Subbly to BigCommerce Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Subbly offers a streamlined platform tailored for subscription businesses, but as your e-commerce venture scales, you might find yourself needing a more robust and feature-rich solution. BigCommerce stands out as a powerful, enterprise-grade platform known for its scalability, extensive customization options, and native marketing tools. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your online store from Subbly to BigCommerce, ensuring a smooth transition of your valuable data – from products and customer information to orders and website content. While Subbly data typically migrates via CSV export, we'll outline the steps for a seamless data transfer to BigCommerce's advanced API architecture.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before you begin your migration journey, it’s crucial to prepare both your source Subbly store and your target BigCommerce store. Proper preparation minimizes potential issues and ensures data integrity during the transition.

For Your Subbly Store (Source):

• Data Export: Subbly does not offer direct API integration for external migration tools. Therefore, you will need to export all your critical store data into well-structured CSV files. This typically includes:
• Products (with SKUs, variants, images, descriptions)
• Customer data (names, emails, addresses)
• Order history (order IDs, statuses, purchased items)
• Any other relevant information like discount codes, blog posts, or CMS pages that can be exported.
• Data Review & Cleaning: Before exporting, take time to review your Subbly data for inconsistencies, outdated entries, or duplicates. Cleaning your data now will prevent issues in your new BigCommerce store, ensuring high data quality and integrity.
• For more information on preparing your source store, you can refer to our guide on How to prepare Source store for migration?.

For Your BigCommerce Store (Target):

• Active BigCommerce Account: Ensure you have an active BigCommerce store. Ideally, this should be a new or empty store to facilitate a cleaner import process, especially if you plan to use the "Clear Target Store Data" option.
• API Access Credentials: BigCommerce migrations require specific API credentials for secure data transfer. You will need to generate a Client ID (Username), Access Token (API Token), and API Path within your BigCommerce admin panel. This involves creating a custom API account with the necessary scopes. For detailed instructions, refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• HTTPS Requirement: BigCommerce APIs strictly require HTTPS for secure connections. Ensure your BigCommerce store URL uses HTTPS.
• Custom App Development: Be aware that BigCommerce's API connection typically requires a custom app with specific scopes to facilitate comprehensive data interaction.
• Basic Store Setup: Have a basic understanding of your BigCommerce dashboard and consider initial settings. To learn more about preparing your target store, see How to prepare Target store for migration?.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these detailed steps to successfully transfer your store data from Subbly to BigCommerce.

Step 1: Get Started with Your Migration

Begin your e-commerce replatforming journey by logging into your chosen migration platform. If you’re a new user, you’ll typically start by creating an account. This initial step sets the stage for transferring your valuable store data.

Step 2: Source Store Setup (Subbly via CSV)

Since Subbly does not offer direct API integration for migration tools, the process involves using CSV files to transfer your data. Select 'CSV File to Cart' as your Source Cart from the dropdown menu. You will then be prompted to upload the CSV files containing your exported Subbly data for various entities such as products, customers, and orders. Ensure your CSV files are well-structured to avoid data discrepancies. The system will then parse and validate your file data.

The system supports migrating a wide range of data from your CSV files, including:

• Products, including their categories, attributes, and variants (SKUs).
• Customer information.
• Order history, including statuses and purchased items.
• Coupons, CMS pages, and blog posts, if exported.

You may also have options to preserve original IDs, create product variants from attributes, or migrate images included in descriptions, depending on your CSV data structure. For more on CSV migrations, visit our CSV.File Data Migration page.

Step 3: Target Store Setup (BigCommerce)

Next, configure your destination platform. Select 'BigCommerce' as your Target Cart. You will then need to provide your BigCommerce store's URL. Crucially, you'll also need to input your BigCommerce API credentials: the Client ID (Username), Access Token (API Token), and the specific API Path. These credentials grant the migration tool secure access to your new store for data import. Remember, BigCommerce requires HTTPS for all API connections and relies on a custom app with specific scopes for these integrations.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This critical step allows you to specify exactly which types of data you wish to transfer from your Subbly CSV files to your new BigCommerce store. You can choose to migrate all available entities or selectively pick specific data types. Common entities include products (with SKUs and variants), product categories, customers, orders, coupons, blog posts, and CMS pages. This provides granular control over your data transfer, ensuring only relevant information is moved.

The entities supported for migration to BigCommerce typically include:

• Products, including categories, manufacturers, and attributes to form variants.
• Customer accounts and their associated details.
• Order history and statuses.
• Coupons and discounts.
• Blog posts and CMS pages for content migration.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

Enhance your migration with a range of additional options designed to optimize your data transfer and preserve important SEO value. These may include:

• Clear Target Store Data: Useful for fresh BigCommerce stores to ensure a clean slate before importing. Learn more about this option here.
• Preserve IDs: Maintain original product, category, customer, and order IDs, which can be crucial for inventory management and customer service. Understand how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• Create 301 SEO URLs: Automatically generate 301 redirects to maintain your search engine rankings and link equity by pointing old Subbly URLs to their new BigCommerce counterparts. This is vital for preserving SEO.
• Create Variants from Attributes: If your Subbly products have attributes (like size or color) that define variations, this option helps translate them into BigCommerce product variants.

Following additional options, you will proceed to Data Mapping. This step involves matching your source Subbly data fields (e.g., customer groups, order statuses) to their corresponding fields in BigCommerce. Accurate mapping is essential for data integrity and ensuring that all information is correctly categorized and displayed in your new store.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to a full migration, it's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This trial run will transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., a few products, customers, and orders) to your BigCommerce store. It allows you to:

• Preview how your data will look on the new platform.
• Identify any potential issues with data mapping or formatting.
• Ensure the migration process meets your expectations.

This step is crucial for building confidence and fine-tuning before the complete data transfer.

Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

Once you are satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. Review your selected entities and chosen additional options. You may also consider adding a Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional remigrations within a specified period, providing peace of mind. Learn how Migration Insurance works. After confirming all details and payment, launch the full data transfer to move all your Subbly store data to BigCommerce.

The migration will run in the background, minimizing downtime for your existing Subbly store. You will receive a notification once the process is complete.

Post-Migration Steps

Migrating your data is a significant step, but the journey to a fully functional BigCommerce store isn't over. Here are essential post-migration tasks to ensure your new store is ready for business:

• Thorough Data Review: Meticulously check all migrated data in your BigCommerce admin. Verify products (SKUs, pricing, images, variants), customer accounts, order history, blog posts, and CMS pages. Ensure everything is in its correct place and appears as expected, ensuring data integrity across all facets of your store.
• Configure Store Settings: Set up essential BigCommerce store configurations, including shipping zones and rates, tax settings, and payment gateways. Integrate any third-party services that your business relies on.
• Install & Configure Apps: Explore the BigCommerce App Store to find apps and plugins that replicate functionalities you had on Subbly or add new capabilities. This includes apps for marketing, inventory management, customer service, and more.
• Design & Theming: Customize your BigCommerce theme to align with your brand identity. Optimize the user experience and ensure your storefront is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
• SEO & Redirects: Verify that all 301 redirects are working correctly to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity from your old Subbly URLs. Update your sitemap and submit it to search engines. Monitor your Google Search Console for any crawl errors.
• Extensive Testing: Conduct comprehensive testing of your new BigCommerce store. This includes placing test orders, verifying checkout processes, testing customer account logins, checking product filters, and ensuring all forms and links are functional. This ensures a seamless user experience.
• Update DNS: Once you are fully satisfied with your BigCommerce store, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new BigCommerce site.
• Monitor & Optimize: After going live, continuously monitor your store's performance, site speed, and user behavior. Gather feedback, make necessary adjustments, and optimize for conversions and a superior user experience.

By following these post-migration steps, you'll ensure your transition from Subbly to BigCommerce is complete, robust, and ready to support your business's growth.