Shopify Migration Service

The Shopify Migration Process with Atwix

Step 1: Feature Mapping

We start by mapping the features of your old platform, as well as any customizations and third-party modules, to Shopify’s capabilities. We identify what can be handled natively, where we need to add modules to gain the required functionality, and perhaps even root out some legacy features or customizations that are no longer needed.

Step 2: Data Mapping

Next, we examine your data’s current structure and then create a map to Shopify’s data structure. This may involve making customizations or adding core concepts to Shopify to make a happy home for your old data in the new platform. Our primary focus is on three core data types: product data, customer data, and order data. We also take steps to preserve SEO (search engine optimization) data, like meta descriptions, to prevent drops in rankings and reduce marketing headaches. 

Step 3: Custom Apps

If Shopify natively provides all the functionality required for your store, we can proceed to step 4. Otherwise, we need to perform any custom feature development and install any third-party apps to ensure that everything is in place before we migrate any data.

Step 4: Data Transfer

With a detailed map in hand and a customized home waiting for your data in Shopify, we next perform the actual data migration from your old platform. As mentioned above, eCommerce providers don’t allow easy, direct transfers between platforms, so this process involves downloading data from the old store, making any necessary alterations to the data structure, and then uploading the data to Shopify. We leave a copy of the data behind in the old platform so that your site continues operating during the migration process, eliminating one potential source of downtime.

Step 5: Verification

One crucial but oft-forgotten step in the Shopify migration process is verifying that all the data that was just transferred over looks correct in the new system. We go through all of your customer, product, order, and SEO data to make sure it moved over successfully and looks correct in Shopify. Another step we can take during this process is to organize all of your products into categories, a feature that Shopify provides to make management easier and give customers a more orderly shopping experience.

Step 6: Theme Customization

Shopify provides themes that you can use to configure the look and feel of your site, but customization can be difficult even for experienced programmers because Shopify uses a proprietary programming language called Liquid for its front end. However, since our developers are seasoned Liquid experts, we can customize your theme to deliver a completely unique Shopify storefront that really helps you stand out from the competition.

Step 7: Payment Configuration

Our next step is to configure your payment provider so that you can securely accept credit card and digital payments. This can be done with Shopify’s native payment system, though there are some limitations, such as only being available in certain countries. More likely, we’ll configure integrations with your third-party payment provider to ensure a seamless and secure experience.

Step 8: Integrations

Speaking of integrations, you likely have a lot of different enterprise software that needs to connect to your eCommerce platform, such as CRM (customer relationship management), PIM (product information management), and ERP (enterprise resource planning). We handle all of your Shopify integrations to ensure seamless connections, even developing custom integrations as needed to provide a unified experience.

Step 9: Quality Assurance

You don’t want to let your customers discover bugs in your live site after launch, which is why we have a dedicated quality assurance (QA) team comb through your new Shopify store’s data, settings, and theme customizations to root out any issues beforehand. We meticulously test the functionality, performance, and usability of your new Shopify store to ensure an uneventful launch.

Step 10: Domain Transfer

Pointing your current store’s domain name (a.k.a., URL) to your new Shopify site effectively launches your store, so we take all the necessary precautions to ensure your DNS (domain name system) records are correct and all links are updated to follow Shopify’s folder structure before finalizing the change. 

Step 11: Ongoing Maintenance and Support

While we take numerous measures to ensure a bug-free launch and leave you with an easy-to-manage Shopify store, we understand that you might have questions or run into issues after the go-live date. That’s why our engagement doesn’t need to end at launch – we can continue supporting and maintaining your site for as long as you need us.