Sellfy to Magento Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Migrate Your Store from Sellfy to Magento

Are you considering moving your e-commerce store from Sellfy to Magento? While Sellfy offers a straightforward platform for digital products, Magento provides unparalleled scalability, robust features, and extensive customization options, making it an ideal choice for growing businesses. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of transitioning your store data, including products, customers, and orders, from Sellfy to Magento. Since Sellfy does not offer direct API integration for migration tools, we will leverage CSV file export and import to facilitate a smooth data transfer.

Undertaking an e-commerce platform replatforming can seem daunting, but with a structured approach and the right tools, you can ensure data integrity and a minimal downtime. Our step-by-step instructions will help you confidently navigate this transition, preserving your SEO rankings and enhancing your online store's capabilities.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating your store transfer, ensure you have the following ready to guarantee a smooth and efficient process. Preparing both your source (Sellfy) and target (Magento) environments thoroughly is key to a successful data migration.

For Your Sellfy Source Store:

• Data Export: Since direct API connection is not available for Sellfy, you will need to manually export your store data into CSV files. This includes:
  • Product data (SKUs, variants, descriptions, images, prices)
  • Customer records (names, emails, addresses)
  • Order history (order IDs, customer associations, product details, statuses)
  • Categories, reviews (if available for export), and any other relevant content.
• Data Cleanup: Before exporting, take this opportunity to clean up your Sellfy store. Remove outdated products, inactive customer accounts, or redundant information. This will ensure you migrate only valuable data to your new Magento store. For more details on preparing your source store, refer to our How to prepare Source store for migration? guide.

For Your Magento Target Store:

• Magento Installation: You need a fresh, operational Magento installation. Ensure you have the latest stable version installed to benefit from the newest features and security updates.
• Admin Access: Full administrative access to your Magento store (adminLogin, adminPwd, adminUrl) is essential.
• FTP/SFTP Access: You will need FTP or SFTP access to your Magento hosting environment to upload the connection bridge file. Understanding what a root folder is and where to find it is important for this step.
• Database Access (Optional but Recommended): While the migration tool generally handles this, having your database details (dbTablesPrefix, dbCharSet) can be beneficial for troubleshooting.
• Plugin Requirements: Magento requires specific plugins for certain advanced migrations. Notably, a Magento module for password migration is required to transfer customer passwords securely. Also, a Reviews table check is necessary if you plan to migrate product reviews. It is advisable to install these recommended plugins beforehand.
• Backup Your Store: If your Magento installation isn't entirely new and contains existing data, always perform a full backup before initiating any migration process. For further guidance, read our How to prepare Target store for migration? article.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

This section outlines the process of moving your e-commerce data from Sellfy (via CSV) to Magento using a migration wizard. Follow these steps carefully to ensure a smooth transition.

Step 1: Get Started with the Migration Wizard

Begin by accessing your migration service dashboard. Here, you'll be prompted to start your migration process. This initial screen provides options to either start a DIY migration using the wizard or request assistance from a managed service.

Step 2: Set Up Your Sellfy (CSV) Source Store

Since Sellfy is not directly supported by most migration tools, you'll select "CsvToCart" or "CSV File" as your source platform. This indicates that your data will be transferred from CSV files that you exported from your Sellfy store.

Upload the prepared CSV files containing your products, categories, customers, orders, and any other relevant entities. Ensure your CSVs are well-formatted to prevent any data import issues.

Step 3: Connect Your Magento Target Store

Next, choose "Magento" as your target shopping cart from the dropdown menu. Enter the URL of your new Magento store. To establish a secure connection, you will need to download a connection bridge file. Unpack this file and upload the resulting "bridge2cart" folder to the root directory of your Magento installation via FTP/SFTP. This bridge is crucial for allowing the migration tool to access your Magento store's database and files for data transfer.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This step allows you to choose which specific types of data you want to transfer from your Sellfy CSV files to Magento. The migration tool supports a wide range of entities including:

• Products, Product Categories, Product Manufacturers, Product Reviews
• Customers
• Orders, Invoices
• Taxes, Stores, Coupons
• CMS Pages

You can choose to migrate all available data entities or select them individually based on your specific needs. This precise control over the scope of your migration helps ensure only relevant data is moved to your new store.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options and Data Mapping

Additional Migration Options:

Enhance your migration with various optional features. You can select options such as:

• Clear Target Store Data: Opt to clear current data on your target store before migration, ensuring a fresh start.
• Preserve IDs: Keep original Category IDs, Product IDs, Customer IDs, and Order IDs. This is beneficial for maintaining existing relationships and for SEO purposes. Learn how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• Create 301 Redirects: Automatically generate 301 redirects for old product and category URLs to new ones in Magento. This is crucial for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity.
• Migrate Images: Transfer product images embedded in descriptions.
• Password Migration: If you installed the required Magento module, you can safely migrate customer passwords.
• Create Variants from Attributes: If your Sellfy products use attributes, this option helps properly create product variants in Magento.

Data Mapping:

During this step, you will match specific fields from your Sellfy data (via CSV) to corresponding fields in your Magento store. This typically includes:

• Customer Group Mapping: Align customer roles (e.g., "Guest," "Registered Customer") from your source data to Magento's customer groups.
• Order Status Mapping: Map order statuses (e.g., "Pending Payment," "Processing," "Completed") to their equivalents in Magento.

This mapping ensures data consistency and integrity across platforms.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to a full migration, it is highly recommended to run a free demo. This migrates a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) to your Magento store, allowing you to:

• Evaluate the migration tool's functionality and accuracy.
• Check the integrity and appearance of your migrated data.
• Identify and resolve any potential issues before the full transfer.

Thoroughly review the demo results in your Magento admin panel and storefront.

Step 7: Perform the Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full data migration. Review the total cost, choose any desired Migration Insurance Service for potential future remigrations, and launch the process. The duration of the full migration will depend on the volume of your data.

During this phase, keep your Magento store in maintenance mode to prevent any data inconsistencies or poor user experience. For insights into how Migration Insurance works, please consult our FAQ.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has been successfully transferred to Magento, a few crucial post-migration tasks remain to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized.

• Reindex Magento Data: Magento explicitly recommends reindexing after a migration. This crucial step updates all data indexes in your Magento database, ensuring that products, categories, search results, and other data appear correctly and are performant on your storefront. Navigate to your Magento Admin panel and perform a full reindex.
• Install Password Migration Module: If you opted to migrate customer passwords, ensure the required Magento module is correctly installed and configured. Test customer logins to verify functionality.
• Thorough Data Review: Scrutinize all migrated data on your Magento store.
  • Products: Check product details, images, prices, SKUs, variants, and stock levels.
  • Categories: Verify category structures and their assigned products.
  • Customers: Confirm customer accounts, addresses, and order history.
  • Orders: Review order details, statuses, and associated customer data.
  • URLs & SEO: Ensure all SEO URLs are correct and that 301 redirects are working as expected.
• Test Store Functionality: Perform extensive testing of all core functionalities:
  • Place test orders from various customer accounts.
  • Test payment gateways and shipping methods.
  • Verify contact forms, search functionality, and site navigation.
  • Check responsive design across different devices.
• Update DNS Settings: Once you are completely satisfied with your new Magento store, update your domain's DNS settings to point to the new Magento hosting. This will make your Magento store live to the public.
• Update Integrations: Reconnect any third-party integrations (e.g., email marketing, analytics, accounting software) with your new Magento store.
• Remove Old Store: Once your Magento store is fully live and operational, and you've confirmed all data and functionality, you can safely decommission your Sellfy store.
• Consider Ongoing Services: For future updates or additional migrations, explore options like the Recent Data Migration Service or Cart2Cart Remigration Service.

By following these post-migration steps, you can ensure your transition from Sellfy to Magento is not only complete but also optimized for performance and user experience. If you encounter any challenges, don't hesitate to contact us for expert assistance.