Makeshop to Bigcommerce

Step 1: Evaluate Your Current MakeShop Environment

Before initiating the migration from MakeShop to BigCommerce, it is crucial to thoroughly evaluate your current MakeShop environment. This evaluation serves several purposes: it helps us identify what data needs to be transferred, ensures we do not miss any critical assets, and prepares us for any potential challenges that may arise during the migration process.

We begin by conducting a comprehensive audit of your existing MakeShop store, focusing on the following key areas:

• Product Inventory: Analyze your current product catalog including SKUs, descriptions, prices, images, and categories. This helps us understand the volume and complexity of the data to be migrated.
• Customer Data: Review your customer database to ensure all necessary customer information, such as names, email addresses, order history, and preferences, is documented. This data is vital for maintaining customer relationships post-migration.
• Website Structure: Examine your current site architecture, including pages, navigation, and custom functionalities. This assessment allows us to replicate the user experience on BigCommerce while optimizing it for better performance.

By thoroughly evaluating these aspects, we can create a tailored migration strategy that minimizes downtime and ensures data integrity.

Step 2: Backup Your MakeShop Data

Once we have evaluated your current MakeShop environment, the next crucial step is to create a comprehensive backup of your data. This backup will serve as a safety net in case any issues arise during the migration process.

Here’s how we perform the backup:

• Export Product Data: We export your entire product catalog, including all relevant details (SKUs, prices, descriptions, images, etc.) into a CSV file. This can typically be done through MakeShop’s built-in export functionalities.
• Export Customer Information: Similarly, we export all customer data, ensuring that we capture full names, email addresses, and any purchase history that may be relevant for future marketing efforts.
• Backup Order History: We also create a backup of your order history, which includes details like order IDs, product SKUs, customer information, and order statuses. This is crucial for maintaining a seamless customer experience post-migration.
• Store Configurations: Document any custom settings, themes, or plugins you are currently using in MakeShop that may need to be replicated in BigCommerce.

By following these steps, we ensure that all data is preserved and can be restored if necessary during the migration.

Step 3: Set Up Your BigCommerce Account

Setting up your BigCommerce account is a crucial step in the migration process. A well-configured account will enable us to seamlessly import data from MakeShop while ensuring that your store meets all operational requirements.

Here’s how we set up your BigCommerce account:

• Create an Account: We start by signing up for a BigCommerce account. Choose a plan that aligns with your business needs; BigCommerce offers tiered pricing to accommodate different business scales.
• Complete Initial Setup: After account creation, we will proceed to complete the initial setup by configuring essential settings such as store name, currency, and locale preferences.
• Design Your Store: We can choose a theme from BigCommerce’s extensive library or customize your store layout according to your brand identity. This step is critical for providing a familiar and engaging shopping experience for your customers.
• Set Up Payment and Shipping Options: We configure payment gateways (e.g., PayPal, Stripe) and shipping settings (e.g., flat rate, free shipping) that suit your business model, ensuring everything is ready for when customers start shopping.

Once these configurations are complete, your BigCommerce store will be ready to receive data from MakeShop.

Step 4: Data Migration from MakeShop to BigCommerce

With your BigCommerce account set up and configured, we will proceed with the actual data migration from MakeShop. This step is the core of the migration process and involves transferring all necessary data while maintaining data integrity and accuracy.

Here’s how we manage the data migration:

• Utilize Migration Tools: We leverage specialized migration tools or scripts that facilitate the transfer of product, customer, and order data from MakeShop to BigCommerce. These tools are designed to ensure that data mappings are accurate, minimizing errors.
• Data Mapping: Before initiating the transfer, we carefully map the data fields from MakeShop to their corresponding fields in BigCommerce. This ensures that all data is transferred correctly, with no loss of information.
• Import Products: We start by importing the product catalog, ensuring that all product details, images, and categories are accurately replicated in BigCommerce.
• Import Customers: Next, we import customer data, including their account information and order history, to ensure continuity in customer experience.
• Import Orders: Finally, we migrate your order history to maintain your sales records, which is crucial for customer service and reporting.

After the migration, we will conduct a verification process to ensure that all data has been accurately transferred and is functioning as intended within the BigCommerce platform.

Step 5: Testing and Quality Assurance

Testing is a critical phase post-migration that ensures everything functions as expected on your new BigCommerce store. This step helps identify any issues or discrepancies that may have occurred during the data transfer.

Here’s how we approach testing and quality assurance:

• Functionality Testing: We test all functionalities of your BigCommerce store, including product listing visibility, customer account access, and checkout processes. This ensures that customers can navigate and make purchases without issues.
• Data Integrity Checks: We perform checks on the migrated data to ensure that all product details, customer information, and order histories are accurate and complete. Any discrepancies will be addressed immediately.
• Performance Testing: It’s crucial to assess the performance of the site under various conditions. We simulate different traffic levels to ensure that the site performs well under load and that page load times are optimized.
• User Acceptance Testing: We involve key stakeholders in user acceptance testing to gather feedback on the new setup. Their insights can help identify any user experience issues that need addressing.

Once testing is completed and any necessary adjustments are made, we can proceed to the final setup for launching your BigCommerce store.

Step 6: SEO and URL Redirection Setup

Maintaining SEO rankings during a migration is essential, and it is crucial to configure SEO settings properly in BigCommerce while also setting up URL redirects. This step helps prevent lost traffic and ensures your customers can find your products easily.

Here’s how we manage SEO and URL redirection:

• SEO Settings Configuration: We configure essential SEO settings in BigCommerce, such as meta titles, descriptions, and alt text for images. This helps search engines index your site correctly and improves visibility.
• URL Structure Review: We analyze the current URL structure in MakeShop and replicate it in BigCommerce where possible. This consistency helps maintain your existing SEO rankings.
• Set Up URL Redirects: For any URLs that change during the migration, we implement 301 redirects from the old MakeShop URLs to the new BigCommerce URLs. This is vital to prevent 404 errors and preserve link equity.
• Monitor SEO Performance: After migration, we will closely monitor the site’s SEO performance using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, ensuring that there are no significant drops in traffic.

By focusing on SEO and URL redirection, we can help safeguard your search engine visibility and ensure a smooth transition for your customers.

Step 7: Launch Your BigCommerce Store

After completing all previous steps, we are now ready to launch your new BigCommerce store. This final phase not only involves making your store live but also requires implementing effective marketing strategies to attract customers.

Here’s how we manage the launch:

• Finalize Store Settings: Before going live, we double-check all store settings, including payment methods, shipping configurations, and tax settings, to ensure everything is correctly set up for customer transactions.
• Launch Announcement: We prepare a launch announcement to inform your existing customers about the new store. This can include emails, social media posts, and website banners to generate excitement.
• Implement Marketing Strategies: To attract new customers, we can implement various marketing strategies such as SEO optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and social media promotions. These strategies can help drive traffic to your new store from day one.
• Monitor Launch Performance: After the launch, we will monitor the performance of the store closely, analyzing traffic, conversion rates, and customer feedback to make any necessary adjustments quickly.

With the launch of your BigCommerce store, your business is now set to thrive in a new environment, equipped with the tools and features necessary for growth and success.

Power Your Step - Get in Touch

Ready to take your ecommerce store to the next level? At PowerCommerce, we specialize in seamless migrations from MakeShop to BigCommerce, ensuring that your transition is smooth and hassle-free. Our team of experts is here to guide you every step of the way, from initial planning to post-migration support.

Here’s how you can get in touch with us:

1. Visit our contact page to fill out our inquiry form.
2. Call us directly at 800-099-9090 to speak with one of our migration specialists.
3. Email us at info@powercommerce.com for any questions or to schedule a consultation.

Don't wait! Let us help you power your ecommerce journey with our expert migration services.