Magento is a powerful eCommerce business platform, but it comes with high maintenance, technical complexity, and rising costs, including affordable pricing issues. If you're struggling with slow performance, security concerns, or expensive customizations, it might be time to switch to a SaaS platform like BigCommerce.
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BigCommerce offers a scalable, cost-effective solution with built-in security, lower maintenance, and better flexibility. The BigCommerce migration process can seem overwhelming, but with a structured approach, you can transition smoothly without losing data, traffic, or sales. This guide breaks down everything you need to know for a hassle-free Magento to BigCommerce migration.
What is the Pre-Migration Checklist?
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Migrating from Magento to BigCommerce is a significant move. However, rushing the process can lead to lost data, broken URLs, and technical issues such as downtime that impact customer satisfaction and sales. That’s why having a solid pre-migration strategy and a capable team of experts is crucial. Follow this checklist for a seamless shift to BigCommerce.
Step 1: Identify Key Goals
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Determine the primary business goals for migration, such as customer acquisition and retention.
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Set clear KPIs and rank the essential features needed in the new platform.
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Perform a risk assessment to understand the effort involved.
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Decide whether the migration will be a simple re-platforming or require more complex refactoring.
Step 2: Set Launch Date and Budget
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Define a realistic launch date to avoid conflicts with sales or peak traffic periods.
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Set a budget covering:
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The total cost of ownership comparison between Magento and BigCommerce.
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Labor costs, including developers, UX specialists, and business analysts.
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The cost of hiring a certified BigCommerce partner for expertise.
Step 3: Create Requirements
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Technology Requirements: Audit existing systems (CRM, ERP, CMS, etc.) and identify integration needs.
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Design and UX: Determine necessary UI changes to enhance the customer experience.
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Content Requirements: Conduct a content audit, optimize URL structure for SEO, and create a redirection plan if needed.
How to Do Magento To BigCommerce Migration: Step-by-Step Guide
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Migrating from Magento to BigCommerce requires careful preparation and execution to ensure a seamless transition. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you migrate efficiently:
Step 1: Prepare for Migration
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Before starting the migration, take these preparatory steps:
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Backup Your Magento Store Data
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Log into your Magento Admin Panel.
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Navigate to System > Tools > Backups and choose one of the following:
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System Backup (full database and file system backup).
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Database and Media Backup (database + media files).
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Database Backup (database only).
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Enable maintenance mode to prevent order placements during backup.
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Set Up Your New BigCommerce Store
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Register for a BigCommerce account (comes with a 15-day free trial).
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Enter store details and access the BigCommerce dashboard.
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Skip advanced customizations for now—you can fine-tune them after migration.
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Choose a Migration Method
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Manual Migration: Requires technical expertise but is free.
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Hire a Developer: Suitable for complex migrations but costly.
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Use an Automated Tool (e.g., LitExtension): Fast, secure, and reliable.
Step 2: Migrate Data Using LitExtension
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For an effortless migration, follow these steps with LitExtension:
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Set Up Source & Target Cart
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Log in to LitExtension and click "Create Migration."
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Select Magento as the Source Cart, enter your Magento store URL, and install the connector.
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Select BigCommerce as the Target Cart, enter your store URL, and provide API credentials.
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Select Data to Migrate
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Choose what you want to migrate:
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- Products (names, descriptions, images)
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- Categories & customer data
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- Orders & transaction details
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Optionally, enable features like preserving product IDs or removing HTML tags.
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Run the Migration
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Demo Migration: Test a small portion of data (up to 200 entities).
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Full Migration: Transfer all data seamlessly in the background.
Step 3: Post-Migration Setup
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After migration, finalize your BigCommerce store setup:
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Verify Migration Results
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Check that all products, orders, and customer data have transferred correctly.
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Ensure categories, menus, and internal links work properly.
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Choose & Customize a BigCommerce Theme
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Select from 15 free or 100+ paid themes ($145–$350).
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Customize the theme to match your brand (Magento themes cannot be migrated).
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Set Up Tax & Shipping
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Go to Store Setup > Tax to configure tax rules.
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Go to Store Setup > Shipping to set up shipping rates and carriers.
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Configure Payment Methods
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Navigate to Store Setup > Payments and enable payment gateways like PayPal, Apple Pay, or Amazon Pay.
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Sync New Orders & Customers (If Needed)
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If you receive new orders on Magento during migration, use:
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Recent Data Migration: Transfers new orders and customers.
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Smart Update: Syncs edited data.
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Re-Migration: Redoes the entire migration if necessary.
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Switch Domain & Update DNS
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Point your existing domain to BigCommerce’s new IP address.
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Contact your domain provider for assistance if needed.
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Run Test Transactions
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Place test orders to confirm checkout, refunds, and fulfillment are working.
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After successfully migrating from Magento to BigCommerce, it's time to make sure your new BigCommerce store thrives in its new environment. Here are some tips to help you optimize your marketing, search engine rankings, SEO, and keywords performance post-migration:
1. Marketing and SEO Strategies
Now that your store is on BigCommerce, it's time to fine-tune your marketing and SEO efforts to make the most of the transition:
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SEO Audit: Start with a thorough SEO audit to check for any issues like broken links, missing metadata, or incorrect redirects. This helps prevent traffic loss and ensures your site remains SEO-friendly.
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Update URL Structures & 301 Redirects: Ensure your URL structures are updated to follow SEO best practices. Implement 301 redirects to guide both users and search engines to the right pages.
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BigCommerce SEO Features: Leverage BigCommerce’s built-in SEO tools, such as customizable titles, descriptions, and sitemaps, to boost your visibility on search engines.
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Content Marketing: Create a content marketing strategy that includes blog posts, videos, and infographics. This helps build your authority, engage your audience, and drive organic traffic to your site.
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Email Marketing: Use email campaigns to stay connected with your customers. Send them updates on new products, promotions, or special offers to keep them coming back for more.
By following these steps, you’ll improve your store’s visibility, attract new visitors, and keep existing customers engaged.
2. Post-Migration Audits and KPI Measurements
After the migration, it's important to measure your store's performance to ensure everything is running smoothly and you’re meeting your business goals:
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Performance Metrics: Check your site’s loading times, uptime, and overall user experience. Identifying any issues early on helps you resolve them quickly and keep your site running smoothly.
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Set Baseline KPIs: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rates, average order value, and customer acquisition costs. These metrics will help you track the financial impact of the migration and ensure your store is performing as expected.
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Compare with Historical Data: Regularly compare your post-migration KPIs with data from your Magento store. This allows you to identify trends and see where improvements are needed.
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Customer Feedback & Engagement: Pay attention to customer feedback and engagement metrics to understand how users are interacting with your store. Use this information to improve the shopping experience and make adjustments as needed.
Outdated Store, Slow Growth? Let’s Change That.
For many businesses, platform limitations, clunky designs, and lack of technical expertise stand in the way of growth. From struggling with outdated setups to dealing with complex integrations, these challenges can slow you down and impact your bottom line.
That’s where The Genie Lab comes in. As a BigCommerce-certified agency, we specialize in building high-performing online stores, including a new store option, and customizing a storefront tailored to your business needs. Whether you’re looking to migrate, revamp your store’s design, or integrate critical systems like ERPs and financial platforms, our expert team ensures a smooth, hassle-free experience.
With smooth development, direct developer access, and a focus on user experience, we help businesses like yours unlock the full potential of BigCommerce—without the technical headaches.
Conclusion
A successful migration process isn’t just about moving data; it’s about making strategic improvements, including the start free demo data migration process for secure data transfer and ensuring data security. This is the perfect solution to reassess your store’s design, streamline operations, and eliminate inefficiencies. Maybe your checkout flow needs simplifying. Maybe your product pages could be more engaging. However, it's essential to consider the potential cons, as this is your moment to integrate automation tools that save time and increase revenue.
The key to a smooth transition? Planning. Rushing the process leads to frustration, downtime, and missed opportunities. But when done right, the shift to BigCommerce can unlock new levels of scalability, flexibility, and ease of management in terms of scalability—freeing up time and resources to focus on what really matters: growing your business with effective marketing tools and support team assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long does it take to migrate from Magento to BigCommerce?
The migration process typically takes 1–3 days, depending on the complexity and volume of your data. Using an automated tool like LitExtension speeds up the process, ensuring a seamless transfer with minimal downtime.
2. Can I migrate my Magento theme to BigCommerce?
No, you cannot migrate your Magento theme directly due to platform differences. However, the BigCommerce theme store offers customizable themes that can be tailored to match your existing brand design.
3. Will my SEO rankings be affected after migration?
BigCommerce offers built-in SEO tools, which help preserve your rankings. By properly setting up redirects and ensuring your URLs are mapped correctly, you can maintain SEO performance during and after migration.
4. How do I handle recent orders during migration?
During migration, use the Recent Data Migration service to transfer any new orders or customer data added to your Magento store after the initial migration. This ensures no data is lost during the transition.