file acts as a secure connector, allowing the migration tool to access your Volusion database securely and initiate the data transfer.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which types of data you want to transfer from your CSV files to your new Volusion store. You can select all entities or pick and choose specific ones, such as:

• Products: Including product names, descriptions, images, SKUs, pricing, inventory, and variants.
• Product Categories: The organizational structure of your products.
• Manufacturers: Information about product brands.
• Product Reviews: Valuable customer feedback.
• Customers: Customer accounts, including names, email addresses, and addresses.
• Orders: Historical order data, including order IDs and statuses.
• Invoices: Associated billing records.
• Taxes: Tax rules and settings.
• Coupons: Promotional codes.
• CMS Pages: Static content like 'About Us' or 'Contact Us' pages.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

The migration wizard offers a range of additional options to customize your data transfer. Carefully select those that align with your business needs. Popular and highly recommended options for a robust replatforming include:

• Preserve Product IDs: Maintains original product identifiers, important for external systems.
• Preserve Orders IDs: Keeps historical order numbers consistent. For details on how these Preserve IDs options can be used, consult our FAQ.
• Password Migration: Allows existing customers to log in to your new Volusion store with their old credentials, ensuring a smooth user experience.
• Migrate Images in Description: Transfers product images embedded within product descriptions.
• Create 301 SEO URLs: Essential for preserving your existing search engine rankings and link equity by automatically redirecting old URLs to new ones.
• Clear Target Store Data: If you're starting with a fresh Volusion store or want to overwrite any existing data, this option is useful. Read more about clearing current data on the target store.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

Data mapping is crucial for ensuring that information from your source CSVs is correctly assigned to the corresponding fields in Volusion. This step involves matching elements such as customer groups and order statuses from your source data to the equivalent settings in your new Volusion store. This guarantees data consistency and integrity, maintaining proper categorization and status tracking for your transferred records.

Step 7: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration

Before committing to the full data transfer, it's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This trial run will transfer a limited number of entities, allowing you to review the migrated data on your Volusion store and confirm its accuracy and integrity. It's an invaluable opportunity to identify and resolve any potential mapping issues or data inconsistencies.

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. This will transfer all selected data from your BorderFree-integrated platform (via CSVs) to Volusion. During this stage, consider adding a Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional remigrations and support, providing peace of mind during this critical process. For more information, see How Migration Insurance works?

Post-Migration Steps

After the full migration is complete, a few critical steps remain to ensure your new Volusion store is fully operational and optimized.

1. Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data. Verify product details (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images, pricing), customer accounts, order history, reviews, and CMS pages. Ensure all links work correctly and that images are displaying as expected.
2. Configure SEO Settings: Beyond the 301 redirects set during migration, update your sitemap, submit it to Google Search Console, and monitor for any crawl errors. Re-evaluate your meta titles and descriptions for optimal SEO rankings on Volusion.
3. Set Up Payment Gateways and Shipping: Configure your preferred payment processors and shipping methods within your Volusion administrative panel. Test these functionalities with real (small) orders to ensure they are working correctly.
4. Install Essential Apps and Plugins: Volusion offers a rich marketplace of apps and integrations. Install any necessary tools for marketing, analytics, customer support, or other functionalities that enhance your store’s capabilities.
5. Test All Functionalities: Perform comprehensive testing of your entire store. This includes the customer registration process, product search, adding items to the cart, the checkout flow, and any contact forms or interactive elements.
6. Update DNS Records: Once you are confident that your Volusion store is fully functional and ready, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Volusion storefront. Plan this step carefully to minimize downtime.
7. Monitor and Optimize: Continuously monitor your store's performance, traffic, and sales. Use analytics tools to identify areas for further optimization, ensuring a superior user experience on your new platform.

Should new orders or customer data accumulate on your old BorderFree-integrated platform after the initial migration, you can utilize a Recent Data Migration Service to transfer only the newly added information to Volusion, ensuring your data is always up-to-date.