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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Storenvy to Volusion

Migrating your e-commerce store is a significant undertaking, but with the right strategy and tools, it can lead to enhanced functionality, scalability, and a better user experience. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to successfully transfer your valuable data from Storenvy to Volusion, ensuring a smooth transition for your online business.

While Storenvy offers a user-friendly platform, merchants often seek more robust features and customization options as their businesses grow. Volusion, with its comprehensive suite of tools for sales, marketing, and store management, presents a powerful target platform for many. Our focus here is to provide a clear, actionable roadmap for this replatforming process, emphasizing data integrity and minimal downtime.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, careful preparation of both your source Storenvy store and your target Volusion store is crucial. This proactive approach minimizes potential issues and ensures a more efficient migration.

• For Your Storenvy Store (Source Data Preparation):
  Since Storenvy does not offer direct API integration for third-party migration tools, the migration will be conducted via CSV file export. You will need to export all your critical store data into CSV files. This typically includes:
  • Products: SKUs, names, descriptions, prices, images, variants, categories, manufacturers.
  • Customers: Names, email addresses, billing/shipping addresses, order history.
  • Orders: Order IDs, statuses, product details, customer information, prices, taxes.
  • Product Categories: Names, descriptions, hierarchical structure.
  • Product Reviews: Ratings, comments, author.
  • CMS Pages & Blogs: Content, titles, URLs.

  Ensure your data is clean and organized before export to facilitate a smoother import. For more detailed guidance on preparing your source store, refer to our FAQ on source store preparation.

• For Your Volusion Store (Target Environment Setup):
  Your Volusion store needs to be ready to receive the incoming data. This involves a few key steps:
  • Set Up Your Volusion Store: If you haven't already, create and configure your new Volusion account.
  • FTP Access: Ensure you have full FTP access to your Volusion store's server. This is essential for installing the necessary connection bridge.
  • Install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: Volusion migrations require the installation of a dedicated Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module. This plugin facilitates the secure data exchange between your CSV files and your Volusion store. Detailed instructions for installation will be provided by the migration tool.
  • Admin Credentials: Have your Volusion admin login, password, and store URL readily available, as these will be needed to establish the connection.

  For additional details on getting your target store ready, check out our guide on preparing your target store for migration.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your prerequisites in place, you're ready to begin the migration process using a specialized migration service. This guide outlines the steps with an intuitive wizard interface.

Step 1: Get Started with the Migration Wizard

Navigate to the migration service platform. You'll typically find an option to start a new migration. Choose the do-it-yourself migration wizard to begin.

Step 2: Connect Your Source Storenvy Store (via CSV Files)

In this step, you will specify your source platform. Since you're migrating from Storenvy, which uses CSV files, select 'CSV File to Cart' from the dropdown list. You will then be prompted to upload your prepared Storenvy data CSV files. This establishes the connection from which your data will be extracted.

For more information on handling CSV files for migration, visit our CSV File Data Migration service page.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Volusion Store

Next, you'll configure your target store. Select 'Volusion' from the list of supported platforms. Provide your Volusion store's URL and ensure the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module is installed as per the instructions. The migration wizard will guide you through the process of installing the connection bridge, usually via FTP, to link the two platforms securely.

Security is paramount, and these credentials are handled with the utmost care. Read more about the safety of providing your access details.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This critical step allows you to choose exactly which types of data you want to transfer. You can select all entities or pick specific ones like products, categories, customers, orders, reviews, and CMS pages. Make sure to choose all the data types you exported from Storenvy and wish to have on Volusion.

• Products: Including SKUs, product variants, descriptions, images.
• Product Categories: Maintaining their hierarchical structure.
• Customers: With their associated customer data and billing/shipping addresses.
• Orders: Preserving order history and statuses.
• Product Reviews: To maintain social proof.
• CMS Pages: Essential static content.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options and Data Mapping

This stage allows for fine-tuning your migration. You'll find a range of additional options to customize the transfer:

• Preserve IDs: Options like Preserve Product IDs, Preserve Order IDs, and Preserve Customer IDs are crucial for maintaining consistency and avoiding broken links.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures all product images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
• Password Migration: If supported, this allows customers to log in to the new Volusion store with their existing credentials.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Essential for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. Enable Create 301 SEO URLs to prevent 404 errors.
• Clear Target Store Data: The 'Clear Target' option can be used to remove existing data on your Volusion store before migration, ensuring a clean slate.

Following additional options, you'll engage in Data Mapping. This step ensures that customer groups and order statuses from your Storenvy CSV files are correctly matched with their equivalents in Volusion, preserving data consistency and avoiding discrepancies.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration (Highly Recommended)

Before committing to a full transfer, perform a demo migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) for free, allowing you to review the results, identify any issues, and ensure everything is mapping correctly. It's a risk-free way to preview your new Volusion store with actual data.

For a detailed preview experience, consider our Migration Preview Service.

Step 7: Launch Full Migration

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full migration. Review all selected entities and options one last time. You may also consider adding Migration Insurance, which provides options for additional remigrations within a certain period, offering peace of mind. Then, launch the full data transfer to your Volusion store.

Upon completion, your Storenvy data will be securely transferred to Volusion, ready for your final checks and store launch.

Post-Migration Steps

The migration doesn't end when the data transfer is complete. Several crucial post-migration steps are necessary to ensure your new Volusion store is fully functional and optimized.

1. Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data. Confirm that products (with correct SKUs and variants), customer accounts, order history, images, and CMS pages are accurately displayed on your Volusion store.
2. Configure Store Design and Theme: Customize your Volusion store's theme and design to reflect your brand identity and ensure an intuitive user experience.
3. Set Up Payment and Shipping: Integrate and test all payment gateways (e.g., PayPal, Stripe) and configure your shipping options and rates within Volusion.
4. Test Store Functionality: Perform test purchases, customer registrations, and other essential actions to ensure the checkout process, account management, and all features work flawlessly.
5. Update DNS Records: Once you're confident in your Volusion store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Volusion store. This is the point of no return for your old store, so ensure everything is perfect.
6. Implement 301 Redirects: If not fully handled by the migration tool, manually implement any necessary 301 redirects for specific old Storenvy URLs that might have changed. This preserves your SEO rankings and link equity.
7. Update Integrations: Reconnect any third-party apps or services you use (e.g., email marketing, analytics, accounting software) with your new Volusion store.
8. SEO Audit: Monitor your new store's performance in search engines. Check Google Search Console for any crawl errors or indexing issues.
9. Remove Old Storenvy Store: Once your Volusion store is fully live and stable, you can deactivate or remove your old Storenvy store.

Migrating from Storenvy to Volusion is a strategic move that can significantly benefit your e-commerce operations. By following this detailed guide, you can ensure a smooth, secure, and successful data transfer, setting your business up for continued growth on your new platform.

Should you encounter any challenges or prefer expert assistance, our team offers a range of migration services including Premium Data Migration Service and Migration Customization Service to tailor the process to your specific needs.