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

Introduction

Embarking on an e-commerce platform migration can feel like a daunting task, but with the right guidance, transitioning your online store from digiSHOP to BigCommerce can be a seamless and strategic move. BigCommerce offers robust scalability, advanced features, and a flexible architecture, making it an excellent choice for merchants looking to enhance their online presence and expand their business capabilities. This comprehensive guide provides a clear, step-by-step walkthrough for replatforming your digiSHOP store to BigCommerce.

As digiSHOP typically requires a specific data export process, this guide will leverage a CSV file migration approach for your source store data. This ensures comprehensive data transfer even without a direct API connection to digiSHOP, allowing you to move your valuable products, customer data, and order history effectively. We’ll walk you through preparing your stores, executing the migration with precision, and the crucial post-migration steps to ensure a successful transition and preserve your SEO rankings and link equity.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the data transfer, proper preparation of both your digiSHOP source store and your BigCommerce target store is essential for a smooth process.

• For your digiSHOP (Source) Store:
  • Data Export: As digiSHOP lacks a direct API connection for common migration tools, you will need to export your store’s data into CSV files. This should include critical entities such as products, product categories, manufacturers, customer records, orders, coupons, blog posts, and CMS pages. Ensure your CSV files are well-organized and complete to facilitate accurate import.
  • Data Review and Cleanup: Take this opportunity to review your digiSHOP data. Clean up any outdated products, inactive customer accounts, or redundant information. This will result in a cleaner, more efficient new store.
  • No Plugin Required: For CSV file migrations, no specific plugin installation is needed on your digiSHOP platform itself.
• For your BigCommerce (Target) Store:
  • Set Up Your BigCommerce Store: If you haven't already, establish your new BigCommerce store account. You’ll need access to its administration panel.
  • Generate API Credentials: BigCommerce migrations are performed via API. You will need to generate specific API credentials: a Client ID, an Access Token, and your store’s API Path. This often involves creating a custom API account or app within your BigCommerce admin to ensure the necessary permissions (scopes) for data transfer. HTTPS is required for API access. Refer to BigCommerce documentation for creating these credentials, or check our guide on access credentials.
  • Prepare for Data Import: While the migration tool handles most of this, it's good practice to understand BigCommerce’s structure for categories, products (including SKUs and variants), customers, and orders. Ensure your target store is ready to receive new data. For further details on preparing your BigCommerce target store, consult our target store preparation guide.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once your preparation is complete, you can begin the migration process using a dedicated migration wizard.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This is where you’ll choose your source and target platforms.

Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (digiSHOP via CSV)

Select "CSV File" or "CsvToCart" as your source cart type from the dropdown menu. You will then be prompted to upload your prepared CSV files containing your digiSHOP data. Ensure all relevant data files for products, customers, orders, and other entities are uploaded correctly. The system will process these files to extract your store’s information.

Step 3: Connect Your Target BigCommerce Store

Next, select "BigCommerce" as your target shopping cart. You will need to enter your BigCommerce store’s URL and provide the API credentials you generated: the Client ID, Access Token, and API Path. These credentials authorize the migration tool to access and transfer data to your new BigCommerce store.

Step 4: Select Data Entities to Transfer

This critical step allows you to choose exactly which data entities you wish to migrate from your digiSHOP CSV files to BigCommerce. Supported entities for transfer typically include:

• Products (including product attributes and options, SKUs, variants)
• Product Categories
• Product Manufacturers
• Customers
• Orders
• Coupons
• Blog Posts
• CMS Pages

You can select "All entities" or specifically pick the items relevant to your new store. If your CSVs contain reviews, invoices, taxes, or store-specific data, the tool will attempt to map and migrate these where BigCommerce provides corresponding fields.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options and Data Mapping

This stage offers powerful customization options to refine your migration:

• Additional Migration Options:

  Enhance your data transfer with various options. These can include:

  • Clear Target Store Data: Optionally clear existing data on your BigCommerce store before migration (Learn more).
  • Preserve IDs: Keep original IDs for orders, products, categories, and customers (How it works).
  • Create 301 SEO URLs: Crucial for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity by automatically redirecting old digiSHOP URLs to your new BigCommerce URLs.
  • Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product and category images embedded in descriptions are transferred.
  • Password Migration: Migrate customer passwords securely.
  • Create Variants from Attributes: Properly structure product variants based on attributes from your source data.

  

• Data Mapping Setup:

  Match your digiSHOP (CSV) data fields to the corresponding fields in BigCommerce. This is especially important for elements like customer groups and order statuses. Correct data mapping ensures data integrity and consistency, providing a seamless user experience on your new platform.

  

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to the full migration, execute a free demo. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your BigCommerce store. Use this opportunity to:

• Test the connection and data flow.
• Verify data integrity and accuracy.
• Preview how your data (SKUs, variants, customer details) appears on BigCommerce.

A demo helps identify and resolve any potential issues before the full transfer, ensuring a smooth transition.

Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

After a successful demo, you’re ready for the full migration. Review the summary of your selected entities and options, along with the total cost. Consider adding a Migration Insurance Plan for additional peace of mind, allowing for future remigrations (How Migration Insurance works). Once confirmed, launch the full data transfer to move all your e-commerce assets to BigCommerce.

Post-Migration Steps

Completing the data transfer is a significant milestone, but several crucial post-migration steps are necessary to finalize your BigCommerce store and ensure an optimal user experience.

• Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data on your BigCommerce store. Confirm product details, pricing, inventory levels, customer accounts, order histories, blog posts, and CMS pages. Pay close attention to product images, SKUs, and variants to ensure everything transferred correctly.
• Configure BigCommerce Settings:
  • Payment Gateways & Shipping: Set up your preferred payment processing options and shipping zones/methods.
  • Tax Settings: Configure your store’s tax rules.
  • Theme & Design: Customize your BigCommerce theme to align with your brand identity.
  • Install Apps: Explore the BigCommerce App Store for essential apps that extend functionality, such as marketing tools, analytics, and customer support integrations.
• Implement 301 Redirects: Even if you opted for automatic 301 redirects during migration, it’s crucial to manually check and implement any additional redirects for pages that might have changed URLs. This is vital for preserving your SEO rankings and maintaining link equity from your old digiSHOP store.
• Update DNS Settings: Point your domain name to your new BigCommerce store. This is the final step in making your new store live to the public.
• Extensive Testing: Perform comprehensive testing. Place test orders, create customer accounts, check all forms (contact, signup), and verify search functionality. Ensure the entire shopping journey is flawless.
• Announce Your New Store: Once satisfied, officially launch and announce your new BigCommerce store to your customers.
• Monitor Performance: Keep a close eye on your website analytics, SEO rankings, and user behavior to quickly address any unexpected issues and optimize your new BigCommerce store for success.

By following these steps, you can successfully replatform your e-commerce business from digiSHOP to BigCommerce, leveraging the power and flexibility of your new platform for future growth.