Big Cartel to Volusion Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Transition Your E-commerce Store from Big Cartel to Volusion

Are you looking to scale your online business, gain access to more robust features, and enhance your store's performance? Migrating from Big Cartel, a platform often favored by artists and small businesses, to Volusion, a more comprehensive and scalable e-commerce solution, can be a strategic move. This guide will walk you through every essential step of transferring your valuable store data, including products, customer information, orders, and more, ensuring a smooth and successful transition to your new Volusion storefront.

Understanding the nuances of both platforms is key to a successful replatforming. While Big Cartel is known for its simplicity, Volusion offers advanced tools for inventory management, marketing, and SEO, making it an excellent choice for growing businesses seeking greater control and functionality.

Prerequisites for a Smooth Migration

Before you begin the data transfer process, a few preparatory steps are essential to ensure data integrity and a hassle-free experience. Proper preparation on both your source (Big Cartel) and target (Volusion) stores will save you time and prevent potential issues during migration.

For Your Big Cartel Source Store: Data Export

Since Big Cartel does not offer a direct API connection for bulk data export in the same way larger platforms do, your migration will rely on CSV file exports. This means you'll need to manually export your data into well-structured CSV files. Organize these files carefully, as they will be the foundation of your data transfer.

• Products: Export all product details, including SKUs, descriptions, images, variants, pricing, and category assignments.
• Customers: Gather customer records, including names, contact information, and order history.
• Orders: Export all order data, including order IDs, status, associated customer details, and product specifics.
• Categories: Ensure your product categories are clearly defined and exported.

For more detailed guidance, refer to our How to prepare Source store for migration? FAQ.

For Your Volusion Target Store: Preparation and Access

Your Volusion store requires a specific setup to facilitate the data transfer:

• Volusion Store Access: Ensure you have full administrative access to your Volusion store. You'll need your Volusion store URL, admin login, and password. For secure access, consult The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• Install the Migration Bridge: Volusion requires a connection bridge for data transfer. You will need to install the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module. This module acts as a secure gateway, allowing the migration tool to connect with your Volusion database. Typically, this involves uploading files via FTP to your Volusion root directory. If you're unsure about the root folder, check our What is a root folder and where can I find it? guide.
• Review Existing Data: If your Volusion store already contains some data, consider if you want to clear it before migration using the 'Clear Target' option, or merge the new data.

For additional details on preparing your new platform, visit How to prepare Target store for migration?.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to successfully move your e-commerce data from Big Cartel to Volusion using a dedicated migration wizard.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration wizard. Here, you'll choose your migration path and set the stage for your data transfer.

Step 2: Set Up Your Source Store (Big Cartel)

In this step, you'll specify Big Cartel as your current e-commerce platform. Although the interface may show a direct selection for Big Cartel, the underlying mechanism for data extraction will involve uploading the CSV files you prepared earlier.

Select Big Cartel from the dropdown list of supported carts. Then, if prompted, enter the URL of your Big Cartel store. The migration wizard will then guide you to upload your CSV files containing your products, customers, orders, and other essential data. This process ensures all your critical information from Big Cartel, such as product IDs and customer records, is ready for transfer.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Volusion)

Now, it's time to connect your new Volusion store. This is where your installed Volusion migration module comes into play.

• Select Volusion as your Target Cart.
• Enter the full URL of your Volusion store.
• Provide the necessary connection details, including your admin login, admin password, and the URL where you installed the Volusion bridge. This bridge facilitates the secure transfer of data to your new platform.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which types of data you want to transfer from Big Cartel to Volusion. You can select all available entities or pick specific ones based on your needs.

Common entities to migrate include:

• Products: Including SKUs, variants, descriptions, images, and prices.
• Product Categories: To maintain your store's structure.
• Customers: All customer data, including contact information.
• Orders: Detailed order history and statuses.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your migration by selecting various additional options. These settings allow for greater customization and can significantly impact the outcome of your data transfer.

Popular options include:

• Clear Target Store Data: Useful if you want to start fresh on Volusion, removing any existing demo data. (Refer to: Clear current data on Target store before migration option).
• Preserve Product IDs, Order IDs, and Customer IDs: Highly recommended for maintaining data integrity and SEO link equity, especially for existing links and records. (See: How Preserve IDs options can be used?).
• Migrate Customer Passwords: Allows customers to log in with their existing credentials.
• Create 301 Redirects: Essential for SEO to redirect old Big Cartel URLs to your new Volusion URLs, preventing broken links and preserving search engine rankings.
• Migrate Images in Product Descriptions: Ensures all visual content is transferred.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

This step ensures that your Big Cartel data aligns perfectly with Volusion's structure. You'll typically map customer groups and order statuses from your source store to their corresponding equivalents in Volusion.

• Customer Groups Mapping: Match Big Cartel customer groups (if any) to Volusion customer groups.
• Order Status Mapping: Align Big Cartel order statuses (e.g., 'pending,' 'shipped') with Volusion's order statuses.

Accurate mapping is vital for maintaining consistent data presentation and functionality on your new store.

Step 7: Perform Demo or Initiate Full Migration

Before committing to a full data transfer, consider running a free demo migration. This allows you to preview how a limited set of your data will appear on Volusion and identify any potential issues.

Once satisfied, proceed with the full migration. You'll see a summary of your selected entities, their counts, and the total cost. You may also opt for a Migration Insurance Plan, which offers additional remigrations in case of unforeseen issues or subsequent data updates. For more information, read How Migration Insurance works?.

Post-Migration Steps: Securing Your New Volusion Store

Completing the migration is a significant milestone, but the journey doesn't end there. These post-migration steps are crucial for ensuring your new Volusion store is fully functional, optimized, and ready for customers.

• Thorough Testing: Conduct comprehensive testing of your Volusion store. Verify all product pages, categories, pricing, images, and descriptions. Test the entire checkout process, from adding to cart to payment gateways. Ensure customer accounts and historical orders are accessible and accurate.
• SEO Verification & 301 Redirects: Double-check that all your 301 redirects are working correctly. This is paramount for preserving your SEO rankings and link equity from Big Cartel. Update your XML sitemap in Volusion and submit it to search engines. Be mindful that Volusion has some limitations for SEO options in blogs, so focus on product and category pages.
• Update DNS Records: Once you are completely satisfied with your Volusion store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Volusion hosting. Plan this step carefully to minimize downtime.
• Design & Customization: Customize your Volusion theme to align with your brand's aesthetics and provide an optimal user experience.
• Integrate Third-Party Apps: Reconnect any necessary third-party applications for shipping, payment processing, marketing, accounting, or customer support that you used on Big Cartel.
• Announce Your New Store: Inform your customers about the transition and any new features or improvements.
• Monitor for Recent Data: If new orders or customer registrations occurred on Big Cartel during the migration, consider a Recent Data Migration Service to capture this data.

By following these post-migration steps, you can ensure a seamless transition and a powerful start for your e-commerce venture on Volusion.