Shopify Migration Checklist: Complete Guide to Smooth Replatforming

Migrating to Shopify isn't just moving your store to a new platform. It's complete ecommerce replatforming that restructures your entire commerce system.

If you're planning a WooCommerce to Shopify migration, Magento to Shopify migration, BigCommerce to Shopify migration, or moving from a custom solution, your current setup likely includes complex backend processes, detailed catalog rules, and multiple system integrations that won't transfer directly to Shopify.

This comprehensive migration checklist guides you through four essential phases:

• Pre-Migration Preparation

• Shopify Migration Process

• Post-Migration Checklist

• Post-Launch Monitoring & Optimization

If your business handles significant sales volume, following this roadmap helps you avoid costly surprises and migrate with confidence.

Considering a Shopify migration? Get a free migration consultation with our enterprise experts.
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Why a Comprehensive Migration Checklist Matters

A comprehensive Shopify migration checklist does more than keep you organized. It protects your business from costly operational disruptions during ecommerce replatforming.

Shopify works differently than Adobe Commerce, Salesforce, or WooCommerce, and without a detailed migration plan, assumptions from your old platform can create problems after launch. SEO rankings drop, inventory systems fall out of sync, and customers encounter checkout errors. Each item in this checklist helps you identify and prevent these issues before they impact your business.

Pre-Migration Preparation: Building a Solid Foundation

Your Shopify migration succeeds or fails before you move any data. Every element of your current setup needs to be evaluated against Shopify's capabilities and limitations before migration begins. Getting this wrong leads to broken product filters, failed orders, and emergency fixes after launch. This preparation phase creates a plan that minimizes risk throughout your entire migration.

1. How to Define Migration Goals and Success Metrics

Why this matters: Without clear, agreed-upon goals, ecommerce migration projects expand beyond their original scope, increase costs, and create internal confusion among stakeholders.

• Document the specific problems with your current platform, including both technical issues (like plugin failures) and operational challenges (such as slow campaign launches or high customer service volume)

• Convert these problems into measurable Shopify outcomes: reduced operating costs, improved customer satisfaction scores, faster product launch cycles

• Identify what won't be available immediately after launch and which advanced features (like dealer portals or automated returns) will be added in a second phase

• Get every team (marketing, operations, finance) to agree on what success looks like

Output: Approved success framework with key performance indicators, known limitations, and prioritized business outcomes.

2. How to Confirm Shopify Plus Architecture and Design Requirements

Why this matters: Shopify has specific limitations for themes and storefront functionality that affect your design options.

• Decide whether you'll use a standard Shopify theme, custom Shopify Plus development, or a headless commerce approach with Shopify as the backend.

• Verify your chosen approach supports your business requirements: complex product filtering, accessibility standards (WCAG/ADA compliance), and user experience features like quick reorders or dynamic pricing.

• Determine whether you'll recreate your existing design or redesign your store and establish how you'll optimize mobile performance.

Output: Documented technical approach with confirmed feature support and approved user experience scope.

3. Complete Data Migration Audit and Cleanup

Why this matters: Inconsistent data breaks storefront functionality and system integrations. Shopify enforces specific rules: maximum 100 product variants, only 3 product options (like size, color, material), and no nested product categories.

• If your current catalog uses complex bundling, dynamic pricing, or deep category structures, you need to simplify and reorganize before importing.

• Standardize product codes, normalize product attributes, identify which custom data fields you need for filtering or app functionality, and remove outdated entries.

• For customer and order data, validate email formats, remove duplicate accounts, and decide how much order history to migrate (many businesses migrate only the past two years).

Output: Shopify-compatible dataset, including custom data fields and properly structured product variants.

4. Backup Everything

Why this matters: Migration changes can't be undone once they're in progress.

• Create complete archives of all your data: product information, customer records, order history, theme files, custom data fields, discount rules, blog content, and media files.

• Keep your current store accessible in maintenance mode for 60-90 days after launch. You'll need it for customer service inquiries, financial reconciliation, and troubleshooting.

*Include app settings and exportable data from your inventory, order management, and ERP systems.

Output: Complete backups plus continued access to your original store after migration.

5. Inventory Content and Map SEO Assets

Why this matters: Shopify changes your website's URL structure and SEO settings.

• Use website crawling tools (like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb) to capture all your current URLs: products, collections, blog posts, policy pages, and content pages.

• Identify pages with backlinks, high traffic, or strong SEO performance.

• Shopify blog URLs automatically include "/blogs/news/" in the path and don't support custom subfolder structures.

• The platform can override custom SEO settings, so plan your redirect strategy carefully and test thoroughly.

*Test redirects and check how deeply search engines can crawl your new site before launch. Don't assume everything will transfer perfectly.

Output: Complete SEO inventory with planned redirects, SEO settings plan, and blog content migration strategy.

📌 Feeling overwhelmed by pre-migration tasks? Our Shopify Plus team can run a complete audit of your data, SEO, and integrations so you start migration with complete visibility.

6. Document Configurations and Workflows

Why this matters: Shopify imports your data but not your business logic. Every tax rule, discount setting, shipping configuration, and workflow must be manually recreated or set up through apps and integrations.

• Document your navigation structure, product collections, payment options, shipping zones, tax settings, custom discounts, checkout processes, return procedures, and user account permissions.

• Flag any business processes that depend on custom scripts or connecting systems.

Output: Complete workflow documentation and configuration guide, verified against Shopify's built-in capabilities.

7. Shopify Integration Assessment: Evaluate Third-Party Connections

Why this matters: Most systems that connect to your current platform won't connect to Shopify the same way.

• For each connected system (ERP, order management, warehouse management, CRM, email platform, reviews, loyalty program, tax software, payment processing), decide whether you'll use a Shopify built-in feature, an app from the Shopify App Store, or a custom integration.

• Watch for potential issues: data sync speed limits, system update delays, one-way data flow restrictions, or broken order status communication.

• Complex CRM or ERP systems may need integration platforms like Celigo or Patchworks.

Output: Integration plan showing each system connection, Shopify integration method, risk assessment, and data sync approach.

8. Choose Your Migration Method

Why this matters: Different import methods support different types of data. Shopify's standard importer doesn't handle custom data fields, order history, or complex product variants.

• Use specialized tools like Matrixify or custom development scripts for structured imports.

• Consider whether importing complete order history is necessary for your analytics needs.

• Test your import process with a small sample: 100 products, 50 customers, and 10 orders before importing everything.

*Large order imports (over 10,000 orders) often require queued processing and extended import times.

Output: Chosen import method with documentation, validated test import, and identified risk areas.

9. Build a Project Timeline and Align the Team

Why this matters: Shopify migrations typically take several months, and timeline drift causes delays and budget overruns.

• Define each phase clearly: data extraction, site building, data import, quality assurance, redirect setup, and go-live.

• Assign specific owners for each phase.

• Establish a content and code freeze period 1-2 weeks before launch.

• Schedule your final switch-over during low-traffic hours.

• Prepare customer communications and internal backup plans in advance.

Output: Approved timeline with responsibility assignments, content freeze policy, and launch procedures.

Shopify Migration Process: Step-by-Step Execution Guide

With your preparation complete, you're ready to execute the migration. The sequence here is critical: products must be imported before collections, customers before orders, and URLs established before redirects. Once your store goes live, Shopify doesn't allow complete rollbacks. Execute each step with controlled imports, regular checkpoints, and thorough testing.

Step 1: Set Up Your Shopify Store

Why this matters: Your Shopify environment must be properly configured to receive your data without conflicts.

• Create your Shopify Plus environment and configure essential settings: currency, timezone, language, checkout behavior, tax calculations, and shipping zones.

• Add team member accounts with two-factor authentication enabled.

• Install a starter theme and confirm it supports your product catalog structure, accessibility requirements, and planned features like quick add-to-cart and product filtering.

Output: Environment ready, settings validated, secure access established, theme prepared for customization.

Step 2: Import Products and Collections

Why this matters: Products form the foundation of your store. Customers, orders, and collections all depend on them.

• Simplify complex product structures from your previous platform.

• Collections can be created manually or automatically based on rules, so map your product categories early.

• Include all necessary custom data fields for filtering, size charts, and compliance information.

• Use specialized import tools like Matrixify or custom development for better control.

• Import in stages and validate how products display, function, and group on your storefront.

*Test product availability rules for different sales channels (online store, point of sale, wholesale).

Output: Products imported with clean images, accurate variants, and functional collections.

Step 3: Migrate Customers

Why this matters: Customer records enable segmentation, loyalty programs, and customer service. Shopify cannot migrate passwords, so plan a customer reactivation campaign after launch.

• Shopify handles customer data differently than other platforms. VIP customers, wholesale pricing tiers, and subscription preferences should be mapped using custom data fields or Shopify's B2B tools.

• Import using specialized tools and test connections with sample orders and customer groups.

*Shopify Plus merchants can use Shopify B2B for advanced customer permissions and pricing.

Output: VIP and wholesale customers properly identified and tagged, reactivation campaign prepared.

Step 4: Import Past Orders (Optional)

Why this matters: Order history impacts analytics, customer service capabilities, returns processing, and loyalty programs.

• Shopify requires specialized tools or custom development for order imports since standard CSV imports don't support orders.

• Import only necessary history (typically 1-2 years).

• Validate that orders connect properly to customer records and product references and confirm payment statuses are accurate.

• Disable automated notification emails during import.

• After importing, verify refund eligibility, sales tax reporting, and sales channel attribution.

* If your previous platform included gift card balances or discount usage history, ensure this information transfers if needed.

Output: Historical orders properly linked to customer records, no accidental emails sent, data matches financial records.

Step 5: Rebuild Site Content (Pages & Blog)

Why this matters: Content builds trust, drives conversions, and maintains SEO value. Customers expect brand information, policies, and resources to remain accessible.

• Shopify uses a simpler content structure without blog subfolders and limited content management features.

• Recreate essential pages like About, Contact, and Policy pages manually or using import tools.

• For blogs, use RSS feeds or specialized tools to migrate posts.

• Check formatting, media display, and internal links carefully since Shopify handles these differently than other platforms.

Output: Core content pages and blog posts published, links functional, visual consistency maintained.

Step 6: Install Apps and Integrations

Why this matters: Third-party apps replace many features from your previous platform, but they don't always integrate smoothly.

• Plan for potential integration delays, data sync issues, and system communication limits.

• Install and configure essential apps: reviews, loyalty programs, subscriptions, email marketing, search, upselling, and analytics.

• Validate each integration thoroughly by confirming system communications work properly (like order creation notifications and customer updates) and testing data synchronization with your inventory, CRM, and order management systems.

• Monitor for duplicate data or sync errors.

*For inventory systems, process test orders through staging and verify data accuracy throughout the entire flow.

Output: All apps integrated with functional data flows, system communications stable, synchronization working properly.

Step 7: Verify Shipping, Tax, and Payment Logic

Why this matters: Payment errors and tax calculation mistakes damage customer trust immediately.

• Rebuild tax settings by region and confirm Shopify Tax (US) or Avalara (international) configurations.

• For shipping, test all geographic zones, rates, and delivery methods, including carrier integrations.

• Set up multiple payment gateways and currencies, testing edge cases like address verification failures, 3D Secure authentication, and currency mismatches.

*Shopify Payments operates differently than external payment processors. Test both where applicable.

Output: Checkout processes smoothly in all target regions with accurate tax and shipping calculations and successful payment processing.

Step 8: Implement URL Redirects

Why this matters: Shopify enforces specific URL patterns (/products/, /collections/, etc.) that rarely match previous platform URLs exactly.

• Your redirect plan must account for URL structure changes, blog path differences, and SEO conflicts.

• Test all high-traffic and high-value URLs after import.

• Use Shopify's built-in redirect tool or specialized import tools for bulk uploads.

• Avoid redirect chains and ensure final destinations display expected content without duplicate SEO metadata.

Output: 301 redirects active, no broken legacy URLs, SEO tags verified.

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Step 9: Test Theme Customization

Why this matters: Your theme creates the first impression. Mobile performance, accessibility, and page load speed must be flawless.

• Apply brand elements (logos, fonts, colors) and test complete user journeys: navigation to product pages to cart to checkout, across iOS, Android, and major browsers.

• Use Google Lighthouse to identify layout shifts and interaction delays.

• Validate how custom data fields display in templates.

Output: Theme deployed, tested across all devices, performance and accessibility verified.

Step 10: Configure Domain and DNS (Pre-Cutover)

Why this matters: Poor domain transitions cause website downtime.

• Add your custom domain in Shopify and update DNS records through your domain registrar.

• Confirm Shopify has issued the SSL certificate.

• Set DNS time-to-live (TTL) to 300 seconds 48 hours before cutover.

• Don't change DNS settings until your scheduled launch window.

*Confirm subdomain rules if you're running regional stores or headless commerce setups.

Output: DNS and domain tested, TTL configured, certificates active, cutover plan ready.

Post-Migration Checklist (Pre-Launch QA)

This final testing phase determines whether you're ready for real customers. Treat this as a go/no-go checkpoint, not a formality. Every broken link, filter, or tax calculation that gets missed here will impact actual sales. Don't launch if any core function (search, product pages, checkout, order fulfillment) isn't working perfectly.

1. Thoroughly Test the Store

Why this matters: Checkout, navigation, and personalization must perform flawlessly under real-world usage conditions.

• Add various products (including bundles and subscriptions) to cart.

• Process test orders as a guest customer, logged-in customer, and wholesale account holder.

• Validate email notifications, search functionality, product filtering, returns processes, and upselling features.

• Confirm consistent experience across all devices and account types.

Output: Seamless shopping and checkout experience across all customer types and devices.

2. Verify Product & Content Accuracy

Why this matters: Missing or incorrect content breaks user experience and reduces conversions.

• Spot-check pricing, inventory levels, variant logic, custom data fields (sizing guides, product labels), and visibility settings.

• Validate structured data for product and collection pages.

• Confirm blog formatting, embedded media, and SEO metadata.

Output: All critical content accurate, visible, and properly structured for search engines.

3. Run an SEO Audit (Links & Metadata)

Why this matters: Technical SEO problems are difficult to fix after launch.

• Use website crawling tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to validate that redirects work properly with no broken links or redirect chains.

• Check page titles, meta descriptions, image alt text, and structured data.

• Confirm Shopify's SEO tags are correct, especially on product variants and paginated collection pages.

Output: Clean SEO foundation with no broken links, no duplicate content, all metadata and SEO logic intact.

4. Set Up Analytics & Tracking

Why this matters: Without proper tracking, you can't measure success or identify problems after launch.

• Install Google Analytics 4, Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, and other advertising platform tags.

• Use browser extensions like Tag Assistant or Pixel Helper to confirm critical events (Add to Cart, Purchase, Refund) fire correctly.

• Validate ecommerce data on product pages, cart, and checkout.

• Confirm UTM tracking parameters pass through properly.

*If using GTM, verify domain settings and cookie consent functionality.

Output: Complete conversion tracking active with no broken events and preserved UTM parameters.

5. Final Pre-Launch Tweaks

Why this matters: Launch preparation goes beyond content polishing.

• Password-protect your store until go-live.

• Review team member permissions and limit admin access to essential personnel.

• Test integration connections for apps, check for any backlogged system communications, and confirm translations or alternate templates for multi-region operations.

• Customize Shopify's automated emails to match your brand.

Output: Store secured and ready with clean integrations and brand-aligned communications.

6. Launch Day Monitoring

Why this matters: Most post-launch issues appear within the first few hours.

• Monitor Shopify admin for real-time orders, payments, and errors.

• Track Google Analytics real-time reports and watch for conversion funnel drop-offs.

• Check system logs for integration failures with inventory, email, and CRM systems.

• Monitor customer service channels for pattern issues like address validation problems or discount code failures.

Output: Launch stability confirmed across orders, tracking, system logs, and customer support channels.

7. Accessibility & Compliance Testing

Why this matters: Accessibility ensures legal compliance and creates better user experiences for everyone.

• Run automated accessibility scans using tools like axe, Wave, or Lighthouse.

• Manually test keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, form labels, color contrast, and alt text.

• Check checkout fields and error messages for proper accessibility markup.

Output: Store meets accessibility standards, reducing legal risk and improving user experience.

8. Load & Performance Testing

Why this matters: Launch performance directly impacts conversions and search engine rankings.

• Run Google Lighthouse and PageSpeed audits on product pages, collection pages, homepage, and checkout.

• Use tools like GTmetrix or SpeedCurve to simulate traffic load.

• Identify oversized code files, loading delays, or app performance issues.

• Set a performance standard and remove any app or script that doesn't justify its impact on speed.

Output: All page types pass Core Web Vitals standards with no slow apps affecting cart or checkout.

📌 Want enterprise-level quality assurance before launch? Book a Pre-Launch Audit and we'll test SEO, performance, and compliance from end to end.

Post‑Launch Monitoring & Optimization

You're live, but the real work begins now. The first 30 days determine your long-term success. Small issues can quickly become major operational problems, so this phase focuses on daily monitoring, rapid problem resolution, and achieving stability before expanding your operations.

1) Post-Migration Health Checks (First 48-72 Hours)

Why this matters: Launch day reveals problems that testing couldn't catch.

• Monitor your Shopify admin dashboard for payment failures, incomplete orders, or address validation issues.

• Compare Shopify data with your inventory and order management systems to ensure order totals, shipping fees, and tax collection match perfectly.

• Confirm real-time synchronization for inventory levels and pricing updates.

• Verify that automated emails (order confirmations, shipping notifications, refund confirmations) are sent reliably.

Output: No synchronization delays, financial data matches across systems, customer service reports no recurring issues.

2) SEO Recovery and Search Engine Crawl Stabilization

Why this matters: Even with proper redirects, search engines need time to reinterpret your migrated site.

• Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

• If you changed domains, file a Change of Address request in Google Search Console.

• Monitor indexing coverage, crawling statistics, and SEO tags.

• Watch your most important URLs for traffic drops and revalidate structured data on product pages, collection pages, and blog posts.

Output: Sitemap accepted by search engines, no crawling problems, high-value pages maintaining search rankings.

3) Customer account and loyalty continuity

Why this matters: Returning customers expect their account information and rewards to work seamlessly.

• Send password reset invitations to all customers, prioritizing VIP and wholesale accounts first.

• Verify that loyalty program points, gift card balances, and store credit transferred correctly.

• Confirm wholesale customer settings including payment terms, custom pricing, and tax exemptions work properly.

• Monitor for cases where customer data failed to transfer or duplicated.

Output: Account logins working smoothly, loyalty program values accurate, no wholesale customer access problems.

4) Performance and app hardening

Why this matters: Third-party apps often create the biggest performance bottlenecks on Shopify stores.

• Track Core Web Vitals daily, especially loading speed and layout stability on product pages and cart.

• Remove or replace apps that slow down your site.

• Use Shopify's activity logs and monitoring tools like Pingdom or StatusCake to track website downtime, integration delays, and system communication failures.

• Set up alerts for payment processing issues, inventory synchronization gaps, and high checkout abandonment rates.

Output: Fast-loading storefront, error monitoring active, integrations running smoothly.

5) Data quality and reporting accuracy

Why this matters: If your finance team doesn't trust the numbers, business growth stalls.

• Cross-reference GA 4, advertising platform data, and Shopify analytics to ensure attribution tracking aligns correctly.

• Confirm tracking parameters survive the complete checkout process.

• Validate order, tax, shipping, and discount data with your finance team weekly.

• Establish regular "data review" meetings with operations, finance, and marketing teams.

Output: Reliable data across all platforms, matched revenue reports, analytics suitable for business decisions.

6) Stabilize, then enhance

Why this matters: Don't pursue optimizations before achieving basic stability.

• Resume conversion testing once your data stabilizes (typically 2-4 weeks post-launch).

• Restart paused advertising campaigns (Facebook, Google, marketplaces) gradually while monitoring customer acquisition costs, return on ad spend, and bounce rates.

• Prioritize improvements that reduce customer friction: product page speed, search functionality, checkout enhancements.

• Save major redesigns or headless commerce for phase two.

Output: Post-launch performance metrics stable or improving, team aligned on future priorities.

Shopify Migration FAQ: Common Questions and Expert Answers

Still have questions? Here are answers to the most common concerns we hear during Shopify migrations.

Q1: How long does a Shopify migration take?

A: Smaller product catalogs can migrate in a few weeks. For enterprise stores with 10,000+ products, multiple regions, or complex system integrations, plan for 3-4 months. This includes discovery, data preparation, development, quality assurance, and post-launch stabilization. Timeline depends on catalog complexity, system integration requirements, and data quality from your current platform.

Q2: How to preserve SEO rankings when migrating to Shopify?

A: Not if handled properly. You need comprehensive URL redirects, preserved SEO metadata, validated canonical tags, and thorough SEO audits before and after launch. Shopify structures URLs differently than other platforms, especially for products and blog posts, so test your highest-traffic pages carefully.

Q3: Can I migrate customer passwords to Shopify?

A: No. For security reasons, passwords cannot be imported to any platform. Plan a post-launch campaign inviting customers to set new passwords. Send invitations in segments (VIP customers first) with clear messaging explaining the platform transition.

Q4: What’s the biggest mistake to avoid during migration?

A: Skipping the redirect strategy is the number one SEO killer. Close behind: not testing real-world scenarios for checkout, order fulfillment, and system synchronization. Most post-launch problems stem from misaligned tax and shipping rules or broken order data flows between systems.

Q5: Can Shopify handle large enterprise catalogs and traffic spikes?

A: Yes. Shopify Plus supports up to 50,000 products per store and automatically scales to handle Black Friday-level traffic surges. For complex catalogs, use custom data fields and connect a Product Information Management system. For traffic, Shopify's infrastructure scales globally, but your theme and apps must be optimized accordingly.

Q6: What happens to my custom features and integrations?

A: Shopify Plus enables custom functionality through Shopify Functions, custom extensions, APIs, and approved apps. Inventory, order management, and CRM integrations typically use integration platforms like Celigo or Patchworks, or direct API connections. Document every custom feature during pre-migration planning, especially discount rules, customer groups, fulfillment processes, and tax overrides, so you can rebuild equivalent functionality.

Wrapping Up

Migrating to Shopify represents more than a technical platform change. It's an opportunity to improve how your entire commerce operation functions. With proper preparation, clear processes, and thorough quality assurance, you can protect your search rankings, maintain customer trust, and unlock the speed and scalability that Shopify Plus provides.

Consider this guide as your comprehensive safety net. Each step, from defining migration goals to monitoring post-launch performance, reduces risk and gives your team confidence that nothing falls through the cracks. The result: a more efficient, faster, enterprise-ready store that's easier to operate and ready to scale with your business growth.

👉 Ready to migrate but need expert guidance?

Book a free Shopify Plus Migration Strategy Call with our certified migration specialists. Drop us a line at enquiry@coderapper.com