BV Commerce to Volusion Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Migrate BV Commerce to Volusion: The Ultimate Guide for a Seamless Transition

Steering your e-commerce business towards new horizons often involves replatforming to a more robust or feature-rich solution. If you're currently operating on BV Commerce and are considering a move to Volusion, this comprehensive guide will walk you through every essential step. Volusion offers a powerful, all-in-one e-commerce platform that can significantly enhance your store's capabilities, from managing products and customer data to optimizing for sales and marketing.

Given that BV Commerce is not directly supported by automated bridge connections, this migration will be performed using a CSV file export method from your BV Commerce store, then importing that data into the migration tool, which will then seamlessly transfer it to your new Volusion store via its dedicated bridge connection. This ensures a thorough and accurate transfer of your valuable store data, minimizing downtime and preserving data integrity.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, a few crucial preparations are necessary to ensure a smooth and successful transition. Taking these steps seriously will save you time and potential headaches down the line.

For Your BV Commerce (Source) Store:

• Data Export: You will need administrative access to your BV Commerce store's backend or database to export your crucial e-commerce data into CSV files. This includes product information (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), customer records, order history, categories, and reviews.
• Data Cleanup: This is an excellent opportunity to clean up any outdated or redundant data in your BV Commerce store. Removing old products, inactive customer accounts, or correcting inconsistencies will lead to a cleaner, more efficient Volusion store.
• Backup Your Data: Always create a complete backup of your BV Commerce store's database and files before attempting any data export. This is a critical safety measure.

For Your Volusion (Target) Store:

• New Volusion Store Setup: Ensure you have a new Volusion store set up and ready. You'll need its URL and administrative access credentials. If you haven't done so, create your Volusion account and complete the initial setup.
• FTP Access: Volusion migrations require FTP access to your store's root directory to upload a special connection bridge file. This bridge facilitates secure communication between the migration tool and your Volusion database. If you are unsure where your root folder is, please consult our What is a root folder? FAQ.
• Install Cart2Cart Volusion Migration Module: A specific plugin, the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module, is required for Volusion to act as a target platform. You will install this module in your Volusion store to enable the bridge connection.
• Review Target Store Preparation: For a deeper dive into preparing your new platform, read our guide on How to prepare Target store for migration?
• Gather Access Credentials: Have all necessary login details for both your BV Commerce data (as CSV files) and your Volusion store (admin login, password, URL, FTP details) readily available. Refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for more details.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to move your e-commerce data from BV Commerce to Volusion using a dedicated migration solution.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration wizard. This is where you'll initiate the data transfer process. You can choose to start a do-it-yourself migration or explore assisted services if you prefer a hands-off approach.

Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (BV Commerce via CSV)

Since BV Commerce is migrated via CSV files, you will select 'CSV File to Cart' as your Source Cart. You will then upload the CSV files containing your exported BV Commerce data (products, customers, orders, etc.) into the migration tool. This effectively makes your CSV files the source of the migration.

Step 3: Configure Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, select 'Volusion' as your Target Cart. You will need to provide the full URL of your Volusion store and your administrative login credentials. The system will then prompt you to download and upload the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module to your Volusion store's root directory via FTP. This module acts as a secure bridge, enabling the migration tool to connect with and transfer data to your Volusion instance.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This critical step allows you to define exactly what data you wish to move from your BV Commerce CSV files to Volusion. You can choose to migrate all available entities or hand-pick specific ones based on your needs. The supported entities for transfer include:

• Products: Including SKUs, variants, images, descriptions, and product metadata.
• Product Categories: Maintaining your store's organizational structure.
• Manufacturers: Associating products with their respective brands.
• Product Reviews: Preserving valuable social proof.
• Customers: Including customer groups and associated data.
• Orders: Full order history, statuses, and associated invoices.
• Invoices: Ensuring complete financial records.
• Taxes: Maintaining tax configurations.
• Stores: If applicable for multi-store setups (though Volusion has multi-store limitations for BigCommerce variants, which you should be aware of if considering future expansions).
• Coupons: Transferring promotional codes and rules.
• CMS Pages: Essential static content and informational pages.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

Here, you'll find a range of additional options to customize your migration, crucial for preserving SEO rankings, customer experience, and data integrity:

• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product and category images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
• Clear Target: Opt to clear all existing data from your Volusion store before migration. This is often recommended for new stores to avoid conflicts, but use with caution on active stores. Learn more about clearing target data.
• Preserve Product IDs, Orders IDs, Customers IDs: Maintain original IDs for consistency, especially important for external integrations or existing analytics. Discover how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• SEO URLs, 301 SEO URLs, Create 301 SEO URLs: Absolutely vital for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. This option ensures that old BV Commerce URLs redirect to their new Volusion counterparts, preventing broken links and preserving your SEO value.
• Migrate Invoices: Transfer all your past invoice records.
• Password Migration: Securely migrate customer passwords, allowing your existing customer base to log into the new Volusion store without resetting their passwords.
• Skip Custom Attributes: If you have custom product attributes on BV Commerce that are not compatible or needed in Volusion, you can choose to skip them.

Below the additional options, you'll perform Data Mapping. This involves matching customer groups and order statuses from your BV Commerce data to their corresponding equivalents in Volusion. For example, you might map 'Wholesale Customers' from BV Commerce to a specific 'Customer Group' in Volusion, or 'Pending' order status from BV Commerce to 'Awaiting Payment' in Volusion.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration (Optional but Recommended)

Before committing to the full migration, it is highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) to your Volusion store. The demo helps you:

• Verify the connection between the migration tool and your Volusion store.
• Preview how your data will appear on the new platform.
• Identify and resolve any potential mapping issues or data discrepancies early on.

Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

Once you've reviewed the demo results and are confident in your settings, proceed with the full data transfer. Confirm your selections, review the migration cost, and initiate the process. Consider opting for Migration Insurance Service, which provides peace of mind with options for remigrations if any unforeseen issues arise. Understand how Migration Insurance works.

Post-Migration Steps

The migration doesn't end when the data transfer is complete. A few critical post-migration tasks are essential for a successful launch of your new Volusion store.

• Thorough Data Review: Scrutinize all migrated data. Check product listings, images, prices, customer accounts, order histories, and CMS pages. Ensure everything looks correct and functions as expected.
• Test All Store Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of your new Volusion store. This includes placing test orders, verifying payment gateways, checking customer login functionality, testing search filters, and ensuring the checkout process is seamless.
• Configure SEO Settings & 301 Redirects: Verify that all 301 redirects are working as intended to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity. Update your sitemap in Google Search Console and ensure meta titles and descriptions are correctly set for all pages. Note Volusion's limitation regarding SEO options being excluded for blogs, so plan accordingly if your BV Commerce store had significant blog content.
• Update DNS Settings: Once you are completely satisfied with your new Volusion store, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new Volusion URL. This will make your new store live to the public.
• Inform Your Customers: Announce the launch of your new Volusion store to your customer base. Highlight any new features or improvements they can expect.
• Remove Old Store: Once your Volusion store is fully operational and you're confident in its performance, you can safely decommission your old BV Commerce store.
• Explore Volusion's Features: Dive into Volusion's rich feature set. Take advantage of its built-in marketing tools, analytics, and app store integrations to further optimize your e-commerce operations.
• Address New Data: If new orders or customer registrations occurred on your BV Commerce store during the migration period, consider using a Recent Data Migration Service to transfer this delta data without a full remigration.

Migrating from BV Commerce to Volusion can be a significant undertaking, but with careful planning and the right tools, it can be a smooth and rewarding transition that sets your business up for future growth. If you encounter any challenges or require assistance, do not hesitate to Contact Us or refer to our Frequently Asked Questions section.