Instructions to assist your e-commerce migration
Migrating from one e-commerce platform to another can be a daunting task for any business owner. However, careful planning and a clear understanding of the steps involved can lead to improved performance and enhanced user experience. This guide outlines essential steps and considerations for successfully executing your e-commerce migration into Network Solutions e-commerce.
In this article, we will discuss:
- Product features comparison
- Available payment options for Network Solutions e-commerce
- How to export contacts and import them into Network Solutions e-commerce
- How to export products and import them into Network Solutions e-commerce
- Migration FAQs
- Will I lose ownership of my domain name or website address when my current e-commerce platform shuts down?
- What happens to my domain name or website address when my current e-commerce platform shuts down?
- How can I repoint my domain name to a new store or hosting provider?
- Can you assist with repointing my domain if it is not registered with your brands?
- Can existing recurring orders be migrated to the new store?
- Can I download copies of my existing digital products?
- Can I still embed purchase links for my products on other sites?
- How can I export my past orders and invoices?
- Can I import my current sales and orders into Network Solutions e-commerce?
- Review
Product features comparison
The following table lists the features of your current e-commerce platform and Network Solutions e-commerce.
| Features | Your current e-commerce platform | Network Solutions e-commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring subscriptions | Yes | Yes* |
| Digital products | Yes | Yes |
| Checkout on your domain | Paid upgrade | Yes |
| Realtime shipping rates | Yes | Yes |
| Upsell express | Yes | No |
| Affiliate program | Yes | No |
| AI-enabled website builder | No | Yes |
| LogoBuilder and design studio | No | Yes |
| Google My Business Listing | No | Yes |
| Mobile support | Mobile specific site | Responsive design |
| Email marketing | Yes | Yes |
| Social media marketing | No | Yes |
| Appointment scheduling | No | Yes |
| Sell on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay, and more | No | Yes |
*Stripe is the required payment provider for recurring subscriptions.
Available payment options for Network Solutions e-commerce
The following payment providers can be enabled for a Network Solutions e-commerce checkout. The list of payment providers depends on your store's location and the currency configured.
- PayPal: This option is the same as the PayPal Website Payments Standard on your current e-commerce account. Customers will be redirected to PayPal’s website to pay and then return to the cart.
Note: PayPal Website Payments Pro is not currently supported in Network Solutions e-commerce.
- Stripe: This option is an easy way to accept credit card payments in your e-commerce store. Once you finish setting up your Stripe account, you will be able to start collecting credit card payments online.
- Cash on Delivery: This option allows your customers to skip online payment and pay you directly when they receive their product.
For instructions on how to activate these payment providers, please refer to the How to integrate payment processing for your e-commerce store article.
How to export contacts and import them into Network Solutions e-commerce
Select an option below.
Exporting all contacts from your account
Below are steps to export all contacts from your eCommerce account.
- Log in to your e-commerce account.
- On the top navigation of your e-commerce dashboard, click the Contacts menu.
- Select Export Contacts from the drop-down menu.
- Enter the email address to which you would like the export sent, then click the Continue button.
You have exported your contacts. In most cases, you will get an email with the download link within the next 1-2 hours, though very large lists may take longer.
Exporting only a subset of your contacts
Follow the steps below to export a subset of your contacts from your e-commerce account.
- Log in to your e-commerce account.
- On the top navigation of your e-commerce dashboard, click the Contacts menu.
- Select Manage Contacts from the drop-down menu.
- Use the search options available to locate the contacts you are interested in.
You can also create custom segments. For example, if you only want to export the contacts subscribed to an autoresponder, you can go to the Custom Segments tab and set up a segment using the following criteria:
- Category: Autoresponder Subscriptions
- Field: Subscribed to
- Operator: Equals
- Value: Name of the Autoresponder
- You can then run the search/segment. Once you have the search results, scroll down to the Hitlist Action section and select the Export contacts option from the drop-down menu. Click Submit.
- Enter the email address to which you would like the export sent, then click the Continue button.
Tip: We recommend changing the custom Job Label to accurately represent the exported contacts. For instance, you can rename it to "Contacts Subscribed to an Autoresponder."
You have exported your contacts. In most cases, you will get an email with the download link within the next 1-2 hours, though very large lists may take longer.
Importing your contacts into Network Solutions e-commerce
For instructions on how to import your contacts to Network Solutions e-commerce, please refer to the How to manage Marketing Contacts article.
Important notes:
- Importing contacts: Currently, the "Import Contacts" feature in Network Solutions e-commerce only accepts uploaded files that contain country and state codes. If your exported file includes the full names of the country and states/provinces, you must update them to use the 2-letter country and state codes. For example: US for United States of America and FL for Florida. Additionally, you can turn off the mapping of the fields that are not relevant to you by choosing the "Don’t use this field" option.
- Create autoresponders: Since you cannot export autoresponders data from your current e-commerce platform, you have to recreate them in Network Solutions e-commerce. Please see Marketing: How to create and manage email campaign automations. You cannot set the days in series data in Network Solutions e-commerce; therefore, everyone will start at the beginning of the series upon import.
- Contacts subscribed to an autoresponder: After you import your contacts, you can categorize the subscribers into a list to indicate their subscription to a particular autoresponder, ensuring accurate subscription status is maintained. You can visit the following articles for further details on creating a list:
How to export products and import them into Network Solutions e-commerce
Select a topic below.
Exporting products from your account
Follow the steps below to export your products from your e-commerce account.
- Log in to your e-commerce account.
- On the top navigation of your e-commerce dashboard, click the Products menu.
- Select Import/Export from the drop-down menu, then select Export Products.
- You will have three options on the drop-down that will be relevant:
- Product Details: This will generate an export of most of the product information on your products.
- Product Option Details: If you have products for which you’ve set up product options, this will generate an export containing the product ID # for the product, along with the product options and option values you’ve set up for each product.
- Product Image Details: The Product Details export will provide the file name from your media library of the first image assigned to your products. If you have multiple images, this export will provide the Product ID and the image files for all of the products in the export.
- Select the type of export you wish, then click the Export button. You will then be provided with a .CSV format download.
Importing products into Network Solutions e-commerce
All our advanced features are turned off by default. These features include:
- Marketplace selling
- Bulk editing tools
- Fulfillment automation
- Amazon multi-channel fulfillment
- Quick-fill listing templates
- Restock management
- Barcode creation
For example, you are trying to upload your exported file, and you wanted to manage file templates, but the Add New button is greyed out.
To activate greyed-out buttons, you have to enable it in the Store Settings. Follow the steps below to activate the Add New button in File Templates.
- Navigate to Store, then select Settings.
- Click the Manage button on the Add-ons card.
- File Templates are under the Bulk Editing Tools feature. Click Learn More in the Bulk Editing Tools card.
- Click Activate in the pop-up.
The Add New button is now activated.
Select an option below.
- Manually add your products into Network Solutions e-commerce
- Bulk upload your products into Network Solutions e-commerce
Manually add your products into Network Solutions e-commerce
If you have a small number of products in your current store, we recommend that you recreate your products manually. For instructions on adding a product, please refer to How to add a product to your eCommerce site.
If you prefer adding your products in bulk, please refer to the Bulk upload your products into Network Solutions e-commerce section of this article.
Bulk upload your products into Network Solutions e-commerce
Important:
- Product options: Importing your products creates only the parent-child relationship. The product variations in Network Solutions e-commerce will automate the SKU creation when they are entered, so we recommend adding variations manually.
- Subscription-based products: Importing subscription-based products is currently not supported in Network Solutions e-commerce. You have to add them as standard products first and then manually change them to subscriptions. Please see Online Store – All about Product Subscriptions.
- Autoresponders: If a product in your current e-commerce account subscribes a user to an autoresponder series, you will need to create a new automation in Network Solutions e-commerce after importing your products. You can then set the automation to trigger when an order is shipped and then select it to trigger orders containing the product in question.
For instructions on how to import your products into Network Solutions e-commerce, please refer to the Bulk import and export for eCommerce inventory management article.
To upload your products in bulk to Network Solutions e-commerce, ensure that the template you are using matches the columns/attributes of your exported file. You can create a new import file template in Network Solutions e-commerce, making sure that all the columns/attributes in your exported file are covered. Please see the Exported file columns vs Network Solutions e-commerce attributes for more information.
Below are steps for creating a new import file template in Network Solutions e-commerce and uploading your exported file using the template you created.
- Log in to your account via https://www.networksolutions.com/my-account/login.
- Click Websites on the left navigation menu of your account manager.
- If you have multiple website products, click LAUNCH next to the product you would like to update.
- In your website dashboard, click Store on the left menu and choose Products from the options.
- On the top-right corner of the page, click on the Upload Inventory button.
- Click on Manage File Templates in the pop-up.
- Click the Add New button to create a new template.
- Review the Exported file columns vs Network Solutions e-commerce attributes sheet to match the columns of your exported file with the attributes available in Network Solutions e-commerce. Click Save Template once done.
- Once your template is ready, you can upload the products into Network Solutions e-commerce by following the steps outlined in the Upload Your Products section of the Bulk import and export for eCommerce inventory management article.
Since the media library of your current e-commerce platform is going away, you have to store your images somewhere. You have to download the product images first before you can manually upload them to Network Solutions e-commerce.
Follow the steps below for instructions on downloading and uploading the images.
- In your browser, enter this link: https://www.mcssl.com/content/<MID>/<image location column value>.
- Replace the following to view the product image:
- <MID>: Replace this with your Merchant ID. You can locate your Merchant ID on the upper left corner of your e-commerce home page.
- <image location column value>: Go to the image location column of the Product Image exported file and copy the image’s location.
- Once the image loads, right-click and then click on Save image as.
- After saving the images locally, you can upload them to Network Solutions e-commerce.
- Please see the eCommerce: How to add product images article for instructions on adding images to a product in Network Solutions e-commerce.
Migration FAQs
- Will I lose ownership of my domain name or website address when my current e-commerce platform shuts down?
- What happens to my domain name or website address when my current e-commerce platform shuts down?
- How can I repoint my domain name to a new store or hosting provider?
- Can you assist with repointing my domain if it is not registered with your brands?
- Can existing recurring orders be migrated to the new store?
- Can I download copies of my existing digital products?
- Can I still embed purchase links for my products on other sites?
- How can I export my past orders and invoices?
- Can I import my current sales and orders into Network Solutions e-commerce?
Will I lose ownership of my domain name or website address when my current e-commerce platform shuts down?
No, your domain name ownership remains unaffected.
What happens to my domain name or website address when my current e-commerce platform shuts down?
If your domain is currently pointed to your current store, you must update your domain settings to direct visitors to your new e-commerce site before your current e-commerce platform shuts down. Updating your domain in advance will help prevent store downtime. Your domain provider can assist you with making these changes.
How can I repoint my domain name to a new store or hosting provider?
- If your domain is registered with Network Solutions and you will be using Network Solutions e-commerce, assigning your domain to your new eCommerce package will automatically point your domain to your eCommerce website. If you need additional support, our customer support team is available to assist you.
- If your domain is registered with a third-party provider and you will be using Network Solutions e-commerce, you can get your records from us and then contact your provider for assistance with updating your domain settings. To get your records from us, please refer to the How to Assign an External Domain to Your Website section of the How do I assign a domain to my website? article.
Can you assist with repointing my domain if it is not registered with your brands?
If you are using our Network Solutions e-commerce, we can provide you with the necessary DNS records to ensure your domain properly resolves to your new store. However, if you are moving to a third-party e-commerce provider, you will need to obtain the appropriate DNS records from them.
Your domain registrar can assist with updating your domain settings. If they are unable or unwilling to help, you have the option to transfer your domain to us. Once the transfer is complete, we will be able to provide further assistance.
Can existing recurring orders be migrated to the new store?
Unfortunately, no. Customers with recurring orders will need to place a new order once you have set up the recurring product in the new store. You can then cancel the recurring order in your current eCommerce account to prevent it from continuing to bill before the closure date.
Can I download copies of my existing digital products?
If you go to the Products menu, select Manage Products from the drop-down options, edit your digital products, and go to the Downloads tab, there is an option to send yourself a test copy of the digital download email sent to customers which you can use to download a copy of the file for that product.
Can I still embed purchase links for my products on other sites?
While you cannot embed direct purchase links with Network SOlutions e-commerce, we suggest instead including a link to the product’s page on your new site.
How can I export my past orders and invoices?
- Go to the Orders menu at the top of the page, then choose Regular Orders.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and use the search options to bring up any orders you wish to export.
- Select the orders you want to export using the checkbox to the left of the orders, or leave them all unchecked to export the entire search results, then choose the Export link above the search results.
- Select the format and fields you want included on the export and press the Submit button.
- The export will be queued for processing, and you will be sent an email when it is ready. Once it is ready, you can download the export file for up to 24 hours by going to the Orders menu at the top of the page and choosing Exports.
Can I import my current sales and orders into Network Solutions e-commerce?
Currently, open orders from other eCommerce platforms cannot be imported into the Network Solutions e-commerce platform.
Review
Data migration is one of the most critical aspects of an e-commerce migration. This article outlines how to migrate your contacts and products. The frequently asked questions covers limited actions when migrating from your current eCommerce account to Network Solutions e-commerce.