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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Mobify to Volusion

For e-commerce merchants leveraging Mobify's powerful headless frontend, the decision to migrate to a full-service platform like Volusion can be driven by a desire for a more unified system, enhanced feature set, or simplified management. This guide will walk you through the intricate process of migrating your e-commerce store data from your Mobify-powered backend to Volusion, ensuring a smooth and secure transition of your vital business information.

Given Mobify's architecture as a headless commerce solution, your store's underlying data typically resides in a separate e-commerce platform or custom database. For this migration, we will focus on extracting this crucial data into a standardized CSV (Comma Separated Values) file format, which will then serve as the source for transferring your products, customer records, orders, and other essential entities to your new Volusion store.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before embarking on your data migration journey, a thorough preparation phase is critical to ensure a successful and seamless transition. Addressing these prerequisites will minimize potential disruptions and safeguard your valuable business data.

• For Your Mobify-Powered Source Store (via CSV):
  You will need to gain access to your current e-commerce backend system that Mobify utilizes for data management. From this system, meticulously export all your essential store data, including product information (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), customer accounts, order history, product reviews, and category structures, into clean, well-organized CSV files. Ensure that all necessary data points are included in your export to prevent data loss. For more details on preparing your source, refer to our How to prepare Source store for migration? guide.
• For Your Volusion Target Store:
  A new Volusion store must be set up and ready to receive your migrated data. Familiarize yourself with your Volusion admin panel and ensure you have full administrative access. You will also need to have FTP access credentials for your Volusion store. Furthermore, for a successful connection, the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module will be required and installed on your Volusion instance. For comprehensive preparation steps, visit How to prepare Target store for migration?.
• General Preparations:
  Backup Your Data: Always create comprehensive backups of all your existing data on your Mobify-powered backend before initiating any migration process. This provides a crucial safety net. Ensure a stable internet connection throughout the migration process to prevent interruptions. Allocate sufficient time for the entire process, including pre-migration preparations and post-migration checks.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these detailed steps to seamlessly transfer your e-commerce data from your Mobify-powered backend (via CSV) to your new Volusion store.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

To begin your e-commerce platform transition, navigate to the migration wizard. You'll be presented with options to start a new migration or explore services, preparing you for the upcoming steps.

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

Since Mobify acts as a powerful headless frontend, your core e-commerce data resides in a separate backend system. To facilitate the data transfer to Volusion, you will first need to export your critical store information – including products, customer records, orders, and categories – into well-structured CSV files from your Mobify-powered backend.

Once your data is ready in CSV format, select 'CSV File to Cart' as your Source Cart in the migration wizard. This method allows for a flexible and comprehensive data import, serving as the bridge from your previous setup.

For assistance with preparing your CSV files, consider our CSV.File Data Migration service.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, specify Volusion as your Target Store platform. Provide the full URL of your new Volusion store. To establish a secure connection, you will need to install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module. This plugin facilitates the secure transfer of your data.

Ensure you have FTP access to your Volusion store to properly install the necessary connection bridge. Volusion’s connection method is 'Bridge only', requiring this module for successful data porting.

You can find more information on securing your connection credentials in The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Step 4: Select Data Entities

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which data entities you want to move from your Mobify-powered CSV files to your new Volusion store. You have granular control over the scope of your data transfer.

Supported entities for migration include: Products, Product Categories, Product Manufacturers, Product Reviews, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, and CMS Pages. You can select all entities with a single click or pick them individually based on your specific replatforming requirements.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Tailor your data migration with various additional options that enhance the transfer process and preserve crucial store functionalities. These options can significantly impact the integrity and usability of your new Volusion store.

Key options include: Preserve Product IDs, Preserve Orders IDs, Preserve Customers IDs (highly recommended for maintaining data integrity, existing links, and internal tracking systems), Migrate Images in Description, Password Migration (to ensure existing customer login credentials work on your new platform), SEO URLs, and the creation of 301 SEO URLs (vital for maintaining search engine rankings and link equity from your previous store). You can also choose to Clear Target data before migration if you're starting fresh on your Volusion platform.

Learn more about How Preserve IDs options can be used? and Clear current data on Target store before migration option.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

Ensure consistency between your old and new stores by carefully mapping data fields. This step involves matching customer groups, order statuses, and other crucial attributes from your source CSV to their corresponding equivalents in Volusion.

Proper data mapping is essential for maintaining a coherent user experience and streamlined backend operations post-migration, ensuring that your customer segments and order workflows translate correctly.

Step 7: Perform a Demo Migration (Optional but Recommended)

Before committing to a full data transfer, conduct a free demo migration. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Volusion store. It's an excellent way to verify the data transfer process, check data integrity, and preview how your information will appear on the new platform without affecting your live store. This Migration Preview Service is invaluable for building confidence.

Step 8: Launch Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results and have confidence in the process, proceed to the full data migration. Review the comprehensive list of entities, their counts, and the total cost. Consider adding a Migration Insurance Service for added peace of mind, allowing for future remigrations if needed to address any unforeseen issues or data adjustments.

With all settings confirmed, initiate the full data transfer. You can monitor the progress through your migration wizard, and you'll receive a notification upon completion, signaling that your new Volusion store is ready for the next phase.

Find out more about How can I pay for your service? and How Migration Insurance works?

Post-Migration Steps

Completing the data transfer is a significant milestone, but the migration journey doesn't end there. Thorough post-migration actions are essential to ensure your new Volusion store is fully optimized and ready for business.

• Data Verification: Rigorously audit your new Volusion store. Check all migrated entities: products (especially SKUs, variants, prices, images, and descriptions), customer accounts (ensure login functionality and order history are intact), orders (verify statuses and details), product reviews, and CMS pages. Compare a selection of data points against your original source.
• SEO Configuration: If you opted for 301 redirects during migration, verify their implementation and test them to ensure they are correctly redirecting old URLs to new ones. This is critical for preserving your existing SEO rankings and link equity. Submit your new sitemap to search engines.
• Functionality Testing: Conduct extensive testing of all core store functionalities. This includes the checkout process, all integrated payment gateways, product search, user registration, contact forms, and any third-party integrations crucial to your operations. Ensure a flawless user experience across various devices.
• Update DNS: Once you are completely satisfied with the integrity and functionality of your new Volusion store, update your Domain Name System (DNS) records to point your domain to your new Volusion hosting. This will make your new store live to the public.
• Announce Your New Store: Inform your customers about your upgraded e-commerce experience! Leverage email marketing, social media, and on-site announcements to share the exciting news and highlight any new features or improvements they can expect.