Complete Shopify Migration Checklist for Growing Teams

Growing teams scaling eCommerce often dread Shopify migrations, facing data loss, endless downtime, and team chaos that stalls revenue. This complete checklist delivers a proven three-phase process to migrate seamlessly without disruptions. Teams using structured plans cut downtime by 90%, unlocking 25% average revenue growth post-launch.

Introduction

Scaling a business is exciting, but your eCommerce platform might be holding you back. If you are dealing with slow load times, crashing servers during sales, or a backend that feels like a maze, it is time for a change. Moving to Shopify is often the logical next step for growing brands that need reliability and flexibility.

But here is the thing: migration is not just about copying and pasting data. It is a strategic move that affects your SEO, customer data, and daily operations. A sloppy migration can tank your search rankings and frustrate loyal customers. A well-executed one sets you up for years of uninterrupted growth. This guide covers exactly how to handle the transition without losing sleep or data.

What Is a Shopify Migration?

A Shopify migration is the process of moving your existing online store from another platform: like Magento, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce, over to Shopify. This involves transferring critical data like products, customer details, and order history.

However, it is more than just data entry. You are also migrating your store’s design, functionality, and third-party integrations. You have to map your old site structure to Shopify’s architecture. This ensures your traffic lands on the right pages and your checkout works perfectly from day one. It is effectively rebuilding your digital house on a stronger foundation while keeping all your furniture intact.

Why Growing Teams Choose Shopify for Scaling

Startups and scaling agencies often hit a wall with legacy platforms. They require too much maintenance or crash when traffic spikes. Teams switch to Shopify to offload the technical headache and focus on selling. The platform handles the hosting and security, which allows your developers to focus on custom features rather than server maintenance.

The impact is measurable. Migrating helps brands improve site performance and enhance user experience, which directly correlates to higher conversion rates (grazitti.com). Additionally, a unified system allows teams to scale operations and streamline backend processes, making inventory management and fulfillment much faster.

Preparing Your Team for a Seamless Migration

Before you touch a single line of code, you need a plan. Migration is a team sport. If your marketing, operations, and development teams are not aligned, you will face delays. Start by setting clear expectations.

Here is how to get everyone on the same page:

• Align internal stakeholders on business goals and KPIs.
• Build a project timeline and assign specific owners for each phase.
• Establish a content and code freeze period 1-2 weeks before launch.

Audit Your Current Store and Data

You should not move clutter to your new home. An audit prevents you from migrating obsolete data that slows down your new site. This is your chance to clean up your database.

Focus on these key areas:

• Review and inventory all products, customers, and orders.
• Track SKUs, images, variants, and stock levels to ensure accuracy.
• Verify customer emails, addresses, and purchase history.
• Standardize product codes and remove outdated entries.

Assemble Roles and Responsibilities

Security and accountability are critical during a migration. You need to know exactly who has access to your data and who is responsible for specific tasks. This prevents unauthorized changes and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

Set up your team structure early:

• Add staff members and assign appropriate roles with necessary permissions.
• Enable two-factor authentication on all team member accounts.
• Assign specific owners for each migration phase (e.g., one person owns data, another owns SEO).

Select the Optimal Shopify Plan

Choosing the right plan affects your transaction fees, staff accounts, and available features. Most scaling brands look at Shopify Advanced or Shopify Plus, depending on volume.

Consider these factors:

• Choose a plan that fits your current transaction volume and business needs.
• Finalize your frontend design direction (custom theme vs. pre-built).
• Create your Shopify Plus environment if you are an enterprise store requiring automation flows and wholesale channels.

How Shopify Migration Works: The Three-Phase Process

A successful migration follows a structured path. Trying to do everything at once is a recipe for disaster. Instead, break the project into three distinct stages to manage risk and maintain quality control.

The process generally looks like this:

1. Pre-Migration Preparation: Planning, auditing, and backing up legacy data.
2. Shopify Migration Process: The actual transfer of data, theme development, and integration setup.
3. Post-Migration Checklist: Testing, launching, and monitoring for errors.

By compartmentalizing the work, you can validate each step before moving forward. This prevents compounding errors where a small data mistake in Phase 1 becomes a massive headache in Phase 3.

Complete Shopify Migration Checklist for Growing Teams

This checklist ensures you cover the technical and operational bases. Missing a step here usually results in broken links or lost orders.

Essential Testing Steps:

• Place test orders using real and test payment gateways.
• Test on all devices, including desktop, tablet, and smartphones.
• Check all links in the navigation, footer, and key landing pages.
• Test forms including contact pages and email/SMS sign-ups.
• Review migrated data for products, customers, and orders to ensure accuracy.

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Planning and Backup

This phase is about safety and strategy. You are defining what success looks like and protecting your existing assets. If anything goes wrong later, your backup is your safety net.

Key Actions:

• Define goals and objectives, including specific KPIs you want to improve.
• Prepare historical order data for migration so customers retain their history.
• Document meta titles and descriptions to preserve SEO rankings.
• Plan 301 redirects for every single URL on your old site.

Phase 2: Data Transfer, Setup, and Testing

This is the execution phase. You are moving the actual data and configuring the engine of your new store. Precision is key here.

Key Actions:

• Import store data using CSV files, migration apps, or API methods.
• Configure store settings, including currency, tax rules, payment gateways, and shipping zones.
• Process test orders as guest, logged-in, and wholesale customers to verify checkout flow.

Phase 3: Launch, Monitoring, and Optimization

Once the switch is flipped, the work is not done. You need to watch the live site closely to catch immediate issues and start improving performance.

Key Actions:

• Optimize images and media files to ensure fast load times.
• Configure GA4, conversion tracking, and custom event tracking.
• Send migration announcements to customers.
• Restart email/SMS campaigns to drive traffic to the new site.

Best Practices to Minimize Downtime and Maximize Growth

Downtime costs money. The goal is to switch platforms with zero interruption to your sales. To do this, you need to be tactical about when and how you launch.

Follow these rules for a smooth switch:

• Schedule the final switch-over during your historically lowest traffic hours (often late night or early morning).
• Execute with controlled imports and regular checkpoints rather than one massive data dump.
• Remove unused apps and streamline scripts to improve Core Web Vitals immediately.

If you rush the launch without these precautions, you risk frustrating customers who try to buy during the transition.

Common Migration Mistakes Growing Teams Make

Even smart teams make avoidable errors. The most common one is ignoring SEO. If you fail to map your 301 redirects correctly, Google will think your new site is empty, and your organic traffic will plummet.

Another major mistake is poor data hygiene. Migrating duplicate customers or broken product variants creates a mess that is harder to clean up in Shopify than it was in your old system. Finally, many teams forget to test third-party integrations. Just because your ERP connected to Magento does not mean it connects to Shopify the same way. Verify every connection before you go live.

When to Partner with Experts Like Presta

Some migrations are simple enough to handle in-house. However, if you have complex data structures, custom ERP integrations, or high transaction volumes, the risk of DIY migration increases significantly.

You might need a partner if:

• You need custom functionality that standard Shopify apps cannot provide.
• Your SEO rankings are critical revenue drivers that you cannot afford to risk.
• You lack the internal engineering resources to manage API connections.

At Presta, we specialize in helping startups and scaling businesses navigate these complex transitions. We handle the heavy lifting of strategy, design, and development so your team can focus on growth.

Conclusion

Migrating to Shopify is a major step toward maturing your business. It moves you away from technical debt and toward a platform designed for scale. While the process involves detailed planning and rigorous testing, the payoff is a faster, more reliable store that converts better.

Take the time to audit your data, plan your redirects, and test every button. If the process feels overwhelming, remember that you do not have to do it alone. With the right preparation—and perhaps the right partner—you can turn a daunting migration into your biggest growth opportunity of 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Shopify migration typically take for a growing team?

A standard Shopify migration takes 4-8 weeks, depending on store size and complexity. Small stores with under 10,000 products finish in 4 weeks, while larger ones with custom integrations need 6-8 weeks for full testing and launch.

What are the best apps for Shopify data migration?

Popular apps include Matrixify for bulk CSV imports, Cart2Cart for automated platform transfers, and EZ Importer for products and customers. Use them in Phase 2 to handle up to 500,000 records efficiently with minimal manual work.

How can I avoid losing SEO rankings during migration?

Implement 301 redirects for all old URLs using Shopify’s URL Redirects tool, update your sitemap.xml, and submit it to Google Search Console pre-launch. This preserves 90-95% of rankings within 2-4 weeks.

What is the average cost of migrating to Shopify?

Costs range from $5,000-$20,000 for mid-sized stores, covering apps ($100-$500), developer time ($3,000-$15,000), and potential agency fees. DIY saves money but risks $10,000+ in lost sales from errors.

Can I migrate to Shopify without downtime?

Yes, use a staging site for testing, schedule cutover during off-peak hours (e.g., 2-5 AM), and keep your old site live with redirects until verification. This achieves zero perceived downtime for 99% of customers.

Check out our related articles

• Migrate WooCommerce to Shopify 2026: The Complete Guide
• Migration Plan Timeline Template
• Migration can Tank your Search Rankings
• How to evaluate a Shopify migration agency
• Improve site performance and enhance user experience