Shopping Cart Elite to Volusion Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Migrate Shopping Cart Elite to Volusion: Your Definitive Step-by-Step Guide

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration can feel like a monumental task, but with the right guidance, your transition from Shopping Cart Elite to Volusion can be a smooth and rewarding journey. Volusion offers a robust, all-in-one solution for online merchants, making it a compelling choice for businesses looking for enhanced features, scalability, and simplified management. While Shopping Cart Elite doesn't offer a direct API connection for automated migration, this guide will walk you through the process of transferring your valuable store data using a CSV file export approach, ensuring a seamless data transfer to your new Volusion store.

This article serves as your comprehensive roadmap, detailing every crucial step from initial preparation to post-migration checks, ensuring data integrity and minimizing downtime. Get ready to unlock new potential for your online business with Volusion!

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating your store migration, careful preparation is key to a successful transfer. Addressing these prerequisites will streamline the process and prevent potential hurdles.

• Shopping Cart Elite Data Export: Since Shopping Cart Elite does not support a direct API bridge for automated data transfer, you will need to export your store data into CSV (Comma Separated Values) files. This includes essential entities such as products (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), product categories, customer data, orders, reviews, and any relevant CMS pages. Ensure your data is clean and organized before export to simplify mapping later. For more information on preparing your source store, refer to our guide on How to prepare Source store for migration?.
• New Volusion Store Setup: Have your new Volusion store instance ready and accessible. This includes choosing your plan, setting up basic store information, and ensuring you have full administrative access.
• FTP Access for Volusion: Volusion migrations typically require FTP access to your store's server to install a connection bridge. This bridge facilitates the secure data transfer between your CSV files (managed by the migration tool) and your Volusion store.
• Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: You will need to install the specific Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module on your Volusion store. This plugin is essential for establishing a secure connection and enabling the data transfer process.
• Data Backup: Always create comprehensive backups of both your Shopping Cart Elite data (before export) and your new Volusion store (before migration) to safeguard your information against any unforeseen issues.
• Downtime Planning: Plan for a period of reduced activity or temporary downtime during the full migration phase to minimize disruption to your customers.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these detailed steps to perform a successful migration of your store data from Shopping Cart Elite to Volusion.

Step 1: Start Your Migration Process

Your migration journey begins by accessing the migration wizard. This is where you will initiate the transfer process and set up your source and target platforms.

Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (Shopping Cart Elite via CSV)

As Shopping Cart Elite isn't directly integrated, you'll select the 'CSV File to Cart' option as your source platform within the migration wizard. You will then upload the CSV files you exported from your Shopping Cart Elite store. Ensure all necessary data (products, customers, orders, etc.) is included in these files to guarantee a complete transfer. This method allows you to transfer a wide range of entities, including products, product categories, manufacturers, reviews, customers, orders, invoices, taxes, stores, coupons, CMS pages, blogs, and blog posts.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, specify Volusion as your target e-commerce platform. Provide your Volusion store's URL. The migration tool will then guide you through installing the necessary Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module and setting up the connection bridge. This typically involves uploading the bridge files via FTP to your Volusion store's root directory and providing your Volusion admin login credentials to establish a secure link for data transfer. For more details on credentials, see The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

In this crucial step, you choose exactly which data entities you wish to move from your Shopping Cart Elite CSV files to your new Volusion store. You can select all available entities or meticulously pick specific ones such as products, product categories, customers, orders, reviews, CMS pages, and more. This allows for precise control over the scope of your migration, ensuring only relevant data is transferred.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

To tailor your data transfer, select from a range of additional options. These can significantly impact the outcome of your replatforming. Key options for Volusion include:

• Migrate Images in Description: Essential for preserving product descriptions with rich media.
• Clear Target: If you want to start with a completely fresh Volusion store, this option will remove any existing data before migration. Learn more about Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Preserve Product IDs, Orders IDs, Customers IDs: Maintain the original identification numbers for SEO and historical data integrity. Read How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
• SEO URLs & Create 301 SEO URLs: Crucial for preserving your existing search engine rankings and link equity by automatically creating redirects from old URLs to new ones.
• Password Migration: Allows your customers to log in with their existing credentials on the new Volusion store.
• Migrate Invoices: Transfer existing invoice data for complete historical records.
• Skip Custom Attributes: If your Shopping Cart Elite had custom attributes that aren't compatible or needed in Volusion.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

Data mapping is a critical step to ensure that your Shopping Cart Elite data aligns correctly with Volusion's structure. You will be prompted to match various fields, such as customer groups and order statuses, from your CSV files to their corresponding equivalents in Volusion. This ensures that customer segments and order processing states are accurately transferred and maintained.

Step 7: Perform Demo Migration & Full Migration

It's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration first. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities to Volusion, providing a preview of the data transfer process and helping you identify any potential issues before the full migration. Once satisfied, you can proceed with the full migration of all your selected data. Consider a Migration Insurance Service for peace of mind, which offers remigrations if needed.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully migrated 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, images, SKUs, pricing, and variants. Test the entire checkout process, from adding items to the cart to payment and order confirmation. Check customer accounts, login functionality, and any migrated reviews or CMS pages.
• SEO Verification: Confirm that all 301 redirects are functioning correctly to preserve your search engine rankings and link equity. Update any internal links that might still point to your old Shopping Cart Elite URLs. Be aware that for Volusion, SEO options are typically excluded for blogs, so check blog content and redirects separately if you had a blog on Shopping Cart Elite.
• Configure Store Settings: Set up your preferred payment gateways, shipping methods, tax rules (Volusion allows multi-tax), and any other essential store configurations specific to Volusion.
• Install Apps/Plugins: If your business relies on specific functionalities not native to Volusion, explore the Volusion App Store for integrations and plugins that can enhance your store's capabilities.
• Update DNS: Once you are completely confident in your new Volusion store, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new Volusion storefront.
• Announce Your New Store: Inform your customers about your new and improved shopping experience!
• Continuous Monitoring: Keep an eye on your store's performance, user experience, and SEO rankings in the weeks following the migration.

Migrating from Shopping Cart Elite to Volusion is a strategic move that can significantly benefit your e-commerce operations. By following this comprehensive guide, you can achieve a successful data transfer, setting the stage for growth and enhanced customer experience on your new platform. Should you require further assistance or specialized services, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.