1. Why should I migrate my BigCommerce products from V2 to V3 experience?
Here is why you should migrate from V2 to V3:
- Modernizing Tech Stack: Merchants implementing new systems (ERP, OMS, PIM, Marketplace Listing Tools like Feedonomics and ChannelAdvisor, etc.) want to avoid integrating those systems with BigCommerce APIs twice, once with V2 and then later with V3.
- Migrating to MSF: Merchants consolidating V2 store(s) to multi-storefront that requires V3 product experience
- Adding New Store(s): New stores come with V3 only. Merchants may want to upgrade existing V2 stores to standardize all store product experiences for efficiency.
- Better Features: For faster APIs, metafield visibility, ability to attach options and modifiers directly to products (i.e., no need to create Option Sets thus simplifying new product setups), new V3 only API resources like Cart API, Payments API, & Widgets.
- Migrate before V2 support ends: Merchants want to migrate to V3 now and not be caught by surprise if BigCommerce sunsets V2. That may happen eventually.
- Skills / Knowhow: Hiring talent that is familiar with V2 to maintain BC stores may become more difficult. If you’re referring to just the V3 UI layout vs V2 UI layout, I guess it is what it is. I know it takes fewer clicks to set up a product in V3 UI compared with V2.
2. Is my BigCommerce store eligible for this migration?
All BigCommerce V2 stores are eligible for migration using our app. Click here for our default app pricing. In case your V2 store has the following specific characteristics, contact us to get a custom quote:
- Product rules of type “Stop processing rules”.
- Products with options but without SKUs.
3. Can I run a trial migration first?
Yes, you may transfer your V2 products to a trial V3 store to preview the results of the upgrade to V3.
4. Do I need to put my store in maintenance mode during migration?
Yes, we recommend you put your store in maintenance mode during the migration to minimize the risk of data loss or corruption, avoid customer interactions on products with missing data, and ensure that the migration is performed accurately and efficiently.
5. What do I have to do manually as part of this migration?
At some point, you will be asked to click the “Update now” button (see below) to switch the UI to the V3 product creation experience. The screen shown below will appear in the Product Create or Edit screen after option sets and configurable fields are removed from your V2 store.
6. Can you migrate a product that has multiple options that share the same option display name?
No, the V3 APIs do not accept it even though it is valid data in the V2 store. We highlight such exceptions upfront so you can fix those prior to the migration.
7. How long does the migration take?
Depending on your catalog size, it may take a few minutes to a few hours to complete the job. You will be notified when the job is completed.
8. Do we need to contact BigCommerce support during the migration?
Hopefully not. After executing the prerequisites successfully (unlink option sets and delete configurable fields), we should see an update banner prompt in the product edit screen of your store. If we don’t see that banner, you must contact the BigCommerce support team to diagnose the issue and help resolve it.
9. When migrating products from V2 to V3, do you retain the same Product ID?
Yes. The app does not delete your V2 products. It only updates them. As a result, the old Product IDs are retained.
10. How do you transfer a V2 option (e.g., “Add Insurance?”) that doesn’t represent a unique physical SKU?
In V2, SKUs will be created for the following option types: Swatch, Multiple choice, Product pick list, and Checkbox.
When migrating to V3, we create SKUs for the following option types only: Color, Size, Swatch, and Multiple choice. Product pick list and Checkbox options will be set-up as Modifier Options in V3. In case your V2 product has Product pick list and/or Checkbox options and has pre-generated SKUs, we will not convert those SKUs over to V3 and will report those products so that you can review and rebuild those SKUs in V3 as you see fit.
11. Can you migrate configurable fields?
Yes. We delete and re-create V2 configurable fields as V3 customizations (i.e. modifier options).
12. How do you migrate product rules?
We process product rules as follows: Some rules are processed to generate adjusted SKU values (price, weight, variant image, & purchasability). Some are migrated as V3 modifier option rules. In V3, only modifier options can have rules. If you have complex rules (i.e. a variant option and modifier option are both involved in triggering the rule), we skip those during migration as we’re unable to figure out how much of the adjustment to apply to a variant option versus a modifier option. We will report which products have such rules so that you can migrate those rules to V3 products manually post-migration.
13. Do you migrate option set rules?
Yes, we do. Our tool automatically applies an option set rule to each of the applicable products and processes that rule similar to how a product rule is processed.
14. Can you migrate a product with SKUs that use an unequal number of options?
No, we cannot. In V3, all SKUs of a product must use the same set of options. We identify such exception products upfront so you can rebuild them either before or after the migration.
15. Can you migrate a product with a complex rule?
No, we cannot. If a product has a complex rule (i.e. a variant option and modifier option are both involved in triggering the rule), we do not migrate that product to V3. We will report such products upfront so that you can rebuild such products manually to comply with V3.
16. Can you migrate products with more than 600 options?
In BigCommerce V3, you must create explicit SKUs (i.e., variant options). BigCommerce allows you to create a maximum of 600 SKUs. V2 did not have the restriction as it did not require you to create explicit SKUs.
Our app reports which of your V2 products have 600+ options so you can rebuild them manually in V3 to comply with the 600 variants limit.
17. Can you migrate customers, orders, themes, etc.?
No. Considering that the app is used to upgrade products to V3 experience in the same store, it does not migrate customers, orders, themes, etc. If you want to migrate your catalog to a separate V3 store, you will then need to migrate customers, orders, themes, etc. Please contact Our professional services team at [email protected] to help you.
18. Can you transfer my V2 catalog to a separate V3 or MSF (Multi-Storefront) store?
Yes. Please contact Our professional services team at [email protected] to help you.
19. Do you migrate V2 custom fields?
Yes, we migrate custom fields.
20. What is being “touched” during the migration?
We operate only on product options and SKUs. Everything else like images, brands, categories, etc stay intact.
21. After categories are deleted while disabling Google Shopping and recreated later in the V3 store, are V3 products assigned to the correct categories automatically?
Yes, the categories will be correctly assigned.
22. For how long will StrikeTru hold on to V2 store data?
Product data will be stored for a period of 1 month from the last time Step 1 is run in the app (this is when the app backs up V2 product data). Product data is stored in JSON formats.
23. If exceptions are identified in step 1 and are fixed manually, do I have to restart the process?
Yes, we can rerun Step 1 once the fixes are in place.
24. Will V2 be deprecated in the future?
As far as we know, BigCommerce hasn’t set any date to sunset V2. However, they are actively encouraging merchants to migrate to V3. You can read more about why BigCommerce released V3 on the following pages: V2 versus V3 API and Versioning the BigCommerce API.
25. How does the Migration Tool Work and will it preserve my current custom fields and product options?
Yes, your custom fields and product options are preserved. See the process flow on our landing page as to how it works.
26. Can I preview my theme customizations on the V3 sandbox store prior to upgrading my V2 store to V3?
Yes, our app transfers your V2 products, options, and SKUs to your V3 sandbox store so you can audit and preview not only the products, option, and SKUs in V3 format, but also verify how your theme customizations might be affected by the V3 product data structures.
27. Will all my category names and product URLs be intact after the migration?
Yes. However, the category IDs will change and should be updated accordingly if you are running any promotions on categories or products.
28. Do I have to sign an ongoing subscription or services contract to migrate to V3?
No, we charge a one-time fee for the migration.
29. After migrating to the V3 product experience, can I switch back to V2 again?
You will have to contact BigCommerce Support for help.
30. Do I need to disable Google Shopping in order to upgrade to BigCommerce V3?
No, disabling Google Shopping is no longer a prerequisite for upgrading your store to BigCommerce V3.
Additional Reading:
Migrating from the Legacy Product Experience (BigCommerce)
Quick Guide for Removing Google Shopping and Option Sets (BigCommerce)
