WooCommerce is the world's most widely used e-commerce platform measured by the number of installations – but “most used” is not the same as “best for you”. Many online store owners find that WordPress and WooCommerce require ever-increasing technical maintenance, plugin conflicts, and server updates that take time away from what actually matters: running and growing the store.
Shopify is another option. All maintenance, security, and hosting are handled by the platform. You pay a monthly fee instead of putting together a patchwork of plugins. And as a Shopify partner, Merchant can help you through the entire process.
Before you begin: What should you map out?
A successful migration starts with mapping out what you actually have in WooCommerce:
Number of products, variants, and product images
Order history and customer data
Blog posts and static pages
Existing URL structure (critical for SEO)
Plugins you rely on, and what their Shopify equivalents are
Step 1: Export data from WooCommerce
WooCommerce allows you to export products and orders as CSV files directly from the WordPress admin. Go to Products → Export and download a complete product export. For order history, use WooCommerce → Orders → Export.
Customer data is exported via WooCommerce → Customers. Remember that email addresses are personal data – handle them in accordance with GDPR.
Step 2: Import to Shopify
Shopify has a built-in CSV import for products under Products → Import. The WooCommerce format and the Shopify format are not identical, so you will usually need to adjust the column names in the spreadsheet before importing. The most important fields to map are: Title, Body (HTML), Vendor, Type, Tags, Variant Price, and Variant SKU.
For automated migration, there are third-party apps like Cart2Cart, LitExtension, and Matrixify that handle the entire data migration – including order history and customers – with far less manual work.
Step 3: Preserve your SEO value
This is the step most people forget – and the most critical one for organic traffic. WooCommerce typically uses URL structures like /product/product-name/, while Shopify uses /products/product-name. You must set up 301 redirects from all old URLs to the new ones.
In Shopify, this is done under Online Store → Navigation → URL Redirects. For stores with many products, Matrixify can be used to upload a bulk redirect list.
Also, transfer all meta titles and meta descriptions from WooCommerce to the corresponding products and pages in Shopify.
Step 4: Set up theme and design
Shopify has a rich library of themes – both free and paid. Find a theme that resembles the visual style you already have, or use the migration as a natural opportunity for a design upgrade. Shopify themes are optimized for speed and mobile experience out of the box.
Step 5: Migrate payment and shipping settings
Shopify Payments is the easiest payment solution for merchants – with no extra transaction fees and direct payouts. Set up Vipps, credit card payments, and invoice options. Configure shipping zones and rates under Settings → Shipping and delivery.
Step 6: Test thoroughly before launching
Place test orders, check that all product images load correctly, test the checkout on mobile, and verify that the 301 redirects are working. Use Shopify's built-in SEO analysis tools and Google Search Console to confirm that indexing remains intact.
Need help?
Merchant is a Shopify partner with experience in WooCommerce migrations. We help with data export, mapping, redirect setup, and launch – ensuring you don't lose a day of sales during the transition.
