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

Seamlessly Transition Your E-commerce Store: BigCommerce to CubeCart Migration

For merchants seeking greater control, specialized features, or a different hosting environment, migrating an e-commerce store is a critical business decision. This comprehensive guide outlines the process of transitioning your online store from BigCommerce to CubeCart, ensuring your valuable data, from product SKUs and customer records to order history and metadata, is moved with precision and integrity. While BigCommerce offers robust cloud-based scalability and a powerful API, CubeCart provides a self-hosted, highly customizable platform with a strong focus on core e-commerce functionalities, which can be ideal for specific business models.

A successful replatforming project minimizes downtime and preserves your SEO rankings, link equity, and overall user experience. Follow this expert walkthrough to navigate your data transfer effectively and unlock the potential of your new CubeCart store.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating your store transfer, a few preparatory steps are essential to ensure a smooth transition and safeguard your data.

BigCommerce (Source Store) Preparation:

• API Credentials: BigCommerce relies on API access for data extraction. You will need to generate specific credentials: Client ID, Access Token, and API Path. This typically involves creating a Custom App within your BigCommerce admin panel with the required scopes to access various data entities (products, customers, orders, etc.). Remember that HTTPS is required for API connections.
• Data Backup: Always perform a full backup of your BigCommerce store's database and files. This is a crucial safety measure for any data transfer.
• Review Limitations: Be aware of BigCommerce's API rate limits, which might affect the speed of the data transfer for very large stores.

CubeCart (Target Store) Preparation:

• CubeCart Installation: Ensure you have a fresh installation of CubeCart on your hosting environment.
• Migration Module: CubeCart requires a specific migration module. You will need to install the Cart2Cart CubeCart Migration module on your target CubeCart store. This module facilitates the connection via a migration bridge.
• Access Details: Gather your CubeCart admin login (adminLogin), admin password (adminPwd), admin URL (adminUrl), store URL (url), and prepare for the bridgeLocation upload, which is typically in your store's root directory. Knowledge of your database table prefix (dbTablesPrefix) and character set (dbCharSet) can also be beneficial.
• Hosting Environment: Verify that your hosting environment meets CubeCart's system requirements to avoid performance issues post-migration.

For more detailed information on preparing your stores, refer to our How to prepare Source store for migration? and How to prepare Target store for migration? FAQs.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Step 1: Get Started with Your Migration Wizard

   Your migration journey begins by logging into your migration service account. If you're a new user, you'll need to register. This initial screen provides options to start your migration process.

   

2. Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (BigCommerce)

   The first crucial step is to connect your BigCommerce store to the migration wizard. Select BigCommerce from the list of source platforms. You will then be prompted to provide your store's URL along with the necessary API credentials: Client ID, Access Token, and API Path. Instructions for generating these credentials, often involving custom app development with specific API scopes, will be provided to guide you through this process.

   

3. Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (CubeCart)

   Next, you'll configure your destination platform. Select CubeCart as your target store. You'll need to enter your CubeCart store's URL, along with your admin login and password. An essential step for CubeCart migrations is uploading the migration bridge file to your store's root directory. This bridge enables secure communication between the migration service and your CubeCart database, facilitating the data transfer. Ensure the Cart2Cart CubeCart Migration module is installed, as this is a prerequisite for bridge-based connections.

   

4. Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

   At this stage, you choose exactly which data you wish to transfer from BigCommerce to CubeCart. The migration wizard typically supports a wide range of entities, including:

   • Products: SKUs, descriptions, images, variants (products_attributes, products_attributes_option).
   • Product Categories & Manufacturers: Structure and associated metadata.
   • Customers: Customer accounts, addresses (preserve customer IDs).
   • Orders: Order history, statuses, invoices (preserve order IDs).
   • Coupons: Discounts and promotional rules.
   • CMS Pages & Blogs: Static content and blog posts (note CubeCart limitations regarding SEO options for blogs).

   You can select all available entities or meticulously pick and choose specific types of data to move.

   

5. Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

   This critical step allows for fine-tuning your data transfer to meet specific business needs:

   • Additional Options: Explore powerful features such as:
     • Clear Target store's current data before migration.
     • Preserve Product IDs, Category IDs, Orders IDs, and Customers IDs for data consistency.
     • Create 301 SEO URLs to redirect old BigCommerce URLs to new CubeCart ones, crucial for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity.
     • Migrate images within product descriptions.
     • Migrate customer passwords.
     • Create variants from attributes, converting BigCommerce product options into CubeCart's attribute structure.
     • Enable multi-tax support.

     

   • Data Mapping: This involves matching customer groups and order statuses from your BigCommerce store to their corresponding counterparts in CubeCart. Accurate data mapping ensures data integrity and continuity in your new platform.

     

6. Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration (Highly Recommended)

   Before committing to the full data transfer, we strongly recommend running a demo migration. This free service transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your CubeCart store. It allows you to:

   • Test the connection and ensure all settings are correct.
   • Review the transferred data for accuracy and completeness.
   • Estimate the time and resources required for the full migration.
   • Familiarize yourself with the process and verify data integrity.

7. Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

   Once you're satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full migration. Review all selected options and the total cost. You may consider adding a Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional remigrations within a specific period, providing peace of mind in case any adjustments are needed.

   Click the final button to start the complete data transfer. You'll be notified upon completion.

   

Post-Migration Steps: Ensuring Your New Store Thrives

After your data has successfully moved to CubeCart, there are a few critical post-migration tasks to complete:

1. Data Verification: Thoroughly inspect your new CubeCart store. Check product listings (SKUs, images, descriptions, variants), customer accounts, order histories, and CMS pages. Ensure all data appears as expected and functional.
2. Configure SEO Settings: If you used the 301 redirect option, verify that redirects are working correctly to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity. Update your sitemap and submit it to search engines.
3. Test Functionality: Perform comprehensive testing of your CubeCart store. This includes placing test orders, checking payment gateways, verifying shipping options, testing customer login, and ensuring all navigation and search functions operate smoothly.
4. Install Necessary Extensions and Themes: Replicate the functionality of any third-party apps or custom features you had on BigCommerce by installing compatible CubeCart extensions or themes.
5. Update DNS Settings: Once you are confident in your new CubeCart store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new CubeCart hosting. This will make your CubeCart store live to your customers.
6. Inform Your Customers: Announce the transition to your customer base. Provide them with instructions if any login changes are required, or just a friendly heads-up about your new and improved online presence.
7. Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously monitor your store's performance, user experience, and error logs in the weeks following the migration.

Should you continue to receive new orders on your BigCommerce store during or immediately after the migration, consider using a Recent Data Migration Service to transfer these latest updates to CubeCart without re-migrating all historical data. If you have any questions or require assistance, feel free to Contact Us.