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

Seamlessly Migrate Your E-commerce Store from PrestaShop to Ecwid

As your online business evolves, the need for a more agile, scalable, or user-friendly e-commerce platform often arises. If you're currently running your store on PrestaShop and are considering a transition to Ecwid, you're looking at a move from a self-hosted solution to a flexible, cloud-based platform. Ecwid offers simplicity, robust features, and easy integration with existing websites, making it an attractive choice for many merchants seeking efficiency and growth.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your e-commerce store data from PrestaShop to Ecwid. We'll cover everything from the initial preparations to the final post-migration checks, ensuring a smooth and successful data transfer with minimal downtime and preservation of critical SEO rankings. Our goal is to help you maintain data integrity, customer relationships, and operational continuity as you replatform.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before you embark on your migration journey from PrestaShop to Ecwid, it's crucial to have a few things in order. Proper preparation can significantly streamline the process and prevent potential hurdles. Ensure you have the following:

• Access to Your PrestaShop Store (Source): You'll need full administrator access to your PrestaShop backend, including your admin URL, login credentials (admin email and password), and potentially FTP/SFTP access to the server. This is essential for installing the required migration module and establishing a secure connection.
• Cart2Cart Universal PrestaShop Migration Module: For a successful connection, you will need to install the Cart2Cart Universal PrestaShop Migration module on your PrestaShop store. This module facilitates the data extraction process.
• A Fully Set Up Ecwid Store (Target): You should have an active Ecwid account ready. This includes knowing your unique Store ID and having an Access Token, which are vital for API-based connections. Remember, Ecwid operates on an API-only connection method, and HTTPS is required for secure data transfer. Additionally, you may need to install the Cart2Cart Ecwid Migration App from the Ecwid App Market to enable the migration.
• Backup Your PrestaShop Data: Always, without exception, perform a full backup of your PrestaShop database and files. This is a critical safety measure, allowing you to restore your store to its original state if any unforeseen issues occur during the data transfer.
• Review Ecwid Limitations: Be aware of Ecwid's API rate limits and the potential need for custom app development if your PrestaShop store heavily relies on highly specialized custom features.
• Familiarize Yourself with Cart2Cart: If you haven't already, create an account with Cart2Cart. This platform will serve as your primary tool for orchestrating the migration.
• Further Preparation: For a deeper dive into preparing your stores, refer to our FAQs on how to prepare your source store and how to prepare your target store.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your preparations complete, it's time to begin the step-by-step data transfer using the migration wizard. Follow these instructions carefully to ensure a successful switch from PrestaShop to Ecwid.

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by navigating to the Cart2Cart website and logging into your account. On the main page, you'll find options to initiate a new migration. Choose the 'Start Migration' or 'New Migration' option to launch the migration wizard.

Step 2: Connect Your PrestaShop Source Store

This is where you'll tell the system about your current PrestaShop store. Select PrestaShop as your 'Source Cart'.

Next, you'll need to provide your PrestaShop Admin URL. For the connection method, PrestaShop primarily uses a 'Bridge only' connection. The most common and recommended approach is to provide your PrestaShop admin email and password. This allows the system to automatically upload the necessary 'Cart2Cart Universal PrestaShop Migration module' and establish a secure connection. Alternatively, you might be given options to manually upload the bridge file via FTP/SFTP to your store's root directory.

For more details on securing your access credentials, read The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Step 3: Connect Your Ecwid Target Store

Now, select Ecwid as your 'Target Cart'. Ecwid connects via its API, which requires specific credentials for secure access.

You will need to provide your Ecwid Store ID and an Access Token. These can typically be found within your Ecwid admin panel, often under 'Settings' or 'Apps' where you manage API access. Remember that the 'Cart2Cart Ecwid Migration App' is a required plugin for this connection to function correctly. Ensure your Ecwid store is running over HTTPS, as this is a crucial requirement for API communication.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Migration

This critical step allows you to choose exactly what data you want to transfer from PrestaShop to Ecwid. The supported entities for this migration include:

• Products: Including SKUs, variants, prices, descriptions, images, and product metadata.
• Product Categories: Ensuring your store's structure remains intact.
• Products Reviews: Preserving valuable social proof.
• Customers: Transferring customer data, including names, emails, and billing/shipping addresses.
• Orders: Migrating historical order data and statuses.
• CMS Pages: Essential content like 'About Us' or 'Contact Us' pages.
• Coupons: Moving your promotional codes.
• Blogs Posts: For maintaining your content marketing efforts (though SEO options for blogs might be limited on the Ecwid side due to platform differences).

While PrestaShop also supports Manufacturers, Invoices, and Taxes, Ecwid's structure might require mapping or custom adjustments for these specific data types. You can select all entities or pick them individually based on your needs.

Step 5: Configure Additional Options and Data Mapping

This stage allows for fine-tuning your data transfer. You'll find a range of 'Additional Options' to tailor the migration:

• Clear Target Store Data: This option will remove any existing data on your Ecwid store before the migration begins. Highly recommended for fresh stores. (Learn more)
• Preserve Order IDs: Maintain your original order numbers from PrestaShop in Ecwid. (Learn more)
• Create 301 SEO URLs: Crucial for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity. This option generates redirects from your old PrestaShop URLs to your new Ecwid URLs.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product images embedded in descriptions are transferred.
• Password Migration: If supported, migrate customer passwords from PrestaShop to Ecwid, allowing customers to log in with their existing credentials.
• Migrate Groups to Tags: Map PrestaShop customer groups to Ecwid customer tags for better organization.

Following this, you'll proceed to Data Mapping. Here, you'll match customer groups and order statuses from your PrestaShop store to their corresponding equivalents in Ecwid. This ensures consistency for customer data and order workflows, preserving crucial business logic.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration

Before committing to the full migration, run a free demo. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (typically 10-20 products, customers, and orders) to your Ecwid store. This step is invaluable for:

• Testing the connection between your stores.
• Verifying that data transfers correctly.
• Checking the appearance of products and categories.
• Ensuring that customer and order data integrity is maintained.

Review the demo results thoroughly in your Ecwid admin panel. If anything looks amiss, you can adjust your settings and re-run the demo until you're satisfied.

Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

Once you're confident with the demo results, you can proceed with the full migration. At this stage, you'll be presented with a summary of the migration, including the total cost and an optional 'Migration Insurance Plan'. An insurance plan offers a set number of remigrations for a specified duration, providing peace of mind in case you need to re-transfer data or if new data accumulates on your old store. (Learn more about Migration Insurance or how it works).

After confirming your selections and making payment, the full data transfer will begin. You can monitor its progress directly from your Cart2Cart account.

Post-Migration Steps

Your data has been successfully moved to Ecwid – congratulations! However, the process isn't quite finished. These post-migration steps are crucial for ensuring your new Ecwid store is fully operational and optimized for success:

• Thorough Data Review: Scrutinize all migrated data on your Ecwid store. Check product details (SKUs, variants, prices, images), category structures, customer accounts, historical orders, and CMS pages. Ensure everything looks as expected and that data integrity is maintained.
• Configure Store Settings: Set up your payment gateways, shipping zones, tax rates, and currency settings within Ecwid. These are not typically migrated and must be configured manually.
• Install Necessary Apps & Integrations: Replicate functionalities from your old PrestaShop store by exploring the Ecwid App Market. Find apps for marketing, analytics, accounting, customer support, and other tools you rely on to enhance user experience.
• Update DNS and Redirects: Point your domain name to your new Ecwid store. If you used the 'Create 301 SEO URLs' option during migration, those redirects should be in place. Verify them to ensure all old links from PrestaShop correctly redirect to their new locations on Ecwid, preserving your SEO rankings and link equity.
• Test Everything: Conduct extensive testing of your new store. Place test orders, check product pages, review cart and checkout processes, and ensure all forms and functionalities work flawlessly.
• Notify Customers: Inform your customers about the transition to a new platform. Reassure them that their account data is secure and guide them on how to log in if passwords were migrated.
• Deprecate Old Store: Once you're fully confident in your new Ecwid store, you can safely shut down or archive your old PrestaShop installation.

Migrating from PrestaShop to Ecwid is a significant step, but with careful planning and the right tools, it can be a smooth and rewarding transition, opening new avenues for your e-commerce business. If you encounter any issues or require assistance, don't hesitate to contact our support team or check our comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions.