Adobe Business Catalyst to Square Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Adobe Business Catalyst to Square

The e-commerce landscape is constantly evolving, and for merchants still operating on platforms like Adobe Business Catalyst, the need to replatform is more urgent than ever. With Adobe Business Catalyst no longer supported, moving your online store to a modern, robust platform like Square is a critical step for business continuity and growth. Square offers a user-friendly interface, integrated payment processing, and scalable solutions that can revitalize your online presence.

This expert guide provides a clear, actionable roadmap for migrating your valuable store data from Adobe Business Catalyst to Square. Due to Adobe Business Catalyst's sunset status, a direct API connection for migration is not feasible. Instead, this transition will primarily leverage a CSV-based data transfer method, ensuring that your products, customers, orders, and other essential information make the switch smoothly. By following these steps, you can minimize downtime, preserve your SEO rankings, and set your business up for success on a dynamic new platform.

Ready to start your migration journey? Here's how to begin:

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, some preparation is necessary to ensure a seamless transition from Adobe Business Catalyst to Square. This involves readying both your legacy platform data and your new Square store.

Preparing Your Adobe Business Catalyst (Source) Store Data

• Data Export: Since Adobe Business Catalyst is a deprecated platform, a direct API connection for automated migration tools is not available. You will need to export your store data into CSV files. Focus on extracting key entities such as:
  • Products (including SKUs, variants, descriptions, images)
  • Product Categories
  • Product Manufacturers
  • Product Reviews
  • Customer Information (names, addresses, order history)
  • Orders (statuses, details)
  • Invoices
  • Taxes
  • Coupons
  • CMS Pages and Blogs/Blog Posts
  This data will be imported via the CSV.File Data Migration method, often referred to as "CsvToCart."
• Data Cleanup: This is an opportune moment to audit and clean your existing data. Remove outdated products, duplicate customer entries, or irrelevant information. Clean data means a cleaner new store.
• Image Export: Ensure all product images, category images, and other media are exported along with your data. You may need to manually download these or use an export tool to link them correctly in your CSV files.
• For more detailed advice, review our guide on how to prepare your source store.

Preparing Your Square (Target) Store

• Create a Square Account: If you haven't already, sign up for a Square Online account.
• Basic Setup: Complete the initial setup steps for your Square store, including setting up your store's general information, currency, and basic shipping zones. You don't need to populate it with products yet, as these will be migrated.
• No Plugin Required (for source connection): For the CsvToCart source method, no specific plugin is required on Square itself for the migration tool to connect and import data. The migration tool will interact with Square's API to push the data.
• For further guidance, consult our how to prepare your target store for migration FAQ.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Executing the migration involves a series of steps using an automated migration wizard, guiding you through the process of transferring your Adobe Business Catalyst data (via CSV) to your new Square store.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This is where you'll start the process of moving your store from Adobe Business Catalyst to Square.

Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (Adobe Business Catalyst via CSV)

In this crucial step, you'll specify Adobe Business Catalyst as your source platform, utilizing the CSV file method.

1. Select Source Cart: From the dropdown menu, choose "CSV File to Cart" as your Source Cart Type. This option accommodates the exported data from Adobe Business Catalyst.
2. Upload CSV Files: You will then be prompted to upload the CSV files containing your exported products, categories, customers, orders, and other data from Adobe Business Catalyst. Ensure all necessary files are organized and correctly formatted according to the tool's specifications.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Square)

Next, you'll configure your new Square store as the destination for your data.

1. Select Target Cart: Choose "Square" from the Target Cart Type dropdown list.
2. Connect to Square: You will need to provide the necessary access credentials to allow the migration tool to connect to your Square account. This typically involves API keys or other authorization tokens, ensuring a secure data transfer. Refer to our guide on access credentials for more information.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This stage allows you to precisely define which data types (entities) you wish to migrate from your Adobe Business Catalyst CSV files to Square. You have granular control over the scope of your data transfer.

• Choose to migrate all supported entities or select specific ones:
• Products: Including product details, SKUs, images, descriptions, and variants.
• Products Categories & Manufacturers: Essential for organizing your catalog.
• Product Reviews: Maintain social proof.
• Customers: Transfer customer accounts and associated data.
• Orders: Historical order data, crucial for customer service and analytics.
• Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons: Financial and promotional data.
• CMS Pages & Blogs/Blog Posts: Preserve your valuable content and metadata.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your data transfer with a range of optional features. These settings allow for a more customized and efficient migration, addressing specific business needs and preserving critical store elements.

• Preserve IDs: Options like Preserve Category IDs, Preserve Product IDs, Preserve Customers IDs, and Preserve Orders IDs can help maintain consistency for existing systems or records.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Crucial for products with options like size or color.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Migrate existing SEO URLs and create 301 redirects to maintain your search engine rankings and link equity.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure all embedded images within product descriptions or CMS pages are transferred.
• Password Migration: Allows for secure transfer of customer passwords, improving user experience.
• Clear Target Store Data: The "Clear current data on Target store before migration" option is useful if you've done previous tests or have dummy data on Square.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

Data mapping is a critical step to ensure that information from your Adobe Business Catalyst CSV files is correctly matched to the corresponding fields in Square. This involves aligning:

• Customer Groups from BC to Square customer roles.
• Order Statuses (e.g., "Pending payment" to "Processing").
• Product attributes, variants, and other custom fields.

The wizard will guide you through this process, often providing dropdown menus to select the appropriate matches.

Step 7: Perform a Free Demo Migration (Recommended)

Before committing to a full data transfer, run a Free Demo Migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your Square store. The demo allows you to:

• Verify data integrity and accuracy.
• Check how your products, categories, and customer information appear on Square.
• Identify any potential issues or adjustments needed before the full migration.

Step 8: Launch Full Data Transfer

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. Review the summary of entities to be transferred and the total cost. At this stage, you might also consider adding Migration Insurance, which offers additional remigrations within a specified period, providing peace of mind. For more details, understand how Migration Insurance works.

Initiate the full transfer, and the migration tool will move all your selected data from Adobe Business Catalyst (via CSV) to your new Square store. You can monitor the progress of the transfer.

Post-Migration Steps

Completing the data transfer is a significant achievement, but the journey to a fully operational Square store isn't over. These post-migration steps are crucial for ensuring your new store is ready for business and optimized for success.

• Thorough Data Review: Systematically check all migrated data. Verify product details, images, prices, SKUs, inventory levels, customer accounts, order histories, and content pages on your Square store. Ensure data integrity and accuracy across the board.
• Configure Store Settings: Set up your shipping options, tax rules, payment gateways (leveraging Square's integrated payments), and general store policies according to your business model.
• Install Essential Apps & Integrations: Explore the Square App Marketplace for any integrations or third-party apps your business relies on for marketing, accounting, customer service, or inventory management.
• Verify SEO and Redirects: If you opted for 301 redirects during migration, verify that they are working correctly to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity. Update your sitemap in Google Search Console and monitor for any crawl errors.
• Conduct Extensive Testing: Place test orders, process returns, check customer account creation and login, verify search functionality, and test all forms (contact, newsletter sign-up) to ensure a smooth user experience.
• Update DNS Settings: Once you are completely satisfied with your new Square store, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new Square site. This makes your Square store live to the public.
• Communicate with Customers: Inform your customer base about the move to Square, highlighting any new features or improvements they can expect.
• Consider Recent Data Migration: If your old Adobe Business Catalyst store was still active during the migration, you might have accrued new orders or customer sign-ups. Utilize a Recent Data Migration Service to transfer any new data since your initial migration, ensuring nothing is missed.

By diligently following these post-migration tasks, you can confidently launch your new Square e-commerce store, providing a modern, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for your customers. If you encounter any challenges or require additional assistance, remember that professional migration services are available to provide support every step of the way. Don't hesitate to contact us for expert help.