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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from ShopperPress to Volusion

Are you considering moving your online store from ShopperPress to a more robust, feature-rich platform like Volusion? Replatforming your e-commerce business is a significant step, offering enhanced scalability, improved user experience, and access to a broader suite of marketing and management tools. This detailed guide will walk you through every step of the data transfer process, ensuring a smooth transition for your products, customer data, orders, and more.

Since ShopperPress doesn't offer a direct API for automated migration tools, our process will involve exporting your valuable data into structured CSV files. These files will then serve as the source for transferring your store's essential information to your new Volusion platform.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before embarking on your migration journey, proper preparation is key to a successful and seamless transfer of your e-commerce store. Addressing these prerequisites will minimize downtime and potential data integrity issues.

For Your ShopperPress (Source) Store:

• Data Export: You will need to export all your vital store data from ShopperPress into well-organized CSV files. This includes:
  • Products (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images)
  • Product Categories
  • Customer records (names, addresses, order history, passwords if possible)
  • Orders (statuses, details)
  • Product Reviews
  • CMS Pages and Blog Posts (if applicable)
  • Manufacturers, Taxes, Coupons, and Store information
  Ensure your CSV files are clean and accurately reflect your current store data. For detailed guidance on preparing your source store, read our How to prepare Source store for migration? FAQ.
• Backup Your Store: Always create a full backup of your existing ShopperPress website, including its database and files, before initiating any migration. This serves as a critical safety net.
• Access to Files: If product images or other media are stored separately and not directly embedded in your CSV exports, ensure you have FTP access to download these files.

For Your Volusion (Target) Store:

• Volusion Store Setup: Ensure your new Volusion store is already set up and accessible. You'll need its URL and administrative credentials.
• Install Migration Module: Volusion requires the installation of a specific module to facilitate the data transfer. You will need to download and install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module. This typically involves uploading a bridge file via FTP to your Volusion store's root directory. Need help with access credentials? Consult The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• FTP Access: You'll need FTP access to your Volusion store's server to upload the necessary connection bridge. For more information on finding your root folder, see What is a root folder and where can I find it?
• Admin Privileges: Have full administrator access to your Volusion dashboard to make any necessary configurations post-migration.
• Prepare Target Store: To understand how to best prepare your Volusion store, refer to our How to prepare Target store for migration? article.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, let's dive into the step-by-step process of migrating your ShopperPress data to Volusion using a dedicated migration solution. The first step is to initiate the process via the migration wizard:

Step 1: Set Up Your Source Store (ShopperPress via CSV)

The initial step involves configuring your source platform. Since ShopperPress isn't directly integrated, you will use the CSV file import method.

Select "CSV File to Cart" as your Source Cart from the dropdown menu. You will then be prompted to upload your prepared CSV files containing your ShopperPress data. This method allows you to transfer a comprehensive range of entities, including products, product categories, manufacturers, reviews, customers, orders, invoices, taxes, stores, coupons, CMS pages, and even blog posts.

Step 2: Connect Your Target Volusion Store

Next, you'll specify your target platform: Volusion. Select "Volusion" from the Target Cart dropdown list and enter your Volusion store's URL. As Volusion's connection method is "Bridge only," you will be guided to upload the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module (bridge file) to your Volusion store's root directory via FTP. This bridge acts as a secure conduit for data transfer.

Step 3: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which data entities you wish to transfer from your ShopperPress CSV files to your new Volusion store. You can select all entities, or pick and choose specific ones, such as:

• Products: Including SKUs, product descriptions, images, and prices.
• Product Categories: Ensuring your store's structure is maintained.
• Customers: Transferring customer records, addresses, and potentially passwords.
• Orders: Moving all order history and statuses.
• Product Reviews: Preserving valuable social proof.
• CMS Pages: Important for informational pages and SEO.
• Manufacturers, Taxes, Coupons, and more.

Step 4: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your migration with a variety of additional options designed to preserve your store's functionality and SEO rankings. These options include:

• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product and category descriptions retain their visual content.
• Clear Target Store Data: (Recommended if your Volusion store is new) This option allows you to clear any existing data on your Volusion store before the migration to avoid duplication.
• Preserve IDs: Maintain original Product IDs, Order IDs, and Customer IDs to prevent broken links and ensure data consistency. Learn more about How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Crucial for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. Create 301 SEO URLs to automatically redirect old ShopperPress URLs to their new Volusion counterparts.
• Password Migration: Transfer customer passwords securely to ensure a seamless login experience for your existing customers.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Properly structure your product options (e.g., size, color) as Volusion variants.

Step 5: Map Your Data Fields

This step ensures that all your ShopperPress data fields are correctly matched with their corresponding fields in Volusion. The wizard will present an intuitive interface for mapping:

• Customer groups from ShopperPress to Volusion customer groups.
• Order statuses (e.g., "Pending payment," "Processing") from your source to target.
• Product attributes to Volusion's attribute system, crucial for displaying variants correctly.

Accurate data mapping is essential for maintaining data consistency and a seamless user experience post-migration.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration & Initiate Full Migration

Before committing to the full data transfer, it's highly recommended to run 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, giving you an opportunity to:

• Review the migrated data for accuracy and completeness.
• Test functionalities like product display, checkout, and customer logins.
• Make any necessary adjustments before the main migration.

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, proceed to the full migration. You can also opt for a Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional remigrations in case you need to run the process again. Learn more about How Migration Insurance works?

Post-Migration Steps

Completing the data transfer is a major milestone, but the journey isn't over. These post-migration steps are crucial for ensuring your new Volusion store is fully operational and optimized.

1. Thoroughly Test Your Volusion Store:
   • Navigate through your entire site as a customer. Test product pages, add items to the cart, and go through the complete checkout process.
   • Verify customer accounts and password resets.
   • Check search functionality, filters, and categories.
   • Confirm product images, descriptions, and SKUs are correct.
2. Verify SEO Redirects: If you opted for 301 redirects during migration, test a selection of old ShopperPress URLs to ensure they correctly point to their new Volusion counterparts. This is vital for preserving your SEO URLs and avoiding a drop in search engine rankings.
3. Update Domain and DNS Settings: Once you are confident in your new Volusion store, update your domain's DNS records to point to the Volusion servers. This will make your new store live to the public.
4. Configure Essential Store Settings:
   • Set up payment gateways (e.g., credit card processors, PayPal).
   • Configure shipping zones and rates.
   • Review and update any third-party app integrations.
   • Adjust tax settings and general store information.
5. Monitor Performance: Keep a close eye on your website analytics (e.g., traffic, conversion rates, bounce rate) in the weeks following the migration. This helps identify and address any potential issues quickly.
6. Decommission Your Old ShopperPress Store: Once your Volusion store is fully functional and performing as expected, you can safely decommission your old ShopperPress installation.

Migrating from ShopperPress to Volusion is an investment in your e-commerce future, offering a more powerful platform for growth and optimization. By following these steps, you can achieve a successful and impactful replatforming experience. Embrace the potential benefits of a website migration and unlock new opportunities for your online business.

Should you require any assistance or encounter unique challenges, feel free to Contact Us for expert support and specialized migration services like CSV.File Data Migration or Migration Customization Service.