EasyStore to Ecwid Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from EasyStore to Ecwid

As your e-commerce business evolves, the need for a more scalable, feature-rich, or simply different platform may arise. Migrating your online store is a significant undertaking, but with careful planning and execution, it can unlock new opportunities for growth and improve your operational efficiency. This authoritative guide will walk you through the process of migrating your store from EasyStore to Ecwid, ensuring a smooth transition of your valuable data.

Ecwid stands out for its flexibility, allowing you to add a powerful shopping cart to any website, blog, or social media profile. While EasyStore offers a streamlined experience, moving to Ecwid can provide enhanced customization, broader integration possibilities, and a unique 'sell anywhere' approach. Due to EasyStore's architecture, the most effective way to transfer your data will be through a CSV file export, which we will detail below, before importing it into Ecwid's robust API-driven system.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, thorough preparation of both your source (EasyStore) and target (Ecwid) platforms is crucial for a successful replatforming process. This stage minimizes potential issues and ensures data integrity.

1. Preparing Your EasyStore (Source) for Data Export

• Data Backup: Always begin by creating a complete backup of your EasyStore data, including products, customer records, orders, and any custom content. This serves as a safety net in case of unforeseen complications during the data transfer.
• Data Audit and Cleanup: Take this opportunity to review and clean up your existing data. Remove outdated products, inactive customer accounts, or irrelevant information. A lean dataset can expedite the migration process.
• Export Data to CSV: Since EasyStore does not offer a direct API for seamless migration tools, you will need to export your store's data into CSV (Comma Separated Values) files. This typically involves exporting separate files for products, customers, orders, and potentially other entities like product categories and reviews. Consult EasyStore's documentation for their specific export functionalities. This method aligns with the CSV.File Data Migration service.
• Consolidate Information: Ensure all necessary data for products (SKUs, variants, images, descriptions), customers (addresses, contact info), and orders (status, items) is present in your CSV files.
• For more detailed guidance on preparing your source store, refer to our How to prepare Source store for migration? FAQ.

2. Preparing Your Ecwid (Target) Store

• Create an Ecwid Account: If you don't already have one, sign up for a new Ecwid account and create your store.
• Install Cart2Cart Ecwid Migration App: To facilitate the API connection and data import, you will need to install the dedicated migration app for Ecwid. This is a vital plugin requirement for a smooth connection.
• Remove Sample Data: If your new Ecwid store contains any pre-populated sample data, it's advisable to remove it before migration, especially if you plan to use the 'Clear Target' option during the transfer.
• Obtain API Access Credentials: Ecwid migrations rely on API access. You will need to locate your Ecwid Store ID and generate an Access Token from your Ecwid admin panel. These credentials are essential for the migration tool to connect securely to your new store. HTTPS is required for API access. For help finding these, check out The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• For additional tips on target store preparation, see our How to prepare Target store for migration? guide.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, you're ready to initiate the data transfer. We'll outline the steps using a professional migration service like Cart2Cart, which streamlines the process for complex migrations.

Step 1: Initiate the Migration Process

Begin your migration by visiting the Cart2Cart website. You can select the option to start a do-it-yourself migration with the wizard, which provides a guided interface for your data transfer.

Step 2: Source Store Setup (EasyStore via CSV)

In the migration wizard, you will select your source shopping cart. Since EasyStore is not directly integrated via API for migration tools, choose "CSV File to Cart" as your source platform. You will then be prompted to upload the CSV files containing your EasyStore data. Ensure your files are well-structured to accurately represent your products, customers, and orders.

The CSV import method allows for the migration of various entities including Products, Product Categories, Manufacturers, Product Reviews, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, CMS Pages, and Blogs Posts. Make sure your CSV exports from EasyStore cover these as comprehensively as possible.

Step 3: Target Store Setup (Ecwid)

Next, select "Ecwid" as your target shopping cart. To establish a secure connection, you will need to provide your Ecwid API access credentials. This typically involves entering your Ecwid Store ID and the Access Token you generated earlier. Remember that the Cart2Cart Ecwid Migration App is required for this connection to function correctly.

The API-only connection method for Ecwid ensures a robust and secure data transfer, adhering to Ecwid's API rate limits and requiring HTTPS for all communication. This step is critical for allowing the migration tool to push your EasyStore data into your new Ecwid store.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This stage allows you to specify exactly what data you wish to transfer from your EasyStore CSV files to Ecwid. You will see a list of supported entities, such as Products, Product Categories, Product Reviews, Customers, Orders, CMS Pages, Gift Cards, Coupons, and Blog Posts. You can choose to migrate all entities or selectively pick the ones relevant to your new Ecwid store.

Carefully review the list to ensure all critical customer data, product SKUs, and order history are included. This precision helps maintain full data integrity.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options and Data Mapping

This is where you fine-tune your migration. The wizard will present a range of additional options to customize your data transfer:

• Clear Target Store Data: The "Clear Target" option allows you to remove any existing data in your Ecwid store before the migration begins. This is particularly useful for fresh Ecwid installations to avoid data duplication. Learn more about clearing current data.
• Preserve IDs: Options like "Preserve Order IDs" and "Preserve Product IDs" are vital for maintaining consistency with your existing records and for historical tracking. Understanding how Preserve IDs options can be used is important.
• SEO & Redirects: Features like "SEO URLs," "301 SEO URLs," and "Create 301 SEO URLs" are crucial for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. They ensure that old URLs from EasyStore seamlessly redirect to their new counterparts on Ecwid, preventing broken links and preserving your SEO value.
• Migrate Images in Description: This option ensures that product images embedded within your product descriptions are also transferred, maintaining the visual integrity of your product pages.
• Password Migration: For customer experience, migrating customer passwords can be a valuable option, though it depends on security compatibility between platforms.

Following this, you will proceed to the Data Mapping Setup. Here, you need to match customer groups and order statuses from your EasyStore data to the corresponding fields in Ecwid. This ensures that roles like 'Customer' and 'Editor', or order statuses like 'Pending payment' and 'Processing', are correctly associated in your new store.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration and Full Migration

Before committing to the full data transfer, it is highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your Ecwid store. Review the demo results carefully to ensure all data types are transferring correctly and appearing as expected in Ecwid. This is a critical step for verifying data accuracy and making any necessary adjustments to your mapping or options.

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. At this stage, you might consider adding a Migration Insurance Plan. This plan offers remigrations for a specified period, providing peace of mind and flexibility for future adjustments. Learn more about how Migration Insurance works.

The full migration process will transfer all selected data from your EasyStore CSV files to your Ecwid store. The duration will depend on the volume of data being moved.

Post-Migration Steps

Successfully completing the data transfer is a major milestone, but your work isn't quite finished. These post-migration steps are crucial for ensuring your new Ecwid store is fully functional, optimized, and ready for your customers.

• Verify Data Integrity: Thoroughly review your Ecwid store. Check a sample of products, customer accounts, and orders to ensure all data, including images, descriptions, SKUs, variants, and customer addresses, has transferred accurately and completely.
• Configure Store Settings: Set up essential store configurations in Ecwid, such as shipping zones and rates, tax settings, payment gateways, and currency.
• Customize Theme and Design: Ecwid allows significant customization. Tailor your storefront's appearance to match your brand identity, ensuring a consistent user experience.
• Test All Functionality: Perform comprehensive tests of your store's core functions. Place test orders, process refunds, create customer accounts, and test contact forms to ensure everything works as expected.
• Update DNS and Redirects: Point your domain name to your new Ecwid store. Confirm that your 301 redirects (if enabled during migration) are functioning correctly to preserve SEO rankings and link equity.
• SEO & Analytics Setup: Implement your SEO strategy on Ecwid. Set up Google Analytics and other tracking tools to monitor traffic and sales performance from day one. Check for any broken links or indexing issues.
• Inform Your Customers: Once you're confident in your new store, announce the successful transition to your customers. Keep them informed about any new features or changes.
• Ongoing Maintenance: Consider services like Recent Data Migration Service to periodically sync new data or Cart2Cart Remigration Service for any post-migration adjustments.

Migrating from EasyStore to Ecwid is a strategic move that can significantly benefit your e-commerce operations. By following this detailed guide, you can navigate the replatforming process with confidence, ensuring your business is poised for continued success on its new, versatile platform.