Aero Commerce to Shopify Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Seamlessly Transition Your E-commerce Store from Aero Commerce to Shopify

As an e-commerce merchant, you understand the importance of a robust, scalable, and user-friendly platform. If you're looking to enhance your online store's capabilities, reach a broader audience, or simply benefit from a more streamlined management experience, migrating from Aero Commerce to Shopify is a strategic move. Shopify offers a powerful ecosystem, extensive app integrations, and a simplified interface that can propel your business forward.

Since Aero Commerce does not have a direct API connector for automated migration tools like Cart2Cart, this guide will walk you through the process of transferring your store data to Shopify using a CSV file export approach. This method ensures that all your critical store information, from products to customer data, is accurately moved to your new Shopify platform. We'll cover everything from preparation to post-migration checks, ensuring a smooth and successful transition.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before you begin the data transfer process, a few essential steps will ensure your migration is as smooth as possible and minimizes potential disruptions to your online business:

• Set Up Your Shopify Store: Ensure you have an active Shopify account and a basic store setup. This includes choosing a plan (Basic Shopify, Shopify, Advanced Shopify, or Shopify Plus) and completing the initial configuration.
• Backup Both Stores: Always create a full backup of your existing Aero Commerce store's data and files. Similarly, if you have any existing data on your new Shopify store, back that up as well, although you'll likely use the "Clear Target" option during migration. This safeguards your data against unforeseen issues.
• Install the Cart2Cart Store Migration App: For an efficient data import into Shopify, the Cart2Cart Store Migration App is required. This app facilitates the import process once your CSV files are ready.
• Prepare Aero Commerce Data for Export: Familiarize yourself with Aero Commerce's data export functionalities. You'll need to export your products, customers, orders, and other essential entities into CSV files.
• Review Shopify Limitations: Be aware of specific Shopify characteristics. For instance, if you plan to migrate product reviews, you'll need an app like AirReviews to support them. Additionally, consider disabling notifications on your Shopify target store during the migration to avoid sending incomplete data to customers.
• Inform Your Customers: If you anticipate any downtime during the final switchover, communicate this clearly to your customers. Transparency helps manage expectations and maintains trust.
• Review Our Guides: For additional insights, check our FAQs on how to prepare your source store and how to prepare your target store.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

This section outlines the detailed steps to move your e-commerce data from Aero Commerce to Shopify using a CSV-based approach.

Step 1: Get Started with Cart2Cart

Your migration journey begins by initiating the process through the Cart2Cart platform. If you haven't already, sign up or log in to your Cart2Cart account. From the main dashboard, you'll see options to start a new migration. Select the option to begin your automated data transfer.

Step 2: Connect Your Source (Aero Commerce) Store

Since Aero Commerce does not have a direct, automated connection via API with Cart2Cart, you will perform the migration via CSV files. This requires you to export your data from Aero Commerce and then upload those files to Cart2Cart.

1. Select Source Cart: From the dropdown menu, choose "CSV File to Cart" as your Source Cart.
2. Export Data from Aero Commerce: Log into your Aero Commerce admin panel and export all relevant data entities into CSV format. This typically includes:
   • Products (with SKUs, variants, images, descriptions, categories)
   • Customers (with addresses, contact info)
   • Orders (with status, order IDs, product details)
   • Product Reviews
   • CMS Pages and Blog Posts
   • Coupons, Price Rules, and other relevant data.
   Ensure your CSV files are well-structured and contain all the necessary metadata.
3. Upload CSV Files: Follow the on-screen instructions to upload your exported Aero Commerce CSV files. Cart2Cart will guide you through the process of selecting and uploading each file type (e.g., products.csv, customers.csv, orders.csv).

Step 3: Connect Your Target (Shopify) Store

Now, it's time to establish a connection to your new Shopify store, where all your Aero Commerce data will be transferred.

1. Select Target Cart: From the dropdown menu, choose "Shopify" as your Target Cart.
2. Enter Shopify URL: Provide the URL of your Shopify store (e.g., your-store-name.myshopify.com).
3. Choose Connection Method: Cart2Cart offers a straightforward way to connect to Shopify:
   • Install App from Marketplace (Recommended): This is the easiest and most secure method. Click the provided link to be redirected to the Shopify App Store, install the Cart2Cart Store Migration App, and then return to the migration wizard. The app will handle the necessary API permissions.
   • Provide API Access Credentials: As an alternative, you can manually generate Admin API access credentials within your Shopify admin. This involves creating a custom app and configuring the appropriate API scopes. If you choose this, enter the generated API token. For more details on this, refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart.

Step 4: Select Data Entities to Migrate

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly which types of data you want to move from your Aero Commerce CSV files to your Shopify store. Cart2Cart supports a wide array of data entities for migration from CSV, including products, product categories, customers, orders, product reviews, CMS pages, and blog posts. For Shopify, the supported entities include products, product categories, reviews (with an app), customers, orders, CMS pages, gift cards, coupons, price rules, and blogs/blog posts.

• Review the list of available data entities.
• You can select "All entities" to transfer everything, or manually check specific boxes (e.g., Products, Customers, Orders, Reviews).
• Pay attention to any notices regarding specific data types that might require additional setup on Shopify (like reviews needing a dedicated app).

Step 5: Configure Additional Options & Data Mapping

This step allows you to fine-tune your migration settings and ensure data integrity.

1. Additional Options: Customize your data transfer with various checkboxes:
   • "Clear current data on Target store before migration": Highly recommended for fresh Shopify stores to prevent duplicate entries. Read more about this option here.
   • "Preserve Order IDs": Maintain original order numbers from Aero Commerce. Find out how Preserve IDs options can be used.
   • "SEO URLs" & "Create 301 SEO URLs": Essential for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity. This option automatically creates 301 redirects for product and category pages from your old URLs to the new Shopify ones, preventing broken links.
   • "Migrate Images in Description": Ensures all product images embedded within descriptions are transferred.
   • "Password Migration": Allows your customers to log in with their existing Aero Commerce credentials on Shopify.
   • Other options may include migrating variants, consolidating short descriptions, or migrating groups to tags.

   

2. Data Mapping: This is where you align fields from your Aero Commerce CSVs to Shopify's structure. You'll need to map:
   • Customer Groups: Match Aero Commerce customer roles to Shopify's customer segments or tags.
   • Order Statuses: Align Aero Commerce order statuses (e.g., "Processing," "Completed," "Pending") to their corresponding Shopify statuses.
   • Product Attributes: Map product attributes and options to Shopify's variants and custom fields.
   Carefully review and adjust these mappings to ensure consistency in your new store.

Step 6: Run Demo Migration & Full Migration

Once all settings are configured, you can initiate the migration process.

1. Demo Migration: We highly recommend performing a free Demo Migration first. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-15 products, customers, orders) to your Shopify store, allowing you to:
   • Test the connection and data flow.
   • Verify that data entities, such as products and customer information, appear correctly.
   • Check the accuracy of your data mapping.
   • Ensure no critical data is missed.
2. Full Migration: After you're satisfied with the Demo Migration results, proceed with the Full Migration. This will transfer all selected data from your Aero Commerce CSVs to Shopify. During this stage, consider adding a Migration Insurance Plan, which provides options for re-migrations in case you need to run the process again or import additional data. You can learn more about how Migration Insurance works.

Post-Migration Steps

After your data has successfully migrated to Shopify, there are several crucial post-migration tasks to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized.

• Thoroughly Test Your Shopify Store: Dive deep into every aspect of your new store. Check product pages, category listings, customer accounts, order history, and search functionality. Make sure all images, descriptions, and pricing are accurate. Test the checkout process from start to finish.
• Verify 301 Redirects: If you enabled 301 redirects during migration, check that they are working correctly. Test old Aero Commerce URLs to ensure they redirect to their corresponding new Shopify pages. This is vital for preserving your SEO rankings and link equity.
• Customize Your Shopify Theme: Leverage Shopify's powerful theme editor to customize your store's appearance to match your brand. Ensure a consistent and engaging user experience.
• Install Essential Shopify Apps: Integrate any necessary Shopify apps that provide functionality previously available on Aero Commerce or new features you desire. This might include apps for email marketing, customer support, inventory management, or for handling product reviews (e.g., AirReviews).
• Configure Payment Gateways & Shipping: Set up your preferred payment methods (Shopify Payments, PayPal, etc.) and configure shipping zones, rates, and carriers.
• Update DNS Records: Once you are confident that your Shopify store is ready, update your domain's DNS records to point to your new Shopify store. This officially brings your new store live.
• Monitor Performance: Keep a close eye on your store's performance, traffic, and sales in the weeks following the launch. Utilize Shopify Analytics and Google Analytics to track user behavior and identify any potential issues.
• Consider Recent Data Migration: If new orders or customer registrations occurred on your Aero Commerce store during the migration period, you can use our Recent Data Migration Service to transfer this fresh data, ensuring nothing is missed.

Migrating from Aero Commerce to Shopify is a significant undertaking, but with careful planning and the right tools, it can be a smooth and rewarding process. Your new Shopify store will provide a modern, scalable, and feature-rich platform ready to support your business's growth. Should you require any assistance or advanced customizations, feel free to contact our experts.