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

Seamlessly Migrate Your E-commerce Store from JouwWeb to Volusion

Transitioning your online store to a new platform can seem like a daunting task, but with the right guidance, it's a strategic move that can unlock new opportunities for growth and enhanced functionality. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your e-commerce store from JouwWeb to Volusion, ensuring a smooth and efficient data transfer. Given that JouwWeb primarily offers website building with e-commerce features, the migration will involve exporting your data into CSV files and then importing it into Volusion, leveraging a specialized migration tool to maintain data integrity and minimize downtime.

Volusion, as a robust e-commerce platform, offers a scalable solution for businesses looking to expand. By understanding each step, from initial preparation to post-migration checks, you can confidently replatform your store and set the stage for future success.

What are the Potential Benefits of a Website Migration?

Replatforming to Volusion can offer several advantages, including:

• Enhanced Scalability: Volusion is built to support growing businesses, offering more advanced features and infrastructure.
• Richer Feature Set: Access to more sophisticated marketing tools, inventory management, and reporting capabilities.
• Improved Performance: Potentially faster loading times and a more stable environment for your customers.
• Greater Customization: More control over design, functionality, and integrations through its ecosystem.
• Better SEO Tools: Advanced options to optimize your store for search engines, helping to attract more organic traffic.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, it's crucial to prepare both your JouwWeb source store and your new Volusion target store. Proper preparation is key to preventing data loss and ensuring a seamless transition.

Preparing Your JouwWeb Source Store (CSV Export)

Since JouwWeb does not offer direct API access for third-party migration tools in the same way other platforms do, the process will involve exporting your store's data into CSV files. This method, often referred to as CSV.File Data Migration, allows for the transfer of essential entities.

1. Identify Data to Export: Determine all the data you need to move. This typically includes:
   • Products (SKUs, variants, prices, descriptions, images)
   • Product Categories
   • Customer data (names, emails, addresses)
   • Order history (order IDs, statuses, purchased items)
   • Product Reviews
   • Invoices
   • Coupons
   • CMS Pages
2. Export Data from JouwWeb: Navigate through your JouwWeb admin panel to find options for exporting your store data. JouwWeb generally provides tools to download data in CSV format. Export each data type separately (e.g., one CSV for products, one for customers, etc.) to ensure clarity and organization.
3. Review and Clean CSV Files: Open your exported CSV files in a spreadsheet program (like Google Sheets, Excel, or LibreOffice Calc). Look for any inconsistencies, missing data, or formatting errors. Clean and standardize the data to prevent issues during import. Ensure all product images are accessible via URLs or are prepared for manual upload if needed.

For more details on preparing your source store, read our How to prepare Source store for migration? FAQ.

Preparing Your Volusion Target Store

Your Volusion store needs to be set up and ready to receive data. This involves a few technical steps:

1. Set Up Your Volusion Store: Create your new Volusion account and complete the initial setup. Choose your store's domain and ensure it's accessible.
2. Install Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: Volusion migrations require a special module (plugin) to facilitate the connection. This module is essential for the migration tool to communicate with your Volusion database.

   You will need FTP access to your Volusion store's server to upload the Cart2Cart Bridge files. This typically involves connecting to your server using an FTP client (like FileZilla). Refer to our guide on What is a root folder and where can I find it? if you are unsure where to upload these files.

   Once the bridge is uploaded, ensure it's accessible and properly configured. The migration wizard will guide you through this process, including bridge location detection and validation.

3. Gather Volusion Access Credentials: You will need your Volusion admin login, password, and the full URL of your new store. Additionally, information regarding your database (like `dbTablesPrefix` if applicable) might be requested during the connection setup.
4. Backup Your Volusion Store (Optional but Recommended): If your Volusion store already contains any data you wish to keep, create a backup before proceeding with the migration. This is particularly important if you plan to use the "Clear Target" option during migration.

For more details on preparing your target store, read our How to prepare Target store for migration? FAQ.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

The migration process is facilitated by a specialized migration wizard, streamlining the data transfer. Follow these steps carefully to ensure a successful switch.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. On the initial page, you'll find options to start a do-it-yourself migration, request assistance, or calculate costs. Select the option to start your migration.

Step 2: Set Up Your Source Store (JouwWeb via CSV)

This is where you'll specify JouwWeb as your source platform by selecting "CSV File to Cart". You will then upload the CSV files you prepared from your JouwWeb store.

First, select "CSV File to Cart" from the dropdown menu of supported carts. Then, follow the prompts to upload your exported CSV files for products, customers, orders, etc. Ensure that all necessary data files are included for the migration tool to process.

Step 3: Configure Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, you'll configure your Volusion target store. Select "Volusion" from the target cart dropdown menu. Provide the full URL of your Volusion store and then follow the instructions to connect. This will involve verifying the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module and entering your administrative access credentials.

The wizard will prompt you for details like `adminLogin`, `adminPwd`, and `adminUrl`. It will also detect the `bridgeLocation` if the bridge files were uploaded correctly. This connection method ensures secure and direct communication between the migration tool and your Volusion database.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly what data you wish to transfer from your JouwWeb CSV files to Volusion. The migration tool supports a wide range of entities:

• Products
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customers
• Orders
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Stores
• Coupons
• CMS Pages

You can either select "All entities" or pick and choose specific data types based on your needs. For instance, if you're primarily concerned with moving product information and customer records, you can uncheck other options.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

The wizard offers various additional options to tailor your migration. These can significantly impact the quality and completeness of your data transfer. Consider the following:

• Clear Target Store Data: If your Volusion store contains demo data or old information, selecting "Clear Target" will remove it before the new data is imported. Read about Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Preserve Product IDs, Order IDs, Customer IDs: Highly recommended for maintaining historical data integrity and compatibility with external systems. Learn How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures that product descriptions and CMS pages retain their visual content.
• Password Migration: Allows customers to log into your new Volusion store with their existing passwords, improving user experience.
• SEO URLs & Create 301 SEO URLs: Essential for preserving your search engine rankings and link equity. This creates redirects from your old JouwWeb URLs to your new Volusion URLs.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Important if your JouwWeb products have different options (e.g., size, color) that need to be transferred as Volusion product variants.

Step 6: Map Data

In this step, you'll map specific fields from your JouwWeb CSV data to their corresponding fields in Volusion. This ensures that customer groups, order statuses, and other custom data are correctly categorized in your new store.

For example, you'll match customer roles like "Guest" or "Registered Customer" and order statuses such as "Pending", "Processing", or "Completed" to their Volusion equivalents.

Step 7: Run a Free Demo Migration & Full Migration

Before committing to the full migration, it's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Volusion store. The demo allows you to:

• Test the connection between the platforms.
• Verify data mapping accuracy.
• Check the appearance of transferred products, customers, and orders in Volusion.
• Identify any potential issues before the full data transfer.

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. Review the summary of your selected entities and their counts, confirm the total cost, and consider adding a Migration Insurance Service for added peace of mind, which allows for multiple remigrations if needed. Then, initiate the full data transfer.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully migrated to Volusion, a few critical post-migration steps are necessary to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized.

1. Thorough Data Verification:
   • Products: Check product descriptions, images, prices, SKUs, variants, and stock levels. Ensure categories are correctly assigned.
   • Customers: Verify customer accounts, addresses, and order history. Test password login functionality if migrated.
   • Orders: Confirm order statuses, products purchased, and customer details for recent and historical orders.
   • CMS Pages: Review content, images, and links on your migrated informational pages.
2. Test Store Functionality:
   • Place Test Orders: Go through the entire checkout process, from adding items to the cart, applying coupons, to completing a purchase. Test various payment gateways.
   • User Accounts: Register new user accounts and test existing ones (if passwords were migrated).
   • Search & Filters: Ensure product search, filters, and sorting options work correctly.
3. Configure SEO and Redirects:
   • 301 Redirects: If you didn't enable the 301 redirects option during migration, or if you have specific legacy URLs, set up redirects in Volusion to point old JouwWeb URLs to their new Volusion counterparts. This preserves your SEO rankings and link equity.
   • Google Analytics & Search Console: Update your Google Analytics and Google Search Console properties to reflect your new Volusion store's URL.
   • Sitemap: Generate and submit a new sitemap to Google Search Console.
4. Install and Configure Apps/Plugins: Install any necessary Volusion apps or integrations for marketing, shipping, accounting, or customer service that you previously used or wish to implement.
5. Update DNS Records: Once you are completely satisfied with your Volusion store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Volusion store. This is the final step to take your new store live.
6. Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously monitor your new Volusion store for performance, user experience, and any potential issues that may arise.

Migrating from JouwWeb to Volusion is a significant undertaking, but by following this detailed guide and utilizing professional migration tools, you can achieve a seamless transition. Should you encounter any challenges or require assistance with specific aspects of your replatforming, don't hesitate to Contact Us for expert support.