Switching from xt:Commerce to Magento: process and risks

1. Why an xt:Commerce shop should be replaced

xt:Commerce arose in the early years of online retail and was used above all in the German speaking region. It has itself produced offshoots, for example shop systems based on the same origin. Many shops of this family still run today, often in old versions and with many customizations.

With age the risks grow. Older versions are not built for today's PHP versions and security standards, hosting providers switch off old environments, and care for many versions has ended. In addition there are missing functions such as a contemporary mobile design, modern payment methods and interfaces to current systems.

Whoever moves from xt:Commerce to Magento swaps a legacy system for a platform that is maintained and can grow with the business. The switch is also a good time to bring legal texts, payment methods and shipping rules up to date.

2. When the switch from xt:Commerce to Magento is due and when not

The switch is due if your version is no longer maintained, the hosting no longer fits or security and functions are no longer sufficient.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

Also check whether another system fits better than Magento. A very small catalog can be well served by a leaner system. We advise you honestly, even if the result is that Magento is more than you need.

3. How data is transferred from xt:Commerce to Magento

Depending on version and variant the data structure of xt:Commerce differs, so we first determine which version your shop uses. We usually read the data directly from the database because a complete export is missing in older versions. Customizations over the years have often changed the structure, so we begin with an analysis.

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 that you do not have to take along.

4. SEO and addresses when switching from xt:Commerce to Magento

Many older xt:Commerce shops use addresses with parameters or address patterns that the system created itself. Part of the rankings hangs on these addresses. They must be redirected to the new pages by a 301 redirect, and IDs of product and category help with the assignment.

In the move from xt:Commerce 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 long-standing 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, payment methods and legal texts in the new shop

Old 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 much can be dropped.

In German speaking retail legal texts, payment methods, shipping rules and invoices are mandatory topics. They must be complete and current in the new shop, and your legal adviser should check the texts. We implement the frontend with Hyvä, see Hyvä theme. For the connection to merchandise management and shipping read the guide to ERP integration.

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 xt:Commerce to Magento manageable.

6. The process: how you switch from xt:Commerce to Magento

A switch from xt:Commerce 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 xt:Commerce

When moving from xt:Commerce 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 xt:Commerce to Magento replaces an older shop system whose care has often ended. 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 xt:Commerce can change with new versions, check them in the individual case.

10. FAQ on switching from xt:Commerce to Magento