How to Migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify in 4 Steps

Why Migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify?

Are you wondering why we should migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify? The decision to switch eCommerce platforms is a challenging one. That’s why we’ve prepared several compelling reasons to transfer WooCommerce to Shopify:

Unmatched Security

WooCommerce is open-source, meaning you should implement security measures yourself or hire a dedicated expert. On the other hand, Shopify takes a proactive stance, safeguarding your business from top to bottom.

Performance and Speed

Your online store’s success significantly depends on fast load times and swift customer interactions. Shopify prides itself on top performance with regular updates and efficient server management.

Diverse Apps and Themes

With over 8,000 apps in the Shopify App Store and a rich selection of 12 free and 144 paid themes in the Shopify Theme Store, you can customize your eCommerce website as you like. 

24/7 Customer Support

In eCommerce, challenges can surface at any hour. Shopify understands this and extends round-the-clock customer support across all pricing plans.

Focus on Selling

Shopify thrives on its robust sales features. Multi-channel selling, upselling, and PoS are just a few examples of built-in functionality this platform offers for your effective sales strategy.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Maintenance is what sets Shopify apart from WooCommerce. This platform covers security updates and server management and constantly improves its functionality. Thus, you don’t have to handle those tasks and can allocate resources to more crucial aspects of your business.

Want to learn more about the differences between these eCommerce platforms? Check out our comprehensive Shopify vs. WooCommerce comparison.

Data Migration from WooCommerce to Shopify

Moving from WooCommerce to Shopify encompasses transferring various data components that constitute your online store. While you can migrate most of those, there are certain elements that you have to set up in your eCommerce website from scratch. Let’s go into the details.

What Can Be Migrated from WooCommerce to Shopify

First, look at the data you can migrate to your Shopify store:

• Product information: names, descriptions, prices, images, product variants, SKUs
• Categories and collections: names, descriptions, statuses, images
• Order history: order dates, statuses, shopping cart details, customer information, shipping addresses
• Customer data: names, email addresses, shipping addresses, order histories
• SEO metadata: meta titles, meta descriptions
• Content pages: About Us, Contact Us, Policy, FAQ pages

What Cannot Be Migrated from WooCommerce to Shopify

Now, let’s discover what you cannot transfer from WooCommerce to Shopify:

• User accounts and passwords
• Plugins and extensions
• Third-party integrations
• Design and themes
• Custom code
• Payment gateway settings
• Language and localization

Key Steps to Move from WooCommerce to Shopify

Since you know which data components you can transfer to your new store, discover the core steps of the WooCommerce to Shopify migration. Following these four stages, you’ll ensure your data remains intact and your Shopify website thrives:

1. Pre-Migration Preparation

Before migrating WooCommerce, lay the groundwork for a smooth transition. Here’s what you can do:

• Back up your WooCommerce store
• Outline the specific data you’ll migrate
• Set the timing of the migration
• Plan the necessary design and functionality adjustments
• Notify your customers about the upcoming migration

2. Shopify Store Setup

At this stage, create a Shopify account and configure your Shopify store. Here’s what it takes:

1. Visit the Shopify official website
2. Click the Start free trial button in the top right corner
3. Enter the details necessary for a successful signup
4. After Shopify takes you to the Admin panel, configure your store
5. Set up currency, shipping, and tax options
6. Select a suitable theme from the Shopify Theme Store
7. Install the necessary apps, extensions, and third-party services mirroring your old WooCommerce store’s functionality

Also, don’t forget to choose a Shopify pricing plan that works best for your business. You have the following options:

• Shopify Basic: $32 per month, designed for individuals and small businesses
• Shopify: $92 per month, tailored for small businesses
• Shopify Advanced: 399 per month, ideal for medium and large businesses
• Shopify Plus: from $2,000 per month, catering to enterprises

3. Data Export from WooCommerce

At this point, you need to export all the necessary WooCommerce data, like products, orders, customer info, and beyond.

Here’s how to migrate products from WooCommerce to Shopify:

1. Go to your WooCommerce admin panel
2. Navigate to the Products section and select Export
3. Choose the fields you want to export and generate a CSV file

The transfer process is similar for customer data:

1. Go to your WooCommerce admin panel
2. Navigate to the Users section and select Export
3. Generate a CSV file

The same goes for order history, where you need to go to the Orders section and export the data in the CSV file.

4. Data Import to Shopify

Once you’ve exported your WooCommerce data, the next step is importing it into your Shopify store.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to import Shopify products:

1. Go to your Shopify admin panel
2. Open the Products section and select Import
3. Upload your CSV file with product data

You also need to import critical customer data. The steps are similar to product transfer:

1. Go to your Shopify admin panel
2. Open the Customers section and select Import
3. Upload your CSV file with customer data

Do the same for order history. Open Orders, select Import and add your CSV file with order data.

After these four steps, your WordPress to Shopify migration is done.

WooCommerce to Shopify Migration Checklist

Let’s recap the procedures necessary to follow when migrating from WooCommerce to Shopify. Here’s a comprehensive checklist:

• Back up your store before migration. This is crucial in case any unforeseen issues during migration arise.
• Migrate your content and products in the necessary languages. If you’re a multiple-language store owner, determine which languages you need to migrate your content and products in. Ensure your data is formatted correctly for import.
• Migrate supplier and media information. If you manage suppliers and media within WooCommerce, export and import this data into Shopify as well.
• Export products with product variants. Make sure you include all product variations, such as size, color, and other options, during migration from WooCommerce.
• Keep your order IDs after migration. Maintain consistent order IDs by tracking all products and variants accurately.
• Preserve your SEO rankings. Create 301 redirects from your old store to a new Shopify website to maintain your SEO rankings.

Tips and Best Practices for a Smooth Migration

With the checklist of essential migration tasks completed, your store is almost all set. Leverage the following tips and best practices to ensure a hassle-free switch from WooCommerce to Shopify:

• Before making your store live, consider testing it and its functionality.
• Clean up and organize your WooCommerce data before exporting it. Remove duplicate products and any outdated info.
• Break down large WooCommerce store migrations into smaller batches.
• Before, during, and after the migration, communicate with your customers about the upcoming changes and possible disruptions.
• Seek professional help if you need expert guidance and a smooth transition.

Challenges and Solutions of Migrating from WooCommerce to Shopify

It may seem that a four-step migration process is straightforward. Yet, it’s not without its hurdles. Let’s explore potential stumbling blocks and their solutions for a successful WooCommerce to Shopify migration.

Data Migration and Accuracy

During your WordPress migration, you transfer vast amounts of data. WooCommerce products, customers, orders, and SEO information are just a few examples. Ensuring an accurate transition may be complex, especially if you run a large-scale store.

Yet, you can tackle this challenge by planning migration carefully and reviewing the exported data before Shopify integration.

Design and Theme Transition

As you know, you cannot transfer your WooCommerce theme to Shopify because of the different eCommerce platform structure. It means you should configure your website’s look and feel from scratch.

One of the core tips for tackling this obstacle is leveraging ready-made Shopify themes. They are highly customizable and help you create an online store that fully reflects your brand identity.

Functionalities and Plugins

You may not find direct substitutes for your WooCommerce features and plugins in the Shopify App Store. While this is, indeed, a challenge, consider it an opportunity to dive into the plethora of Shopify’s extensions. We’re sure you’ll discover the required apps among the 8,000 available.

Quality Assurance

During WordPress to Shopify migration, your store requires robust quality assurance. That’s how you ensure your website functions properly and its design delivers a decent user experience. The only obstacle here is hiring QA experts unless you are one.

Thus, engage reliable QA specialists to test different devices and browsers and discover bugs that may hinder your store’s operation. You should also address any issues promptly.

Post-Migration Support

Even after the successful launch of your new Shopify store, your website isn’t immune to emerging issues. Your customers may encounter cart migration, navigation, and other obstacles post-launch. So, deliver prompt support to them.

You can train your team on Shopify’s specifics and tell your customers about the migration. Also, address any questions as swiftly as possible.

Budget and Resources

Migration services may require a certain financial investment. Depending on your store’s size, required functionality, and design complexity, these may cost significantly.

So, plan your budget carefully. Don’t forget to include Shopify subscription fees, app costs, and potential design and development services.

GenovaWebArt Experience in WooCommerce to Shopify Migration

GenovaWebArt is a Shopify design and development company with profound expertise in replatforming. We cater to various business needs by offering the following two migration services:

• eCommerce migration. As part of this service, we migrate to Shopify from popular eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce, WordPress, and Magento to Shopify migration.
• Custom eCommerce migration. This service offers tailored solutions for businesses operating on outdated eCommerce platforms.

Check out our experience moving from WooCommerce to Shopify on our client’s example. Kit & Kin, a baby care brand, tasked GenovaWebArt to migrate all customers, products, orders, and subscriptions to Shopify Plus. Our team successfully transferred all these components, implemented a custom subscription management functionality, and delivered a complete website redesign for Kit & Kin.

Read more about this client in our case study, or find other applications of our migration services in GenovaWebArt’s portfolio.

Conclusion

As you decide to migrate your store from WordPress/WooCommerce to Shopify, remember that you’re only four steps away. With our guide, you’ll seamlessly transfer all your data and set up your online store effortlessly.

Yet, if you don’t want to tackle the obstacles along the way on your own, GenovaWebArt is here to help. Offering Shopify replatforming services, we can smooth your migration journey and deliver the best results. So, don’t hesitate to contact our team right away.