Jigoshop to PrestaShop Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Migrate Your E-commerce Store from Jigoshop to PrestaShop

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration can feel like a daunting task, but with the right guidance and tools, it can be a smooth transition. If you're currently running your online store on Jigoshop and are looking to upgrade to the robust and feature-rich PrestaShop platform, you've come to the right place. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every essential step of the data transfer process, ensuring your valuable customer data, product listings, and order history move securely and efficiently.

PrestaShop offers a powerful, open-source solution renowned for its flexibility, extensive module ecosystem, and strong community support, making it an excellent choice for merchants seeking enhanced scalability and performance. While the process of moving from one platform to another, often referred to as replatforming, involves careful planning, tools like Cart2Cart specialize in simplifying this complex operation.

We'll cover everything from crucial preparatory steps to the actual migration using an automated service, and what to do once your store has successfully transitioned to its new PrestaShop home. Let's get started on unlocking the full potential of your online business with PrestaShop!

Prerequisites for a Successful Jigoshop to PrestaShop Migration

Before initiating any data transfer, it's vital to lay a solid foundation. Proper preparation minimizes risks, ensures data integrity, and sets the stage for a smooth migration experience.

• Backup Your Jigoshop Store Data: This is the most critical step. Always create a complete backup of your Jigoshop database and files. This serves as a safety net, allowing you to restore your store to its original state if any unforeseen issues arise during the migration process.
• Set Up Your PrestaShop Target Store: Ensure you have a fresh installation of PrestaShop ready. It's generally recommended to start with a clean PrestaShop instance to avoid conflicts. You'll need admin access to this new store. For more details, refer to our FAQ on preparing your target store.
• Gather Access Credentials: You'll need administrative access details for both your Jigoshop source store and your new PrestaShop target store. This typically includes the admin URL, username, and password. For connecting via a bridge, you might also need FTP/SFTP access to upload files to your store's root directory. Consult The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for more information.
• Plugin Requirements: For a successful migration, specific modules are required for connection. For Jigoshop, the Cart2Cart Jigoshop Migration module is necessary. For PrestaShop, the Cart2Cart Universal PrestaShop Migration module will be required on your target store. These modules facilitate the secure bridge connection between platforms.
• Review Limitations: Be aware of any platform-specific limitations. For example, some SEO options might be excluded for blog posts during migration. Understanding these can help you plan post-migration adjustments.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your prerequisites in order, you can now begin the data transfer process. We'll use an automated migration wizard to guide you through each stage.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration Journey

Start by accessing the migration wizard. You'll typically be presented with options to begin a new migration, request a guided service, or estimate costs.

Choose the option to start a DIY migration. This will lead you to the setup wizard.

Step 2: Connect Your Jigoshop Source Store

The next step involves setting up the source store – your existing Jigoshop e-commerce platform.

• From the dropdown menu, select Jigoshop as your Source Cart.
• Enter your Jigoshop Admin URL.
• Since Jigoshop primarily uses a "Bridge only" connection method and requires the "Cart2Cart Jigoshop Migration module", you will typically be prompted to upload a Connection Bridge. This involves downloading a bridge file, extracting the 'bridge2cart' folder, and uploading it to the root directory of your Jigoshop store via FTP/SFTP. This bridge acts as a secure data conduit. For more details on finding your root folder, refer to our FAQ.

Once the bridge is uploaded and validated, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Connect Your PrestaShop Target Store

Now, it's time to link your new PrestaShop store where your data will reside.

• Select PrestaShop as your Target Cart from the dropdown list.
• Provide your PrestaShop Admin URL.
• Similar to the source store, choose the 'Upload Connection bridge' option. Download the specific Cart2Cart Universal PrestaShop Migration module, extract the 'bridge2cart' folder, and upload it to the root directory of your PrestaShop installation. This establishes the secure link for data transfer.

Step 4: Select Data Entities and Additional Options

This crucial stage allows you to define exactly what data you wish to transfer from Jigoshop to PrestaShop.

You can select specific entities or choose "All entities" for a comprehensive transfer. The supported entities for this migration include:

• Products
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customers
• Orders
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Stores (if multi-store)
• Coupons
• CMS Pages
• Blogs (for PrestaShop)
• Blog Posts (for PrestaShop)

Beyond basic entity selection, you'll encounter a range of additional options to tailor your migration. These can include:

• Clear Target Store Data: This option clears all existing data on your PrestaShop store before importing new data. Recommended for fresh installations.
• Preserve IDs: Options like Preserve Product IDs, Preserve Order IDs, and Preserve Customer IDs help maintain consistency for SEO and internal records.
• Create 301 Redirects: This is vital for SEO. It automatically sets up redirects from your old Jigoshop URLs to the new PrestaShop URLs, preserving your search engine rankings and link equity.
• Migrate Customer Passwords: This ensures your customers can log in to their new PrestaShop accounts using their existing credentials.
• Migrate Images in Description: Transfers product images embedded within descriptions.

Review these options carefully and select those that align with your business needs. If you require highly specific customizations, consider a Migration Customization Service.

Step 5: Configure Data Mapping

Data mapping is a critical step to ensure that fields and attributes from your Jigoshop store are correctly matched to their equivalents in PrestaShop. This includes matching customer groups, order statuses, product attributes, and more.

The wizard will present you with intuitive interfaces to map these fields. For instance, you'll match Jigoshop's customer roles (e.g., "Subscriber") to PrestaShop's customer groups, and Jigoshop's order statuses (e.g., "Processing") to PrestaShop's order states.

Accurate data mapping is essential for data integrity and to ensure your store functions correctly post-migration.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration

Before committing to a full data transfer, it's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration.

• Demo Migration: This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your PrestaShop store. It allows you to preview the results, verify data accuracy, and ensure everything is set up correctly without impacting your live stores.
• Review Demo Results: Thoroughly check the migrated data on your PrestaShop store. Look at product details, customer accounts, and order histories.
• Full Migration: Once satisfied with the demo, proceed with the full migration. This will transfer all selected data from Jigoshop to PrestaShop. You can also opt for a Migration Insurance Plan, which offers remigrations for a specified period, providing peace of mind.

During the full migration, your Jigoshop store can remain online, ensuring minimal downtime and continuous business operation.

Post-Migration Steps for Your New PrestaShop Store

Congratulations! Your data has been successfully migrated to PrestaShop. However, the journey isn't quite over. These post-migration steps are crucial for optimizing your new store and ensuring a seamless experience for your customers.

• Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data. Verify product details, images, prices, SKUs, inventory, customer accounts, order histories, and CMS pages. Ensure all links are working correctly and no data is missing.
• Test Store Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of your PrestaShop store. Place test orders, check payment gateways, test search functionality, contact forms, and account creation processes. Ensure the user experience is flawless.
• Update DNS Records & Implement 301 Redirects: Once you're confident in your PrestaShop store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new PrestaShop hosting. If you didn't enable 301 redirects during the migration, it's critical to set them up manually. This preserves your SEO rankings and ensures visitors from old bookmarks or search results land on the correct new pages, maintaining valuable link equity.
• Install Essential Modules and Themes: Customize your PrestaShop store with themes and modules that enhance its functionality and aesthetic appeal. Explore the PrestaShop Addons Marketplace for tools for SEO, marketing, customer support, and more.
• Inform Your Customers: Send out an announcement to your customer base about the new and improved store. Highlight new features or benefits they can expect.
• Conduct an SEO Audit: After the DNS update, perform a comprehensive SEO audit. Check for broken links, crawl errors, and ensure that your new PrestaShop URLs are being indexed correctly by search engines. Monitor your SEO rankings closely.
• Remove Old Jigoshop Store (Optional): Once you are fully satisfied with your PrestaShop store and confident that all traffic is redirected, you can consider decommissioning your old Jigoshop store.

Migrating from Jigoshop to PrestaShop opens up a world of possibilities for growth and enhanced functionality. By following this detailed guide, you can ensure a smooth, secure, and successful transition, positioning your business for future success.

Should you encounter any challenges or prefer expert assistance, don't hesitate to contact us. Our team is ready to help you with services like Ultimate Data Migration Service or Migration Customization Service.