Migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce
MIGRATION CONTROL
Move the business records and routes, not only the product rows
A catalogue import can create products, but a safe migration also maps images, variations, customers, orders, redirects, payments, delivery, analytics and the team’s operating handover.
01 · INVENTORY
List every data and journey owner
Record products, collections, customers, orders, content, URLs, media, apps, payments, delivery and reporting before selecting tools.
02 · REHEARSE
Run a representative migration
Transform a small difficult sample, test the full WooCommerce order journey and reconcile the source and target records.
03 · CUT OVER
Freeze, redirect and verify
Control final changes, import the delta, switch the domain, test critical paths and monitor errors with a rollback owner.
Use the hardest products and URLs in the rehearsal
Include variants, multiple images, discounts, unavailable items, customer history and a high-value landing route so the pilot exposes mapping loss before launch.
Migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce is a data, URL and operating-system change. The product CSV is an important source, but it does not by itself reproduce every image file, collection rule, app field, customer permission, order history, redirect, payment workflow or fulfilment integration. Build an inventory of those dependencies before selecting an importer.
Mitrend handles this work through Shopify and ecommerce implementation. The migration should preserve useful search routes and customer service evidence while giving the new WooCommerce store a tested ownership model.
1. Confirm the business case and scope
| Scope area | Questions before migration |
|---|---|
| Catalogue | Which products, variants, metafields, collections, images and inventory locations must move? |
| Customers | Which identities, addresses, consent records and account activation steps can lawfully transfer? |
| Orders | How much history is needed for service, returns, reporting and finance? |
| Content | Which pages, blogs, policies and files have traffic or operational value? |
| URLs | Which product, collection, page and article routes need one-to-one redirects? |
| Integrations | Which payment, delivery, stock, email, analytics and accounting dependencies must be replaced? |
2. Export and preserve the source
Shopify can export products to CSV. Its documentation warns that product images are not contained as binary files in the CSV; image URLs must remain publicly accessible for a new platform to retrieve them. Keep the Shopify store and product media available until the WooCommerce import and image verification are complete.
- Export products and preserve an untouched copy with UTF-8 encoding.
- Export customers and orders using the approved method for the required history.
- Crawl the live Shopify URLs, titles, canonicals, status codes and internal links.
- Record app-specific data and automation that does not exist in the standard exports.
- Capture analytics, Search Console and backlink landing-page evidence before redirects are changed.
3. Transform data into the WooCommerce contract
WooCommerce’s built-in importer maps recognised CSV columns and can create or update products. Shopify and WooCommerce use different schemas, so transform the source into a controlled target file rather than uploading the Shopify export unchanged. Decide parent and variation relationships, global attributes, categories, SKUs, tax classes, stock ownership and image mapping.
| Reconciliation | Pass condition |
|---|---|
| Product count | Expected active, draft and archived products are accounted for |
| Variation count | Every sellable combination maps to the intended parent and SKU |
| Images | Primary and gallery images load locally and match the correct item |
| Prices and tax | Displayed values match the approved target rule |
| Stock | The chosen source owns quantity and no duplicate sync runs |
| URLs | Every valuable old route has a tested target or documented removal decision |
4. Build and test before cutover
- Import a small sample including simple, variable, discounted, unavailable and image-heavy products.
- Configure payment, shipping, tax display, transactional email and order statuses in staging.
- Place normal, failed, cancelled and refunded test orders.
- Check mobile product selection, cart, checkout, account and customer-service access.
- Crawl the staging site for broken links, duplicate titles, canonicals, noindex controls and missing images.
- Have catalogue, operations, finance and customer service sign off their acceptance evidence.
5. Prepare the redirect map
Map each valuable Shopify URL to the closest equivalent WooCommerce destination. Use permanent server-side redirects when the move is permanent, update internal links to the final destination and avoid redirect chains. A collection should not be redirected to the homepage when a relevant category or guide exists.
6. Execute a controlled cutover
Freeze source changes, take final exports, import the delta, switch the domain and verify DNS, HTTPS, robots, sitemap and canonical output. Run the critical purchase journey immediately, then inspect high-value redirects, 404 logs, payment notifications, stock sync, email and analytics. Keep a rollback decision owner until the first settlement and fulfilment records reconcile.
Post-launch review
Monitor Search Console indexing and traffic by old and new route class, not only total clicks. Review customer-service issues, unmatched orders, missing images and redirect hits. Keep Shopify accessible to authorised staff until the agreed history and media evidence are safely retained elsewhere.
Worked migration rehearsal
Choose a Shopify product with multiple variants, several images, a sale price and a collection relationship, plus one simpler product and one archived item. Export the source, transform the rows into the WooCommerce schema and import them into staging. Verify parent and variation SKUs, image ownership, category assignment, price, stock and canonical URL. Place and refund an order so the target workflow is proved beyond catalogue display.
Add the current product and collection URLs to the redirect map and test them with redirects disabled, enabled and after an internal-link update. Reconcile source and target counts, then repeat the process after a small source change to prove the delta method. This rehearsal establishes the cutover duration, owners and rollback triggers with evidence rather than an optimistic import estimate.
Sources checked
- Shopify Help Center: Exporting products
- WooCommerce: Product CSV Importer and Exporter
- Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Search
Reviewed by
Mitrend Digital editorial team
2026-07-16
Evidence used for this page
Reviewed against current Shopify product export guidance, WooCommerce CSV import documentation and Google redirect guidance. Includes an original migration reconciliation model.
Turn the guide into a practical next step
This resource provides general implementation guidance. Verify platform settings, tax, legal, payment and operational requirements against the current business context before making a live change.