CartKeeper to Shopify Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Migrate Your E-commerce Store from CartKeeper to Shopify

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration is a significant step towards enhancing your online business. If you're currently operating on CartKeeper and looking to transition to the robust, scalable, and user-friendly environment of Shopify, you're making a strategic choice. Shopify offers a wealth of features, extensive app integrations, and a simplified management experience that can propel your store to new heights.

Given that CartKeeper is often a more bespoke or less commonly integrated platform, this migration will primarily leverage a CSV file export approach from CartKeeper, followed by an efficient import into Shopify using a specialized migration tool. This guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring a smooth transition of your valuable data, including products, customer information, orders, and more.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, it's crucial to prepare both your existing CartKeeper store and your new Shopify platform to ensure a seamless and error-free process. Proper preparation is key to maintaining data integrity and minimizing potential downtime.

• For Your CartKeeper (Source) Store:

  Since CartKeeper may not have a direct API integration with most migration tools, the recommended method is to export your data into CSV files. Ensure you:

  • Export all critical data entities: Products (including SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), Product Categories, Customer data (names, emails, addresses), Order history (with statuses, items, pricing), CMS Pages, and Blog Posts.
  • Verify the accuracy and completeness of your exported CSV files. Well-formatted data will significantly streamline the import process.
  • Backup your entire CartKeeper store data before any export or migration activities.
  • For additional guidance on preparing your source store, refer to our FAQ: How to prepare Source store for migration?
• For Your Shopify (Target) Store:

  Set up and configure your new Shopify store to be ready for the incoming data. This includes:

  • Creating a new Shopify account or ensuring your existing Shopify store is accessible.
  • Installing the Cart2Cart Store Migration App from the Shopify App Store. This app is essential for facilitating the connection and data transfer.
  • As per Shopify's notices, it's highly recommended to disable customer notifications during the migration period to prevent customers from receiving incomplete or confusing updates.
  • Be aware that Shopify's "Pause and Build" plan can block orders. Ensure your Shopify store is on an active plan that supports the full functionality required for migration and post-migration operations.
  • If you plan to migrate reviews, note that Shopify often requires a dedicated app like AirReviews to manage migrated reviews effectively.
  • For comprehensive preparation steps for your target store, visit: How to prepare Target store for migration?

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these detailed steps to transfer your e-commerce data from CartKeeper (via CSV) to Shopify using an automated migration solution.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration tool's website. You'll typically find an option to start a free demo migration or a full migration. This is your starting point for the data transfer process.

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

In the migration wizard, you will be prompted to select your source platform.

• From the dropdown menu, choose "CSV File to Cart" as your source e-commerce platform.
• Proceed to upload the CSV files you exported from your CartKeeper store. Ensure all relevant files for products, customers, orders, etc., are correctly uploaded. The tool will then parse this data for the upcoming migration.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Shopify Store

Next, configure the connection to your new Shopify store, which will serve as the destination for your migrated data.

• Select "Shopify" from the list of target platforms.
• The recommended connection method is to "Install App from Marketplace." Click the provided link to go to the Shopify App Store, install the Cart2Cart Store Migration App, and then return to the wizard.
• Alternatively, you can choose to "Provide API Access Credentials" by generating an Admin API access token with the necessary scopes in your Shopify admin panel. However, the app method is generally simpler for most users.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly which data elements you want to transfer from your CartKeeper CSV files to Shopify.

• Review the list of migratable entities, which typically includes Products, Product Categories, Product Reviews, Customers, Orders, CMS Pages, Blogs, Blog Posts, and Coupons.
• You can select all entities for a comprehensive transfer or pick specific items based on your needs.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Map Data

Fine-tune your migration with additional options and ensure proper data mapping between your old and new store structures.

Additional Options

• Choose from a range of optional features to enhance your migration. Popular choices include:
  • Preserve Order IDs: Maintain your original order numbering. Learn more about How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
  • Create 301 SEO URLs: Automatically generate redirects to maintain your SEO rankings and link equity from old CartKeeper URLs to new Shopify URLs.
  • Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product and category images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
  • Clear Target Store Data: This option will remove existing data on your Shopify store before migration. Be cautious with this if your Shopify store already contains valuable data. Understand what Clear current data on Target store before migration option means.

Data Mapping

• The tool will guide you through mapping customer groups and order statuses from your CartKeeper CSV data to their corresponding fields or tags in Shopify. For example, you'll match "Pending" order status from CartKeeper to "Pending" or "Open" in Shopify, and map customer roles to Shopify's customer tags.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration

Before committing to the full data transfer, run a demo to verify the process.

• Run Free Demo: This essential step allows you to migrate a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) for free. Review the migrated data on your Shopify store to ensure everything transferred correctly and that the mapping is accurate.
• Full Migration: Once you are satisfied with the demo results and confident in your settings, proceed with the full migration. The system will transfer all selected data from your CartKeeper CSV files to your Shopify store.
• Consider purchasing Migration Insurance Service. This service provides options for remigrations if you need to re-transfer data later, which can be invaluable. You can learn more about How Migration Insurance works?.

Post-Migration Steps

Once your data has been successfully migrated to Shopify, there are several crucial post-migration tasks to complete to ensure your new store is fully operational, optimized, and ready for customers.

1. Thorough Data Review: Spend time meticulously checking all migrated data. Verify product listings (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images, pricing), customer accounts (details, order history), and ensure all orders and CMS pages are present and correctly displayed.
2. Configure SEO Redirects: If you haven't used the "Create 301 SEO URLs" option during migration, it's vital to set up 301 redirects for any old CartKeeper URLs that have changed on Shopify. This preserves your SEO rankings, prevents broken links, and maintains link equity. This is a significant step for maintaining your store's visibility and user experience. Explore the potential benefits of a website migration, including SEO.
3. Install Essential Shopify Apps: Explore the vast Shopify App Store to install applications that enhance your store's functionality, such as apps for customer reviews (especially important if you migrated reviews), marketing automation, shipping, inventory management, and more.
4. Set Up Payment Gateways & Shipping: Configure your preferred payment methods (e.g., Shopify Payments, PayPal, Stripe) and define your shipping zones, rates, and carriers. These are critical for your store to start accepting orders.
5. Update DNS Records: Point your domain name to your new Shopify store. This step makes your new Shopify site live to the public under your existing domain.
6. Extensive Store Testing: Conduct comprehensive testing of all store functionalities. This includes adding products to the cart, completing the checkout process, creating customer accounts, testing contact forms, and verifying mobile responsiveness across different devices. Ensure the entire user journey is smooth and error-free.
7. Announce Your New Store: Once you've thoroughly tested everything and are confident in your new Shopify store, announce the launch to your customers!

Migrating from CartKeeper to Shopify, especially via CSV, requires careful attention to detail but offers immense rewards in terms of platform capabilities and growth potential. Should you encounter any questions or require further assistance, our Frequently Asked Questions page is a great resource, or you can always Contact Us directly.