DrupalCommerce to Volusion Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Migrate Your E-commerce Store from DrupalCommerce to Volusion

Are you considering a significant upgrade for your online store? Transitioning from DrupalCommerce to Volusion can unlock a new realm of e-commerce capabilities, offering a robust, all-in-one platform designed for growth and scalability. While DrupalCommerce provides flexibility for developers, Volusion shines with its comprehensive feature set, intuitive administration, and integrated marketing tools, making it an attractive choice for merchants looking to streamline operations and enhance the customer experience.

This detailed guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your valuable store data – including products, customer information, orders, and more – from DrupalCommerce to Volusion. We'll cover everything from essential prerequisites to post-migration verification, ensuring a smooth and successful replatforming journey. Our goal is to help you maintain data integrity, minimize downtime, and preserve your critical SEO rankings during this crucial transition.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before embarking on your migration journey, proper preparation is key to ensuring a smooth and efficient data transfer. Taking these preliminary steps will save you time and prevent potential issues down the line.

• Backup Your DrupalCommerce Store Data: Always create a complete backup of your DrupalCommerce store's database and files. This is your safety net, safeguarding all your valuable data in case any unforeseen issues arise during the migration process.
• Prepare Your Volusion Target Store: Ensure your new Volusion store is set up and accessible. While Cart2Cart can clear existing data on your target store, having a basic setup ready helps streamline the process. You may also want to review our guide on preparing your target store.
• Gather Access Credentials: You will need the administrative login details (username and password) for both your DrupalCommerce and Volusion stores. Additionally, prepare your FTP/SFTP access details for both platforms, as the migration process relies on a 'Bridge' connection that requires file access. For more details on required credentials, refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.
• Install Migration Modules: Both DrupalCommerce and Volusion utilize a 'Bridge only' connection method for data transfer. This requires the installation of specific modules:
  • For DrupalCommerce (Source): The Cart2Cart Drupal Commerce Migration module is required.
  • For Volusion (Target): The Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module is required.

  These modules facilitate secure communication and data exchange between your stores and the migration service.

• Review Supported Entities: Be aware of the data entities that can be migrated. For both DrupalCommerce and Volusion, this includes: Products, Products_Categories, Products_Manufacturers, Products_Reviews, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, and CMS_Pages.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to efficiently transfer your e-commerce data from DrupalCommerce to Volusion using the Cart2Cart migration wizard.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the migration wizard interface. You'll be presented with options to start a new migration. Choose the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) path to proceed with the automated wizard.

Step 2: Connect Your Source Store (DrupalCommerce)

In this step, you'll specify your current e-commerce platform – DrupalCommerce. Provide the full URL of your existing DrupalCommerce store. Since DrupalCommerce uses a 'Bridge only' connection, you will need to upload the Cart2Cart Bridge file to your DrupalCommerce root directory via FTP. This bridge acts as a secure gateway for data extraction. Ensure the Cart2Cart Drupal Commerce Migration module is installed on your DrupalCommerce store as part of this process.

Step 3: Connect Your Target Store (Volusion)

Next, configure your new Volusion store as the destination. Select 'Volusion' from the dropdown list of target platforms and enter your Volusion store's URL. Similar to the source store, Volusion also requires a 'Bridge only' connection. Upload the Cart2Cart Bridge file to your Volusion root directory via FTP and ensure the Cart2Cart Volusion Migration module is correctly installed.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This crucial step allows you to choose exactly which types of data you want to transfer. You can select all available entities with a single click or meticulously pick individual items such as:

• Products (including SKUs, variants, and product images)
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Product Reviews
• Customers (including customer groups and billing/shipping addresses)
• Orders (with order statuses and purchase history)
• Invoices
• Taxes
• Stores
• Coupons
• CMS Pages (for static content and metadata)

Carefully review your selections to ensure all vital information is carried over to Volusion.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your migration with a suite of additional options designed to optimize data transfer and preserve functionality. These options allow for a highly customized data transfer process based on your specific business needs. Consider activating features such as:

• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures product descriptions and CMS pages retain their visual content.
• Clear Target: Deletes all existing data on your Volusion store before the migration, ensuring a clean slate. Read more about clearing current data.
• Preserve Product IDs, Orders IDs, Customers IDs: Maintains the original IDs from DrupalCommerce, which can be vital for third-party integrations or record-keeping. Learn more about preserving IDs.
• Create Variants from Attributes: If your DrupalCommerce products use attributes, this option helps convert them into Volusion product variants.
• SEO URLs & 301 SEO URLs: Crucial for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. This option helps create or preserve SEO-friendly URLs and set up 301 redirects to guide visitors and search engines to the new page locations on Volusion.
• Password Migration: Allows your customers to log into their accounts on the new Volusion store using their existing DrupalCommerce passwords.

Step 6: Map Data Fields

During this step, you will align your DrupalCommerce store's customer groups and order statuses with their corresponding equivalents in Volusion. This data mapping ensures consistency and proper categorization of your migrated information. For example, you'll map roles like 'Registered User' from DrupalCommerce to 'Customer' in Volusion, and specific order statuses like 'Pending' or 'Completed' to the appropriate Volusion statuses.

Step 7: Perform a Demo Migration (Highly Recommended)

Before initiating the full transfer, we strongly advise running a free demo migration. This allows you to migrate a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your Volusion store. The demo helps you:

• Verify the accuracy of data transfer.
• Check how products, images, and customer data appear on Volusion.
• Identify and resolve any potential issues or mapping discrepancies.

It's an invaluable step for ensuring data integrity and peace of mind.

Step 8: Launch Full Migration

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. Review the comprehensive list of data entities and their counts, confirm your selections, and choose any desired Migration Insurance Plan for added security and remigration options. After confirming, initiate the full data transfer to Volusion.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully been transferred to Volusion, there are several critical post-migration tasks to complete to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized.

• Thorough Data Verification: Conduct a comprehensive audit of your Volusion store. Check product details, images, prices, customer accounts, order history, and CMS pages to confirm everything has been migrated accurately and completely.
• Configure Essential Settings: Set up your payment gateways, shipping methods, tax rules, and any third-party integrations within Volusion. Ensure these are correctly configured for seamless transactions.
• Test Store Functionality: Perform extensive testing of all core functionalities. This includes the entire checkout process, searching for products, logging in as a customer, submitting contact forms, and testing any custom features.
• Update DNS Settings: Once you're confident in your Volusion store, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Volusion storefront. This will make your Volusion store live to the public. Plan this step carefully to minimize any potential downtime.
• Implement & Verify 301 Redirects: If you opted for 301 SEO URLs during migration, verify that all old DrupalCommerce URLs correctly redirect to their new Volusion counterparts. This is crucial for preserving your SEO rankings and ensuring a smooth user experience.
• Review SEO & Analytics: Connect your Volusion store to Google Search Console and Google Analytics. Monitor your site's performance, crawl errors, and traffic to quickly address any issues that might arise.
• Remove Old DrupalCommerce Store: Once your Volusion store is live and fully functional, and you've confirmed all data integrity, you can safely decommission your old DrupalCommerce instance.

Migrating from DrupalCommerce to Volusion is a strategic move that can significantly benefit your e-commerce business. By following this comprehensive guide, you can ensure a smooth transition, preserve your valuable data, and set the stage for future growth on your new Volusion platform. If you encounter any challenges or prefer expert assistance, consider our migration customization service or ultimate data migration service.