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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from ProductCart to Volusion

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration can feel like a monumental task, but with the right guidance, moving your store from ProductCart to Volusion can be a smooth and rewarding experience. Volusion offers a robust, all-in-one e-commerce solution known for its comprehensive features, making it an attractive destination for merchants seeking to scale and modernize their online presence.

This expert guide will walk you through every critical step of replatforming your store, ensuring a successful data transfer. While ProductCart doesn't always offer direct API connections for automated migrations, we'll leverage its data export capabilities via CSV files to facilitate a seamless transition of your valuable store information to Volusion.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before you begin the data transfer process, ensuring both your source (ProductCart) and target (Volusion) platforms are adequately prepared is crucial for maintaining data integrity and minimizing downtime.

• For Your ProductCart Store (Source):
  • Admin Access: Ensure you have full administrative access to your ProductCart store to facilitate data export.
  • Data Export: Prepare to export your essential store data (products, categories, customers, orders, reviews, etc.) into well-structured CSV files. This will be the primary method for moving your information. For assistance with this, explore our CSV.File Data Migration service.
  • Data Cleanup: Take this opportunity to clean up any redundant or outdated data in your ProductCart store. A leaner dataset often leads to a smoother transition.

  For more details on preparing your source store, consult our How to prepare Source store for migration? FAQ.

• For Your Volusion Store (Target):
  • Live Volusion Store: You need an active Volusion store where your data will be migrated.
  • Administrator Credentials: Have your Volusion admin login and password ready. These credentials are vital for the migration tool to connect with your new store. Learn more about securing these in The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
  • Install Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: Volusion requires a connection bridge. You will need to install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module (a bridge file) to enable the migration tool to communicate with your Volusion store. This is a critical plugin requirement.
  • Hosting Capacity: Ensure your Volusion hosting has sufficient space and resources to accommodate your incoming data, especially if you have a large inventory with many product images.
  • Backup (If Applicable): If your Volusion store isn't brand new and already contains some data, it's highly recommended to back up your current data before initiating the migration.

  For a comprehensive checklist on preparing your target store, refer to our How to prepare Target store for migration? guide.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these detailed steps to migrate your e-commerce store data from ProductCart to Volusion.

Step 1: Get Started with the Migration Wizard

Begin your migration journey by navigating to the migration tool. Here, you'll select the type of migration you wish to perform.

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

Since ProductCart migration is best handled through data files, you will select 'CSV File to Cart' as your source platform in the migration wizard. You'll then be prompted to upload the CSV files containing your ProductCart store's data.

Ensure your CSV files include all the entities you wish to move, such as products, product categories, manufacturers, product reviews, customer information, orders, invoices, taxes, store details, coupons, CMS pages, blogs, and blog posts. The accuracy of these files is paramount for a successful data transfer.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, you will configure your target platform. Select 'Volusion' from the list of supported carts and enter your Volusion store's URL. As Volusion connects via a bridge, you'll need to install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module.

To install the bridge, download the module, unzip the archive, and upload the bridge folder to the root directory of your Volusion store via FTP. This bridge acts as a secure conduit for data exchange. If you're unsure about the root folder, consult What is a root folder and where can I find it?.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly which data entities you want to migrate from ProductCart to Volusion. You can choose to transfer all available data or pick and choose specific items like:

• Products (including SKUs, descriptions, and images)
• Product Categories
• Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customer Data
• Orders
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Stores
• Coupons
• CMS Pages

Carefully review your selections to ensure all vital information is included in the transfer.

Step 5: Customize Your Migration with Additional Options

Enhance your data transfer with a range of optional features. These settings can significantly impact your new Volusion store's SEO rankings, user experience, and overall functionality:

• Preserve Product, Category, Customer, and Order IDs: This option helps maintain continuity and is particularly useful for internal tracking and existing integrations. For more information, see How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Essential for products with options like size or color.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures all product imagery is transferred correctly.
• Migrate Customer Passwords: Allows your customers to log into their new Volusion accounts with their existing credentials.
• Create 301 SEO URLs: This is highly recommended to preserve your SEO link equity by automatically redirecting old ProductCart URLs to the new Volusion URLs, preventing broken links and maintaining search engine visibility.
• Clear Target Store Data: If your Volusion store isn't new, you might choose to clear its existing data before migration. Learn more about this in Clear current data on Target store before migration option.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

The data mapping step ensures that specific fields from your ProductCart store align correctly with their counterparts in Volusion. You will typically map customer groups and order statuses from your source store to the appropriate options in your target Volusion store. This step is vital for maintaining data consistency and proper store functionality post-migration.

Step 7: Run a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to a full migration, conduct a free demo. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your Volusion store. Review these migrated entities to verify data accuracy, image quality, and overall functionality. This step provides a crucial preview of your full migration results.

Step 8: Initiate the Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full data transfer. Review your chosen entities and options one last time, confirm the cost, and launch the migration. During this phase, you might consider adding a Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional re-migrations for a specified period, providing peace of mind. For details on how this works, see How Migration Insurance works?.

Post-Migration Steps

Your data is now on Volusion, but the process isn't quite complete. These post-migration steps are essential for a smooth launch and ongoing success:

1. Thoroughly Test Your New Volusion Store: This is perhaps the most critical post-migration task.
   • Product Verification: Check product descriptions, images, prices, SKUs, and variants. Ensure all product data is accurate and accessible.
   • Customer Accounts: Test customer logins and verify historical order data.
   • Checkout Process: Conduct test purchases to ensure the checkout, shipping, and payment gateways are functioning correctly.
   • Site Navigation: Navigate through your entire store to ensure all links, categories, and CMS pages work as expected.
2. Update DNS Records: Once you're confident in your new Volusion store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Volusion hosting. This officially switches your live store to Volusion.
3. Configure Your Store's SEO:
   • Verify 301 Redirects: Double-check that all 301 redirects are properly forwarding old ProductCart URLs to their new Volusion counterparts to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity.
   • Submit New Sitemap: Submit your Volusion sitemap to Google Search Console and other search engines to ensure your new store is crawled and indexed correctly. Note that Volusion has limitations regarding SEO options for blogs.
   • Monitor Performance: Keep a close eye on your search engine rankings and traffic to quickly identify and address any potential issues.
4. Explore Volusion's Features: Familiarize yourself with Volusion's extensive suite of tools for marketing, sales, and reporting. Leverage its built-in functionalities to enhance your store's performance.
5. Notify Your Customers: Announce your store's transition to Volusion. Inform them about any new features or improvements they can expect.
6. Consider Recent Data Migration: If new orders or customer data emerged on your old ProductCart store during the migration window, a Recent Data Migration Service can help transfer this new data without affecting your already migrated content.

Migrating from ProductCart to Volusion is a significant undertaking, but by following this detailed guide, you can ensure a successful transition. If you encounter any challenges or require expert assistance at any stage, do not hesitate to Contact Us for support.