Migrating clients to Shopify from another platform

There are numerous online managers on the Shopify eCommerce platform as an option to established marketplaces plus the entire order for creating an eCommerce market.

Now, Evgeny Sozansky, originator of Xtheta Consulting, which has grown the Head companion of Shopify, speaks about certain characteristics of marketing and building a game on the program.

Shopify eCommerce platform developed in Canada in 2004. Her responsibilities added the capability to build an online store that would support the purchase of assets in various traffic flows already with minimum tension.

It is worth noting that it is best to hire dedicated Shopify developers (either in-house, or through outsourcing and IT staff augmentation services) to create an outstanding online store for your business.

Why Consider Migrating to Shopify

Shopify has become one of the most popular e-commerce platforms, powering over 1 million businesses worldwide. If you currently have clients on another platform like Magento, WooCommerce or BigCommerce, you may want to consider migrating them to Shopify.

There are several key reasons Shopify tends to be a better fit for many e-commerce stores:

• Easier to use admin interface – Shopify’s admin dashboard is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing store owners to manage products, orders and customize their storefront without needing development skills. This makes it easier for clients to maintain their store independently.
• Lower maintenance costs – With managed hosting, automatic updates and a robust app ecosystem, Shopify stores typically require less time and money to run compared to self-hosted platforms.
• Built-in marketing features – Shopify includes useful marketing tools like discount codes, email marketing, SEO optimizations and social integrations right out of the box. Extra apps can add advanced functionality.
• Secure and scalable – Shopify handles enterprise-grade security, uptime and hosting costs so merchants don’t have to worry as their business grows.
• Omnichannel commerce – Shopify offers robust POS, shipping, and channel integration solutions for selling across multiple sales channels beyond the core web storefront.

For e-commerce businesses that want a turnkey solution with powerful features, easier management and room to scale, Shopify can be an excellent platform to switch to.

Challenges When Migrating to Shopify

However, migrating commerce platforms also comes with some challenges to prepare for:

• Theme design and customization – Replicating your brand look and feel will take design and development work to match the old site as closely as possible.
• Inventory and order history migration – You’ll need to plan how to transfer over all existing products, variants, inventory counts and customer order data to Shopify.
• Shopify transaction fee costs – Shopify charges monthly subscription fees and transaction fees per order which are expenses to consider.
• Updating logistics integrations – You may need to reconnect shipping carriers, POS systems, accounting software etc. Some apps charge fees.
• Recreating marketing automations – Automated email sequences, popups/landing pages, and triggers will need to be rebuilt in Shopify’s ecosystem.
• SEO impact – URL structures and redirects will need to be handled to retain search engine rankings when switching domains.

With planning and preparation, these hurdles can be overcome for a smooth transition. We’ll explore recommendations to make the process easier.

Step-By-Step Guide to Migrating to Shopify

Migrating an active e-commerce store involves careful coordination across technology, design, marketing and logistics. Here is an overview of the typical process:

Set Goals and Make a Plan

• Define business objectives, KPIs and metrics for the migration. How will you measure success?
• Audit the existing platform – what works well and what doesn’t? What needs to be replicated or improved?
• Make detailed task lists and project plans. Assign owner, timeline, costs.
• Communicate timelines and expectations to the client. Discuss any concerns.

Select a Shopify Plan

• Assess required features – do you need Shopify Plus for enterprise functionality?
• Consider transaction fees and add-on apps. Calculate total costs.
• Select security and support needs based on the business.
• Sign up for the new Shopify account and store.

Design and Set Up the New Storefront

• Install a Shopify theme that matches brand style and site functionality. Customize as needed.
• Set up payment gateways, shipping settings and tax rates.
• Configure checkout settings and recovery flows. Test end-to-end.
• Install any 3rd party apps required to replicate functionality.

Migrate Products, Inventory and Data

• Use import/export tools to transfer all catalog data from old platform.
• Reconcile inventory numbers. Adjust counts if needed.
• Bring over customer information, order history and marketing data.

Rebuild Automations and Integrations

• Recreate email automations and flows in Shopify marketing tools.
• Connect POS, accounting, ERP and other systems to sync data.
• Set up shipping carrier integrations and rules.
• Configure external analytics, chat and other apps.

QA, Testing and Launch

• Perform user acceptance testing. Check all pages, flows and features.
• Set up redirect rules from old URLs to new location. Submit sitemap.
• Preview and test on mobile experience. Optimize speed.
• Soft launch site in maintenance mode for final sanity check.
• officially launch! Monitor performance and bugs.

Post Launch Follow Up

• Offer training and support to help client use new admin.
• Work on additional features or optimizations after launch.
• Monitor KPIs vs. goals. Tweak strategies as needed.
• Celebrate success! Case study of improvements over old platform.

The optimal timeline can range from 2 weeks for a small store to 2-3 months for large e-commerce sites. Having an experienced Shopify developer and designer makes the process smoother.

Shopify Expert Tips and Recommendations

Here are some additional tips from our team of Shopify experts to help your merchant migration go as smoothly as possible:

• Involve the client in each step so there are no surprises. Clearly communicate timelines, costs and expectations.
• Start theme customization early while data migration is in progress. This prevents delays closer to launch.
• Build a detailed inventory tracking spreadsheet as you migrate products over. Note any changes.
• Export customers to CSV so you have full data access during migration for cleaning and manipulation.
• Test payment gateway, shipping and tax configuration thoroughly in staging first.
• Preinstall any needed apps before launching live site to identify conflicts.
• Create 301 redirects for top pages receiving traffic to retain SEO value.
• Use Metafields for storing custom product data that doesn’t have native Shopify fields.
• Leverage Shopify Script Editor to add advanced customizations.

We’ve helped dozens of merchants successfully switch to Shopify from a variety of platforms. Reach out if you need help guiding your clients through the migration! Our Shopify consultants can assess their specific needs and infrastructure to provide guidance tailored to their business.

Learn more info here: https://www.makebecool.com/

What is the typical cost to migrate to Shopify?

Costs vary quite a bit based on store size, customizations and app needs. For reference, typical ranges are:

• Small business: $2,500 – $7,500+
• Mid-sized store: $7,500 – $15,000+
• Enterprise migration: $15,000+

This includes theme design/setup, data migration, core functionality recreation, testing and launch services. Integrations, custom development and ongoing management would be additional. We offer flexible packages catered to each merchant’s needs and budget.

How long does a migration to Shopify take?

Again, timelines vary quite a bit based on several factors:

• Catalog size – more products means longer data migration
• Custom functionality needed – more complex sites take more configuration
• Theme customization depth – visual design time can range widely
• Integrations required – more apps equals more setup time
• Testing and approval process – client feedback cycles impact timeline

Typical migration timeframes are:

• Small store: 2-4 weeks
• Medium store: 1-2 months
• Large enterprise store: 2+ months

Rushing the process leads to mistakes so adequate time should be planned, especially for large catalogs and complex sites.

Does SEO suffer when switching e-commerce platforms?

SEO impact is a legitimate concern when migrating e-commerce sites. With careful planning, sites should retain most of their organic search value. Recommended best practices include:

• Set up proper 301 redirects from old URLs to new pages
• Submit new XML sitemap to search engines
• Review site content for optimization opportunities
• Analyze traffic logs to identify priority pages to redirect
• Monitor rankings on key terms before/after launch
• Fix any issues with site speed, mobile experience or crawl errors
• Build additional quality links organically over time

If the underlying SEO foundation is strong in terms of content, page speed and technical factors – most sites can change platforms without drastic rankings drops. But migrations require extra planning to prevent visibility losses.

How can I best support clients during an e-commerce migration?

The secret to happy clients is overcommunication. Some recommendations:

• Have regular status calls or emails during the migration process.
• Show previews and demos of work in progress to get feedback.
• Be transparent about timelines and costs. Avoid surprises.
• Offer thorough training on how to use the new Shopify admin and features.
• Provide support docs and resources for common questions.
• Check in after launch to resolve any issues and offer optimization advice.
• Celebrate success! Draft a case study recapping wins and improvements.
• Share analytics so they understand the impact and value delivered.

Being responsive, thoughtful and proactive is key – clients will appreciate your guidance navigating the technology switch.

FAQs About Migrating to Shopify

What is the best migration strategy for a really large catalogue?

For stores with over 20,000 products, migrating everything at once can be risky and unwieldy. A phased approach is often better:

• Launch core products first – Identify the top selling SKUs to migrate in your initial launch. Get the revenue drivers live quickly.
• Add secondary products in batches – Schedule rolling product additions week by week so the site stays stable.
• Automate using CSV – Use bulk upload templates for efficient ongoing product additions.
• Revisit metadata/images later – Reconcile less critical product details after the core data is transferred.

Also be sure to expand Shopify Plus plan product limits as needed. A strategic prioritization prevents a messy big bang launch.

How can I move a Shopify store to a different Shopify account?

Sometimes clients need to migrate their Shopify store from one account to another, for example when rebranding the business name or ownership change. The Shopify store transfer app makes it easy:

• Install the app on both the old and new accounts
• Connect and map data like products and customers
• Set a transfer date – it can take several hours for large stores
• The app replicates everything to the new account
• Update DNS records to the new store domain

No development or manual migration needed – the app handles all the heavy lifting automatically. Just reconfigure themes, apps and settings in the new account.

What are some Shopify apps that help with migrations?

Here are some of our favorite apps for migrating and managing Shopify stores:

• Cart2Cart – automated data migration from other platforms
• Privy – rebuild email optins and popups
• Zipify Pages – replicate landing/squeeze pages
• Rewind – back up data and restore if issues
• Printful – recreate dropshipping integrations
• Ascend – monitor site speed and SEO factors
• Yotpo – pull over customer reviews
• Zapier – connect other software as needed

The Shopify app ecosystem offers tools to recreate most e-commerce functionality needed during platform switches. Integrations are key for smooth migrations.

What should I do if migration delays will impact our timeline?

Delays can happen, especially with complex e-commerce migrations. If your launch needs to be pushed back:

• Be transparent with clients as soon as known – explain reasons clearly
• See if there are any tasks that can be expedited to make up time
• Identify if any interim solutions can be used short term
• Revise the project plan and critical path tasks
• Add more team resources if needed to get back on track
• Provide updated timeline estimates and schedule
• Monitor progress closely to avoid further delays

Managing expectations up front is critical. Having padding in timelines also helps handle unexpected issues. Stay calm and carry on!

Conclusion

Migrating to Shopify is a big project, but pays dividends through easier management, robust functionality and lower overhead. With careful planning across design, development, marketing and integrations e-commerce businesses can make the switch successfully while minimizing risks and disruptions.

Every migration has unique needs and challenges. By partnering with expert advisors, agencies and developers, merchants can ensure the move goes smoothly and their business is well-positioned for the future. The journey takes work but the destination is worth it!