Software Development Blog

Magento to Shopify Migration – The Honest Truth

Magento to Shopify is one of the most common ecommerce migrations we see.

It makes sense on paper. Magento is complicated and expensive to run. Shopify is simple and cheap. Magento needs developers for everything. Shopify has apps for most things.

But the migration itself is not simple. And if you get it wrong, you will end up with a Shopify store that does not work the way your Magento store did, costing you sales and frustrating your team.

Here is what nobody tells you.

Why Magento Stores Are Different

Magento was built for complex ecommerce. Multiple warehouses, advanced pricing rules, custom checkout flows, complicated product configurations.

Shopify was built for simplicity. It does the basics very well. But if your Magento store relies on features Shopify does not have out of the box, you are going to have problems.

Product attributes. Magento lets you create unlimited custom attributes. Shopify has a fixed structure: title, description, variants, metafields. If your products have unusual configurations, you will need to rethink how they work.

Pricing rules. Magento can do sophisticated pricing: customer group discounts, tiered pricing, bundle pricing, special offers based on complex conditions. Shopify can do some of this with apps, but not all of it.

Checkout customisation. Magento lets you rebuild the entire checkout. Shopify locks it down (unless you are on Shopify Plus, and even then it is limited).

Multi-warehouse stock. Magento handles multiple stock locations natively. Shopify can do it, but you will need apps and careful setup.

If your Magento store uses any of these features heavily, the migration is not just a data transfer. It is a rebuild.

The Data Migration Problem

Magento stores accumulate years of complicated data. Products with dozens of attributes. Customers with purchase history going back a decade. Orders with custom fields that do not exist in Shopify.

You cannot just export and import. You need to map it carefully.

Product data. Work out which Magento attributes map to Shopify fields, which go into metafields, and which you do not need anymore. Decide how to handle configurable products, bundles, and grouped products in Shopify's simpler structure.

Customer data. Passwords do not transfer. Customers will need to reset them. Order history can migrate but needs mapping to Shopify's format. Customer groups might not work the same way.

Order data. Historical orders are useful for customer service and reporting. But they are not essential for the store to function. Decide whether you are migrating everything or just keeping the old Magento site accessible for lookups.

This mapping phase takes time. Rush it and you will have messy data that causes problems for months.

What You Lose Moving to Shopify

Shopify is simpler than Magento. That is the point. But simplicity means losing some features.

Advanced promotion rules. Magento can do complicated promotions. Buy X get Y free, spend £100 get 15% off certain categories, tiered discounts based on customer group. Shopify can do some of this with apps, but not all of it.

Custom checkout fields. If you collect extra information at checkout (gift messages, delivery instructions, custom engraving details), you will need Shopify Plus or a workaround.

B2B features. Magento has native B2B functionality. Shopify needs apps for trade accounts, custom pricing, and quote requests.

Reporting. Magento's reporting is more detailed. Shopify's built-in reports are simpler. You might need additional reporting tools or custom development.

None of these are deal-breakers. But you need to know about them before you migrate, not after.

SEO Is Critical

Magento URLs look like /category/subcategory/product-name.html. Shopify URLs look like /products/product-name.

Every single URL is changing. If you do not set up redirects properly, your SEO collapses.

301 redirects are essential. Every product, every category, every CMS page needs a redirect from the old URL to the new one. Miss one and Google loses that page.

Structured data changes. Magento and Shopify output structured data differently. Make sure the new site has proper schema markup for products, reviews, and breadcrumbs.

Speed matters. Shopify is generally faster than Magento, which helps SEO. But only if you do not bloat it with slow apps and heavy themes.

Get the SEO right and you might even see rankings improve. Get it wrong and you will spend months trying to recover traffic.

The Hidden Costs

Magento to Shopify is not just the migration cost. There are ongoing differences.

Apps. Shopify uses apps for features Magento had built in. Each app costs £10 to £50 per month. Add them up and you might be paying more than you expected.

Shopify transaction fees. If you do not use Shopify Payments, you pay transaction fees on top of your payment gateway fees. That adds up on high-volume stores.

Developer costs. Shopify is easier to work with, so developer costs should drop. But custom features still need development. Just cheaper and faster than Magento.

Theme costs. A decent Shopify theme costs £150 to £300. Custom themes cost more. Budget for this.

Factor all this in before you commit. Shopify is usually cheaper than Magento, but not always by as much as you think.

Should You Make The Move?

For most businesses, yes.

If Magento is costing you £2,000 a month in hosting and maintenance, Shopify will save you money. If every change needs a developer, Shopify will give you more control. If your team hates the admin, Shopify will make their lives easier.

But if your business relies heavily on Magento-specific features, think carefully about whether Shopify can actually do what you need.

What To Do Next

Do not rush into it. Start with a proper discovery phase.

Get someone to look at your Magento store and work out exactly what needs migrating, what can be simplified, and what might not work in Shopify. Then get a realistic cost and timeline.

Only commit once you know exactly what is involved.

Need help with your migration? Our Platform Migration Service handles the entire process, from data mapping to post-launch support. Book a discovery call and we will give you an honest assessment.