Mastering Shopify Migration: How to Save Data and Customers

Challenges and Considerations of the Migration Process

Before handling data and customer migration to Shopify, learn about this process’s obstacles and considerations. From the information you can transfer to preserving customer relationships, explore the following aspects:

Transferable Data

You can easily migrate multiple data types from your current store to Shopify. Here they are:

• Product data, including product SKUs, titles, descriptions, prices, images, and other details
• Order data, including purchase history, order dates, shipping addresses, and everything related
• Customer data, including first and last names, phone numbers, emails, preferences, and other customer information
• SEO data, including meta titles, meta descriptions, and image alt texts
• Website structure, including categories and collections

Non-Transferable Data

Here comes the first challenge: you can’t migrate certain data types. Learn more about them:

• Customer passwords – your customers will have to reset those in your new Shopify store
• Transactional emails, including shipping notifications, billing info, order confirmations, and other correspondence
• Apps and extensions – you’ll need to reinstall or find suitable alternatives in a Shopify App Store
• Design and themes – you should choose an appropriate Shopify theme and create your store’s design from scratch

Possible Data Loss

You may lose some data during the migration, or the transferred info may appear incomplete or inaccurate. But that’s not the issue with our replatforming guide. Just follow our best practices and ensure a smooth switch.

If interested, you can also explore BigCommerce to Shopify migration in greater depth.

SEO Ranking Drop

When moving to Shopify from your current platform, your SEO rankings may decline temporarily. That’s because you’re changing your website’s URL structure or still transferring your SEO metadata. Recover your store’s position in search engine lists by implementing 301 redirects and adding meta titles, descriptions, and alt texts to your content.

Payment Gateways

Migrating to Shopify also entails reconfiguring your payment gateways. The good news is that this eCommerce platform supports a decent selection from over 100 third-party payment providers.

Data Migration to Shopify

Data is at the core of your successful Shopify transition. But why is it so critical to save data and customers while migrating? The following reasons are the most significant:

• Ensure your business continuity. Data bridges your old platform and Shopify. Keeping it means continuing to serve your customers without interruption.
• Secure top customer experience. When you save and transfer your online store data, you ensure your customers face minimum disruption.
• Make informed decisions. Saving your existing data is always better than launching a new store from scratch. This way, you track progress and tailor your offerings accordingly.
• Preserve your SEO efforts. Instead of creating meta titles and descriptions for your Shopify store, use your old ones. Owing to that, you optimize your store for search engines faster.

Now, let’s see how to manage data and customer migration to Shopify. This process takes several steps:

Step 1. Set Up a Shopify Account

Before you save any data, ensure you have a Shopify account. To get started with the platform, follow these instructions:

1. Go to the official Shopify website and click “Start free trial.”
2. Fill in the general questionnaire.
3. Enter your email, password, and other details.

These actions will bring you to your Shopify admin and give you a free 3-day trial access. Then, you’ll need to select a suitable subscription plan from the following options:

• Shopify Basic — $32/mo, caters to individuals and small businesses
• Shopify — $92/mo, works best for small businesses
• Shopify Advanced — $399/mo, is suitable for medium and large businesses
• Shopify Plus — $2,000/mo and beyond, focuses on enterprise-level businesses

If you already have a Shopify account and want to migrate your old Shopify store to a new one, safely skip the following steps. All you need to do is export your current data and import it to the new store within Shopify admin.

Step 2. Export Your Current Store’s Data

Although data export differs from platform to platform, let’s look at some general guidelines:

1. Consider the essential data you want to save, including product listings, customer information, and order history.
2. Go to your current platform’s settings or dashboard to find the Export feature (for example, for Magento, it’s System → Data Transfer → Export).
3. Check the export file formats supported by your current platform. You need the CSV format for a successful transition to Shopify.
4. Export your existing store’s data into a CSV file.

Also, check out our guide on WordPress to Shopify migration.

Step 3. Import Your Store’s Data to Shopify

After you’ve exported data from your old store, you can transfer it to Shopify. Here’s how to do it manually:

1. Log in to your Shopify account and go to the admin panel.
2. Find and select “Customers” on the left-hand side.
3. Click “Import.”
4. Click “Add file” and attach a CSV file with your customers.
5. Click “Upload and continue.”
6. Review your data and select the “Import customers” option.

Take the same steps for Products, Orders, and other relevant data.

How to make sure you don’t lose your data during the transfer? Consider these tips:

• Before you import CSV files with your old store’s information, map the fields in your data file to the corresponding columns in your Shopify store. This way, you ensure your info fits the new platform’s structure.
• Before the import, Shopify previews the data you’re about to migrate. Carefully review the information to make sure everything is correct.
• After the import, verify your data once again. Check for errors during the transfer and review the Customer, Order, and Product lists.
• Once you verify your data accuracy, validate it. Test checkout and customer accounts, try to place an order or perform any other action that has to do with your store.

If manual data and customer migration to Shopify feel overwhelming, don’t worry. You can always use third-party apps to handle data transfer. Some prominent examples are Cart2Cart, Store Migration App, and Matrixify.

Retaining Customers During Shopify Migration

While Shopify migration is a lucrative step for your business, it may cause disruption or even anxiety among your regular customers. Check out these tips to smoothen up this process for your clients.

Send Activation Emails

As mentioned earlier, you can’t transfer customer passwords to Shopify. It means your customers must create new accounts in your fresh store. To encourage them to do so, send activation emails to your audience.

Migration apps like Matrixify allow you to send invite emails automatically. Alternatively, motivate your customers to activate their accounts manually through Shopify admin. It takes a few steps:

1. Access your Shopify admin.
2. Go to the “Customers” section.
3. Click on the customer you want to invite.
4. Click “Send account invite” and write an invitation email.
5. Select “Review email” and then “Send notification.”

Maintain Clear Communication

It’s a good idea to notify your audience that you aim to migrate data and customers to Shopify before switching. Share details about the migration process, including the following:

• The reasons for migration
• The benefits of this transition for customers
• The expected migration timeline

Share these details on your social media and through a banner on your current website. Also, inform your customers through email.

Send Exclusive Offers

The best way to retain your customers during migration is to present them with lucrative discounts and offers. For example, suggest a 10% discount on your products for account activation.

Schedule and Prepare the Migration Thoroughly

If you want to minimize disruptions in the customer experience, plan the migration carefully. Schedule the switch during a low-traffic period and notify your audience about the potential downtime. Offer support resources that elaborate on the migration process, including FAQs and account setup guidelines.

GenovaWebArt’s Shopify Migration Success

Our team at GenovaWebArt has a vast Shopify migration experience, which is evident in our successful replatforming projects. Services we delivered to Kit & Kin are one of our decent examples.

Kit & Kin is a UK-based baby care brand. Our cooperation started in 2018 when our client requested a scalable and feature-rich solution for their growing online store.

GenovaWebArt suggested a Shopify Plus pricing plan as the most suitable option for Kit & Kin’s well-established and ever-growing business. We managed to keep data and customers when migrating to Shopify. Our team also ensured that switching from WooCommerce caused minimum disruption to Kit & Kin’s extensive customer base.

Discover other thriving projects in our portfolio.

Data Security and Backup During Shopify Migration

You want to save data and customers while migrating to Shopify. That’s why handling your store’s backup is necessary.

At this point, you may be slightly confused. Does backup differ from export at all? Though these processes are related, they are distinct in purpose. Let us explain:

• Data export is when you extract information to use elsewhere later (in this case, in your new Shopify store).
• Data backup is when you create a copy of all information on your store to prevent its loss or for recovery purposes.

Creating a data backup is similar to exporting your information. Follow the next steps:

1. Decide which data to back up (products, customers, categories, catalogs, orders, and other website content).
2. Go to your current store’s admin panel.
3. Look for the Backup feature within your platform’s settings.
4. Select the data you want to back up.
5. Create a backup and download it.

Next, check the data you saved to ensure you haven’t missed anything. Consider where you’ll store this backup — cloud services are a secure solution.

Remember that keeping your customer and other store info safe is critical. Here’s why:

• Your data likely contains sensitive customer information, such as phone numbers, emails, and payment details.
• Losing data means damaging your reputation and undermining your customers’ trust.
• Improper data migration disrupts your business operations, leads to financial losses, and harms your brand.

Thus, create regular backups and ensure data safety.

GenovaWebArt as Your Shopify Migration Partner

GenovaWebArt is a certified Shopify design and development agency. We know about all the platform’s intricacies, including the replatforming process. Since 2012, we’ve been handling data and customer migration to Shopify through the following services:

eCommerce Migration to Shopify

As part of this service, our team seamlessly transfers your store’s customer, product, category, order, and other data to Shopify. We’re especially good at switching from WooCommerce, Magento, and WordPress.

Custom eCommerce Migration to Shopify

If you migrate from a platform other than WooCommerce, Magento, or WordPress, GenovaWebArt offers a custom replatforming service. We can even move your online store’s data from outdated or bespoke eCommerce solutions.

Learn more about our Shopify migration services here.

Conclusion

If data and customer migration to Shopify has become a necessity for you, get ready for the possibilities ahead. Access numerous features to boost your sales and shopping experience. But hop on this journey carefully. Consider thorough planning, data security, and customer retention.

If Shopify migration feels too challenging for you, rely on GenovaWebArt. We’ve secured numerous transitions, ensuring data integrity along the way. Let’s form your migration vision together. Contact our Shopify experts for further help.