Switching from osCommerce to Magento: process and risks

1. Why an osCommerce shop should be replaced

osCommerce counts among the early open source shop systems and was used for many years. Many shops on this basis still run today, often with numerous customizations built in over the years. Exactly that makes them an increasing risk.

Older versions are not built for today's PHP versions and security standards. Hosting providers switch off old PHP versions, and the shop no longer runs or only with restrictions. If the software is no longer maintained, security gaps arise, and updates are hardly possible. In addition there are missing functions such as a contemporary mobile design, modern payment methods and interfaces.

Whoever moves from osCommerce to Magento swaps a legacy system for a platform that is maintained and can grow with the business. That is less a gain in comfort than a safeguard for the business.

2. When the switch from osCommerce to Magento is due and when not

The switch is due if your shop is no longer maintained, the hosting environment no longer fits or security and functions are no longer sufficient. It can be postponed if the shop carries a very small business, runs in a protected environment and risks are borne deliberately. That should, however, be a conscious decision.

Also check whether another system fits better than Magento. For a very small catalog a lean system can be enough. We advise you honestly, even if the result is that Magento is more than you need.

3. How data is transferred from osCommerce to Magento

Older osCommerce versions offer no complete export. That is why we usually read the data directly from the database. The structure is manageable, but customizations over the years have often changed it, so we begin with an analysis. In older versions passwords were stored with outdated methods, so setting them anew makes sense here anyway.

A clean-up before the transfer is worthwhile: discontinued articles, duplicate categories and customers without an order, as far as legally and commercially appropriate. A lot of ballast collects in old shops.

4. SEO and addresses when switching from osCommerce to Magento

Many osCommerce shops use addresses with parameters, for example with the ID of a product or category. Part of the rankings hangs on these addresses. They must be redirected to the new pages by a 301 redirect, and the ID helps with the assignment.

In the move from osCommerce to Magento you also check titles, meta descriptions, structured data, sitemaps and canonical tags. In old shops they are often patchy, and the new shop is the opportunity to set them cleanly. What we do for this is described on the page on SEO optimization.

With very old shops the rankings often lie on a few strong pages. Secure these first and make sure the redirects work on the day of the switch.

5. Customizations and functions: what becomes of them in Magento

Old osCommerce shops contain many customizations that stand directly in the files of the system. They cannot be transferred, only their effect. In the switch you go through each one: is it still needed? Is there a basic function, a module or an individual development in Magento for it? Often it turns out that much can be dropped.

We implement the frontend with Hyvä, see Hyvä theme. For the connection to merchandise management and shipping read the guide to ERP integration, for B2B functions the guide to the [B2B shop](b2bshop).

Define early which functions must run on day one. Payment, shipping and legal texts are mandatory, additional functions can follow. This keeps the move from osCommerce to Magento manageable.

6. The process: how you switch from osCommerce to Magento

A switch from osCommerce to Magento runs in five steps. First the inventory: which products, customers, orders and content exist, which functions do you really use and which addresses bring visitors? Then the test migration, in which part of the data is transferred and checked. After that the build of the shop with design, payment methods, shipping and legal texts.

In the fourth step you check the shop with us on a test system that search engines cannot see and place trial orders. In the fifth step the switch happens: the data is compared one last time, the redirects are activated and the domain is pointed to the new shop. In the first weeks afterwards we check errors and rankings. You keep the previous shop for a while until everything runs safely.

How you protect your ranking in the process is described in the guide to shop relaunch without SEO loss.

7. Effort and costs when switching from osCommerce

When moving from osCommerce to Magento the effort depends above all on the scope of the customizations, the data quality and the number of functions that have to be implemented anew. A lean shop with clear data is transferred quickly, one changed over years needs more analysis and clean-up.

A flat figure would be unreliable. After the inventory we estimate in writing, the hourly rate is 30 euros net, see pricing. General hints on costs are in the guide Magento costs.

8. How we support you with the switch

We are a web agency in which fixed freelancers work together, all from home offices. We take over the data migration, build the shop with the fast Hyvä frontend and take care of redirects and start. Source code and access stay with you, and ongoing care can be regulated through a maintenance contract.

This guide gives general orientation and does not replace a check of your shop. For a first conversation a short message through our contact page is enough.

9. Summary

The switch from osCommerce to Magento replaces a legacy system that is often no longer maintained. Data is usually taken from the database, customizations are rebuilt in their effect, and with 301 redirects the ranking is largely kept.

Note: This article offers general orientation. Statements about osCommerce can change with new versions, check them in the individual case.

10. FAQ on switching from osCommerce to Magento