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

Migrating from AbanteCart to Volusion: A Comprehensive How-To Guide

The e-commerce landscape is constantly evolving, and for many merchants, the need to replatform their online store becomes a crucial step for growth and efficiency. If you're currently running your business on AbanteCart and are considering a transition to Volusion, you're looking at a powerful upgrade that offers enhanced features, scalability, and robust support. This detailed guide will walk you through every essential step of transferring your valuable data from AbanteCart to Volusion, ensuring a smooth and successful migration.

Given AbanteCart's architecture, the most effective way to move your store's data is through a structured CSV file export, which will then be imported into your new Volusion platform. This approach ensures that all your critical entities, from products to customer data, maintain their integrity during the data transfer process.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the migration process, thorough preparation is key to preventing potential issues and ensuring a seamless transition. Here’s what you need to prepare on both your AbanteCart (source) and Volusion (target) stores.

AbanteCart Preparation (Source Store)

Since AbanteCart does not typically support a direct API connection for automated migration tools, the recommended method for data transfer involves exporting your store's information into CSV files. This manual export ensures you have complete control over the data you wish to migrate.

• Export Your Data: Access your AbanteCart admin panel to export key data entities. Focus on exporting your products (including SKUs, variants, prices, images), product categories, customer records, and order histories. Ensure the exported CSV files are well-structured and include all necessary fields. For detailed guidance on this method, refer to our CSV.File Data Migration service page.
• Data Integrity Check: Before exporting, perform a quick audit of your AbanteCart data. Correct any inconsistencies, missing information, or duplicate entries to ensure clean data is carried over.
• Backup Your Store: Always create a full backup of your AbanteCart store's database and and files. This is a critical safety measure in case any unforeseen issues arise during the export process. You can find more tips on preparing your source store in our FAQ: How to prepare Source store for migration?.

Volusion Preparation (Target Store)

Your new Volusion store needs to be ready to receive the incoming data. Here’s what you should do:

• Set Up Your Volusion Store: Ensure your Volusion store is already set up and accessible. You should have administrative login credentials, your store’s URL, and FTP access details readily available.
• Install the Migration Module: Volusion requires a specific migration module to facilitate the bridge connection. The Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module must be installed on your Volusion store. This module enables the secure connection and data exchange between your CSV files and the Volusion platform. For the bridge connection, you'll typically need to provide details like your admin login, password, admin URL, and the bridge location on your server. For more on securely providing credentials, see The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• FTP Access: Ensure you have FTP (File Transfer Protocol) access to your Volusion store. This is often necessary for uploading the migration bridge files. Understanding what a root folder is and where to find it will be helpful.
• Consider a Clean Slate: If this is a brand new Volusion store or you wish to start fresh, you might consider clearing any existing demo data on your target store before migration. This option is often available within migration tools.
• Backup Your Store: Even if new, it's a good practice to back up your Volusion store before a major data import. More general advice on preparing your target store can be found in our FAQ: How to prepare Target store for migration?.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, you are now ready to begin the data migration process using an automated migration wizard. Follow these steps carefully to ensure a successful transfer of your e-commerce data.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Navigate to the migration service platform. Here, you'll be prompted to start your migration process. This initial screen sets the stage for the entire replatforming journey.

Step 2: Connect Your Source Store (AbanteCart via CSV)

In the migration wizard, select "CSV File to Cart" as your Source Shopping Cart. You will then be guided to upload the CSV files you exported from your AbanteCart store. This is where your products, customers, orders, and other entities will be sourced from.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, choose "Volusion" from the dropdown list of Target Shopping Carts. You will then be prompted to enter the full URL of your Volusion store and provide the necessary credentials for the migration bridge. Ensure the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module is already installed on your Volusion server, as this is critical for the connection.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly which data entities you want to transfer to your Volusion store. You can select all available entities or pick specific ones like products, product categories, manufacturers, customer records, orders, reviews, invoices, taxes, coupons, and CMS pages. This ensures only relevant data is moved, maintaining data integrity.

• Supported Entities: Products, Products_Categories, Products_Manufacturers, Products_Reviews, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, CMS_Pages.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

The migration wizard offers a range of additional options to tailor your data transfer. These settings are vital for preserving SEO rankings, customer data, and ensuring a smooth user experience on your new Volusion store.

• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product and category images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
• Clear Target Store Data: An option to clear current data on the target store before the migration begins.
• Preserve IDs: Select options to preserve Product IDs, Orders IDs, and Customers IDs to maintain existing relationships and links.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Crucially important for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. Enable `SEO URLs`, `301 SEO URLs`, and `Create 301 SEO URLs` to automatically set up redirects from your old AbanteCart URLs to the new Volusion ones.
• Password Migration: Allows for the transfer of customer passwords, ensuring a seamless login experience for your existing customer base.
• Migrate Invoices: Transfer your existing invoice data for complete financial records.
• Skip Custom Attributes: If desired, you can choose to skip custom attributes that may not be compatible or needed on Volusion.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

In this step, you will align your AbanteCart (CSV) data fields with the corresponding fields in Volusion. This includes mapping customer groups (e.g., 'Wholesale' to 'Business Customer') and order statuses (e.g., 'Pending' to 'Awaiting Payment'). Proper data mapping is essential for maintaining consistency and functionality post-migration.

Step 7: Perform a Free Demo Migration (Recommended)

Before committing to a full migration, run a free demo. This migrates a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your Volusion store. This allows you to review the quality of the data transfer and identify any potential issues before the full process, ensuring everything looks as expected.

Step 8: Launch Full Migration

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full replatforming. Review your selected entities and options one last time. You may also consider purchasing a Migration Insurance Plan, which provides options for re-migrating your data if needed. Confirm all details and initiate the transfer. The service will handle the rest, with minimal downtime for your store.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully transferred to Volusion, there are several crucial steps to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized.

• Verify Data Integrity: Thoroughly check all migrated data. Confirm that products (including SKUs, images, descriptions, and variants), customer accounts, order histories, product reviews, and CMS pages have moved correctly. Pay close attention to pricing, inventory levels, and customer groups.
• Configure SEO Settings: Verify that your 301 redirects are working as expected to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity. Update your sitemap in Google Search Console and monitor your analytics for any drastic changes in traffic. Proper SEO configuration is vital to maintain visibility.
• Test Store Functionality: Conduct comprehensive testing of your Volusion store. Place test orders, check payment gateways, verify shipping calculations, test customer account logins, and browse categories to ensure a smooth user experience.
• Update DNS Records: Once you are completely satisfied with your new Volusion store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Volusion platform. This will officially switch your live store to Volusion.
• Notify Customers: Inform your customer base about the new store and its features. Provide clear instructions on how they can log in if their passwords were migrated, or how to reset them if not.
• Review and Optimize: Take advantage of Volusion's features. Configure new themes, integrate any necessary third-party apps or plugins, and optimize your store for performance and conversions.
• Consider Recent Data Migration: If any new data (orders, customers) was added to your AbanteCart store during the final migration, consider using a Recent Data Migration Service to ensure everything is up-to-date.
• Decommission AbanteCart: Once your Volusion store is fully live and stable, you can safely decommission your old AbanteCart store, after ensuring you have all necessary backups.

Migrating from AbanteCart to Volusion is a significant undertaking, but with careful planning and the right tools, it can be a smooth and rewarding process. If you encounter any challenges or require expert assistance, our team is always ready to help. Feel free to contact us for support.