Zen Cart to BigCommerce Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services
Zen Cart to BigCommerce migration is now simpler and safer than ever with Cart2Cart. Seamlessly move Zen Cart store to BigCommerce, ensuring a swift, secure, and accurate switch from Zen Cart to BigCommerce. Preserve your vital SEO rankings, experience zero downtime, and precisely transfer data, including orders, customers, and products. We offer comprehensive guides for DIY users or full expert assistance for businesses wanting a truly hands-off Zen Cart to BigCommerce migration. Start your journey to a better store today.
What data can be
migrated from Zen Cart to BigCommerce
-
Products
-
Product Categories
-
Manufacturers
-
Customers
-
Orders
-
Reviews
-
Multistore
- Name, SKU, Full Description, Status, Manufacturer.
- Price, Special Price, Tier Price.
- Meta Title, Meta Keywords, Meta Description.
- Product Image, Additional Images.
- Quantity, Stock Status.
- Weight.
- Options(Name, Price), Product Attributes(Name, Values).
- Product Variants(SKU, Weight, Attributes, Quantity, Price, Special Price, Additional image).
- Name, Description, Status.
- Meta Title, Meta Description, Meta Keywords.
- Category Images.
- Name, Manufacturer Images.
- First Name, Last Name, Email, Customer Group, Telephone.
- Customer Billing Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Customer Shipping Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Order Date, Order Status, Order Products(Name, SKU, Option), Product Price, Quantity, SubTotal Price, Discount Price, Tax Price, Shipping Price, Total Price, Order Comments.
- Email, Billing Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Shipping Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Created Date, Status, Rate, User Name, Comment, Product.
- Yes.
- Name, SKU, Full Description, Status, Manufacturer.
- Price, Special Price, Tier Price.
- Meta Title, Meta Keywords, Meta Description.
- Product Image, Additional Images.
- Quantity, Stock Status.
- Weight.
- Options(Name, Price), Product Attributes(Name, Values).
- Product Variants(SKU, Weight, Attributes, Quantity, Price, Special Price, Additional image).
- Name, Description, Status.
- Meta Title, Meta Description, Meta Keywords.
- Category Images.
- Name, Manufacturer Images.
- First Name, Last Name, Email, Customer Group, Telephone.
- Customer Billing Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Customer Shipping Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Order Date, Order Status, Order Products(Name, SKU, Option), Product Price, Quantity, SubTotal Price, Discount Price, Tax Price, Shipping Price, Total Price, Order Comments.
- Email, Billing Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Shipping Address(First Name, Last Name, Company, Address 1, Address 2, Country, State, City, Zip Code, Telephone).
- Created Date, Status, Rate, User Name, Comment, Product.
- Yes.
Products
Estimate your Migration Cost
Thanks to Cart2Cart`s flexible pricing policy, the migration price depends on the number of transferred entities and the additional migration options you select. Just choose your Source and Target platforms and get the approximate price of your Zen Cart to BigCommerce store migration right after completing the free Demo.
How to Migrate from Zen Cart to BigCommerce In 3 Steps?
Connect your Source & Target carts
Choose Zen Cart and BigCommerce from the drop-down lists & provide the stores’ URLs in the corresponding fields.
Select the data to migrate & extra options
Choose the data you want to migrate to BigCommerce and extra options to customise your Zen Cart to BigCommerce migration.
Launch your Demo/Full migration
Run a free Demo to see how the Cart2Cart service works, and when happy - launch Full migration.
Migrate Zen Cart to BigCommerce: A Definitive 2025 Guide
A Seamless Transition from Zen Cart to BigCommerce
Migrating your e-commerce store is a pivotal step towards modernizing your online business, enhancing scalability, and improving the user experience. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of moving your store from Zen Cart to BigCommerce, a powerful, cloud-based platform known for its robust features and growth potential. We'll detail each stage of the data transfer, ensuring you understand how to preserve your valuable data assets, from product SKUs and customer records to order history and SEO rankings.
This transition can seem daunting, but by following a structured approach and utilizing specialized migration tools, you can ensure a smooth replatforming with minimal downtime and maximum data integrity. Let's dive into the essential steps to successfully migrate your Zen Cart store to BigCommerce.
Prerequisites for Migration
Before initiating any data transfer, careful preparation is key. Having your source (Zen Cart) and target (BigCommerce) stores ready will streamline the entire process.
- For Your Zen Cart Store (Source):
Ensure your Zen Cart installation is stable and operational. It's highly recommended to perform a full backup of your Zen Cart database and files before starting the migration. For connection, Zen Cart primarily uses a Bridge method, which requires you to install a dedicated migration module. This module, often referred to as the "Cart2Cart Zen Cart Migration module," facilitates secure data extraction. Verify that you have necessary administrative access and potentially FTP access to your Zen Cart store's root directory to install this plugin.
Learn more about How to prepare Source store for migration?
- For Your BigCommerce Store (Target):
Set up your new BigCommerce store. This can be a trial store or a full subscription. BigCommerce uses an API only connection method, which means you will need to generate specific API credentials. These include a Client ID, an Access Token, and your BigCommerce store's API Path. You'll typically create a custom API account within your BigCommerce admin panel, ensuring it has the required scopes for data access. BigCommerce also requires an HTTPS connection for API access, which is standard for new stores.
Explore How to prepare Target store for migration? and refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart for detailed instructions on obtaining these API keys.
- General Preparations:
Familiarize yourself with the data you intend to move. This includes understanding your product variants, customer groups, order statuses, and any custom attributes you may have. A clear understanding of your data will make the mapping process more efficient.
Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide
With your preparations complete, you're ready to begin the migration process. This guide assumes the use of a professional migration tool to facilitate the data transfer.
Step 1: Start Your Migration
Begin by accessing your chosen migration tool's interface. You'll typically be prompted to initiate a new migration, which starts the wizard-guided process.
Step 2: Connect Your Zen Cart Store (Source Setup)
Select "Zen Cart" as your Source Cart. As Zen Cart utilizes a Bridge connection, you'll need to install the migration bridge file on your Zen Cart server. The migration tool will guide you through uploading this file to your Zen Cart root directory. Once uploaded, provide your Zen Cart store's URL and any necessary administrative credentials or database prefix information to establish a secure connection. This bridge acts as a secure gateway for transferring your Zen Cart data.
Step 3: Connect Your BigCommerce Store (Target Setup)
Next, select "BigCommerce" as your Target Cart. Provide your BigCommerce store's URL and the API credentials you generated during the prerequisites phase: the Client ID (Username), Access Token (API Token), and API Path. These credentials grant the migration tool the necessary permissions to import your data into your new BigCommerce platform.
Step 4: Select Data Entities to Migrate
This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which data entities you want to transfer from Zen Cart to BigCommerce. Common entities include:
- Products (including product variants, images, descriptions, SKUs)
- Product Categories
- Product Manufacturers
- Product Reviews
- Customers (including customer groups)
- Orders (with order statuses and invoices, if supported)
- Coupons
- CMS Pages / Static Pages
BigCommerce also supports blogs, so if you have blog posts or similar content in Zen Cart, you can migrate those as well. Carefully review your options and select all relevant data to ensure a complete transition.
Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping
This stage offers advanced configurations to tailor your migration:
Additional Migration Options
You'll find various checkboxes to fine-tune your migration process. Highly recommended options include:
- Preserve Product IDs, Category IDs, Orders IDs, Customer IDs: This helps maintain data consistency and internal linking, which can be beneficial for historical records and external systems. Learn more about How Preserve IDs options can be used?
- Create 301 SEO URLs: Essential for preserving your SEO rankings and link equity. This option automatically generates redirects from your old Zen Cart URLs to the new BigCommerce URLs.
- Password Migration: Allows customers to log in to their new BigCommerce accounts with their existing Zen Cart passwords.
- Clear Target Store Data: If your BigCommerce store already contains sample data, this option can wipe it clean before migration, ensuring no duplicate entries. Understand the Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
- Create Variants from Attributes: If your Zen Cart products use attributes to define variations (e.g., size, color), this option will help create proper product variants in BigCommerce.
- Migrate Images in Description: Ensures that all product images embedded within product descriptions are transferred correctly.
Data Mapping
The mapping setup involves matching your Zen Cart's customer groups, order statuses, and potentially product attributes to their corresponding fields in BigCommerce. This ensures that your customer segments and order workflows are accurately replicated on the new platform.
Step 6: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration
Before committing to a full data transfer, perform a free demo migration. This allows you to migrate a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your BigCommerce store. Carefully review the migrated data on your BigCommerce site to ensure everything transferred correctly and appears as expected. This step is critical for identifying and addressing any potential issues before the complete migration.
Once satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. During this final step, you'll review the total cost based on the number of entities selected and consider adding a Migration Insurance Plan. Insurance plans typically offer a set number of re-migrations for a specific period, providing peace of mind in case any data adjustments are needed post-migration. Find out How Migration Insurance works?
Post-Migration Steps
Once your data has been successfully transferred to BigCommerce, there are several crucial steps to finalize your new store and ensure a smooth launch.
- Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data. Verify product details, pricing, stock levels, customer accounts, order histories, and all other content pages. Ensure product images and descriptions are intact.
- Configure Store Settings: Set up essential BigCommerce store configurations such as shipping methods, tax settings, payment gateways, and store policies.
- Install Apps & Themes: Explore the BigCommerce App Marketplace and Theme Store to enhance your store's functionality and design. Install any necessary apps for marketing, analytics, or operations.
- Set Up 301 Redirects: Even if you used the "Create 301 SEO URLs" option during migration, it's wise to review and manually configure any additional redirects for pages that may have changed URLs or are missing. This is vital for maintaining your link equity and SEO rankings.
- Update DNS Records: Point your domain name to your new BigCommerce store. This step makes your new BigCommerce site live to the public. Plan this during off-peak hours to minimize potential downtime.
- Test All Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of your new BigCommerce store. This includes testing the entire checkout process, searching for products, logging in as a customer, submitting contact forms, and ensuring all links work correctly.
- Monitor and Optimize SEO: After going live, closely monitor your search engine rankings and traffic. Continue to optimize your BigCommerce store for search engines to ensure long-term visibility and success.
- Consider Recent Data Migration: If you had a brief period between starting the migration and going live, and new orders or customer registrations occurred on your old Zen Cart store, you might consider a Recent Data Migration Service to transfer only these new updates.
By following these steps, you can confidently transition your e-commerce business from Zen Cart to BigCommerce, unlocking new growth opportunities and a modern, feature-rich platform. If you encounter any challenges, specialized migration services and support teams are available to assist you. Don't hesitate to Contact Us for assistance.
Ways to perform migration from Zen Cart to BigCommerce
Automated migration
Just set up the migration and choose the entities to move – the service will do the rest.
Try It Free
Data Migration Service Package
Delegate the job to the highly-skilled migration experts and get the job done.
Choose Package
Benefits for Store Owners
Benefits for Ecommerce Agencies
Choose all the extra migration options and get 40% off their total Price
The design and store functionality transfer is impossible due to Zen Cart to BigCommerce limitations. However, you can recreate it with the help of a 3rd-party developer.
Your data is safely locked with Cart2Cart
We built in many security measures so you can safely migrate from Zen Cart to BigCommerce. Check out our Security Policy
Server Security
All migrations are performed on a secure dedicated Hetzner server with restricted physical access.Application Security
HTTPS protocol and 128-bit SSL encryption are used to protect the data being exchanged.Network Security
The most up-to-date network architecture schema, firewall and access restrictions protect our system from electronic attacks.Data Access Control
Employee access to customer migration data is restricted, logged and audited.Frequently Asked Questions
Can customer passwords be migrated from Zen Cart to BigCommerce?
How can I validate data accuracy after migrating from Zen Cart to BigCommerce?
How long does it take to migrate an e-commerce store from Zen Cart to BigCommerce?
What data entities can I migrate from Zen Cart to BigCommerce?
Is my data secure during the Zen Cart to BigCommerce migration process?
What factors influence the cost of migrating from Zen Cart to BigCommerce?
Will my existing store design and theme transfer from Zen Cart to BigCommerce?
How can I prevent SEO ranking loss when migrating from Zen Cart to BigCommerce?
Will my Zen Cart store experience downtime during migration to BigCommerce?
Should I use an automated tool or hire an expert for Zen Cart to BigCommerce migration?
Why 150.000+ customers all over the globe have chosen Cart2Cart?
100% non-techie friendly
Cart2Cart is recommended by Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, OpenCart, PrestaShop and other top ecommerce platforms.
Keep selling while migrating
The process of data transfer has no effect on the migrated store. At all.
24/7 live support
Get every bit of help right when you need it. Our live chat experts will eagerly guide you through the entire migration process.
Lightning fast migration
Just a few hours - and all your store data is moved to its new home.
Open to the customers’ needs
We’re ready to help import data from database dump, csv. file, a rare shopping cart etc.
Recommended by industry leaders
Cart2Cart is recommended by Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, OpenCart, PrestaShop and other top ecommerce platforms.
Trusted by eCommerce dominators since 2009
Great Solution! Excellent Support team which helped to migrate my store data from Magento to Bigcommerce in no time. Cart2Cart developed a custom solution to which helped me to Migrate my Blog Data too. I will surely use their service on my upcoming projects.
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Migration from Shopify to BigCommerce was exactly what I need it. Customers information, orders, products description and images were displayed in my new platform perfectly. Additionally, the support team were very helpful and patience while I was doing all of this process. I highly recommend it!
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Working with Cart2Cart on a recent Yahoo Store to BigCommerce Store migration was a pleasure. The support was very helpful in getting to my end solution. I would definitely recommend their service for anyone looking to migrate data between these platforms.
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Solid work on the cart2cart migration from Magento to BigCommerce! Also, they helped me a lot for the data re-migration due to an accidental deletion on BigCommerce I definitely would recommend Cart2Cart 🙂
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I was skeptical at first, but now I’m using Cart2Cart again! Cart2Cart saved us a lot of time by aiding in the migration of our client, Tool Accessory Depot from Magento to BigCommerce. We are now in the process of moving another clients store from OSCommerce to 3DCart.
Cart2Cart support was extremely helpful, and was diligent in making sure the migration completed correctly, as they said it would.
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We have migrated from creloaded 6.4 to Bigcommerce.com shopping cart.
the Cart2Cart migration is outstanding. Provided quicky and easy transfer of our customer, catagories and products in minutes…
thanks for the great support you have provided us and the quick service.
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I can’t say anything but EXCELLENT. These guys know their job and do it with perfectness. I was migrating from the ZenCart store to Magento 2, and they helped me through the whole process. Especially, I want to thank Lena and Nina, as they were really helpful with all my concerns and doubts. Support is the best. That’s what I call SUPER CUSTOMER SERVICE!
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This app made moving to Shopify from Zen Cart SO easy! Thanks for a great, easy-to-use app that made new store development a breeze!
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I had close to 8,000 products in a ZenCart store that I needed to migrate to Shopify. C2C did it all for me quickly and inexpensively. It’s the best solution out there that I’ve found to move from one eCommerce platform to another.
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I’ve used the service/software for two website migrations (ZenCart to WooCommerce). The second one failed, also because of my own error, but the supprt was great and Cart2Cart team helped getting it all working flawless.
Very impressed by this software and even more by the aftersales support. Will use again when needed.
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