Prepare review records for a store move without losing their origin

Moving reviews is not just transferring text into a new template. Preserve the evidence that connects each review to its source, product and original context.

Export before editing

Keep an untouched copy of the source export in an appropriately private location. Record the export date and the system it came from. Work on a separate copy so a transformation mistake does not destroy the only available evidence.

Do not upload a complete customer dataset when the review migration needs only a narrower set of fields. Inspect the export for email addresses, order identifiers and attachments that should not become public.

Map the product relationship

Create a mapping between the old product reference and the new one. Titles alone are weak identifiers because names can change or be reused. A review of an old material or discontinued version may need context rather than attachment to the latest product.

For an illustrated case, two products called “Classic pouch” may differ in size and fabric. Similar wording is not enough to prove their reviews are interchangeable.

Retain important provenance

Keep the original date, text, rating if one existed, source reference and relevant verification status. Do not turn every imported review into a newly verified purchase. The destination's labels should reflect what the migration can actually prove.

If a field cannot be imported, decide how its meaning will be preserved or whether the review should be withheld. Silently dropping a qualification is not a harmless formatting change.

Test a deliberately awkward sample

Include a long review, a review without a rating, a duplicate, an edited product and a record with a photo. Check the public display and the private stored values. Use authorised data and avoid making a test import visible to customers.

The test should establish how to undo or correct the import. Re-running a file must not be assumed safe unless the tool's duplicate handling has been demonstrated.

Reconcile before opening the new page

Compare accepted, rejected and withheld counts with the source. Investigate differences rather than celebrating a matching total that may contain duplicates. Keep the old-to-new mapping and the import result together.

This guide does not claim that oBizee has a review-import integration. Confirm the actual tool and supported format before preparing a live migration. Read platform evaluation guidance to include evidence portability in a broader store move.

Illustrative case to check

An export contains 80 records: 65 map clearly, ten concern discontinued products and five have uncertain references. A defensible first import may contain only the 65 clear records. Preserve the other 15 with reasons and investigate them separately. Do not change their product IDs until the total reaches 80 merely to make the migration appear complete.