A Guide on Migrating from Magento to Shopify

As Shopify experts, we believe Shopify is the best e-commerce platform out there. More businesses (like Gymshark) are taking their stores to Shopify now, with a number of reasons for doing so. It’s easier to set up, simpler to use and offers more modern, user-friendly store templates.

As Shopify experts, we believe Shopify is the best e-commerce platform out there. More businesses (like Gymshark) are taking their stores to Shopify now, with a number of reasons for doing so. It’s easier to set up, simpler to use and offers more modern, user-friendly store templates.

Not to mention, Shopify being a hosted platform is also a huge benefit - this means greater security, and that your traffic influxes on days of sales are handled well. But what really gives Shopify a competitive edge is the powerful extra features available to Shopify Plus users, such as Launchpad and Flow (we’ve written a post on how to use it here).

Here are some things to consider when making the move from Magento to Shopify.

Getting started

Once you’ve decided it’s time to make the switch, you want to make sure that your transition is as straightforward as possible. As you’re migrating, keep your store running on Magento and back it up in full just in case of emergencies. But don’t panic - Shopify offers a 2-week free trial, which lets you to test things out before fully committing to a plan.

Migrating Data

It’s important you are aware of the data you need to transfer over when you migrate - you don’t want to realise afterwards that you’re missing some crucial information! Of course, any old data you find unnecessary doesn’t need to be transferred, but it’s worthwhile to transfer as much over as possible just in case. Luckily, Shopify is there to help with the transferring process, with handy apps such as Cart2Cart Store Migration allowing hassle-free and secure data transfer across platforms.

Product data also needs to be migrated, and this needs to be done with care. This is because attributes associated with a product can differ quite a bit between different e-commerce platforms. Just ensure that each individual filter and option (size etc.) fits with the Shopify attributes. Shopify’s handy support system and forums online can help with any minor qualms you might face.

Giving your site a new look

Moving platforms means your original site most likely won’t look quite the same as beforehand. Consider this an opportunity to fulfil any design tweaks or full-scale changes you wished to make in the past, as it’s the perfect opportunity to do so. Perhaps use email marketing to notify customers of the new look, just so they aren’t startled that the site looks different. Shopify have a stunning range of themes, as well as a high level of customisation throughout all plans, meaning you really won’t be held back at all. We can help take your store’s look to the next level with bespoke customisation (check out our portfolio here!)

301 Redirects

When you transfer to Shopify, many of the URLs will end up changing, so it’s important that you set up effective 301 redirects to map the old links to the new ones so customers will be taken to your new site even when they are clicking on old links.

After some time, Google will end up re-indexing the new site and subsequently any other URLs are replaced.

Navigation Migration

Making sure your site is still easy to navigate will ensure customers won’t be affected by your move. Organise products into collections (whether this is simply through type and size, or for sales and bestsellers) so that customers can easily find what they’re looking for and perhaps even be encouraged to find other products. Collections are the same as categories on Magento, so just organise it in a similar fashion.

Testing your site

Once everything is complete, it’s important that you test the new site to ensure it’s functioning in the ways you want it to. Don’t settle for anything other than what you’d expect from browsing a store yourself. Make sure your site works across different devices that your customers commonly use so that you know everyone will have a good experience on the site.

It is important that you check everything works properly, especially if you’ve been emphasising to customers that you’ve had a redesign. Delaying the launch of the new platform will be worth it when customers are completely satisfied.

No matter what, there is a wealth of support available to help you move from Magento to Shopify. If you’re considering taking the jump, contact us for a free consultation and see how we can transform your store.

And for valuable, carefully curated information on everything Shopify and e-commerce, follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/fullfatcommerce