Shopify to WooCommerce Migration

Pre-Migration Checklist: Shopify to WooCommerce

Prepare before migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce:

• Choose a hosting provider: Shopify includes hosting, but WooCommerce does not. WooCommerce is a plugin that runs on WordPress, so you need to set up your own WordPress hosting environment before you migrate. Our experts can help you choose the right one.
• Back up your Shopify store data: Export your products, customer records, and order history from the Shopify admin before starting the migration. Our experts can help with this step.
• Identify features that need to be replaced: Shopify apps and built-in features do not carry over to WooCommerce. Before you migrate, list the features your current store relies on and identify WooCommerce plugins that cover the same functionality. Our experts can help you map these out.
• Plan your store design: Shopify themes are not compatible with WooCommerce. You will need to select a WooCommerce-compatible theme and set it up separately. Our article on the best WooCommerce themes can help.

Migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce with LitExtension

Migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce involves more than moving data from one platform to another. Configuration, mapping, testing, and post-migration sync all need to happen in the right order for the transfer to go cleanly. Here is exactly what happens when you use our managed migration service, from the first consultation to post-migration support.

Step 1. Technical Consultation

Every migration starts with a one-on-one consultation with our team. This is where the plan takes shape.

During the call, your Shopify store’s structure, size, and requirements are assessed end-to-end: products, orders, customers, blogs, and any custom fields. Mapping this out early lets us catch potential conflicts before they become migration issues.

Stores with custom fields or unique Shopify workflows receive full documentation of those elements so nothing is misaligned when the data lands in WooCommerce.

Step 2. Pre-migration Customization

Before any data moves, both platforms are configured and verified. Store URLs, admin credentials, and the technical settings needed to connect Shopify and WooCommerce securely are collected and validated. Your WooCommerce environment is also confirmed as ready to receive data.

From there, a full data map is built: product categories, customer groups, and order details from Shopify are matched to WooCommerce’s data structure. Custom fields and business-specific rules are accounted for in the configuration so transfers stay clean.

By the end of this step, every data element is mapped and double-checked.

Step 3. Demo Migration

A demo migration runs before the full transfer begins. It gives you a preview of how your data will appear in WooCommerce and confirms the configuration is working correctly.

A representative sample of your Shopify data is migrated: data structure, formatting, and field mapping are reviewed, and products, customers, and orders are verified to display as expected. Any issues found at this stage are resolved before the full migration proceeds.

Step 4. Full Migration

Once the demo is approved, the full transfer begins. All selected data moves to your new WooCommerce store according to the plan built in the earlier steps.

Your Shopify store remains live throughout. The migration runs on a secure cloud system, so there is no downtime and no maintenance mode required on your end.

A notification is sent once the transfer is complete so you can review your WooCommerce store and begin post-migration tasks.

Step 5. Results Testing

After migration, a full review is conducted to confirm the data transferred correctly and matches your original store’s structure.

Products, categories, customer accounts, and order history are all checked. Any inconsistencies, missing fields, or formatting problems are corrected immediately. A project outcome report is then sent to you for your own review.

Step 6. Post-migration Services

Because your Shopify store stays live during migration, new orders, sign-ups, or product updates may come in while the transfer is running. The following services are available to keep your WooCommerce store current:

• Unlimited Recent Data Migration: Syncs new data created during migration, available for 30 days, provided new data is under 5% of the initial migration volume.
• Free Re-migration: Unlimited re-runs of the full migration, available for 30 days after completion.
• Free Smart Update: Unlimited incremental updates to sync changes between platforms, available for 90 days after completion.

Step 7. Post-migration Support

Support continues after the migration is done. For 30 days following completion, the LitExtension support team is available to answer questions, resolve issues, and help with anything related to your new WooCommerce setup – whether that’s a configuration question, a technical problem, or general platform guidance.

You get a fully migrated WooCommerce store, and a team available whenever you need one.

How to Manually Migrate Shopify to WooCommerce

Prefer to handle the migration yourself? Shopify and WooCommerce both support CSV-based data transfer, which makes a manual migration possible without third-party tools. The process requires careful field mapping and several plugin installations, but the steps below cover what needs to happen for products, customers, and orders to transfer correctly.

1. Export your Shopify data as CSV files

Start by exporting your store data from Shopify Admin. Each data type is exported separately.

• Go to Shopify Admin > Products, then click Export. Select All products and choose CSV for Excel, Numbers, or other spreadsheet programs.
• Go to Shopify Admin > Customers, then click Export to download your customer list as a CSV.
• Go to Shopify Admin > Orders, then click Export to download your order history.
• Save all exported files to your computer before proceeding.

2. Import products, customers, and orders into WooCommerce

WooCommerce includes a native product importer. For customers and orders, a plugin is required as no built-in importer exists for those data types.

To import products into WooCommerce:

• In your WordPress dashboard, go to WooCommerce > Products > Import.
• Upload the Shopify product CSV and use the column mapping screen to match Shopify fields to WooCommerce fields.
• Click Run the importer. Review the results screen for any skipped or failed rows.

To import customers into WooCommerce:

• Install a plugin such as Import Users from CSV or WP All Import.
• Map fields including email address, first name, last name, and billing address.

Note that Shopify’s customer CSV does not include order history, orders are imported separately in the next step.

To import orders into WooCommerce:

• WooCommerce has no native order importer. Use a plugin such as WP All Import (with the WooCommerce add-on) or Order CSV Importer.
• Map order IDs, line items, customer references, and payment statuses carefully. Mismatched customer references will break order history on the customer account.

3. Set up 301 redirects

Shopify and WooCommerce use different URL structures. Any URL that existed on your Shopify store will return a 404 error on WooCommerce unless a redirect is in place. Broken URLs affect SEO rankings, backlink equity, and returning visitors who have bookmarked your pages.

Shopify and WooCommerce use different URL structures. Any URL that existed on your Shopify store will return a 404 error on WooCommerce unless a redirect is in place. Broken URLs affect SEO rankings, backlink equity, and returning visitors who have bookmarked your pages.

• Install a plugin such as Redirection or use the redirect manager built into Rank Math SEO.
• Export all your Shopify URLs using a crawl tool like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs Site Audit, then create a 301 redirect for each one pointing to its WooCommerce equivalent.
• After the redirects are live, check for 404 errors in Google Search Console under Pages > Not indexed, and use a crawl tool to confirm there are no redirect chains or loops.