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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Axis Commerce to BigCommerce

As your e-commerce business grows, the need for a more robust, scalable, and feature-rich platform becomes essential. If you're currently operating on Axis Commerce and contemplating a move, migrating to BigCommerce offers a powerful upgrade. BigCommerce is a leading SaaS e-commerce platform renowned for its extensive features, scalability, and developer-friendly environment, making it an excellent choice for businesses aiming for sustained growth.

This detailed guide will walk you through the entire process of moving your store data from Axis Commerce to BigCommerce. Since Axis Commerce does not typically offer a direct API for third-party migration tools, we will focus on a proven, reliable method: migrating your data via CSV file export from Axis Commerce, then importing it into a migration wizard that connects seamlessly with BigCommerce. Our goal is to ensure a smooth data transfer, preserving your valuable SKUs, customer data, order history, and SEO integrity with minimal downtime.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, careful preparation of both your source (Axis Commerce) and target (BigCommerce) stores is crucial for a seamless transition.

• For Your Axis Commerce (Source) Store:
  Since a direct API connection for Axis Commerce is not typically available for migration tools, you will need to export your store data into a structured CSV format. This approach, often referred to as CSV File Data Migration, allows for comprehensive data transfer.
  • Data Export: Prepare to export all essential entities such as products, product categories, manufacturers, customer records, orders, coupons, and CMS pages into CSV files. Ensure your data is clean and organized before export.
  • Data Cleanup: Take this opportunity to remove any old, irrelevant, or duplicate data from your Axis Commerce store. A cleaner dataset makes the migration process faster and more efficient.
  • Backup Your Data: Always perform a full backup of your Axis Commerce database and files before starting any migration process. This is a critical step to ensure data safety.
  • Read more on How to prepare Source store for migration?
• For Your BigCommerce (Target) Store:
  Your new BigCommerce store requires specific configurations to receive the incoming data.
  • Set Up Your BigCommerce Store: If you haven't already, sign up for a BigCommerce account and set up your basic store. You can start with a trial, but a paid plan is recommended for full migration.
  • Generate API Credentials: BigCommerce requires API access for data transfer. You'll need to create a custom API account in your BigCommerce admin panel to obtain the necessary Client ID, Access Token, and API Path. BigCommerce's API is robust, but note its API rate limits and the requirement for HTTPS. Custom app development with required scopes will be necessary for a secure connection.
  • Review BigCommerce Requirements: Ensure your BigCommerce store meets all technical requirements, including HTTPS. Familiarize yourself with how custom app development needs to be handled for API access.
  • Read more on How to prepare Target store for migration? and The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of the migration process, typically facilitated by a powerful migration wizard:

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This initial screen provides options to start your migration, request a guided service, or estimate costs.

Step 2: Connect Your Source Store (Axis Commerce via CSV)

Connecting your Axis Commerce store involves selecting the 'CSV File to Cart' option, which acts as the bridge for your Axis Commerce data. You will then upload your prepared CSV files containing your products, categories, customers, orders, and other entities.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Store (BigCommerce)

Next, you will configure the connection to your new BigCommerce store. Select 'BigCommerce' as your Target Cart. You'll need to provide your BigCommerce store's URL along with the API credentials you generated: the Client ID, Access Token, and API Path. This information allows the migration tool to securely access and transfer data to your BigCommerce storefront.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This critical step allows you to specify exactly which data entities you want to transfer from Axis Commerce to BigCommerce. You can choose to migrate all available entities or select them individually. Common entities include:

• Products: Including SKUs, variants, descriptions, images, and metadata.
• Product Categories: Ensuring your store's structure is maintained.
• Customers: Customer records, billing, and shipping addresses.
• Orders: Complete order history, statuses, and associated customer data.
• Coupons: Transferring your promotional offers.
• CMS Pages & Blog Posts: Preserving your valuable content.
• Manufacturers/Brands and Product Reviews (if available in your CSV export).

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

This stage is crucial for customizing your migration and ensuring data integrity.

Additional Options

You’ll find a range of additional options to tailor your data transfer. Consider the following important settings:

• Create 301 SEO URLs: Highly recommended to preserve your search engine rankings and link equity by automatically redirecting old Axis Commerce URLs to their new BigCommerce counterparts.
• Preserve IDs: Options like 'Preserve Product IDs', 'Preserve Category IDs', 'Preserve Customers IDs', and 'Preserve Orders IDs' can maintain consistency in your database, which is beneficial for external integrations. Learn more about Preserve IDs.
• Clear Target Store Data: If your BigCommerce store already contains demo data, selecting 'Clear Target Store Data before migration' can prevent duplicates and ensure a clean slate. Understand clearing target data.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product and category images embedded within descriptions are also transferred.
• Password Migration: If supported, migrate customer passwords to allow existing customers seamless access to your new store.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Essential for products with multiple options (e.g., size, color) to be correctly structured in BigCommerce.

Data Mapping Setup

The data mapping section allows you to match specific fields and statuses from your Axis Commerce store to their equivalents in BigCommerce. This is especially important for:

• Customer Groups Mapping: Aligning customer roles and segments.
• Order Status Mapping: Ensuring that order states (e.g., 'Pending', 'Processing', 'Completed') are correctly translated.
• Attribute Mapping: Ensuring product attributes are structured properly in BigCommerce.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration

Before committing to the full replatforming, it’s highly recommended to perform a free Demo Migration. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-15 products, customers, orders) to your BigCommerce store, giving you an opportunity to review the data, identify any potential issues, and ensure everything looks correct.

Once satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the Full Migration. During this phase, your Axis Commerce store will remain fully operational, ensuring no sales are lost during the data transfer. You'll see a summary of your migration, including the total cost and the option to add a Migration Insurance Plan for added peace of mind and potential remigrations.

Post-Migration Steps

Once your data has been successfully transferred to BigCommerce, a few crucial post-migration steps are necessary to ensure your new store is ready for launch:

• Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data. Verify products (SKUs, pricing, images, descriptions, variants), categories, customer accounts, and order history. Place a few test orders to ensure the checkout process, payment gateways, and shipping calculations are functioning correctly.
• Design and Theme Customization: Customize your BigCommerce store's theme to match your brand identity. Optimize the layout for improved user experience and responsiveness across all devices. The BigCommerce Theme Store offers a wide array of options.
• Install Essential Apps and Integrations: Explore the BigCommerce App Marketplace for integrations for accounting, shipping, marketing, analytics, and other vital business functions. These plugins can significantly enhance your store’s capabilities.
• Configure SEO Settings and 301 Redirects: Double-check that all 301 redirects from your old Axis Commerce URLs to the new BigCommerce URLs are working correctly. Update your sitemap in Google Search Console and monitor your SEO rankings closely. This is vital for maintaining your link equity.
• Testing and Quality Assurance: Perform comprehensive testing of your entire store. This includes product search, filtering, adding to cart, checkout flow, customer account login, and any custom functionalities.
• Update DNS Records: Once you are confident everything is working perfectly, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new BigCommerce store.
• Launch Your New Store: Announce your new and improved BigCommerce store to your customers!

Migrating from Axis Commerce to BigCommerce is a strategic decision that can unlock significant growth opportunities. By following this detailed guide, you can achieve a secure, efficient, and successful data transfer, setting your business up for future success on a powerful platform.

Should you require assistance at any stage, consider our Contact Us for professional guidance.