Solid Commerce to BigCommerce Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Solid Commerce to BigCommerce

Transitioning an e-commerce store is a significant undertaking, but migrating from Solid Commerce to a robust platform like BigCommerce can unlock new levels of scalability, features, and growth opportunities. BigCommerce offers powerful tools for managing products, customers, and orders, along with extensive customization options and a vibrant app marketplace. While Solid Commerce provided strong inventory management, its architecture might not offer the modern flexibility and direct integrations many merchants now require.

Since Solid Commerce does not offer direct API integration for data export in the same way modern platforms do, your migration will involve an efficient and reliable CSV-based data transfer. This guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring a smooth and successful transition of your valuable e-commerce data – including products, customer information, orders, and more – to your new BigCommerce store, preserving data integrity and minimizing downtime.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before embarking on your store transition, ensure you have the following in place to guarantee a seamless move:

• Prepare Your Solid Commerce Store (Source):

  As Solid Commerce is not directly integrated with modern migration tools via an API, the first step is to export your data into well-structured CSV files. This includes:

  • Products: SKUs, names, descriptions, pricing, inventory levels, images, variants, attributes.
  • Categories: Hierarchical structure for your product organization.
  • Customers: Names, contact details, addresses.
  • Orders: Order IDs, customer details, line items, statuses.
  • Any other relevant data like manufacturers or coupons that can be exported.

  Ensure your exported CSV files are clean and well-organized to facilitate accurate mapping. For more details, refer to our guide on How to prepare Source store for migration?

• Set Up Your BigCommerce Store (Target):

  You need an active BigCommerce store where your data will be transferred. Ensure it is set up and accessible. BigCommerce requires API access for data transfer, so you'll need to generate API credentials:

  1. Log in to your BigCommerce admin panel.
  2. Navigate to Settings > API Accounts.
  3. Click Create a V2/V3 API Token.
  4. Provide a name for the API account (e.g., "Migration Tool").
  5. Configure API scopes: Grant read/write permissions for all relevant entities you plan to migrate (e.g., Products, Orders, Customers, Categories, Information & Settings). This ensures the migration tool has the necessary access to create and update data.
  6. Save the API account. You will be provided with a Client ID, an Access Token, and an API Path. Copy these credentials immediately, as the Access Token will only be shown once.

  Remember that BigCommerce requires HTTPS for API connections. For more preparation tips, see How to prepare Target store for migration?

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to successfully transition your e-commerce data from Solid Commerce to BigCommerce using a reliable migration service.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This is your gateway to initiating the data transfer process.

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

In the migration wizard, you'll specify your source platform. Since Solid Commerce is not directly integrated for API-based migration, you will use the CSV file import method.

1. Select "CSV File to Cart" as your Source Cart.
2. Upload the prepared CSV files containing your Solid Commerce data (products, customers, orders, categories, etc.) into the system. The migration tool will then parse these files.

Step 3: Connect Your Target BigCommerce Store

Now, connect your new BigCommerce store. This is where your Solid Commerce data will find its new home.

1. Choose "BigCommerce" from the Target Cart dropdown menu.
2. Enter your BigCommerce store's URL.
3. Provide the Client ID, Access Token, and API Path that you generated earlier in your BigCommerce admin panel. These credentials are essential for the migration service to connect and transfer data to your BigCommerce store securely. For more information on accessing credentials, read The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This step allows you to define exactly what data you want to move. BigCommerce supports a wide range of entities.

You can choose to migrate all available data or selectively pick specific entities such as:

• Products (including SKUs, variants, attributes)
• Product Categories
• Customers
• Orders
• Coupons
• Blogs Posts
• CMS Pages

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Map Data

Refine your migration with advanced settings and ensure your data is perfectly aligned.

Additional Migration Options

Here, you'll find various options to tailor your migration:

• Clear Target Store Data: Optionally clear your BigCommerce store of existing demo data before migration. (Clear current data on Target store before migration option)
• Create 301 SEO URLs: Crucial for preserving your search engine rankings and link equity by automatically redirecting old Solid Commerce URLs to their new BigCommerce counterparts.
• Preserve IDs: Keep your original Product, Category, Customer, and Order IDs. (How Preserve IDs options can be used?)
• Create Variants from Attributes: If your products have attributes (e.g., size, color), this option helps structure them correctly as BigCommerce product variants.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure all product images embedded within descriptions are transferred.

Data Mapping Setup

Ensure data consistency by mapping your Solid Commerce data fields to BigCommerce. This is critical for entities like customer groups and order statuses:

• Customer Groups Mapping: Match customer roles from your CSV (if applicable) to BigCommerce customer groups.
• Order Status Mapping: Align order statuses (e.g., "Processing," "Completed," "Refunded") from your source data to the corresponding statuses in BigCommerce.

The system will guide you through this process, allowing you to manually adjust mappings for optimal data integrity.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration

It's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This trial run will transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) to your BigCommerce store. This allows you to:

• Verify that the connection between your CSV files and BigCommerce is working correctly.
• Check the format and integrity of your migrated data.
• Review the data mapping results.
• Identify any potential issues before the full migration, saving time and effort.

Step 7: Initiate Full Data Migration

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full data transfer. Before starting, you can opt for a Migration Insurance Plan, which offers additional remigrations for peace of mind. Confirm your selections and launch the complete migration. The migration service will handle the rest, notifying you upon completion.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully landed in BigCommerce, a few crucial steps remain to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized.

• Review Migrated Data Thoroughly:

  Immediately check your BigCommerce store. Verify that all products (including SKUs, images, variants), customer accounts, order histories, and other selected entities have transferred accurately and are displayed correctly. Pay close attention to product descriptions, pricing, and inventory levels.

• Configure SEO & Redirects:

  If you opted for 301 redirects during migration, test them to ensure your old Solid Commerce URLs correctly point to the new BigCommerce pages, preserving your SEO rankings and link equity. Update any internal links within your content or product descriptions that might still refer to old URLs.

• Install Essential Apps and Themes:

  Explore the BigCommerce App Marketplace. Install any necessary plugins or integrations for marketing, analytics, accounting, or specific functionalities your business relies on. Customize your store's appearance by selecting and configuring a BigCommerce theme that aligns with your brand.

• Set Up Payment & Shipping Gateways:

  Configure your preferred payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) and shipping methods within your BigCommerce settings. Conduct test purchases to ensure the checkout process is smooth and functional.

• Conduct Thorough User Acceptance Testing (UAT):

  Before launching to the public, perform comprehensive testing. Test the entire customer journey: browsing products, adding to cart, checkout, account creation/login, search functionality, and responsiveness on various devices. Ensure a flawless user experience.

• Point Your Domain & Go Live:

  Once you're confident everything is in order, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new BigCommerce store. This is the moment your new store officially goes live!

• Consider Recent Data Migration:

  If there was a period between your initial data export from Solid Commerce and the final launch on BigCommerce, you might have new orders or customer registrations. A Recent Data Migration Service can help transfer these latest updates, ensuring nothing is missed.