JShop Server Migration
Moving the look, function and content of an existing online store is an individual process based on your existing setup and what changes you want to make. There are generally three broad aspects to consider when migrating an existing online store to a JShop store.
- Your database: This is your order, product, customer information and a variety of other dynamic information. If you do not have an existing database, then you would add in your products as if you were starting a new store.
- Your static pages: These are pages that are outside your store and will usually have the file extension of .htm or .html. In most cases they can roll over unchanged and only the links to the store, shopping cart or checkout will need to be altered.
- Your actual store look and behavior: This can vary according to the functions of your existing store. In some store construction, snippets of "add to cart" code are added to html pages and the cart software is only called into use when an item is ordered and a customer checks out. In other cases, the display of the product is all done by the store software. Converting each kind of store construction has its own "to do" list.
How important is it to roll the existing look and functions exactly to the new JShop store? Keeping things the same may seem the most economical approach on the surface, but consider these situations:
- Sometimes an easily implemented feature may not be so easy to implement in JShop. Each software has its strong points and not-so-strong points. If this feature is not critical to your site, you may want to rethink its use. It is possible that the same ultimate goal can be achieved in a slightly different way.
- Sometimes JShop offers easily implemented or automatic features not found in other software. In some cases, to disable their activity would be more costly than implementing them.
- Some Web sites are designed with visual editors where the designer has no concept of the code being created. It is not uncommon for us to see web page layouts composed with over 100 table columns and rows, all merged and split in a chaotic way -- adding a huge weight to the file size and rendering it inconsistently in many browsers. In moving a site to JShop, it is often easiest to completely rebuild the web design when this kind of code is present, making it more browser compatible and file efficient at the same time.
We can help you approach your store migration in an organized and efficient manner and we can coordinate tasks with your staff to streamline the entire process. Contact us to find out how we can help.