How to Migrate from Magento to Shopify: A 7-Step Technical Checklist

If you are exploring the switch from your hosted Magento to Shopify's cloud-based solution, your eCommerce platform is going to go through a major transformation. A lot will go into this migration, since a Shopify Theme, graphic design, page layouts, UX design, and a compilation of all the functions of your Magento extensions need review to keep the same functionality. Just remember, you are going from open source to a cloud-based environment, so your control and maintenance is reduced.

Small business owners might require additional assistance with a Magento developer (Magento expert) to assist with the functionality and funnel equivalence to be captured, working in tandem with a Shopify Expert to ensure a smooth transition. Larger businesses may have a development team to support the effort.

If you are using an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software or ERP system, a sandbox will be needed to check the new connection to the new store. The initial goal is to achieve parity for the online shopping experience, with the improvements that are planned to make the effort worthwhile.

With the considerations made above, your Magento website will take a few steps to export its data, and be imported into Shopify. Below are the steps.

Magento to Shopify Migration: 7 Steps

Assuming that a cost-benefit analysis has been performed to make it worth the effort, there are 7 phases to get through the migration.

1. Create a Shopify Account.

2. Backup your eCommerce store (Magento)

3. Upload the Import Store App from the Shopify App Store.

4. Export your data from your Magento online store.

5. Import your data into Shopify using the Import Store App.

6. Set a Shopify Theme, add the various Shopify Apps needed.

7. Review, test, and ensure that everything works as expected.

1. Create a Shopify Account

This is not too complicated — go to Shopify.com and start a Free Trial which will last 14 days. You have a couple of plans to consider; for small and medium businesses the plans offered are straightforward. For Enterprise, Shopify Plus might be the right offering and a league of its own as the migration tools are enhanced.

2. Backup Your Magento Store

Having your data backed up is important to ensure that this migration does not affect your business in a disruptive way. Website development has a way to throw some curveballs at your plans, so taking precautions is a must. To perform a backup:

a. Go to your Administration panel to System > Tools > Backup

b. Click on "System Backup" (full system backup of database and file system)

c. When completed click on "Database and Media Backup" (Customer data and Images)

d. When that's done, click on "Database Backup"

Your server may be backed up daily, which serves to preserve an image of the full system as a blanket restore. Both backups are useful — hopefully, they won't be needed. At this stage, your Magento developer would have cataloged the various extensions and their features that are expected to be enabled in Shopify as an App or Theme customization.

3. Upload the Import Store App

Log into your Shopify account, go into the App Store, and search for "Import Store" to see a range of Apps. The Import Store App is the preferred choice. When working with your Magento developer, a test using a small dataset will help ensure that the process is understood and that the data structures pass through without issue. Other Shopify Apps that might assist:

a. Excelify

b. Multichannel Importer

c. Bulk Product Editor and Sync

d. OEasy AliExpress Import and Order

4. Export Your Data from Magento

This step prepares the export file used in Shopify's Import Store App. Your Magento developer will check file integrity once it is finished — checking table sizes and record counts to ensure that all of the data was extracted without issue.

a. As a System administrator, in the Admin panel, click on Data Transfer > Export

b. Select Entity Type = Products, Customer Main File, or Customer Addresses — one export per Entity Type, yielding 3 files.

c. Select "XML" for the Import Store App or "CSV" for manual import or Transporter App (Shopify Plus).

5. Import Your Data into Shopify

Once the data exports are completed and audited, it's time to import them through the Import Store App:

a. Go to Apps in the Admin area and click on the Import Store App

b. Select "Magento" from the drop-down menu

c. Look for Upload Files, then select "Add File" and pick your XML files.

d. Click "Continue Import" after selecting your XML files, then "Import"

The import tool will process all the XML files and bring the data into your store. Check that all data and categories imported correctly. If there are gaps, annotate them to find common issues. Data verification can be time-consuming — comparing reports might summarize tables and datasets for comparison. Historical orders will be in Shopify's Archived area.

6. Set a Shopify Theme and Add Apps

Once the data is imported, you can see how your store shows its products, add the tools necessary to help sell them, and configure the Theme. During the scoping phase, a theme is usually selected, and during the migration process the Shopify Theme, Apps, and tools needed to replicate your store's features should be built out ready for migration day.

For references on Shopify Themes, see: Top 10 Free Shopify Themes

7. Review, Test, and Launch

The full store needs thorough testing, including sample transactions, test reports, and — if you use an ERP — ensuring it is well connected and transferring data. Launching your new store takes a few more steps once everything is verified.

Reference on Launching your Shopify Store: Launching Your Shopify Store

Conclusion

While there is a tremendous amount that a business can handle independently when setting up their Shopify store, beyond a theme, content, products, and marketing — the operations, customer experience, and interaction can bring that store into spaces that require some expertise. If you need to reach us for advice, please contact us at wish@thegenielab.com.

Ready to start your Magento to Shopify migration? Visit our Magento to Shopify migration service page to see how TheGenieLab can plan and execute your move.