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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from PHPShop to Volusion

Replatforming your e-commerce store is a significant undertaking that, when executed correctly, can unlock new growth opportunities and enhance operational efficiency. If you're currently running on PHPShop and considering a move to Volusion, you're looking at a hosted solution known for its robust features and dedicated support. This guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your valuable store data from PHPShop to Volusion, leveraging a reliable CSV-based data transfer method for your source platform and the powerful Cart2Cart tool for the target store integration.

Given that PHPShop typically involves custom installations and database structures, a direct connector isn't always feasible. Therefore, we'll focus on exporting your PHPShop data into CSV files, which will then serve as the source for your migration to Volusion. This ensures data integrity and allows for a smooth transition of your products, customer records, orders, and other essential entities.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, careful preparation is paramount to minimize downtime and ensure all your critical information transitions smoothly.

For Your PHPShop (Source) Store:

• Data Export: You will need to export all relevant data from your PHPShop database into well-structured CSV files. This includes, but is not limited to, products (with SKUs, variants, attributes), product categories, customer information, order history, manufacturers, product reviews, and CMS pages. Ensure your CSV files are clean, consistent, and accurately represent your current store's data. For detailed guidance on preparing your source store, refer to our How to prepare Source store for migration? FAQ.
• File Access: Have all your exported CSV files readily accessible for upload during the migration process.

For Your Volusion (Target) Store:

• Set Up Your Volusion Store: Create your new Volusion account and set up the basic store infrastructure. You don't need to populate it with products or customers yet, as this will be handled by the migration.
• Install Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: Volusion requires a specific migration module (often referred to as a "bridge") to establish a secure connection and facilitate data exchange. You will need FTP access to your Volusion store's root directory to upload and install this module. Our system offers bridge location detection to assist with this process.
• Gather Volusion Access Credentials: Have your Volusion store URL, admin login, and admin password readily available. These credentials are essential for the migration wizard to connect to your target store. Read our guide on access credentials for more information.
• Review Existing Data (Optional): If your Volusion store already contains demo data, you might consider using the "Clear Target" option during migration to start with a clean slate. Learn more about the Clear current data on Target store before migration option.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to successfully transfer your e-commerce data from PHPShop (via CSV) to Volusion using the migration wizard:

Step 1: Get Started with the Migration Wizard

Begin your migration journey by navigating to the Cart2Cart website and selecting the option to start a new migration. This will lead you to the intuitive migration wizard.

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

In this crucial step, you'll specify where your data is coming from. Since PHPShop is not directly integrated, you will select the "CSV File to Cart" option as your source platform. You will then be prompted to upload the CSV files containing your PHPShop data.

Important: Ensure your CSV files are correctly formatted. Our system supports comprehensive data entities, including Products, Categories, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, CMS Pages, and even Blogs/Blog Posts if your PHPShop setup included them.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Volusion Store

Next, you will define the destination for your e-commerce data. From the dropdown list, choose "Volusion" as your Target Store platform. You will then be required to input your Volusion store's URL, along with your administrative login and password. The system will guide you to install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module (bridge) to establish a secure connection, often requiring FTP access to your Volusion root folder. This bridge is essential for the data transfer.

Step 4: Select Data Entities to Migrate

This 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" for a complete transfer or pick specific items such as Products (including SKUs and variants), Product Categories, Customers, Orders, Reviews, Manufacturers, and CMS Pages.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options & Data Mapping

This critical phase involves tailoring your migration to preserve data integrity and SEO rankings:

Additional Migration Options

You'll find various checkboxes to customize the data transfer. Highly recommended options for a smooth Volusion transition include:

• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures product and category images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
• Preserve Product IDs, Preserve Orders IDs, Preserve Customers IDs: Crucial for maintaining internal references and for SEO. Learn more about how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• SEO URLs & Create 301 SEO URLs: Essential for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity by creating automatic redirects from your old PHPShop URLs to your new Volusion URLs.
• Password Migration: Allows your existing customers to log into their accounts on Volusion without needing to reset their passwords.
• Migrate Invoices: Transfers all your historical invoice data.

Data Mapping

This feature allows you to correctly associate your PHPShop data fields (from your CSVs) with their corresponding fields in Volusion. You will primarily map customer groups and order statuses to ensure consistent reporting and customer management in your new store.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration (Recommended)

Before committing to the full migration, we highly recommend performing a free demo migration. This allows you to transfer a limited set of data to your Volusion store, giving you an opportunity to review the migrated products, customers, and orders. It's an excellent way to check data integrity and confirm the mapping settings are correct, ensuring confidence before the full data transfer.

Step 7: Initiate Full Data Migration

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full migration. This step will transfer all your selected data entities from your PHPShop CSV files to your Volusion store. You can also opt for a Migration Insurance Plan at this stage, which offers a set number of remigrations for added peace of mind. Find out how Migration Insurance works.

Post-Migration Steps

The data transfer is a crucial step, but the journey to a fully operational Volusion store doesn't end there. Here’s what you need to do post-migration:

• Thorough Data Review: Meticulously check all migrated data in your Volusion store. Verify product details (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), customer accounts, order histories, reviews, and CMS pages. Ensure all information is accurate and displayed as expected.
• Configure SEO and Redirects: While the migration tool can create 301 redirects, it's vital to perform an SEO audit. Check that your critical URLs are correctly redirecting from your old PHPShop structure to the new Volusion pages to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity.
• Theme and Design Customization: Volusion offers a wide array of themes. Customize your store's appearance to match your brand identity and provide an optimal user experience.
• Set Up Payment & Shipping: Configure your preferred payment gateways and shipping options within your Volusion administrative panel. Test these extensively.
• Integrate Third-Party Apps: Connect any essential third-party applications for marketing, accounting, customer support, or inventory management that you used with PHPShop and plan to continue with Volusion.
• Comprehensive Testing: Before going live, conduct thorough tests of all store functionalities. This includes the entire customer journey: account creation, product browsing, adding to cart, checkout process, order confirmation, and post-purchase communications.
• Update DNS: Once you're confident everything is working perfectly, update your DNS records to point your domain to your new Volusion store.
• Consider Additional Services: If you encounter new orders on your old PHPShop store after the initial migration cutoff, our Recent Data Migration Service can help transfer them. For ongoing support or specific customizations, explore our Migration Customization Service or contact us for expert assistance.

Migrating from PHPShop to Volusion is a strategic move that can significantly benefit your e-commerce business. By following this detailed guide and leveraging the powerful capabilities of the migration wizard, you can ensure a smooth, efficient, and secure transfer of your valuable store data, paving the way for your success on the Volusion platform.