QuickBooks to Volusion Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Transition Your Store from QuickBooks to Volusion

As an ambitious e-commerce merchant, you understand the critical need for a platform that not only handles your sales but also empowers growth. While QuickBooks excels as an accounting and ERP system, it isn't designed as a dedicated e-commerce storefront. Moving from a QuickBooks-centric operation to a specialized e-commerce platform like Volusion can unlock powerful selling tools, enhanced scalability, and a superior customer experience.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your valuable business data from QuickBooks to Volusion. Since QuickBooks is not a direct e-commerce platform with a standard API for store data, the transition will primarily involve exporting your key data from QuickBooks into CSV files, which will then be imported into your new Volusion store using an expert migration tool like Cart2Cart. This method ensures data integrity and a smooth transition for your products, customer records, and order history.

Let’s prepare to replatform your business for future success!

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating your data transfer, careful preparation of both your QuickBooks data and your new Volusion store is essential for a seamless transition.

• QuickBooks Data Preparation: Identify and export all relevant e-commerce data from QuickBooks. This typically includes product information (SKUs, variants, descriptions, pricing), customer details, order history (if managed in QuickBooks), invoices, and tax rules. Ensure your CSV files are clean, accurate, and consistently formatted to avoid issues during import. While QuickBooks can manage a wide array of business data, focus on the entities that will directly populate your Volusion store. For a detailed approach to handling your exported data, consider our CSV.File Data Migration service.
• Volusion Store Setup: Have your new Volusion store structurally ready to receive the incoming data. This means setting up your basic store, choosing a theme, and understanding your store’s foundational elements. Volusion requires the installation of a Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module, often referred to as a "bridge," to facilitate the connection. This bridge is crucial for securely transferring data to your target store. For more guidance, read our How to prepare Target store for migration? FAQ.
• Cart2Cart Account: Create an account with Cart2Cart to utilize its migration wizard.
• Secure Access Credentials: You will need secure administrative access details for your Volusion store to install the migration bridge. Volusion uses a "Bridge only" connection method, meaning the Cart2Cart bridge application must be uploaded to your store's root directory to establish a secure link. Refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart for more information on managing your credentials.
• Downtime Planning: While Cart2Cart migrations are designed to minimize disruption, plan for a brief period of downtime or a "quiet period" when significant data changes are not occurring in your QuickBooks system to ensure all recent data is captured.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, let’s navigate the Cart2Cart migration wizard to move your data from QuickBooks (via CSV) to Volusion.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by logging into your Cart2Cart account and accessing the migration wizard. This is your starting point for setting up the data transfer.

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

Since QuickBooks is not a direct e-commerce platform listed, you will select "CSV File" as your Source Cart. This step involves uploading the CSV files you exported from QuickBooks. Cart2Cart's "CsvToCart" connector will process these files, allowing you to migrate essential entities like Products, Product Categories, Manufacturers, Customers, Orders, Invoices, and Taxes. This method ensures your QuickBooks data is accurately read and prepared for its new Volusion home.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, choose "Volusion" from the dropdown list of Target Carts. You will need to provide your Volusion store URL. As noted in the prerequisites, Volusion requires a migration module (bridge) to be installed. Follow the on-screen instructions to upload and install this module to your Volusion store's root folder. This bridge acts as a secure conduit for data transfer. For guidance on locating your root folder, consult our What is a root folder and where can I find it? FAQ.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly which data entities you want to transfer. Based on the data available in your QuickBooks CSV files and supported by Volusion, you can select items such as products (including SKUs and variants), product categories, customer accounts, orders, invoices, and CMS pages. You can choose to migrate all entities or pick them individually based on your business needs.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

This stage allows for granular control over your migration, optimizing the transfer for SEO rankings, user experience, and data integrity.

Additional Migration Options

You’ll find a range of options to tailor your migration:

• Clear Target Store Data: The "Clear Target" option allows you to erase existing data on your Volusion store before the migration, ensuring a clean slate. Learn more about this with Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Preserve IDs: Crucial for maintaining internal consistency, options like "Preserve Product IDs," "Preserve Orders IDs," and "Preserve Customers IDs" ensure your old IDs transfer to Volusion. This is vital for record-keeping and existing integrations. Explore its benefits in How Preserve IDs options can be used?.
• Password Migration: If you wish to migrate customer passwords, select this option.
• SEO Enhancements: Options like "SEO URLs," "301 SEO URLs," and "Create 301 SEO URLs" are vital for preserving your search engine rankings and link equity from your previous setup.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product images embedded within descriptions are transferred correctly.
• Skip Custom Attributes: This can be useful if you only want to migrate standard attributes.

Data Mapping

Here, you will map your customer groups and order statuses from your QuickBooks data to their corresponding fields in Volusion. This ensures that customer roles and order statuses are correctly categorized in your new store, preserving data consistency.

Step 6: Run a Demo Migration & Full Migration

We highly recommend performing a free demo migration first. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-15 products, customers, orders) to your Volusion store. Review the migrated data carefully to ensure everything looks correct and functions as expected. This step is invaluable for verifying data integrity and understanding how your QuickBooks data translates to Volusion before committing to a full transfer.

Once satisfied with the demo, you can proceed with the full migration. At this stage, you may also consider selecting a Migration Insurance Service, which provides options for additional remigrations within a specified period, offering peace of mind. Find out more at How Migration Insurance works?.

Post-Migration Steps

Your data has been transferred! Now, it's time to fine-tune your Volusion store and ensure everything is perfect.

• Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data. Confirm that product SKUs, variants, pricing, descriptions, and images are accurate. Verify customer accounts, addresses, and order history. Check invoices and tax settings. This step is critical for maintaining data integrity and a smooth operational handover.
• Configure Volusion Settings: Set up your shipping options, payment gateways, and tax rules within your Volusion administrative panel. Customize your chosen theme to reflect your brand identity, ensuring a cohesive user experience.
• SEO and Redirects: If you enabled 301 redirects during migration, test them to ensure old URLs correctly point to new ones, preserving your SEO value. Update any external links pointing to your old QuickBooks-related storefront. Submit your new Volusion sitemap to search engines. Volusion has specific "SEO options excluded for blogs", so be mindful if you plan to incorporate blog content.
• Test Functionality: Perform test purchases, register new customer accounts, and test all forms and interactive elements to ensure your store functions flawlessly from a customer's perspective.
• Educate Your Team: Train your staff on the new Volusion platform, ensuring they are comfortable managing products, orders, and customer inquiries.
• Go Live! Once you are confident in your new Volusion store, it’s time to officially launch!

Migrating from QuickBooks to Volusion is a strategic move that sets your business up for e-commerce success. By following these steps and leveraging Cart2Cart’s capabilities, you can achieve a seamless and efficient data transfer. Should you encounter any questions or require further assistance, don't hesitate to Contact Us or visit our Frequently Asked Questions section for more guidance.