Volusion to Bigcommerce

Step 1: Prepare Your Volusion Store for Migration

Before initiating the migration process, it’s crucial to prepare your Volusion store adequately. This ensures that all your data is ready for transfer and minimizes the risk of data loss. Start by conducting a thorough review of your existing store data, including products, customers, orders, and other critical components.

Here are the steps to prepare your Volusion store:

• Backup Your Store Data: Create a complete backup of your store, including all product listings, customer information, and orders. This can typically be done through the Volusion dashboard. Go to Settings > Data Management > Export Data to download your data in CSV format.
• Audit Your Data: Review your data for accuracy. Check for any duplicates, outdated information, or inconsistencies that might affect your migration.
• Set Up Your BigCommerce Store: Create your BigCommerce store if you haven't already. Follow the onboarding process provided by BigCommerce to set up your account, including selecting a plan that suits your business needs.
• Familiarize Yourself with BigCommerce: Take some time to explore the BigCommerce dashboard, familiarize yourself with its features, and note any specific functionalities you want to replicate or improve upon in your new store.

By completing these preparatory steps, you will lay the groundwork for a smooth migration process, enabling a seamless transition to BigCommerce.

Step 2: Choose Data to Migrate

Selecting the right data to migrate is a vital part of the migration process. You need to determine which elements of your Volusion store are essential for your BigCommerce setup. This will typically include:

• Products: Ensure all product details such as SKUs, prices, descriptions, images, and variants are included.
• Customers: Migrate customer data including names, emails, addresses, and order history.
• Orders: Historical order data is crucial for maintaining customer service and continuity.
• Content Pages: Any existing content pages like About Us, Policies, and FAQs should also be considered for migration.

To select the data:

1. Access your Volusion dashboard and navigate to the data export feature.
2. Choose the relevant data types you want to export, making sure to check the boxes for products, customers, and orders.
3. Export the selected data into CSV files for later import into BigCommerce.

By carefully choosing which data to migrate, you ensure that your new BigCommerce store is populated with all necessary information from the start.

Step 3: Set Up Your BigCommerce Store

Setting up your BigCommerce store is an essential step before migrating data from Volusion. This process involves customizing the store to fit your brand and configuring various settings for optimal performance.

Follow these steps to set up your BigCommerce store:

• Choose a Theme: BigCommerce offers a variety of themes. Select a theme that aligns with your brand identity. You can customize it further to match your design preferences.
• Customize Your Store: Use the built-in drag-and-drop tools to rearrange elements on your storefront. Add your logo, modify colors, and adjust layouts to create an appealing user experience.
• Configure Settings: Go to Store Settings and configure essential aspects like shipping, taxes, and payment gateways. Ensure that you set up your preferred payment methods, such as credit card processors and PayPal.
• Set Up Shipping Options: Define your shipping methods, zones, and rates to ensure a smooth checkout process for your customers.

By properly setting up your BigCommerce store, you create a solid foundation for your products and customer data once migrated.

Step 4: Install Migration Tools

To facilitate the migration from Volusion to BigCommerce, we recommend using automated migration tools. These tools streamline the process and minimize the risk of data loss or corruption.

Follow these steps to install the necessary migration tool:

1. Choose a Migration Tool: Select a reliable migration tool that supports Volusion to BigCommerce migrations. Options include Cart2Cart or LitExtension.
2. Create an Account: Sign up for the chosen migration tool’s service. This typically requires providing an email address and creating a password.
3. Download Connection Bridge: Most migration tools require a connection bridge to be installed on your store. Download this from the migration tool's website and upload it to both your Volusion and BigCommerce root directories using FTP.
4. Configure Migration Settings: Log into the migration tool’s dashboard and configure your migration settings. This includes selecting Volusion as the source cart and BigCommerce as the target cart, along with mapping data fields.

By installing the migration tool and configuring it correctly, you can ensure a seamless data transfer process.

Step 5: Execute a Test Migration

Executing a test migration is a crucial step in the migration process. This allows you to identify any potential issues without affecting your live store data. Here’s how to perform a test migration:

1. Access Your Migration Tool: Log into the dashboard of your migration tool.
2. Initiate Test Migration: Select the option to perform a test migration. This will typically involve transferring a limited amount of data (such as a few products and customers) to assess the process.
3. Monitor the Migration: Watch for any errors or issues during the test. Most migration tools will provide a progress report or log.
4. Review Migrated Data: Once the test migration is complete, log into your BigCommerce store and review the migrated data. Check for accuracy in product listings, customer information, and order history.

By successfully completing a test migration, you can ensure that the full migration will proceed smoothly.

Step 6: Perform the Full Migration

After completing the test migration and confirming everything works correctly, you are ready to perform the full migration from Volusion to BigCommerce. This is the final step where all your data will be transferred.

Follow these steps to perform the full migration:

1. Return to Your Migration Tool: Log back into the migration tool’s dashboard.
2. Initiate Full Migration: Select the option for a full migration. Ensure that you have selected all the data types you wish to transfer, including products, customers, and orders.
3. Monitor Migration Progress: Keep an eye on the migration progress. The tool will provide updates on the status and notify you upon completion.
4. Verify Migration Completion: Once the migration is complete, log into your BigCommerce store to verify that all data has been transferred accurately. Check product details, customer accounts, and historical orders.

Completing the full migration successfully will position your new BigCommerce store to operate with all the essential data from your Volusion store.

Step 7: Post-Migration Optimization

Post-migration optimization is crucial to ensure your new BigCommerce store runs efficiently and meets your business goals. After completing the migration, take the following steps to optimize your store:

• Check Data Accuracy: Review all migrated data for accuracy. Ensure that product descriptions, prices, images, and customer details are correct.
• Set Up Redirects: To preserve your SEO rankings, set up 301 redirects from old Volusion URLs to your new BigCommerce URLs. This helps avoid broken links and maintains traffic.
• Test Store Functionality: Conduct thorough testing of your store’s functionality, including the checkout process, payment gateways, and shipping options.
• Optimize SEO Settings: Update SEO settings in your BigCommerce store, including meta tags and descriptions for products and categories. Consider using the SEO tools available in BigCommerce.
• Monitor Store Performance: After launching your store, monitor its performance closely. Use analytics tools to track visitor behavior, sales conversions, and overall store performance.

By optimizing your store post-migration, you will ensure a smooth transition and set the stage for future growth in your ecommerce operations.

Power Your Step - Get in Touch

If you are ready to take the next step in your ecommerce journey and migrate from Volusion to BigCommerce, we at PowerCommerce are here to help you every step of the way. Our team of experts offers comprehensive migration services designed to ensure a seamless transition with minimal downtime and maximum data integrity.

Why Choose PowerCommerce?

• Expert Guidance: With over 15 years of experience in ecommerce migrations, we understand the ins and outs of the process.
• Data Security: We prioritize your data’s safety, employing best practices to protect your information throughout the migration.
• Customized Solutions: Our approach is tailored to meet the specific needs of your business, ensuring you get the most out of your new platform.

Contact us today to learn more about our migration services and how we can assist you in making your transition to BigCommerce smooth and successful:

1. Visit our contact form to get started.
2. Call us directly at 800-099-9090.
3. Email us at info@powercommerce.com.

Your success is our motivation. Let’s power your ecommerce journey together!