Walmart to Squarespace Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Introduction: Why Replatform from Walmart to Squarespace?

Transitioning your e-commerce store is a significant decision, often driven by the desire for greater control, enhanced design flexibility, and a more integrated selling environment. If you're currently operating on the Walmart marketplace and contemplating a move to a platform like Squarespace, you're looking to elevate your brand's presence and streamline your operations. Walmart, while a vast marketplace, can limit customization and direct customer engagement. Squarespace, on the other hand, offers an intuitive, aesthetically focused platform that integrates e-commerce functionality with robust design tools, allowing you to build a unique brand experience.

This guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your store's valuable data – including products, customer information, and order history – from Walmart to Squarespace. Since Walmart does not offer a direct API for third-party migration tools in the same way traditional e-commerce platforms do, we will leverage a CSV file export approach for your source data. For your target Squarespace store, the migration will utilize its powerful API capabilities, ensuring a smooth and accurate transfer of your digital assets.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, careful preparation of both your existing Walmart store's data and your new Squarespace environment is crucial. This proactive approach helps ensure data integrity and minimizes potential downtime.

Preparing Your Walmart Store (Source)

• Data Export: As Walmart does not support direct API connections for migrations, you'll need to export all your store data into CSV (Comma Separated Values) files. This includes critical entities such as products (with SKUs, variants, images, descriptions), product categories, customer records, orders, and potentially other relevant information like reviews or blog posts, if applicable within your Walmart setup. For a comprehensive list of entities typically supported via CSV, this method generally handles Products, Products Categories, Products Manufacturers, Products Reviews, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, CMS Pages, Blogs, and Blogs Posts.
• Data Cleaning: Before exporting, ensure your data is clean and organized. Remove any duplicate entries, correct inconsistencies, and update outdated information. Well-prepared CSV files will significantly smooth the CSV File Data Migration process.

For more insights on preparing your source store, read our FAQ on preparing your Source store.

Preparing Your Squarespace Store (Target)

• Set Up Your Squarespace Account: Create a new Squarespace account and establish your basic store structure. While data will be migrated, having a foundational setup helps.
• Ensure HTTPS: Squarespace inherently uses HTTPS, which is a requirement for API connections.
• Install Necessary Plugin: To facilitate the migration, you will need to ensure the Cart2Cart Squarespace Migration App is available or correctly installed/integrated, as this is a specific requirement for API-based connections to Squarespace.
• Gather API Credentials: Squarespace migrations typically require API access credentials such as an API key, API secret, access token, refresh token, admin email, and admin password. These credentials grant the migration service the necessary permissions to interact with your Squarespace store. Note that API rate limits apply, and depending on your specific Squarespace setup, custom app development might be needed to obtain the necessary API scopes and an Admin API access token for comprehensive data transfer.

Understanding how to obtain these details is key. Refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials.

For additional guidance on preparing your target store, consult our FAQ on preparing your Target store.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once your preparations are complete, you can begin the data transfer using a migration wizard. Follow these steps for a seamless replatforming journey:

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Navigate to the migration service platform and initiate a new migration. This is where your journey to Squarespace begins.

Step 2: Connect Your Source Store (Walmart via CSV)

When prompted to select your source platform, choose 'CSV File to Cart'. You will then be guided to upload the CSV files containing your exported Walmart store data. Ensure all relevant files are uploaded correctly to capture all your products, customers, and orders.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Store (Squarespace)

Next, select 'Squarespace' as your target cart. You will need to provide the connection details for your Squarespace store, which typically include the Squarespace Admin URL, your administrator email, and the corresponding password. As Squarespace uses an API for connections, ensure you have secured the necessary API keys and tokens mentioned in the prerequisites section. Remember that a specific Squarespace Migration App might be required to establish this connection.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which types of data (entities) you wish to transfer from your Walmart export to your new Squarespace store. Common entities supported include: Products, Product Categories, Product Reviews, Customers, Orders, CMS Pages, Gift Cards, Coupons, and Blog Posts. You can select all entities or pick them individually based on your specific requirements.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your data transfer with various optional features. These might include:

• Clear Target Store Data: If your Squarespace store already contains dummy data, you can choose to clear current data on the Target store before migration.
• Preserve Order IDs: This option helps maintain consistency in your order tracking. Find out how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Essential for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. The option to create 301 SEO URLs ensures that old links from your Walmart presence redirect to your new Squarespace pages, preventing broken links and preserving your SEO value.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures that product images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
• Other options might include migrating all categories, migrating groups to tags, or concatenating short descriptions.

Step 6: Map Your Data Fields

Data mapping is vital for ensuring consistency between your source and target platforms. In this step, you will align customer groups and order statuses from your Walmart data with their corresponding fields in Squarespace. For example, map 'Wholesale Customers' to a specific customer group in Squarespace, or 'Pending Payment' order status from Walmart to its equivalent in Squarespace. This process guarantees data integrity across your new platform.

Step 7: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration

Before committing to the full replatforming, it's highly recommended to perform a demo migration. This allows you to review a small batch of transferred data and verify accuracy. Once satisfied, you can proceed with the full migration. During this final step, you might also consider selecting a Migration Insurance Plan, which provides additional remigrations for a specified period, offering peace of mind. How Migration Insurance works?

Post-Migration Steps for Squarespace Optimization

Completing the data transfer is a major milestone, but the work doesn't stop there. Several crucial post-migration steps will ensure your new Squarespace store is fully optimized and ready for business.

1. Thoroughly Review Migrated Data: Carefully check all migrated data in your Squarespace store. Verify product details (SKUs, variants, pricing, descriptions, images), customer accounts, order history, CMS pages, and blog posts. Ensure everything is accurately transferred and displayed as expected.
2. Test All Store Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of your Squarespace store's core functionalities. This includes the entire checkout process, user account creation and login, search functionality, product filters, and contact forms. Place test orders to confirm payment gateways are working correctly.
3. Configure SEO Settings: If you utilized the 301 SEO URL option during migration, double-check that all redirects are correctly pointing old Walmart URLs to their new Squarespace counterparts. Update your sitemap in Google Search Console and submit it for re-indexing to maintain your SEO rankings and link equity.
4. Update DNS Records: Once you are confident in your Squarespace store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Squarespace site. Plan this carefully to minimize downtime for your customers.
5. Inform Your Customers: Communicate the store's transition to your customer base. An announcement can help manage expectations and introduce them to your new and improved online presence, enhancing user experience.
6. Decommission Old Walmart Store: After a grace period to ensure stability and redirect traffic, you can plan to officially decommission your old Walmart presence.
7. Monitor Performance: Continuously monitor your Squarespace store's performance, traffic, and SEO rankings. Pay attention to any broken links or display issues that might arise.

If you encounter any challenges or require additional support during your migration or post-migration process, remember that services like Migration Customization, Migration Preview, and Recent Data Migration are available to help. Don't hesitate to contact us for expert assistance.