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

Migrating from Oxatis to Volusion: Your Definitive How-To Guide

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration is a significant step towards enhancing your online store's capabilities and reach. If you're currently operating on Oxatis and considering a move to Volusion, you're looking at a transition to a platform renowned for its robust features, comprehensive tools, and scalable architecture. This guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring a smooth and successful replatforming of your store's valuable data.

While Oxatis offers foundational e-commerce functionalities, Volusion provides advanced inventory management, powerful SEO tools, and a flexible design environment, positioning your business for sustained growth. This article will focus on leveraging a reliable migration service like Cart2Cart to facilitate the data transfer from your Oxatis store (via CSV files) to your new Volusion storefront.

Prerequisites for a Seamless Migration

Before you initiate the data transfer, proper preparation of both your source (Oxatis) and target (Volusion) stores is crucial for a successful transition and to maintain data integrity.

For Your Oxatis Source Store:

• Data Export: As Oxatis is not directly integrated with all migration tools via API, the primary method for data extraction will be through CSV file export. You will need to export all essential data entities such as products, product categories, manufacturers, customer records, order history, product reviews, CMS pages, and coupons into well-structured CSV files.
• Data Hygiene: Take this opportunity to clean up your data. Remove any outdated products, inactive customer accounts, or redundant information that you don't wish to carry over to your new Volusion store.

For Your Volusion Target Store:

• New Volusion Store Setup: Ensure your new Volusion store is already set up and accessible. You don't need to populate it with data, as the migration process will handle that. For more details, refer to our guide on How to prepare your Target store for migration?
• Admin Access: You will need full administrative credentials for your Volusion store. This typically includes your admin login, password, and the full URL of your admin panel. For a detailed understanding, see The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• FTP Access: Volusion migrations using a bridge connection (which is required) necessitate FTP access to your store's root directory. This allows the migration tool to upload a small connection bridge file. If you are unsure, consult What is a root folder and where can I find it?
• Install Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: A specific plugin, the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module, is required for the migration tool to connect and interact effectively with your Volusion store. Ensure this module is installed prior to starting the process.
• Backup Existing Data (if applicable): If your Volusion store is not brand new and contains existing data, always perform a full backup before initiating any migration to prevent data loss.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, you can now proceed with the actual data transfer. We'll outline the steps using a professional migration service for a seamless transition.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration Journey

Begin by navigating to the migration tool's website and selecting the option to start a new migration. This typically involves registering an account or logging in.

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

Since direct API integration for Oxatis may not be available with all migration tools, you'll select 'CSV File to Cart' as your source platform. You will then upload the CSV files that you previously exported from your Oxatis store. Ensure your CSV files are correctly formatted according to the migration tool's guidelines for optimal data recognition.

Step 3: Set Up Your Volusion Target Store

Next, choose 'Volusion' as your target shopping cart. You will be prompted to enter the URL of your new Volusion store. Following this, the system will guide you through installing the necessary connection bridge. This usually involves uploading a small file via FTP to your Volusion store's root folder and confirming the connection within the migration wizard.

Step 4: Select Data Entities to Transfer

This critical step allows you to specify exactly what data you wish to transfer from Oxatis to Volusion. Volusion supports a wide range of entities, including:

• Products, Product Categories, Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customer Records
• Order History
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Store Information
• Coupons
• CMS Pages

You can choose to migrate all entities or select specific ones based on your business requirements.

Step 5: Choose Additional Migration Options

Enhance your migration with a suite of additional options designed to preserve critical data and SEO value:

• Preserve IDs: Opt to Preserve Product IDs, Order IDs, and Customer IDs to maintain database consistency and simplify post-migration operations.
• Create 301 SEO URLs: This is highly recommended to ensure that your old store's URLs redirect seamlessly to the new Volusion pages, preventing lost SEO rankings and maintaining link equity.
• Password Migration: Migrate existing customer passwords, offering a smoother user experience without requiring customers to reset their login credentials.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure all product and CMS page images embedded in descriptions are transferred correctly.
• Clear Target Data: If your Volusion store is brand new or you wish to overwrite existing data, select the Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Skip Custom Attributes: An option to only migrate standard product attributes.

Step 6: Map Your Data Fields

In this step, you will match specific data fields from your Oxatis (CSV) store to their corresponding fields in Volusion. This ensures that information like customer groups and order statuses are correctly aligned and transferred, maintaining data consistency on your new platform.

Step 7: Perform Demo Migration & Launch Full Migration

Before committing to the full migration, it's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) allowing you to review the results and ensure data integrity. Once satisfied, you can proceed with the full data transfer. Consider opting for Migration Insurance Service, which provides additional remigrations should you need to transfer data again, and understand How Migration Insurance works?

Post-Migration Steps

Once your data has been successfully transferred to Volusion, a few crucial steps remain to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized:

• Thorough Testing: Conduct extensive testing of your new Volusion store. Verify product listings (SKUs, variants, images, pricing), customer accounts, order history, checkout process, search functionality, and contact forms. Ensure all links work as expected.
• Update DNS Records: Point your domain name to your new Volusion store. This is the moment your new store goes live to the public. Plan this carefully to minimize downtime.
• Configure SEO & Redirects: Verify that all 301 redirects are working correctly. Update your sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console. Pay attention to metadata and product descriptions to maintain SEO rankings.
• Install Essential Apps & Themes: Integrate your preferred payment gateways, shipping solutions, and any other apps or plugins necessary for your business operations. Customize your Volusion theme to match your brand's aesthetic.
• Remove Old Store: Once you are confident that your Volusion store is fully functional and all data is accurate, you can decommission your old Oxatis store.
• Monitor Performance: Continuously monitor your new Volusion store's performance, traffic, and sales to identify and resolve any initial issues promptly.

Migrating from Oxatis to Volusion is a strategic move that can unlock new opportunities for your e-commerce business. By carefully following these steps and utilizing professional migration tools, you can achieve a seamless transition, ensuring data integrity and a powerful new platform for growth. Should you require expert assistance, explore our Ultimate Data Migration Service or Contact Us for personalized support.