How to move from Shopify to WooCommerce

Why shops make the move

Shop owners usually move for one of three reasons. They want to own their shop and data rather than rent it. They find that monthly app charges keep adding up. Or they need flexibility that the hosted platform does not offer, such as trade pricing, custom product options or more content. If you are still weighing it up, read WooCommerce vs Shopify for UK small retailers first.

Step 1: take stock of what you have

Before touching anything, write down what your current shop does. List:

• The number of products and variants, and how they are organised into collections.
• Every app you use and what job it does.
• Your pages: about, delivery, returns, contact, blog posts.
• Payment methods, shipping zones and rates, and tax settings.
• Any integrations, such as accounting, email marketing or stock systems.

For each app, find the WooCommerce equivalent. Many features are built into WooCommerce or available as free plugins.

Step 2: export your data

Shopify lets you export products, customers and orders as CSV files from the admin area. Download all three and keep copies somewhere safe. Also save your images, page content and blog posts, which may need copying separately.

Check the files before you import. Look for missing images, odd characters in product names and variants that have not come through as expected.

Step 3: build the new shop

Set up WooCommerce on your new hosting, using a temporary address so your live shop keeps trading. Choose a theme, set up shipping, tax and payment methods, and create your key pages. Then import your CSV files into WooCommerce. Products come first, followed by customers and orders.

Take time to check a sample of products carefully: prices, variants, stock levels, images and descriptions. It is much easier to fix problems now than after launch.

Step 4: plan your URLs and redirects

This is the step that protects your search rankings. Shopify product URLs use /products/, while WooCommerce uses /product/ by default. Collections and pages also follow different patterns. You have two options:

1. Keep the old URLs by changing WooCommerce's permalink settings to match where possible.
2. Set up 301 redirects from every old address to its new one, so visitors and search engines land in the right place.

Build a simple spreadsheet with old URL and new URL columns. Include products, collections, pages and blog posts. Once live, test a good sample of old links to make sure each one redirects correctly.

Step 5: test everything

Before switching over, place real test orders using each payment method and shipping option. Check order confirmation emails, stock reduction and how orders appear in the admin area. Try the shop on a phone as well as a computer. Ask a friend who has never seen the shop to buy something and tell you where they hesitated.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Forgetting images in descriptions. Pictures inside product text may still point to the old shop, so check they load from the new one.
• Skipping tax and shipping checks. Rates are set up differently on each platform, so test a few real addresses before launch.
• Leaving redirects until last. Build your redirect list early, while you still have easy access to the old URLs.
• Replacing every app like for like. Some apps solved problems you no longer have. Only add plugins you actually need.

Step 6: switch over

Pick a quiet time. Export any orders and customers added since your first export, import them, then point your domain at the new hosting. Keep your Shopify account open for a short while in case you need to check anything, then close it once you are sure everything has come across.

After the move

• Submit your new sitemap in Google Search Console and watch for errors.
• Check redirects again after a few days.
• Let customers know about the new shop and explain how to reset their password if their account login has changed.
• Keep backups running from day one.

You can read more on our moving from Shopify page.

Move to Retail Web Hosting

We host WooCommerce shops for UK small retailers and makers, with SSL, regular backups and updates done for you. Plans start with Shop Start at €19.95 a month, cancel any month. See our WooCommerce hosting or get in touch to talk through your move.

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