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

Seamlessly Transition Your Store from StoresOnline to Volusion

As your e-commerce business evolves, the need for a more robust, scalable, and feature-rich platform often becomes apparent. StoresOnline, while a foundational platform for many, can present limitations for growing businesses seeking advanced capabilities, better user experience, and enhanced SEO opportunities. Transitioning your online store to Volusion can unlock a new realm of possibilities, offering a powerful platform with extensive features for product management, marketing, and customer engagement.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of replatforming your online store from StoresOnline to Volusion. Since StoresOnline typically does not offer direct API access for automated migrations, we will detail the process using a CSV file export from StoresOnline as your source data, followed by an automated data transfer to your new Volusion store. We’ll cover everything from initial preparation to crucial post-migration checks, ensuring your data integrity, minimizing downtime, and preserving your valuable SEO rankings.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before embarking on your data transfer journey, some preparatory steps are crucial to ensure a smooth transition. Proper preparation minimizes potential issues and guarantees that all your vital e-commerce data moves seamlessly.

Preparing Your StoresOnline (Source) Data

Since StoresOnline typically requires a manual data export, you'll need to extract your store's information into CSV files. This exported data will serve as the foundation for your migration. Ensure you transfer the following core entities:

• Products: This includes product names, SKUs, descriptions, pricing, inventory levels, weight, images, and any product variants or options.
• Categories: A structured list of your product categories and their hierarchy.
• Customer Data: Names, email addresses, billing and shipping addresses, and order history.
• Orders: Order IDs, dates, statuses, products purchased, customer details, and total values.
• Reviews: Any customer reviews associated with your products.

Thoroughly review your exported CSV files for consistency and accuracy. Cleaning up any duplicate entries or outdated information before proceeding is highly recommended. For more details on preparing your source, refer to our guide on preparing your source store or consider our CSV File Data Migration service.

Setting Up Your Volusion (Target) Store

Your new Volusion store needs to be ready to receive data. This involves:

• New Volusion Account: Sign up for a Volusion plan and establish your initial store.
• Basic Configuration: Complete the initial setup, including your store name, currency, and time zone settings.
• Theme Selection: Choose a responsive and modern theme that aligns with your brand. While design elements won't migrate, having a visual foundation is helpful.
• Access Credentials: Ensure you have full administrative access to your Volusion store URL, including FTP access. This is crucial for installing the necessary bridge file that facilitates a secure connection for the data transfer. Need help with credentials? Check out The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

For more insights into target store preparation, visit our FAQ on preparing your target store.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

This section outlines the detailed steps to perform your StoresOnline to Volusion migration using an automated migration tool, leveraging your exported CSV files as the primary data source.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration service platform. You will typically find an option to start a new migration process or a migration wizard to guide you through the initial setup.

Step 2: Connect Your Stores

2.1. Configure Your StoresOnline (Source) Store

When prompted to select your source shopping cart, choose "CSV File to Cart" from the dropdown list. You will then be guided to upload the CSV files you exported from your StoresOnline store. This method allows the migration tool to parse and understand your data without direct API access to your old platform. Ensure all relevant CSVs (products, customers, orders, etc.) are uploaded.

2.2. Configure Your Volusion (Target) Store

Next, select "Volusion" as your target shopping cart from the available options. Provide the complete URL of your new Volusion store. As Volusion requires a bridge-based connection, the migration tool will prompt you to download and install a specific migration module. This typically involves uploading a small bridge file via FTP to the root directory of your Volusion installation. This bridge acts as a secure data conduit. The platform will then verify the bridge's successful installation before proceeding.

Step 3: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This critical step allows you to specify exactly which types of data, or entities, you wish to migrate from your StoresOnline CSVs to Volusion. You can choose to transfer all available entities with a single click or select them individually. Common entities for migration include:

• Products (including images, attributes, and variants)
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customers
• Orders (including order statuses)
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Coupons
• CMS Pages

Review the list carefully and select all relevant data to ensure a complete and accurate transfer of your store's information, preserving all essential aspects of your e-commerce business.

Step 4: Configure Additional Migration Options

The migration wizard offers a range of additional options to customize your data transfer. These settings can significantly impact the outcome, particularly regarding SEO rankings and the overall user experience on your new Volusion store. Consider the following:

• Create 301 Redirects: Highly recommended to preserve your search engine rankings and link equity by automatically redirecting old StoresOnline URLs to new Volusion URLs.
• Migrate Customer Passwords: Enable secure transfer of customer login credentials, allowing customers to use their existing passwords.
• Preserve Product/Order/Customer IDs: Maintain original IDs to ensure consistency with external systems (like ERPs) or for historical data purposes. See how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• Clear Target Store Data: If you've been testing your Volusion store, you might choose to clear its current data before the full migration begins. Learn more about the "Clear current data on Target store before migration" option.
• Migrate Images in Product Descriptions: Ensures that all embedded images are transferred correctly and display properly on Volusion.

Select the options that best fit your specific business needs and priorities.

Step 5: Map Data Fields

Data mapping is crucial for ensuring that information from your StoresOnline CSVs is correctly aligned with the corresponding fields in Volusion. The migration tool will present intuitive interfaces for mapping:

• Customer Groups: Match your source customer roles (if any) to Volusion's customer groups.
• Order Statuses: Align your old order statuses (e.g., 'Pending payment,' 'Processing,' 'Completed') to Volusion's equivalent states.
• Product Attributes: If your CSVs contain custom product attributes (e.g., color, size), ensure they map correctly to Volusion's attribute system, creating variants as needed.

Careful mapping maintains data integrity and consistency, ensuring all information appears where it should on your new platform.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration and Full Migration

Before committing to the full data transfer, it's highly recommended to perform 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. The demo helps you:

• Verify the connection between your CSV files and Volusion.
• Check the accuracy and integrity of data transfer.
• Test your chosen additional options and data mapping.

Review the results thoroughly on your Volusion store. Once satisfied with the demo, proceed with the full migration. You'll review the total cost and can opt for a Migration Insurance Plan, offering remigrations for future data updates or unexpected issues. Learn more about how Migration Insurance works.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully transferred to Volusion, several crucial post-migration tasks remain to ensure your new store is fully operational, optimized, and ready for customers.

• Thoroughly Test Your New Volusion Store: Navigate through your new Volusion store as if you were a customer. Test product pages, add items to the cart, complete a dummy purchase, verify customer accounts and their order history, and check all links and images. Ensure all transferred data, including product SKUs, variants, prices, and customer data, is accurate and functional.
• Update DNS Settings: Point your domain name to your new Volusion store. This typically involves changing nameservers or A records with your domain registrar. Prepare for a brief period of DNS propagation.
• Implement and Verify 301 Redirects: If you opted to create 301 redirects during migration, verify they are working correctly. This is vital for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity from your old StoresOnline URLs, preventing 404 errors.
• Configure Payment and Shipping Gateways: Set up and test your preferred payment processors (e.g., PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net) and shipping carriers with their respective rates and rules within Volusion.
• Install Essential Apps and Plugins: Explore the Volusion App Store for any necessary integrations or functionalities your business requires, such as marketing automation, analytics, or customer service tools, to enhance your store's capabilities.
• Review and Optimize SEO Settings: Update your meta titles, descriptions, and keywords for product pages, categories, and CMS pages on Volusion. Ensure your new sitemap is generated and submitted to major search engines.
• Inform Your Customers: Announce the launch of your new and improved Volusion store! Provide clear instructions if customers need to reset passwords or if there are any changes to their account access.
• Monitor Performance: Keep a close eye on your website's performance using analytics tools. Look for any broken links, 404 errors, or unexpected dips in traffic, and address them promptly.
• Migrate Recent Data: If new orders, customer registrations, or product updates occurred on StoresOnline after your main migration, consider a Recent Data Migration Service to bring over only the latest changes, ensuring no data is lost during the cutover period.

By following these comprehensive steps, you can confidently migrate your e-commerce store from StoresOnline to Volusion, positioning your business for future growth and success on a more powerful and flexible platform. If you encounter any challenges or prefer a fully guided approach, explore our Ultimate Data Migration Service or contact us for expert assistance.