Anchor Group Podcast: Episode 13
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- Michael Mueller, eCommerce Account Executive at Anchor Group
- Maxwell Sherwin, Headless Commerce Expert
- Anchor Group (Company Page)
BigCommerce Migration Podcast Episode Transcript
Michael (00:00)
Hey everybody, thanks for joining the Anchor Group Podcast. You're tuning into episode 13. Today we have Max from our Anchor Group team joining us. He’s a BigCommerce developer, and we're going to talk about what goes into a BigCommerce migration. So if you currently have an e-commerce website on a different platform and you're looking for a new, modern solution, BigCommerce might be the right fit for you. Stick around—we’ll get into the important things you should consider with a BigCommerce migration.
Max works a lot on BigCommerce websites, along with other web development projects we have going on here at Anchor Group. Max, thanks for joining. How are you doing today?
Max (00:37)
Living the dream, Michael. How are you?
Michael (00:39)
Dude, living the dream is right. We record these podcasts on Fridays, and Fridays are always good days. A lot of times, good things are happening at the company. It's always nice to end a successful week on a high note. Well, today we’re going to talk about BigCommerce migrations—what’s included in BigCommerce migration services.
Max (00:45)
Yeah, productive week too, which is always positive.
Michael (01:08)
When we talk about BigCommerce migrations, we’re assuming that the people we’re working with already have an e-commerce website and are moving from one platform to another. I’m glad you could join us, Max, because of your experience actually building websites on BigCommerce. That’s what we’re focusing on today: migrating websites from a different platform to BigCommerce.
Max (01:38)
Yeah, glad to be here. Excited to talk about migration.
Michael (01:43)
That’s right. I’m going to start with an open-ended question about BigCommerce migrations. From your experience here at Anchor Group, what do you think is the most important part of a BigCommerce migration? Say someone’s listening right now and thinking about a migration but isn’t sure where to start or what they should be thinking about. What’s the one most important thing they should keep in mind?
Max (02:24)
Yeah, for sure. I’d probably say it revolves around product data. BigCommerce does have flexibility, but getting your item data right when you migrate is critical. Typically, the longer you’re on a platform, the more chaotic your data management can become. So depending on what you're migrating from, there's usually some cleanup needed. A migration is a great opportunity to fix those things and start with clean data on your new platform.
Michael (03:08)
Max, I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes I use an analogy when talking to prospects and clients about building out e-commerce websites—it's like building a house. At Anchor Group, we build e-commerce websites and then hand over the keys to the people who will live in them—the merchants, the business owners.
Max (03:24)
Mm-hmm.
Michael (03:34)
That analogy applies to migrations too. You’re essentially packing up and moving houses. And if you’ve ever moved before—Max, I know you and your wife are house hunting—you know that sometimes you discover stuff you forgot you had. Similarly, when you're migrating platforms…
Max (03:45)
Yes.
Michael (04:04)
...you’ve just got stuff—in the form of data. And sometimes, you just need to clean it up.
Max (04:04)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I don’t think there could be a more relevant analogy. A lot of times, when people come to BigCommerce, they’re already on an existing platform. Over time, people start throwing data into fields that maybe weren’t intended for that information. Every platform has a way it wants data to be structured. So when you move to BigCommerce, it’s important to get your data aligned with how BigCommerce expects it. That’ll help avoid pain points later as your product catalog grows with more SKUs and categories. So yeah, great analogy—really reflects the migration process.
Michael (05:14)
Yeah. I was on a call this week and someone said, “Your storefront is the window into your data.” That stuck with me. After all the work we’ve done together—migrations, BigCommerce integrations, software builds—that’s exactly right. Your storefront is only going to work as well as the data behind it. You don’t want it cluttered—just like you wouldn’t want a cluttered house.
So yeah, Max, I’m with you: data is one of the most critical pieces to think about when migrating to BigCommerce—or really, any platform.
Now, when we talk to people about migrating e-commerce platforms, many aren’t super familiar with what the whole process looks like. Once you’ve decided to migrate, where do you even start? Who do you reach out to? What’s the process? I’m hoping you can shed some light on the BigCommerce development side.
From my side—in sales and solution design at Anchor Group—when someone is considering BigCommerce, we start with a conversation to make sure it’s a good fit. Agencies like ours work with multiple platforms, so we have a good sense of which ones suit specific business types. That’s one way an agency can really help you make a smart choice.
Once that initial fit check happens, that’s when we lean on you and your team to help with the solution design, talk through requirements, and explore what the software can do. Can you walk us through what that side looks like?
Max (07:28)
Yeah, so once Michael or someone on our sales team has identified that BigCommerce is a good platform for you to migrate to, someone like me—a BigCommerce developer—will typically come in to help solution architect your project. Along with that, we’ll usually bring in a project manager to evaluate the timeline, double-check development estimates, and help coordinate the process.
We generally look at three big areas when planning a BigCommerce migration. The first is your storefront. Are you going to use an existing BigCommerce theme and carry over some of your branding? Do you want a completely new, customized theme? Are you going headless? That’s how we start gauging your needs on the storefront side.
The second area is data management. That includes bringing over customer data, if you have it, and product data—whether that’s integrated with an ERP or exported from your current platform and imported into the new one. We also look at things like your payment processor and what backend systems you’ll be using. That all falls under the data piece.
And then the third piece… now I’m drawing a blank. I had it just a second ago.
Michael (09:14)
Yeah, Max, I’ll jump in. The third piece you and I often talk about is the path to purchase for customers. The storefront and data management are important, but the purpose of an e-commerce store is to push products and close sales. The path to purchase is a critical third component.
Max (09:22)
Yep, exactly.
Michael (09:40)
That path is interwoven into the other two pieces, but we want to make sure it's as simple and transparent as possible. When potential customers land on your site, they should be able to find and order the products they need. And there should be tools in place for you, as a merchant, to retarget and continue offering products that meet their needs. You and I talk about that often.
Max (10:18)
Yeah, exactly. What I was going to say is customization—this is where we identify the customizations your business needs.
As we go through that three-step process, we evaluate how your store currently functions. If you already have a store, what customizations have you made on your existing platform? Are there built-in BigCommerce features that can meet those same needs, or do we need to build something custom for you? Whether that’s a custom feature on the storefront or an integration on the backend, that’s where we come in as developers to create a full solution. The goal is a smooth transition that preserves your core business processes.
For example, we often recommend BigCommerce’s B2B Edition for business-to-business companies. It adds a lot of B2B-specific functionality. But sometimes, even that needs additional customization. You might need custom front-end features, transaction flows during checkout, or special notes fields on orders. That’s where we really hone in on what you need.
Michael (11:51)
Yeah, and one example of a customization we’ve built relates to improving the customer experience across the board—through data, the storefront, and customizations. If you go with the BigCommerce B2B Edition buyer portal, as you mentioned, Max, you get a ton of useful features. But we had a case where a merchant wanted to have a BigCommerce company account on their site. That way, when someone from that company logged in, they’d see a specific product catalog, unique pricing, lead times, warehouses—all tailored for that company.
Max (12:14)
Mm-hmm.
Michael (12:20)
The issue was, when a brand-new user from that company signed up, their account wouldn’t automatically link to the right company profile. So they’d end up off on their own, unable to see their catalog or pricing. We built a customization that checks new account signups for domain similarities and automatically puts them into an approval flow. That way, they’re grouped into their company’s account, instead of managing orders separately in the portal.
I bring that up because it’s a perfect example of how a migration isn’t just about moving platforms—it’s a chance to upgrade. You can add meaningful features, streamline your operations, and deliver a better customer experience across the board.
Max (14:07)
That’s exactly right.
Michael (14:09)
So with that, I think we’ve outlined the three or four main pieces of a BigCommerce migration. Max, can you give us more detail from your perspective? As a BigCommerce developer, what specific services or tasks are you working on during a migration?
Max (14:46)
We spend a lot of time on customization and theme development. That starts with your storefront—what it’s going to look like when customers visit, and what functionality you need. We figure out where we need to extend the theme or add features.
On the backend, we handle integrations—whether it’s with a third-party ERP, inventory management system, or anything else. We manage that backend connection, and any necessary customizations.
Basically, anywhere your storefront needs code or your theme needs adjustment, a BigCommerce developer handles that. But it doesn’t stop there—we also act as business consultants. We consider things like item data: how BigCommerce wants that data structured, and what will happen if you do it another way. We try to help you avoid downstream issues and advise on best practices throughout the migration.
Michael (16:11)
Let’s talk about timeline—because that’s a huge consideration. If someone’s thinking about migrating to BigCommerce, how long does it actually take?
Max (16:13)
Yeah, so once a project actually kicks off, the timeline depends on all the moving parts. If you have a smaller store with not a lot of SKUs, it could be done in two to three months. But for bigger projects—say you're an enterprise-level e-commerce business with thousands of SKUs and three backend integrations—you’re probably looking at a seven to twelve-month migration.
It really depends on the specifics of each migration. We try to be very transparent up front when you talk to Anchor Group. We’ll evaluate your situation and let you know what we expect for things like data migration, theme development—basically, how long each piece of the puzzle will take.
Michael (17:31)
Yeah, good callout. Another thing we should touch on is cost. How much does migrating platforms actually cost? The answer, which isn’t always what people want to hear, is that it varies. It really depends on the merchant’s current setup.
At Anchor Group, we work with a lot of companies that have an e-commerce frontend or buyer portal that their customers interact with, and then an ERP on the backend that runs operations. We do a lot of work with NetSuite, so there’s often a need for software to connect the two—whether that’s direct endpoint integrations between NetSuite and BigCommerce, or using middleware like an iPaaS solution.
All of those variables impact the cost of a BigCommerce migration, or what we sometimes call a BigCommerce implementation. Max, of all those pieces, what do you think is the one you really have to get right? What’s the common thread in successful migrations?
Max (19:05)
Yeah, I’d say the biggest thing is still data. I’ll double down on that. The next piece is evaluating your integration layer—if you have one. You want to make sure you’ve selected integration software that can handle all your current use cases and scale with your future needs.
For example, maybe today you just need to connect your ERP and e-commerce store. But down the road, you might want to add a mailing integration or other software. Choosing a solution that can support that flexibility helps a lot. So yeah, data is number one, and integration planning is right up there with it.
Michael (20:06)
Yeah, that makes sense. Well, Max, thank you for spending some time with us and sharing your thoughts on BigCommerce migrations. We’ve worked with a lot of companies in the past and look forward to helping many more through this process.
At Anchor Group, we really believe BigCommerce is a great platform—especially for businesses doing a blend of B2B and B2C. It also works great for pure B2C or pure B2B. BigCommerce has a feature called BigCommerce B2B Edition, which, like we mentioned earlier, comes packed with B2B-specific features. On other platforms, you’d have to download a bunch of apps or integrate different tools just to get the same functionality. BigCommerce simplifies that.
With just one app, you can manage everything from the BigCommerce admin dashboard.
So if you’re listening and considering a BigCommerce migration, I hope this episode helped point you in the right direction. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us at Anchor Group. We’re happy to walk new people through the process or just share our perspective—whether it’s on shipping, inventory, complex SKUs, integration, or how to make it all flow together.
Max, thanks again for joining us today. I’m sure we’ll have you back on soon.
Max (22:09)
Yeah, no problem. Always enjoy it, Michael.
Michael (22:11)
Fantastic. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Anchor Group Podcast. Feel free to check out our other episodes, head over to our YouTube channel if you’re not already there, or visit our website to learn more about what we do. Take a look at the blog, and if you have any questions, reach out—we’d love to chat.
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