Shopify to BigCommerce Migration

We move Shopify stores to BigCommerce by finding what each Shopify app does, mapping the catalogue to the new structure and proving the move on your hardest products. The aim is a BigCommerce store that meets the requirement behind the move, not just a copy of the old one.

A green shopping bag with a yellow arrow carrying a parcel towards a blue shop front

01Choose

Choose what you want to change

Tick one part, several parts or the whole store. The plan you see is a starting point for the call, not a quote.

Where this startsOur Shopify store depends on several apps and BigCommerce looks like a better fit, but I do not know which pieces will come with us.

Choose one part, several parts or the whole project

Plan the complete Shopify to BigCommerce moveJoin the app review, catalogue map, storefront, testing and launch in one plan.

App inventory with a decision for each job
Catalogue and category mapping with a sample import
Storefront and checkout build
Daily-task and stock-linked order tests
Domain, redirects and launch support

Check first: Which apps and connections your business needs to trade.

Next: Send your Shopify address and the reason BigCommerce suits you better.

Shopify apps and their dataIdentify what each app does and how that work continues on BigCommerce.
- List every app and the job it performs
- Ask each provider what data can be exported
- Choose a BigCommerce feature, tool or custom build
- Flag subscriptions and reviews for separate review
Check first: Which apps hold information that exists nowhere else.
Related: BigCommerce Development, Ecommerce Migration Services
Next: Send a list of your Shopify apps and mark the ones customers notice.
Catalogue and category structureMap Shopify products, handles and collections to the new store's fields and categories.
- Read the product file's option and image rows
- Map each field to its BigCommerce equivalent
- Turn collections and menus into categories
- Import a sample and compare it with the original
Check first: Which products have three options or variant images.
Related: BigCommerce Development, Ecommerce Migration Services
Next: Send a product export and your current collection list.
Storefront design and checkoutRebuild the shopping layouts and test buying on the new platform.
- Choose which Shopify layouts to keep as a reference
- Rebuild product, category and basket pages
- Set up payments, tax and shipping
- Treat any redesign as a separate, optional piece
Check first: Whether you want a like-for-like layout or a redesign.
Related: Ecommerce Website Design, BigCommerce Development
Next: Share links to the pages you want to look the same.
Domain, redirects and launchSwitch over safely and keep valuable Shopify addresses pointing somewhere useful.
- Confirm who holds the domain login
- Check which services depend on the domain
- Prepare and test a redirect map
- Agree checks for the first orders after launch
Check first: Which services, such as email, use your domain.
Related: Ecommerce Management, Ecommerce Migration Services
Next: Tell us where the domain is registered and who holds the login.

In plain terms

URL handle: The last part of a Shopify product address, which the product file repeats on each row.
Redirect map: A list that sends visitors from each old address to its new one.
Category: A BigCommerce group of products that shoppers browse.
Collection: A Shopify group of products, which becomes a category in BigCommerce.

02Decide

What do your Shopify apps actually do?

An app often does more than its public label suggests. We list the job each one performs, then decide how that job happens on BigCommerce.

If an app handles
Reviews or questions
Then we decide
Whether the existing entries can be exported and where they will display
If an app handles
Subscriptions or repeat orders
Then we decide
How billing continues, which needs the provider and cannot be assumed
If an app handles
Product bundles or customisation
Then we decide
The BigCommerce option or custom build that gives buyers the same choice
If an app handles
Email and customer messages
Then we decide
Which customer data the new tool needs and whether it is allowed to use it
If an app handles
Stock, shipping or accounts
Then we decide
Reconnection to the new store and a test with a real order

A replacement must fit the process, not merely carry a similar name.

03Transfer

What carries across and what is rebuilt

Shopify's product file is a useful starting point. It repeats a URL handle on each variant row, lists one image per row and stores up to three options per product. Those columns tell us how products are put together; they do not show how BigCommerce wants its fields, options and category tree arranged. We map each one in a sample before any large import.

Collections and menus become the BigCommerce category and navigation structure. The Shopify theme is not transferred, so the storefront layouts are rebuilt, with a redesign kept as a clearly separate and optional piece. Our BigCommerce Development service covers the build, and Ecommerce Website Design covers a wider redesign.
Customer records and order history need a decision. Confirm what the Shopify export contains before relying on it, and keep the original store available until the new one is approved.

04Test

Test a product update and a stock-linked order

The risk here is a store that looks right but cannot be run. We test the daily jobs as well as the buyer's path.

Import a sample that includes a product with three options and a variant image.
Update a price, a description and a stock figure as your team would.
Place an order and check it reaches stock, shipping and accounting tools.
Use a discount code and a delivery address outside your home country.
Look at the order from the customer side, including the confirmation email.

05Launch

Keep the domain and old links working

The domain can usually stay with your current provider. We check who holds the login, which services use the domain and when the settings change. Shopify product and collection addresses will differ from the new store's, so we prepare a redirect map (a list pairing each old address with its new destination) and test it before the switch.

We also plan for orders and edits made after the sample move. After launch, we review the agreed ordering and admin paths and monitor search performance. A platform change does not promise unchanged rankings.

Questions about moving to BigCommerce

Does my Shopify theme transfer?

No. It is a Shopify-specific design, so the layouts are rebuilt for BigCommerce.

Will my app data come with me?

It depends on the app. Some providers let you export their data, some do not, and each one is checked individually.

Do I have to keep my domain name settings as they are?

No. They can change, but the change needs planning so email and other connected services keep working.

Is this also a redesign?

It can be. We separate the necessary migration work from optional design changes so you can see what each part does.

Assess the move before committing

Tell us what BigCommerce must support and what your Shopify store makes difficult. We will use that to scope the transfer and development.

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