Moderate 2-4 days 12 steps

Big Cartel to Square Online Migration Guide

Big Cartel

Square Online

This guide walks you through migrating from Big Cartel to Square Online to achieve a unified POS and online store experience. Learn how to seamlessly transfer your products and leverage Square's integrated omnichannel capabilities.

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Big Cartel to Square Online Migration Guide

Seamlessly transition from Big Cartel to Square Online to unify your POS and online store experience with integrated inventory management and omnichannel retail capabilities.

Export Your Big Cartel Product Data

Access your Big Cartel admin dashboard and navigate to the Products section to export your inventory as a CSV file. This export will include product names, descriptions, prices, and image URLs, but you'll need to manually download and organize your product images separately since Big Cartel doesn't include actual image files in the CSV export.

Set Up Your Square Online Store

Create your Square Online account and choose between the Free plan (with Square branding) or a paid plan for custom domains and advanced features. Connect or create your Square account to enable the integrated POS functionality that will unify your online and offline sales channels.

Configure Payment and Shipping Settings

Set up Square Payments as your primary payment processor to take advantage of the seamless integration between your online store and POS system. Configure your shipping zones, rates, and tax settings in Square Online, noting that these will automatically sync with your Square POS for consistent pricing across channels.

Import Products and Organize Inventory

Use Square Online's bulk import feature to upload your Big Cartel CSV data, then manually upload your product images to each listing. Take advantage of Square's inventory management system to set up stock tracking and low-stock alerts that will work across both your online store and physical POS locations.

Customize Your Store Design

Select and customize a Square Online template that matches your brand, utilizing the drag-and-drop editor to recreate your Big Cartel store's look and feel. Set up your navigation menu, pages, and ensure your store design works well on mobile devices since Square Online templates are responsive by default.

Test Integration and Go Live

Conduct thorough testing of your product listings, checkout process, and Square POS integration to ensure inventory syncs properly between channels. Update your domain settings, set up any necessary redirects from your old Big Cartel store, and announce the migration to your customers with information about the enhanced shopping experience.

Big Cartel to Square Online Migration: Complete 12-Step Guide

A comprehensive migration process to move your online store from Big Cartel to Square Online, enabling unified POS and online store management with unlimited product variants and enhanced omnichannel capabilities.

Export Product Data from Big Cartel

1-2 hours

Access your Big Cartel admin dashboard and navigate to Products > Export to download your product catalog as a CSV file. This export will include product names, descriptions, prices, SKUs, and basic inventory data. Note that Big Cartel's export may not include all image URLs or variant details, so you'll need to manually collect high-resolution product images. Document any products with complex variant structures that exceed Big Cartel's 50-variant limit, as these can be expanded in Square Online.

Tips:

• Download product images separately from your Big Cartel media library
• Create a spreadsheet to map Big Cartel categories to Square Online categories
• Export customer data separately if you have access to customer emails through your dashboard

Important:

• Big Cartel CSV exports don't include customer data - you'll need to collect this separately
• Product images must be downloaded manually as URLs in CSV may not be accessible

Set Up Square Online Account and POS Integration

30-45 minutes

Create your Square Online account at squareup.com/online-store and connect it to a Square account for unified POS functionality. Choose your store location and currency settings to match your Big Cartel configuration. Link your existing Square POS system if you have one, or set up Square Point of Sale for future omnichannel operations. This integration is crucial for inventory synchronization between online and physical sales channels.

Tips:

• Use the same business email across Square POS and Square Online for seamless integration
• Verify your business information matches exactly between all Square products
• Enable inventory tracking from the start to maintain stock levels across channels

Important:

• Ensure your business verification is complete before importing large amounts of data
• Double-check currency and location settings as these are difficult to change later

Select and Customize Square Online Theme

2-3 hours

Browse Square Online's theme library and select a template that matches your Big Cartel store's aesthetic and functionality needs. Consider themes that highlight your product photography and support your expanded variant options. Customize the theme's colors, fonts, and layout to maintain brand consistency from your Big Cartel store. Upload your logo and configure the header/footer elements to match your previous branding.

Tips:

• Choose themes with strong mobile responsiveness as Square Online emphasizes mobile commerce
• Select themes that support video backgrounds or galleries if your products benefit from rich media
• Test theme customization options before importing products to ensure compatibility

Important:

• Some Square Online themes have limited customization compared to Big Cartel's flexibility
• Theme changes after product import may affect product page layouts

Format and Import Product Catalog

3-5 hours

Convert your Big Cartel CSV export to Square Online's import format, which requires specific column headers like 'Item Name', 'Description', 'Price', and 'SKU'. Expand any products that were limited by Big Cartel's 50-variant restriction by creating additional variant combinations in the spreadsheet. Upload product images to Square Online's media library first, then reference these images in your product import file. Use Square Online's bulk import tool to upload your formatted product data.

Tips:

• Use Square Online's CSV template to ensure proper formatting
• Create variant combinations for size, color, and material options that couldn't fit in Big Cartel
• Import products in batches of 50-100 to identify and fix formatting issues quickly

Important:

• Square Online requires images to be uploaded separately before product import
• Variant pricing and inventory must be specified for each combination in the CSV

Configure Payment Processing

45-60 minutes

Set up Square Payments as your primary payment processor, which integrates seamlessly with Square Online and provides competitive rates. Configure accepted payment methods including credit cards, digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), and Square Gift Cards. If you previously used Stripe or PayPal with Big Cartel, you can also add these as additional payment options. Test payment processing in Square Online's sandbox mode before going live.

Tips:

• Square's integrated payments offer better reporting and reconciliation than third-party processors
• Enable Square Gift Cards to boost customer retention and average order value
• Set up automatic transfer schedules for consistent cash flow

Important:

• Payment processor changes may affect customer saved payment methods
• Ensure PCI compliance settings are properly configured for security

Set Up Shipping Zones and Methods

1-2 hours

Recreation your Big Cartel shipping configuration in Square Online's shipping settings, creating zones for domestic and international delivery. Configure shipping methods including flat rate, calculated shipping, and free shipping thresholds to match your previous setup. Integrate with Square Online's shipping partners like USPS, UPS, and FedEx for real-time rate calculation. Set up local delivery options if you're leveraging Square's omnichannel capabilities for local customers.

Tips:

• Use Square Online's shipping calculator to provide accurate rates at checkout
• Set up local pickup options for customers who visit your physical location
• Configure shipping confirmations and tracking to improve customer experience

Important:

• Shipping zone changes may affect international customers' checkout experience
• Verify that shipping rates are competitive with your Big Cartel configuration

Configure Tax Settings and Compliance

30-45 minutes

Set up tax calculations in Square Online based on your business location and sales tax requirements. Configure automatic tax calculation for different states and countries where you ship products. Enable Square's tax compliance features for states where you have sales tax nexus, which may be more comprehensive than Big Cartel's basic tax options. Link tax settings with your Square POS system for consistent tax calculation across all sales channels.

Tips:

• Use Square's automatic tax updates to stay compliant with changing tax rates
• Configure tax-exempt customer options if you sell to businesses or nonprofits
• Enable location-based tax calculation for accurate state and local taxes

Important:

• Tax configuration errors can create compliance issues - verify settings carefully
• Some international tax requirements may need manual configuration

Migrate Customer Data and Communication

2-3 hours

Export any available customer data from Big Cartel (email addresses, order history) and import it into Square Online's customer management system. Since Big Cartel has limited customer data export options, you may need to manually collect customer information or use email marketing platform exports if you used Mailchimp or similar services. Set up customer accounts in Square Online and send migration notifications to your existing customer base about the platform change and any new features they'll benefit from.

Tips:

• Create customer accounts for repeat buyers to improve their checkout experience
• Set up Square Marketing to continue email campaigns with existing customers
• Offer incentives for customers to create new accounts on your Square Online store

Important:

• Customer password migration is not possible - customers will need to reset passwords
• Order history from Big Cartel cannot be imported into Square Online

Migrate Content and Create Essential Pages

2-4 hours

Copy content from your Big Cartel store's About, FAQ, and policy pages to Square Online's page editor. Create essential pages like Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Return Policy, and Contact Us using Square Online's drag-and-drop page builder. Optimize page content for Square Online's SEO features, including meta descriptions, page titles, and URL structures. Add any blog content or additional pages that were part of your Big Cartel store experience.

Tips:

• Use Square Online's SEO tools to optimize page titles and meta descriptions
• Create a comprehensive FAQ page to reduce customer service inquiries
• Add location and contact information for customers visiting your physical store

Important:

• Content formatting may need adjustment when copying from Big Cartel
• Ensure all legal pages comply with current regulations and Square's requirements

Set Up Domain and URL Redirects

1-2 hours

Connect your custom domain from Big Cartel to Square Online through the domain settings panel. Configure DNS settings to point your domain to Square Online's servers, or transfer domain management to Square for simplified setup. Create 301 redirects from your Big Cartel URLs to corresponding Square Online URLs to maintain SEO rankings and ensure customers can find moved content. Set up redirects for product pages, category pages, and important content pages.

Tips:

• Use Square Online's free SSL certificate for secure browsing
• Create a redirect map before changing DNS settings to avoid broken links
• Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors after the migration

Important:

• DNS changes can take 24-48 hours to propagate globally
• Improper redirects can negatively impact search engine rankings

Comprehensive Testing and Quality Assurance

3-4 hours

Conduct thorough testing of your Square Online store including product browsing, cart functionality, checkout process, and payment processing. Test the integration between your online store and Square POS system by processing test orders and verifying inventory updates across both platforms. Verify that all redirects work properly, shipping calculations are accurate, and tax calculations match your requirements. Test mobile responsiveness and page loading speeds to ensure optimal customer experience.

Tips:

• Test checkout process with different payment methods and shipping options
• Verify inventory synchronization between online store and POS system
• Use Square Online's preview mode to test without affecting live traffic

Important:

• Test all critical functionality before directing traffic from Big Cartel
• Ensure backup plans are in place if issues arise during launch

Launch and Monitor Migration Success

Ongoing monitoring for 1 week

Switch your DNS settings to point to Square Online and monitor the migration closely for the first 48 hours. Update all marketing materials, social media profiles, and third-party integrations to reference your new Square Online store. Monitor website analytics, conversion rates, and customer feedback to identify any issues that need immediate attention. Set up Square Online's analytics and reporting tools to track performance improvements from the unified POS and online store experience.

Tips:

• Announce the migration on social media and email to drive traffic to new features
• Monitor Square's unified reporting to track omnichannel performance
• Collect customer feedback about the new shopping experience and platform features

Important:

• Be prepared to quickly address any functionality issues discovered post-launch
• Monitor for any SEO ranking changes and address technical issues promptly

What will be migrated

products

Products, descriptions, SKUs, prices, images. Variants: Big Cartel supports 50 vs Square Online's Unlimited.

customers

Customer contact info, addresses, marketing preferences transfer. Passwords must be reset for security.

orders

Order history for reference. Consider importing last 3-6 months for customer service.

Big Cartel to Square Online Migration FAQ

Essential questions and answers for businesses migrating from Big Cartel to Square Online, covering everything from data transfer to cost implications.

How long does it typically take to migrate from Big Cartel to Square Online?

A complete migration usually takes 1-2 weeks depending on your store size and complexity. The actual data transfer can be completed in a few hours using Big Cartel's CSV export, but theme setup, testing, and domain configuration require additional time.

Will I lose my search engine rankings when switching from Big Cartel to Square Online?

You may experience temporary SEO impact, but proper 301 redirects can minimize ranking loss. Square Online provides basic SEO tools, though they may be less comprehensive than Big Cartel's SEO features for larger stores.

Can I transfer my order history and customer data from Big Cartel?

Big Cartel's CSV export primarily covers product data, not order history or customer accounts. You'll need to manually export customer information separately, and historical orders typically cannot be transferred to Square Online's system.

What happens to my third-party app integrations when moving to Square Online?

Most Big Cartel integrations won't carry over since Square Online has a different app ecosystem. However, Square Online offers native integrations with popular tools like Mailchimp, Facebook, and Instagram, plus robust Square POS integration.

How do Square Online's customization options compare to Big Cartel's themes?

Square Online offers fewer design customization options compared to Big Cartel's flexible themes. While Square provides professional templates, advanced CSS customization is more limited, especially on the free plan.

Will my store experience downtime during the migration?

You can build your Square Online store while keeping Big Cartel active, minimizing downtime. The main downtime occurs only when switching your domain, which typically takes a few hours for DNS propagation.

Should I start with Square Online's free plan or upgrade immediately?

If you're currently on Big Cartel Gold or Platinum, consider starting with Square Online Plus ($29/mo) for custom domains and better features. The free plan is suitable for testing but includes Square branding and transaction fees.

Can I replicate my Big Cartel store design on Square Online?

Exact design replication may not be possible due to different template structures and customization limitations. Square Online's themes are more standardized but professional-looking, though less flexible than Big Cartel's custom CSS options.

Do customers need to create new accounts on my Square Online store?

Yes, customer passwords and accounts cannot be transferred for security reasons. You'll need to communicate this change to customers and encourage them to create new accounts, though guest checkout is available.

How should I handle inventory and orders during the migration period?

Sync inventory levels between both platforms during transition and monitor both stores for orders until fully switched. Consider pausing Big Cartel once Square Online is live to avoid overselling products.

Will migrating to Square Online save me money compared to Big Cartel?

Costs vary by plan choice - Square Online's free plan saves money but includes transaction fees and limitations. The Plus plan ($29/mo) costs more than Big Cartel Gold but offers unlimited products and POS integration benefits.

Can I transfer my product reviews from Big Cartel to Square Online?

Product reviews typically cannot be automatically transferred between platforms. You'll need to manually recreate important reviews or encourage customers to leave new reviews on your Square Online store after launch.