How to Migrate a Magento store to Shopify easily?

Do you want to know if you can move your Magento store to Shopify without losing any information? Yes, you can. You can transfer data from Magento to Shopify. Before making the move, there are many things you need to think about. Shopify powers over 4.6 million live websites globally as of 2024, making it a top choice for merchants seeking ease of use and robust support (BuiltWith, 2024).

This is a simple guide for moving a website from Magento to Shopify. You will learn how to do it easily and without losing any information. Let’s begin.

What is Magento to Shopify Migration?

Migrating from Magento to Shopify means moving an online store from Magento to Shopify. This includes exporting important information from Magento, like products, customers, and orders, and then bringing it into Shopify. It also involves changing the design of Shopify to look like the old Magento store, setting up payment and shipping choices, and making sure old links from Magento still work by sending them to the new Shopify links to keep search rankings.

The goal of this process is to move an online store to a new platform without affecting how it works, looks, or is found on search engines. This can be done with special tools and services, or by hiring an expert or a company that knows how to move stores from Magento to Shopify.

What are the Advantages of Migrating from Magento to Shopify?

Moving a store from one platform to another can be complicated and may need technical skills to do it right. Here are some benefits of switching from Magento to Shopify:

• Ease of use: Shopify is a user-friendly platform that makes it easy to set up and manage an online store, even for those with limited technical skills.
• Customization options: Shopify offers a wide range of customizable templates and themes, as well as a variety of apps and plugins to enhance the functionality of a store.
• Secure and reliable: Shopify is a highly secure platform that is PCI compliant, meaning that it meets the security standards for handling credit card transactions.
• Comprehensive analytics: Shopify provides detailed analytics and reporting to help businesses track and understand their sales and customer behavior.
• Scalability: Shopify is a scalable platform that can grow with a business, making it a good choice for businesses that plan to expand in the future.
• Cost-effective: Shopify plans are relatively affordable and include hosting and security, which can save businesses money compared to hosting their own store.
• Better customer experience: Shopify has a lot of features that can help to improve customer experience like faster checkout process, easy checkout process, better product categorization etc.
• Better SEO: Shopify stores are optimized for search engines which can help to increase visibility and bring more organic traffic to the website.

Steps to Migrate Magento to Shopify

Moving a Magento store to Shopify can be a bit tricky, but you can do it with the right tools and plan. Here are some basic steps to help you move your Magento store to Shopify.

Setup Shopify Store

Creating a Shopify account is easy and only takes a few steps. You can use the ‘Express’ sign-up option, which lets you sign up with your Google or Apple account. This way, some of your personal information will be filled in for you. Here is a general guide on how to set up a Shopify account:

1. Go to https://www.shopify.com/ and click on the “Start free trial” button.
2. Fill in the required fields with your email address and choose a password.
3. Enter your store name, country, and currency. You can change these settings later if needed.
4. Shopify offers several different plans to choose from, including a free trial. You can choose a plan that best fits your needs.
5. Enter your credit card information to start your free trial. You will not be charged until the trial is over.

Take Magento Store Backup

Making a backup of your Magento store is important to keep your data safe. Here are some simple steps to create a backup:

• Log in to the Magento admin panel: To create a backup of your Magento store, you’ll first need to log in to the admin panel.
• Go to System > Tools > Backups: Once logged in, navigate to the System menu, select Tools, and then Backups.
• Select the type of backup you want to create: Magento allows you to create several types of backups, such as a full system backup, database backup, and media backup. Choose the type of backup you want to create.
• Download the backup file: Once the backup process is complete, you can download the backup file to your computer.
• Store the backup file in a safe place: Store the backup file in a safe place, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage service.

How to Export Data from Magento

You can export data from Magento in two ways: by using the tool that comes with Magento or by using an additional app made by someone else. Here are the basic steps to export data from Magento:

• Log in to the Magento admin panel: To export data from Magento, you’ll first need to log in to the admin panel.
• Go to System > Import/Export: Once logged in, navigate to the System menu and select Import/Export.
• Select the type of data you want to export: Magento allows you to export several types of data, such as products, customers, and orders. Choose the type of data you want to export.
• Select the export format: Magento supports several export formats, including CSV, XML, and JSON. Choose the format that you prefer.
• Choose the export options: Depending on the type of data you are exporting, you may be able to select specific options such as which attributes to include in the export.
• Export the data: Click on the Export button to start the export process. The export file will be generated and downloaded to your computer.

You can use extra tools to export data from Magento. Some examples are Improved Import/Export, Dataflow – Profiles, and Export All Products. These tools can help you with things like setting a schedule for exports and choosing what to export. Keep in mind that exporting data can take a while, especially if you have many products or orders. Make sure to protect the exported data.

Convert Data into CSV Format

After you export your data from Magento, you can change it into a CSV file using a program like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Here are the basic steps to make your data a CSV file:

• Open the exported data file in your spreadsheet program: You may need to use a certain program to open the exported data, depending on its format. For instance, if the data is in a CSV file, you can use Excel or Google Sheets to open it.
• Save the file as a CSV file: Once the data is open in your spreadsheet program, you can then save it as a CSV file.
• Clean and organize the data: Before saving the file, you need to tidy up the data. This means getting it ready so it can be easily used in Shopify. You might need to delete columns you don’t need, organize the data properly, and check that everything is in the right order.
• Save the CSV file: Once the data is cleaned and organized, you can then save the file as a CSV file. Make sure that you choose the CSV format when saving the file.
• Check the CSV file: After saving the file, you should open the CSV file and check that all the data has been exported correctly, that the columns are in the correct order, and that all the data is in the correct format.

Moving data to a new system can be tricky and needs some technical skills. There are tools that can help make this easier, but you should make sure your data is in the right format and is properly organized before importing it to Shopify.

How to Import Data into Shopify

After you change your data into a CSV file, you can bring it into your Shopify store using the Shopify CSV import tool. Here are the basic steps to import data into Shopify:

• Log in to the Shopify admin panel: To import data into Shopify, you’ll first need to log in to the shopify admin panel.
• Go to Products > Import: Once logged in, navigate to the Products menu and select Import.
• Select the CSV file: You can either drag and drop the CSV file or browse your computer to select the file.
• Map the columns: Shopify will automatically map the columns of the CSV file, but you can also map the columns manually to match the Shopify fields.
• Start the import: Once the columns are mapped, you can then start the import process.
• Check the import: After the import process is complete, you should check that all the data has been imported correctly and that there are no errors.

It’s important to keep a backup of your CSV file in case something goes wrong. Also, depending on the amount of data and the complexity of your store, you may hire shopify expert or an agency that specializes in migrating data to Shopify for a smooth and efficient migration process.

Customize your Shopify Theme

Once your data is loaded, you need to change your theme to fit your Magento store’s style. This step is important to make your store look nice and easy for customers to use. Here are some simple steps to customize your Shopify theme:

• Choose a pre-made theme: You can choose a pre-made theme from the Shopify Theme Store that closely matches the look and feel of your Magento store. This can be a cost-effective and time-efficient option.
• Hire a developer: You can hire shopify developer to create a custom theme for you, which can be tailored to match the exact look and feel of your Magento store.
• Customize your theme: Once you have chosen a theme, you can customize it to match the look and feel of your Magento store. This can include adding your logo, colors, and fonts, as well as making changes to the layout and navigation.
• Test your theme: Before launching your new Shopify store, it’s a good idea to thoroughly test your theme to ensure that it looks and functions as expected.
• Make any necessary changes: If you find any issues or areas that need improvement during the testing phase, you can make any necessary changes to your theme before launching your store.

Changing a theme can be complicated and may need some technical skills. It’s best to get help from a Shopify expert or a company that knows how to customize themes well. This will make the process easier and faster.

Redirect your old Magento URLs

When moving from Magento to Shopify, it’s important to change your old Magento website links to the new Shopify links. This helps protect your website’s search engine ranking. If you don’t make these changes, people might see an error page when they try to visit your old links. There are a few ways to update your old Magento links to your new Shopify links.

• Using 301 redirects: You can use 301 redirects in your .htaccess file or in the server configuration to redirect your old Magento URLs to the corresponding Shopify URLs.
• Using a plugin or app: There are a number of plugins and apps available that can help you redirect your old URLs to the new ones. These include the Redirect Manager app and the SEO Redirection plugin.
• Custom redirects: You can also use the Shopify redirect feature in the Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects.

You should remember that changing URLs is not something you do just once. You need to keep an eye on your redirects and fix any broken links as time goes on. It’s a good idea to get help from a Shopify expert or a company that knows how to move Magento stores to Shopify. This will help make the move easier and keep your SEO safe.

Test and Launch new Shopify Store

Before starting your new Shopify store, make sure to test everything to check that it works well. This means checking data transfer, website design, and other important parts like payment options, shipping costs, taxes, apps, and any extra tools. Here are some simple steps to test your store:

• Data migration: Verify that all your data has been imported correctly, and that products, customers, and orders are all accurate and complete.
• The theme: Verify that the theme is customized correctly and that it looks and functions as expected. Test all the pages, and ensure that the layout, navigation, and design elements are all working correctly.
• Checkout and payment: Test the checkout process and ensure that the payment gateway is working correctly, and that all the payment options are available.
• Shipping and taxes: Test the shipping and tax rates to ensure that they are accurate and applied correctly.
• Apps and extensions: Test all the apps and extensions you have installed to ensure that they are working correctly and that they are configured correctly.
• Test on different devices: Test your store on different devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones to ensure that it looks and functions correctly on all devices.
• Customer experience: Get some people to test the store and provide feedback on the customer experience, usability, and overall design.

• Check redirects: Test all the redirects to ensure that all the old Magento URLs are redirected to the new Shopify URLs to ensure that your SEO will not be affected.

Make a list of everything you need to check. This helps you remember what to test so you don’t forget anything. Testing everything carefully before opening your store is important. It makes sure your customers have a good experience when they visit.

It’s highly recommended that you seek help from a Shopify expert or Shopify development agency that specializes in migrating Magento stores to Shopify for a smooth and efficient migration process.