BigCommerce to Shopify Migration

Many business owners want to move from BigCommerce to Shopify. But migration comes with real risks: data loss, SEO ranking drops, and missing features. That is why you need a reliable partner like LitExtension to handle the move for you. This guide walks you through how to migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify using LitExtension’s Automated Tool.

From setup to post-migration, you will know exactly what to do at each step to keep your data safe, your site up, and your SEO intact.

What You Need Before Migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify

Before you migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify, you need to prepare a few key things to avoid errors and data loss. These steps help keep your store data safe, reduce issues during the transfer, and make sure your new Shopify store runs smoothly from the start.

1. Back up your BigCommerce database

Before you start, back up your store data — products, customers, and orders. Here is how:

• Go to your BigCommerce dashboard.
• Navigate to Products > Export.
• Select Default under Export Template and File Format Options, then click Continue.
• Choose Export my Products to a CSV file in the dialog box, then click Close. Your product data will save to your computer as a CSV file.
• Watch the progress bar. When it finishes, click Download my Products file to save it.
• Use WebDAV to connect to your store, then drag the product_images folder to your desktop.

LitExtension transfers your data accurately, but keeping a backup gives you a safety net if anything goes wrong.

2. Create a new Shopify store

• Sign up for a Shopify account.
• Fill in basic details about your business, such as product type and location. You can skip optional questions.
• Once done, you will land on the Shopify dashboard and you are ready to migrate.

3. Review and clean up your source data

Go through your BigCommerce store before migrating. Remove old products, inactive customer accounts, and content you no longer need. This keeps your new Shopify store lean and easier to manage from day one.

4. Disable Shopify notifications

Turn off Shopify notifications before the migration starts. If you leave them on, customers may get unexpected emails triggered by imported orders or account activity. Re-enable notifications once everything is live and verified.

5. Understand BigCommerce API limits

LitExtension uses the BigCommerce API to transfer your data. If your store has a large number of products, orders, or images, the process may take longer because of API rate limits. Make sure your BigCommerce store runs on HTTPS, and note that heavily customized stores may need extra development work to extract all data correctly.

How to Migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify with LitExtension App

LitExtension makes migration fast, accurate, and secure. The process takes three steps and requires no technical skills.

Step 1: Set Up Source Cart and Target Cart

Install the LitExtension Store Migration app directly from the Shopify App Store. The app will automatically detect your Shopify API, so you skip the manual setup for your destination store. From there, select BigCommerce as your source cart, enter your store URL, and follow the on-screen steps to connect your API.

If you run into any issues, LitExtension’s support team is available 24/7 to help.

Step 2: Choose What to Migrate to Shopify

Select the data you want to move over. You can pick specific items or click Select all to migrate everything at once.

Supported data includes:

• Products and Categories: URLs, names, prices, images, and more
• Customers: names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses
• Orders: IDs, dates, totals, and statuses
• Coupons: names, codes, and discount types
• CMS pages: names, URLs, content, titles, and meta descriptions
• Blogs: titles, URLs, authors, publication dates, and meta descriptions

Scroll down to see the Additional Options. One important option is 301 Redirect, which maps your old BigCommerce URLs to your new Shopify URLs so your SEO rankings stay intact.

Also map the language settings between both platforms to keep the store experience consistent for your customers.

Step 3: Run Full BigCommerce to Shopify Migration

Before committing to a full migration, try the Free Demo to see how your data looks after transfer. If you are ready to go, check Skip Demo Migration and start the full migration. The process runs automatically on LitExtension’s servers, so you can close your computer. You will get an email when it is done.

Post-migration Checklist

1. Review your migrated data

• Check products and variants: titles, descriptions, images, prices, SKUs, inventory, and options like size or color.
• Review customer accounts: names, emails, addresses, and login access.
• Spot-check a sample of orders for line items, totals, statuses, and customer details.
• Go through CMS pages and blog posts for broken images, formatting issues, and any links still pointing to old BigCommerce URLs.

2. Configure your Shopify store

• Install the Shopify apps you need to replace any BigCommerce features not available natively.
• Set up payment gateways, shipping zones, rates, and carriers before launch.
• Check your tax settings and confirm they match each region where you sell.
• Customize your theme so the storefront matches your brand.
• Connect your custom domain and update DNS settings.

3. Optimize for SEO

• Confirm all 301 redirects from old BigCommerce URLs point to the correct Shopify URLs.
• Review meta titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text across your Shopify store.
• Reconnect Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
• Submit your new Shopify sitemap to Google Search Console so Google can crawl and index your store.

4. Test before you go live

• Place test orders to verify checkout, payment, tax calculations, shipping, and confirmation emails.
• Test customer account functions: registration, login, and order history access.
• Check your storefront on mobile, tablet, and desktop.
• Measure your store speed to make sure page load times are acceptable.

5. Launch and monitor

• Only go live once data, design, and core functions all check out.
• In the first few weeks, watch traffic, conversions, checkout behavior, and error reports closely.
• If new orders or customers were added to BigCommerce during the migration window, run a Recent Data Migration or follow-up sync to keep your Shopify store complete.

Migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify is straightforward when you prepare properly and use the LitExtension Store Migration app. Our app handles the transfer securely, but you still need to review data, test key functions, and confirm SEO settings after migration. If anything goes wrong, you can use our free re-migration service to fix it. Once everything is verified, you can launch your Shopify store with minimal risk and no data loss.