Volusion to BigCommerce Migration: What Changes and What Breaks

Summary

Moving from Volusion to BigCommerce is a realistic switch for most stores, and products, customers, orders and categories can all be carried across. What does not carry across cleanly is the part that decides whether the launch goes well: your URLs, customer passwords, theme, apps and checkout rules. Those need to be planned, rebuilt and tested.

The biggest risk is SEO. Volusion product and category URLs end in -p and -s patterns that BigCommerce does not use, so every ranked page needs a 301 redirect. Plan on a redirect map, a password reset email, a rebuilt theme and a tested checkout before you cut over.

Introduction

So, how do you move from Volusion to BigCommerce? You export your catalog, customers and orders, import them into a new BigCommerce store, rebuild the design on a BigCommerce theme, redirect your old URLs, reconnect your payment and shipping tools, test everything, and then point your domain at the new store. Most of that is routine. The trouble sits in the four or five things that never move on their own.

This guide is the practical version. It tells you what changes, what breaks, and what to do about each item before launch day. If you would rather have a team handle it, our Volusion migration services team has moved stores like yours before.

Why are Volusion merchants moving to BigCommerce?

Most stores we talk to do not leave because of one bad day. They leave because the platform has stopped keeping up. The usual reasons are sales-based plan limits that push you into a higher tier as you grow, a template system that is hard to customize, a small app ecosystem, and a worry about the long-term direction of the company after its 2020 bankruptcy filing. If you want the background, we covered it in our post on Volusion filing for bankruptcy.

BigCommerce attracts these merchants for practical reasons. It is a hosted platform, so you do not manage servers or security patches. It has strong built-in features for products with many options, multi-currency, and B2B pricing. It also has an open API, which matters once you need to connect an ERP, an accounting tool or a marketplace feed. For many Volusion stores, it feels like the same simplicity with fewer ceilings.

That said, BigCommerce is not the only landing spot. If you want full control over code and hosting, WooCommerce may fit better, and we return to the platform decision near the end of this guide.

How does a Volusion to BigCommerce migration work?

Every migration, whether done by an agency or with a tool, follows the same basic path. Here is the order we recommend.

• Audit the Volusion store. List your products, categories, customer groups, apps, payment gateways, shipping rules, discount codes and any custom code. Also pull your top landing pages from Google Search Console, because those pages are the ones you cannot afford to lose.
• Export your data. Volusion lets you export products, customers and orders as CSV files. Check each file for blanks, duplicates and messy option data before you import anything.
• Set up the BigCommerce store. Choose a plan, add your tax, shipping and payment settings, and create categories and brands so the imported products have somewhere to land.
• Import the data. Use BigCommerce import tools, a migration app such as Cart2Cart or LitExtension, or a custom script. Run a small test batch first, then the full import.
• Rebuild the design. Volusion templates do not convert. Your look and feel is rebuilt on a BigCommerce theme.
• Build the redirect map. Match every old Volusion URL to its new BigCommerce address and load the 301 redirects.
• Test, then cut over. Place real test orders, check emails and taxes, then switch your domain and watch the first weeks closely.

Our eCommerce migration checklist is a good companion if you plan to manage parts of this yourself. A simple catalog can move quickly. A store with thousands of products, custom options, a B2B price structure or several integrations takes longer. We cover timing below.

What changes when you move from Volusion to BigCommerce?

Even when the data moves perfectly, the way you run the store changes. Here are the differences that merchants notice first.

One practical point: the price you pay for a platform is more than the monthly plan. Payment processing, apps and developer time all count. Compare the full yearly cost, not only the headline price.

What breaks during a Volusion to BigCommerce migration?

Here is the honest answer. Your core catalog data usually moves well. The items below are where migrations go wrong, so treat this as your pre-launch checklist.

Tools differ in what they carry, so always run a test migration and read the results before you trust the full run.

Do customer passwords move from Volusion to BigCommerce?

No, in practice they do not. Stores generally cannot export customer passwords, and BigCommerce only accepts a password during import if you supply one in the file. Customers who are imported without one must go through the password reset process before they can log in.

This is easy to handle if you plan for it, and painful if you do not. Write a short, friendly email that explains the new store and links to the reset page. Send it the day you launch, and add a banner on the login page for the first few weeks. For B2B customers who reorder often, a personal note from your sales team works better than a mass email.

How do Volusion URLs map to BigCommerce URLs?

This is the step that protects your rankings. Volusion uses addresses like /blue-widget-p/BW100.htm for products and /widgets-s/12.htm for categories. BigCommerce uses cleaner paths such as /blue-widget/ and /widgets/. Every old address that has rankings, backlinks or bookmarks needs a permanent 301 redirect to its new home.

Here is how we build the map:

• Export every indexed URL from your sitemap and from Google Search Console.
• Sort by clicks and impressions so the pages that earn traffic are handled first.
• Match each old URL to the closest new page. Do not send everything to the home page, because search engines treat that as a soft 404.
• Load the redirects into BigCommerce and test a sample of them in a browser before launch.
• After launch, check Search Console for crawl errors and fix any missed URLs within days.

Rankings often wobble for a few weeks after any platform change, and they usually settle once the new pages are crawled. A clean redirect map is what keeps that wobble small. If SEO is a worry, we also run a full eCommerce SEO review around the move.

What happens to your Volusion theme, apps and integrations?

Your theme gets rebuilt, not converted

Volusion templates and BigCommerce Stencil themes are built differently, so there is nothing to convert. Think of it as a chance to modernize. Keep what your customers like, such as your logo, colors and navigation habits, and fix what slowed them down, such as heavy pages and clumsy mobile menus.

Your apps and integrations get reconnected

List every tool that touches your store: accounting, shipping, email marketing, reviews, live chat, marketplaces and your ERP. Some have a BigCommerce version, some have a close replacement, and a few need a custom connector. Decide on each one early, because integrations are the most common reason a launch date slips.

Your checkout needs a full test

Payment gateways, tax rules, shipping rates and discount codes are all configured again. Place test orders for each shipping method, a coupon, a tax-exempt customer and a failed card. It takes an afternoon and saves a bad first week.

How long does it take and what does it cost?

Time depends on catalog size, how much custom work your Volusion store carries, and how many integrations you use. As a rough guide, a small store with a standard catalog can often be live in a few weeks, while a larger store with custom options, B2B pricing and several integrations is more likely to take a couple of months.

Cost depends on the same factors, along with how much design work you want. Be careful with any quote that is a single low number without a scope, since the gaps usually show up later as extra charges. A good partner will review your store first and give you a fixed scope. That is how we work, and the assessment is free.

Is BigCommerce the right place to land after Volusion?

Often yes, but not always. Use this quick guide.

• Choose BigCommerce if you want a hosted platform, strong B2B and multi-currency features, and an open API without running your own servers.
• Consider WooCommerce if you want full ownership of your code and content and already use WordPress (read From Volusion to WooCommerce: The Migration Story for that route).
• Consider Shopify if you want the simplest setup and a large app store, and your catalog is not heavily customized.
• Consider Magento if you are a large store with complex pricing or ERP needs.

If you are still deciding, compare them side by side before you export a single file.

How does Virtina run a Volusion to BigCommerce migration?

We keep the process simple and visible. First comes a free store review, where we list what will move, what needs rebuilding and where the risks are. Then we build the new store alongside your live Volusion store, so your sales do not stop. We load the redirect map, test checkout with real scenarios, and handle the cutover with a rollback plan ready. After launch, we monitor rankings, errors and orders closely.

Virtina has handled more than 2,500 projects across 14 years, including many platform moves. Our BigCommerce migration services cover the build on the new platform, from theme to checkout.

People also ask

Is BigCommerce better than Volusion?

For most growing stores, yes. BigCommerce offers more flexible themes, a larger app marketplace, an open API and stronger tools for B2B and large catalogs. Volusion can still work for a small, stable store, but many owners outgrow it.

Can I migrate Volusion to BigCommerce myself?

You can, if your catalog is small and you are comfortable with CSV files. The risks are messy option data, missed redirects and an untested checkout. Many owners do the data import themselves and bring in help for the redirects and theme.

Will I lose SEO when I move from Volusion to BigCommerce?

Not if the redirects are done properly. A temporary dip is common, but a complete 301 map, preserved titles and descriptions and a quick post-launch check keep it small.

How long should I keep my Volusion account after migrating?

Keep it active for a few weeks, so you can cross-check orders and customer data against the new store before you cancel.

Conclusion

A Volusion to BigCommerce move is very doable. Your products, customers and orders can travel with you. What decides the outcome is how well you handle the parts that do not: the URL redirects, the password reset, the rebuilt theme, the reconnected apps and the tested checkout.

Plan those five items first, run a test migration, and keep your Volusion store live until the new one has proven itself. If you want an expert team to take it off your plate, talk to our Volusion migration services team for a free assessment.