Nexternal to PrestaShop Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Nexternal to PrestaShop

Replatforming your e-commerce store is a significant undertaking that, when executed correctly, can unlock new growth opportunities and enhance your operational efficiency. If you're looking to move your online business from Nexternal to PrestaShop, this detailed guide is designed to provide you with clear, actionable steps for a smooth data transfer.

While Nexternal has served many merchants well, transitioning to an open-source platform like PrestaShop offers unparalleled flexibility, extensive customization options, and a vibrant community. This guide will walk you through the entire migration process, explaining how to effectively move your valuable store data, including products, customer information, orders, and more, from Nexternal (via CSV export) to your new PrestaShop store.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, it's crucial to ensure both your Nexternal source store and your PrestaShop target store are adequately prepared. Proper preparation minimizes potential issues and ensures data integrity throughout the transition.

For Your Nexternal (Source) Store:

• Data Export: As Nexternal is not directly supported by automated migration tools in the same way as other platforms, you will need to export your store's data into CSV (Comma Separated Values) files. This includes product information (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), customer details, order histories, and any other entities you wish to move. Plan which data types you need to export carefully.
• Data Backup: Always perform a complete backup of your Nexternal store data before initiating any major changes or exports. This safeguards your information in case of unforeseen issues.
• Image & File Access: Ensure you can access and export product images and other media files associated with your Nexternal products. These will also be included in your CSV export or transferred separately.

For Your PrestaShop (Target) Store:

• PrestaShop Installation: Have a fresh, functional installation of PrestaShop ready on your chosen hosting environment. Ensure it meets all PrestaShop system requirements.
• Admin Access: You'll need full administrative access to your PrestaShop store, including the Admin URL, username, and password.
• FTP/SFTP Access: FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or SFTP access to your PrestaShop server is essential for uploading the Connection Bridge, which is vital for the migration tool to communicate with your store. Find out what a root folder is.
• Review Hosting Limits: Confirm that your hosting provider allows sufficient resources (e.g., PHP memory limit, execution time) for a large data import, especially if you have a substantial number of products or orders.
• Install Cart2Cart Module: For a seamless connection, the Cart2Cart Universal PrestaShop Migration module is required. While often installed automatically, you might choose to install it beforehand.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

This section outlines the process of transferring your Nexternal data (via CSV) to PrestaShop using a specialized migration wizard. Each step is designed to be intuitive, guiding you through the setup and data transfer.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration wizard interface. This is your starting point for setting up the data transfer.

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

Since Nexternal is not directly integrated, you will use a CSV file import as your source. First, you'll need to export all necessary data from your Nexternal store into CSV files. Ensure these files are well-organized and contain all the information you wish to migrate.

In the migration wizard:

1. Select "CSV File to Cart" from the list of supported platforms.
2. Upload your prepared CSV files containing products, categories, customers, orders, and other entities. The wizard will process these files as the source data for your migration.

For complex CSV data or if you need assistance with preparing your files, consider our CSV.File Data Migration Service.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Store (PrestaShop)

Now, you need to establish a connection to your new PrestaShop store. This connection allows the migration tool to import the data from your Nexternal CSV files directly into PrestaShop.

In the migration wizard:

1. Choose "PrestaShop" as your Target Cart.
2. Enter your PrestaShop Admin URL.
3. Select the "Upload Connection bridge" method. Download the bridge file, extract the `bridge2cart` folder, and upload it to the root directory of your PrestaShop store via FTP/SFTP.

Rest assured, providing access details for the bridge is secure. You can learn more about the safety of your access credentials.

Step 4: Select Data Entities to Transfer

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly which types of data you wish to migrate from your Nexternal CSV files to PrestaShop. You have full control over the scope of your migration.

The migration tool supports a wide range of entities for PrestaShop, including:

• Products (with variants, SKUs, descriptions, images)
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customers
• Orders (with order statuses and details)
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Stores
• Coupons
• CMS Pages
• Blogs & Blog Posts

You can either select "All entities" for a complete transfer or manually choose specific items based on your requirements.

Step 5: Configure Data Mapping

Data mapping ensures that information from your Nexternal CSV files correctly aligns with the corresponding fields and structures in PrestaShop. This is particularly important for customer groups and order statuses, where values might differ between platforms.

Carefully map:

• Customer Groups: Match customer roles from your CSV to existing or new customer groups in PrestaShop.
• Order Statuses: Align the various order statuses (e.g., 'Pending,' 'Processing,' 'Completed') from your Nexternal data to the appropriate statuses in PrestaShop.

Step 6: Choose Additional Migration Options

Enhance your data transfer with a range of powerful additional options. These settings allow for greater customization and can significantly improve the post-migration experience, helping you maintain SEO rankings and preserve link equity.

Consider these important options:

• Clear Target Store Data: Opt to clear all existing data on your PrestaShop store before migration. This is often recommended for fresh installations to avoid duplicate content.
• Preserve IDs: Choose to preserve original Product, Order, and Customer IDs. This is critical for maintaining internal records and ensuring consistency.
• Migrate Customer Passwords: Securely transfer customer passwords to ensure a seamless login experience for your existing customers.
• Create 301 Redirects: Automatically generate 301 redirects for old Nexternal URLs to new PrestaShop URLs. This is vital for SEO preservation and preventing broken links, maintaining your search engine rankings and user experience.
• Migrate Images in Product Descriptions: Ensure all embedded images within product descriptions are transferred correctly.
• Skip Custom Attributes: If your CSV contains custom attributes you don't need in PrestaShop, you can choose to skip them.

Step 7: Perform Demo or Full Migration

Before committing to a full migration, you have the option to run a free Demo Migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) to your PrestaShop store, allowing you to preview the results and ensure everything is configured correctly.

Once satisfied with the demo, proceed to the Full Migration. Here, you can also consider adding a Migration Insurance Plan. This service provides a set number of remigrations for a specific period, offering peace of mind in case any adjustments or additional transfers are needed after the initial migration. Learn more about how migration insurance works.

For continuous data synchronization after the initial transfer, explore our Recent Data Migration Service.

Post-Migration Steps

Completing the data migration is a major milestone, but your work isn't quite done. A few critical post-migration steps will ensure your new PrestaShop store is fully functional, optimized, and ready for customers.

1. Thorough Data Review: Diligently check all migrated data on your PrestaShop store. Verify product details (SKUs, images, prices, descriptions, variants), customer accounts, order histories, categories, manufacturers, and reviews. Ensure data integrity and accuracy.
2. Configure Store Settings: Set up essential PrestaShop store configurations such as shipping methods, payment gateways, tax rules (PrestaShop supports multi-tax), currency settings, and general store information.
3. Install Theme and Extensions: Customize your PrestaShop store's appearance by installing your chosen theme. Integrate necessary modules and extensions from the PrestaShop Addons Marketplace to enhance functionality (e.g., SEO tools, marketing, customer service).
4. Update SEO & 301 Redirects: If you used the "Create 301 SEO URLs" option, verify that redirects are working correctly by testing old Nexternal URLs. Optimize your new PrestaShop store's SEO metadata (titles, descriptions, keywords) for all pages, products, and categories to maintain or improve search engine visibility.
5. Test All Functionality: Perform comprehensive tests of all critical store functions. This includes the entire checkout process, customer account creation and login, product search, contact forms, and email notifications.
6. Go Live: Once you are confident that everything is working perfectly, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new PrestaShop store. Monitor your site closely during the initial hours and days post-launch.

Migrating from Nexternal to PrestaShop is a strategic move that can empower your e-commerce business with greater control and scalability. By following this expert guide, you can ensure a smooth and efficient transition, allowing you to focus on growing your business on your new, robust PrestaShop platform. If you encounter any challenges or require specialized assistance, don't hesitate to contact our migration experts.