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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Hybris to Square

Replatforming an e-commerce store is a strategic move that can significantly impact your business's future. For merchants currently on Hybris, an enterprise-level platform known for its complexity and robust feature set, transitioning to Square offers a streamlined, user-friendly alternative, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses seeking simplicity and integrated payment solutions. This guide will walk you through the detailed process of migrating your e-commerce store data from Hybris to Square, utilizing a CSV file export method to ensure a smooth data transfer.

A successful data migration, or store replatforming, not only updates your technology stack but also enhances user experience, optimizes operations, and simplifies day-to-day management. By moving your valuable SKUs, customer data, orders, and reviews, you can unlock new growth opportunities on a platform designed for ease of use and rapid scalability.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before embarking on your migration journey from Hybris to Square, ensure you have the following preparations in place:

• Hybris (Source Store) Data Export: Since a direct API connector for Hybris is not typically available through standard migration tools, the process will rely on exporting your store data into CSV files. You will need administrator access to your Hybris backend to extract the following critical entities:
  • Products (including variants, attributes, and metadata)
  • Product Categories
  • Customer accounts and their associated data
  • Order history and statuses
  • Product Reviews
  • Invoices
  • Taxes
  • Store information
  • Coupons
  • CMS Pages and Blogs/Blog Posts

  Ensure these CSV files are well-organized and accurate, as their quality directly impacts the success of your CSV File Data Migration. For more details on preparing your source store, read our guide on How to prepare Source store for migration?.

• Square (Target Store) Setup: You must have an active and properly configured Square Online Store account. While specific plugin requirements are not applicable to Square in this context, ensure your Square store is ready to receive incoming data. This includes setting up your basic store information, currency, shipping zones, and payment methods. For more information, refer to How to prepare Target store for migration?.
• Review and Cleanup: Take this opportunity to clean up any outdated or redundant data in your Hybris store. Migrating only essential and accurate data will simplify the process and ensure data integrity on your new Square platform.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your data prepared, let's proceed with the migration using a trusted migration service, which typically follows these steps:

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration wizard. Here, you'll choose to start a new migration project.

Step 2: Source Store Setup (Hybris via CSV)

In this step, you will specify your source platform. Since Hybris requires a CSV export, select "CSV File to Cart" from the list of available source carts. You will then be prompted to upload the CSV files you prepared from your Hybris store.

• Connection Methods: File only (via CSV upload).
• Plugin Requirements: No plugin required.
• Limitations & Notices: This method is source-only and relies entirely on your CSV file import.

Step 3: Target Store Setup (Square)

Next, select "Square" as your Target Cart. The migration wizard will guide you through the necessary connection steps for Square, typically involving providing access credentials or connecting your Square account.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which data you wish to transfer from your Hybris CSV files to Square. Based on the capabilities of CSV migration, you can select from the following supported entities:

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

You have the option to migrate all entities or selectively choose specific ones to ensure only relevant data is moved to your new Square store.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

This stage is vital for tailoring your migration to preserve data integrity and SEO rankings.

Additional Migration Options

You can select various options to refine your data transfer. These may include:

• Clear Target: Opt to Clear current data on Target store before migration option if your Square store contains test data you wish to remove.
• Preserve IDs: Options like "Preserve Category IDs," "Preserve Product IDs," "Preserve Customers IDs," and "Preserve Orders IDs" help maintain the original IDs, which can be beneficial for historical record-keeping and SEO, as explained in How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Essential for products with multiple options (e.g., size, color).
• SEO URLs: Critical for maintaining your search engine optimization by migrating original URL structures.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures all product images embedded in descriptions are transferred.
• Password Migration: Allows customers to log in with their existing credentials on the new platform.

Data Mapping Setup

You will need to map customer groups and order statuses from your Hybris data to their corresponding fields in Square. This ensures that customer roles and the lifecycle of orders are correctly translated during the transition.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration

Before committing to the full replatforming, it's highly recommended to run a Free Demo Migration. This allows you to transfer a limited set of data (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Square store. Use this opportunity to verify data integrity, check product descriptions, images, customer information, and order details on your new platform.

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the Full Migration. You may also consider adding a Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional remigrations if any issues arise or if you need to transfer new data added during the migration period. Learn more about How Migration Insurance works?.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully been transferred to Square, several critical post-migration tasks remain to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized:

• Verify Data Integrity: Thoroughly review your Square store. Check products (SKUs, variants, prices, descriptions, images), categories, customer accounts, order history, and reviews to ensure all data has been accurately transferred and populated.
• Test Store Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of your new Square store. This includes performing test purchases, registering new customer accounts, checking search functionality, verifying payment gateways, and confirming shipping options. Also, ensure your store is fully responsive across various devices.
• Configure SEO Redirects: Implementing 301 redirects is paramount for preserving your existing SEO rankings and link equity. If your URLs have changed during the migration, ensure proper redirects are in place from your old Hybris URLs to the new Square ones to prevent broken links and maintain your search engine visibility.
• Update DNS Settings: Once you are confident that your Square store is fully functional and all data is verified, update your DNS settings to point your domain name to the new Square store. Plan this step carefully to minimize downtime and ensure a seamless transition for your customers.
• Remove Old Store Data: After your Square store is live and thoroughly tested, securely back up and then dismantle your old Hybris store. This protects sensitive data and streamlines your operations.
• Notify Customers: Inform your customers about the transition to the new Square platform. Highlight any new features, improved user experience, and provide clear instructions if they need to reset passwords or experience any changes to their login process.
• Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously monitor your Square store's performance, traffic, and sales in the weeks and months following the migration. Pay attention to any anomalies or areas for further optimization to ensure long-term success.