Cortex Commerce to Squarespace Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Migrate Cortex Commerce to Squarespace: A Definitive Guide for Seamless E-commerce Transition

As an e-commerce merchant, the decision to replatform your online store is a strategic one, often driven by the need for enhanced features, better scalability, or improved user experience. If you're currently operating on Cortex Commerce and looking to transition to the versatile and design-centric Squarespace platform, this comprehensive guide will walk you through every essential step. Our focus is on ensuring a smooth and efficient data transfer, preserving your valuable SEO rankings and customer relationships.

Given that Cortex Commerce is a specialized platform not directly integrated with standard migration tools, the most robust method for data extraction involves exporting your store's information into a structured CSV file format. This approach allows for meticulous preparation and ensures that all your critical data, from products and customers to orders and reviews, is accurately captured before being moved to your new Squarespace store.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, thorough preparation of both your source Cortex Commerce store and your target Squarespace store is crucial for a successful migration. Addressing these prerequisites will minimize downtime and potential data discrepancies.

For Your Source Cortex Commerce Store (via CSV Export):

• Data Export: You will need to export all relevant data from your Cortex Commerce store into CSV files. This typically includes:
  • Product data (SKUs, names, descriptions, prices, images, variants, categories).
  • Customer data (names, emails, addresses, order history).
  • Order data (order IDs, status, associated customer and product details).
  • Review data (if applicable).
  • CMS pages and blog posts.
  • Coupons (if applicable).
• Data Review and Cleaning: Before export, take the opportunity to clean up your data. Remove outdated products, duplicate customer entries, or irrelevant information. This ensures only valuable data is transferred, leading to a cleaner Squarespace store.
• Backup Your Data: Always create a complete backup of your Cortex Commerce database and files before beginning any export process. This is a crucial safety measure.

For Your Target Squarespace Store:

• Squarespace Account Setup: Ensure you have an active Squarespace account and an e-commerce plan that supports the features you intend to use.
• Install Cart2Cart Squarespace Migration App: Squarespace requires a specific application for API access. You will need to install the Cart2Cart Squarespace Migration App to facilitate the connection.
• Obtain API Credentials: Squarespace uses an API-only connection method. You will need to generate specific credentials for the migration tool to access your Squarespace store. This involves creating a custom app within your Squarespace developer tools to generate an apiKey, apiSecret, accessToken, and refreshToken. You'll also need to provide your Squarespace admin email and password. Ensure the generated API keys have the necessary API scopes for data access.
• HTTPS Requirement: Your Squarespace store must be accessible via HTTPS, which is standard for all Squarespace sites.
• Basic Store Setup: While the migration tool handles data, you might want to perform some initial setup on your Squarespace store, such as choosing a template, configuring basic shipping zones, and payment processors, though these can also be refined post-migration.
• For more detailed guidance on preparing your stores, refer to our FAQs on How to prepare Target store for migration? and How to prepare Source store for migration?. You can also consult The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, follow these steps to perform your Cortex Commerce to Squarespace migration using a dedicated migration solution like Cart2Cart. This process streamlines the complex data transfer, ensuring data integrity and efficiency.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration service website. Here, you'll find options to start your migration journey, calculate costs, or seek assisted services.

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

In the migration wizard, select 'CSV File to Cart' as your source platform. This option is designed to handle data exported from platforms like Cortex Commerce. You will then upload your meticulously prepared CSV files containing all your store data. The system will guide you through mapping the fields from your CSV to ensure proper recognition of products, categories, customers, orders, and other entities.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Store (Squarespace)

Next, choose 'Squarespace' as your target cart. You will then be prompted to provide the API credentials you generated during the prerequisites stage, including your apiKey, apiSecret, accessToken, refreshToken, Squarespace admin email, and admin password. Remember, Squarespace migration requires the prior installation of the Cart2Cart Squarespace Migration App and may involve custom app development to generate the necessary API access token. Be mindful of Squarespace's API rate limits during this connection.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This critical step allows you to specify exactly which types of data you wish to migrate from your Cortex Commerce CSV files to Squarespace. You can select all available entities or handpick specific ones. Squarespace supports the migration of products, product categories, customer data, orders, product reviews, CMS pages, gift cards, coupons, and blog posts. Carefully review this list to ensure all your essential information is included in the transfer.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options and Data Mapping

Here, you'll find a range of additional options to customize your data transfer. These can include preserving original order IDs, migrating SEO URLs, creating 301 redirects to maintain link equity, clearing current data on the target store before migration (use with caution), migrating images embedded in descriptions, and more. Consider options like 'Migrate All Categories' or 'Migrate Groups to Tags' for better organization on Squarespace. Refer to How Preserve IDs options can be used? and Clear current data on Target store before migration option for more details.

Simultaneously, you will perform data mapping, which involves aligning customer groups and order statuses from your source CSV to their corresponding equivalents in Squarespace. This ensures consistency and proper categorization of your migrated data.

Step 6: Run a Demo Migration (Recommended)

Before committing to a full transfer, it's highly recommended to run a free demo migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Squarespace store. Use this opportunity to thoroughly check the data integrity, formatting, and overall appearance of the migrated items. This step is invaluable for identifying and resolving any potential issues before the main event. Consider our Migration Preview Service for an in-depth review.

Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full data migration. This is where all your selected data will be transferred to your new Squarespace store. At this stage, you may also consider adding a Migration Insurance Plan, which provides a set number of remigrations within a specific period, offering peace of mind. Learn more about How Migration Insurance works? and explore our Migration Insurance Service.

Post-Migration Steps

After the data transfer is complete, your work isn't quite finished. A few crucial post-migration steps will ensure your new Squarespace store is fully operational, optimized, and ready for your customers.

• Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously inspect all migrated data. Check product listings (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images, pricing), customer accounts, order histories, reviews, and content pages. Ensure everything looks correct and functions as expected.
• Configure Squarespace Settings: Customize your Squarespace store's theme, set up shipping zones and rates, configure tax settings, and connect your preferred payment gateways.
• Update DNS and Redirects: Point your domain name to your new Squarespace store. Crucially, verify that all 301 redirects are properly implemented to maintain your existing SEO rankings and prevent broken links. This preserves your hard-earned link equity.
• Test All Functionality: Perform test purchases, register new customer accounts, test search functionality, and ensure all contact forms and interactive elements are working correctly to guarantee a seamless user experience.
• Update Third-Party Integrations: Reconnect any third-party services you use, such as analytics platforms (Google Analytics), marketing automation tools, CRM systems, or accounting software.
• Inform Your Customers: Announce the successful transition to your customers, highlighting any new features or improvements. Provide clear instructions if they need to reset passwords or take any action.
• Consider Ongoing Services: If you anticipate future data updates or need to transfer recently added data, consider services like Recent Data Migration Service. For any unforeseen issues or additional data transfers, our Cart2Cart Remigration Service is available.

Migrating from Cortex Commerce to Squarespace is a significant undertaking, but with careful planning and the right tools, it can be a smooth and successful transition. By following this expert guide, you'll be well on your way to leveraging the power of Squarespace for your e-commerce business.