How to Migrate from VirtueMart to WooCommerce Without Intensive Hands-On? [2022]
If you are looking to migrate VirtueMart to WooCommerce, you’re on the right page.
VirtueMart (also Virtuemart) is an online e-commerce solution that’s available free of charge. Even though it’s a decent tool, it’s built exclusively for Mambo or Joomla! content management systems. This is why many VirtueMart users don’t think it’s a great fit, as they want to switch to WordPress, which currently powers 40% of all websites on the Internet. WordPress also comes with an e-commerce solution of its own called WooCommerce (also Woocommerce). It’s one of the most popular webshop solutions in the world with a market share of 23%.
In this article, we’ll make a step-by-step overview of the entire process. By the end of the guide, you’ll have successfully migrated VirtueMart data to WooCommerce. Read on.
VirtueMart vs WooCommerce Comparison
Before explaining the VirtueMart to WooCommerce migration process, we’d like to compare the two platforms briefly.
The main advantage of the VirtueMart store is that it’s free of charge and can be downloaded as a Joomla plugin. Of course, to do that, you’ll have to set up the Joomla CMS first. The instructions and plugin overview is available on Joomla’s official website. Moreover, VirtueMart uses PHP. This programming language paves the way for many unique patterns that can help you create a tailor-made online shop with VirtueMart.
Although VirtueMart allows for a wide range of possibilities, including unlimited products, orders, and customers, it still lacks some basic functionalities. You’ll have to download the required add-ons from extensions.VirtueMart.net. Those, on the other hand, aren’t free. As a matter of fact, some modules can be quite pricey — up to $500. On top of that, users often report problems, such as API absence, complicated templates, code quality, and more. VirtueMart users simply don’t get the service that’s competitive enough for the amount of money they spend.
So, what does a WooCommerce store have to offer that VirtueMart doesn’t? First of all, it has a huge community. A total of 22.8% of all e-commerce sites use WooCommerce for selling things on the Internet. Besides, in the battle between content management systems, WordPress has come out as a winner. It takes over most of the market. So, using any Joomla plugin means you’ll not get adequate community support.
WooCommerce is a free plugin, and installing it via WordPress is a rather simple process.
And finally, WooCommerce features all kinds of great extensions, a rich documentation library, and a high level of customization.
Apart from WooCommerce, however, other great e-commerce solutions are OpenCart, Shopify, and PrestaShop.
If you’re already using Joomla’s extension and want to turn VirtueMart data into WooCommerce data seamlessly, take a look at the migration guide below.
Three Ways You Can Export Data from VirtueMart to WooCommerce
There are three main methods that can help you export your e-commerce data from VirtueMart to WooCommerce. You can do it manually, hire a technician to perform store import and export for you, or use an automated migration service or app. If you want to do it as quickly as possible, we recommend going for the last option.
Here are a couple of benefits for using an automated migration tool provided by Cart2Cart:
- Migration is pretty quick (3–5 hours)
- A wide array of transferable entities
- No interruptions during data migration
- 24/7 support
- Free demo migration
Watch our video tutorial to see how easy it is to automatically migrate from VirtueMart to WooCommerce with the help of the Cart2Cart migration tool:
Cart2Cart Migration from VirtueMart to WooCommerce
To start the migration process, you’ll need to have two things:
- Installed Joomla with a VirtueMart account
- Installed WordPress with a WooCommerce account
Please bear in mind that you don’t actually need a separate account for VirtueMart or WooCommerce. You only need a Joomla account (VirtueMart) or a WordPress account (WooCommerce) to get started.
Besides, we recommend that you always create a backup of your store database.
Step 1: Prepare Both Stores
First of all, you should set up your WooCommerce store and make it available online. Don’t install any additional modifications or modules to it. Also, make sure to prepare your VirtueMart login credentials.
Step 2: Select a Source Cart
Pick VirtueMart from a drop-down menu and enter the URL to your store. You should install Connection Bridge after that in order to give access to your data. To install it, you’ll have to download the ZIP file, unzip it, and shift the bridge to the root directory.
Please take a look at the video tutorial that explains how to install Connection Bridge.
Step 3: Select a Target Cart
In this field, you’ll have to pick the target cart from a drop-down menu. In this case, that’s WooCommerce. You’ll need to enter your WordPress admin URL, as well as the password and admin login. After filling in the required fields, click on Choose Entities to go to the next step.
Step 4: Choose Entities
Here, you’ll have to select the type of data entities that you want to export from VirtueMart to WooCommerce. For instance, you can select products, manufacturers, customers, and more. If you want to pick all entities, simply click on Select All, which is located at the top of the list.
This step also comes with some additional options. For instance, you can select to clear data on the target store before adding imported data in order to avoid duplicates.
Alternatively, you can perform data mapping and match customer groups, as well as order statuses of the source and target stores. In this case, VirtueMart is a source, while WooCommerce is the target store.
Step 5: Begin Demo Migration
Now that everything is set up, you can start with Demo VirtueMart Migration to WooCommerce. All you have to do is press the button and return to your business as usual. Within around a half-hour period, you’ll receive an email notifying you that a limited number of entities (about 10 products, customers, and orders) is successfully transferred from VirtueMart to WooCommerce.
Alternatively, you can give a try to the Cart2Cart VirtueMart to WooCommerce Migration App to ease the replatforming even more.
If you want to check the demo migration results on your WooCommerce store, the video presented below will show you how to do it right. Upon that, you can proceed with a full database transfer if you want.
Check out our infographic to get a better understanding of the migration process via Cart2Cart:
Final Thoughts
As you can see from the trial, it’s actually pretty easy to go through the VirtueMart to WooCommerce switching process with the migration service offered by Cart2Cart. Our entire system is designed to provide a seamless transition of the store database so you can avoid more complicated processes, such as moving the data manually or looking for an import/export tool.
Of course, you can always opt to do the entire procedure manually or with the help of our professionals, who’ll make sure that your business remains unchanged in the process.
