How to Migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify: Complete Migration Guide

Written by
E-commerce Migration Team
11 min read
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Why Transfer from BigCommerce to Shopify?

Many e-commerce businesses are making the move from BigCommerce to Shopify, driven by Shopify's superior ease of use, extensive app ecosystem, and more flexible pricing structure. While BigCommerce offers robust built-in features, Shopify's intuitive interface and scalability make it an attractive alternative for growing businesses.

Key Motivations for Migration

1. User Experience

  • Shopify's admin interface is more intuitive and user-friendly
  • Faster learning curve for new team members
  • Better mobile management capabilities
  • Simplified product and inventory management

2. App Ecosystem

  • 8,000+ apps in Shopify App Store vs 1,000+ in BigCommerce
  • Better quality and more frequent app updates
  • Stronger developer community
  • More integration options

3. Design Flexibility

  • More theme options (100+ vs 200+)
  • Easier theme customization
  • Better mobile-responsive designs
  • Advanced customization with Liquid

4. Pricing Transparency

  • No revenue-based pricing tiers
  • Predictable monthly costs
  • Better value for high-volume stores
  • No hidden transaction fees with Shopify Payments

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Feature Comparison

Feature BigCommerce Shopify
Monthly Price $29.95-$299.95 $29-$299
Transaction Fees None 0-2% (waived with Shopify Payments)
Revenue Limits Yes (forced upgrades) No
Built-in Features Extensive Moderate (app-dependent)
Ease of Use Moderate Excellent
API Calls Limited More generous
Themes 150+ 100+ (more third-party)
App Store 1,000+ apps 8,000+ apps
B2B Features Strong native Requires Plus or apps
Multi-currency Built-in Shopify Payments required

Pre-Migration Assessment

1. Analyze Your BigCommerce Store

Data Audit Checklist:

  • Total number of products and variants
  • Customer database size
  • Order history volume
  • Custom fields and product options
  • Category structure
  • Blog posts and content pages
  • Customer groups and pricing
  • Active integrations and apps

Technical Evaluation:

  • Current theme customizations
  • Custom scripts or functionality
  • API integrations
  • Fulfillment workflows
  • Payment gateway setup

2. Migration Timeline Planning

Typical Migration Schedule:

Store Size Products Customers Timeline Complexity
Small Under 500 Under 5,000 1-2 weeks Low
Medium 500-5,000 5,000-25,000 2-4 weeks Medium
Large 5,000-25,000 25,000-100,000 4-8 weeks High
Enterprise 25,000+ 100,000+ 8-16 weeks Very High

3. Budget Planning

Migration Cost Factors:

  • DIY Approach: $100-$500 (apps and tools)
  • Freelancer: $2,000-$8,000
  • Agency: $5,000-$30,000
  • Enterprise: $30,000-$100,000+

Additional Costs:

  • Theme purchase/customization: $150-$5,000
  • App subscriptions: $50-$500/month
  • Custom development: $100-$200/hour
  • SEO recovery: $1,000-$5,000

Step-by-Step Migration Process

Step 1: Shopify Store Setup

Initial Configuration:

  • Create Shopify account
  • Select appropriate plan
  • Configure basic settings: 
    - Store name and URL
- Currency settings
- Tax configuration
- Shipping zones
- Payment methods

Domain Preparation:

  • Keep BigCommerce store active during migration
  • Use Shopify's temporary domain
  • Plan DNS switch for launch day
  • Set up email forwarding

Step 2: Product Migration

Export from BigCommerce:

  • Navigate to Products > Export
  • Select "Export Template"
  • Choose CSV format
  • Include all product data

BigCommerce Export Fields:

Product ID,Product Name,SKU,Price,Weight,Description,Category,Images,Inventory

Import to Shopify Format:

Handle,Title,Body (HTML),Vendor,Type,Tags,Published,Price,Compare at Price,SKU,Weight,Weight Unit,Inventory Quantity

Product Migration Best Practices:

  • Maintain consistent SKUs
  • Preserve SEO-friendly URLs
  • Map custom fields to metafields
  • Organize variant options properly
  • Optimize images before upload

Step 3: Customer Migration

Customer Data Export:

  • BigCommerce Admin > Customers
  • Export customer list
  • Include all available fields

Critical Customer Information:

  • Email addresses (unique identifier)
  • Names and addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Customer groups/tags
  • Order history reference
  • Store credit (manual tracking)

Password Considerations:

  • Passwords cannot be migrated
  • Prepare customer communication
  • Set up password reset campaign
  • Consider offering incentives

Step 4: Order History Transfer

Why Migrate Orders:

  • Customer service reference
  • Repeat purchase insights
  • Financial reporting continuity
  • Legal/tax compliance

Order Export Process:

  • BigCommerce > Orders > Export
  • Select date range
  • Export all order data
  • Format for Shopify import

Important Order Fields:

  • Order number mapping
  • Customer email association
  • Product SKU matching
  • Shipping/billing addresses
  • Payment status
  • Fulfillment status

Step 5: Content Migration

Static Pages:

  • About Us, Contact, policies
  • Create manually or use migration tools
  • Maintain URL structure
  • Update internal links

Blog Migration:

  • Export blog posts from BigCommerce
  • Convert to Shopify blog format
  • Preserve categories and tags
  • Redirect old blog URLs

Product Reviews:

  • Export from BigCommerce
  • Use review apps (Judge.me, Yotpo)
  • Import with correct product matching
  • Maintain review dates and ratings

Step 6: SEO Preservation Strategy

URL Structure Mapping:

BigCommerce: /category-name/product-name/
Shopify: /products/product-name

301 Redirect Implementation:

  • Create comprehensive URL map
  • Use Shopify's URL redirect tool
  • Bulk upload via CSV:
/old-url-path,/new-url-path

SEO Checklist:

  • Export all URLs from BigCommerce
  • Map to new Shopify URLs
  • Set up 301 redirects
  • Migrate meta titles/descriptions
  • Update XML sitemap
  • Submit to Google Search Console
  • Monitor 404 errors

Step 7: Design and Theme Setup

Theme Selection Criteria:

  • Match current site aesthetic
  • Mobile responsiveness
  • Loading speed
  • Customization flexibility
  • App compatibility

Theme Migration Options:

  • Purchase Similar Theme: $150-$350
  • Custom Development: $5,000-$20,000
  • Hybrid Approach: Theme + customization

Design Elements to Migrate:

  • Color schemes and fonts
  • Layout structure
  • Navigation menus
  • Custom sections
  • Promotional banners

Step 8: App and Integration Setup

Common BigCommerce to Shopify App Mappings:

BigCommerce Feature Shopify Alternative
Abandoned Cart Saver Shopify built-in + Klaviyo
Product Filtering Search & Discovery app
Customer Groups Bold Customer Pricing
Multi-currency Shopify Payments
B2B Features Shopify Plus or B2B apps
Advanced Reviews Judge.me, Yotpo, Stamped

Integration Priorities:

  • Email marketing platform
  • Inventory management
  • Accounting software
  • Fulfillment services
  • Customer support tools
  • Analytics and tracking

Step 9: Checkout and Payment Configuration

Payment Gateway Setup:

  • Enable Shopify Payments (if available)
  • Configure alternative gateways
  • Set up payment testing mode
  • Match BigCommerce payment options

Checkout Optimization:

  • Configure shipping rates
  • Set up tax calculations
  • Add checkout customizations
  • Enable accelerated checkouts
  • Test all payment methods

Step 10: Testing and Quality Assurance

Frontend Testing:

  • All products display correctly
  • Images load properly
  • Pricing is accurate
  • Add to cart functions
  • Checkout process works
  • Payment processing successful
  • Order confirmation emails sent
  • Mobile experience smooth

Backend Testing:

  • Inventory tracking accurate
  • Order management functional
  • Customer accounts work
  • Apps integrated properly
  • Reports generating correctly
  • Admin permissions set

Performance Testing:

  • Page load speeds
  • Mobile responsiveness
  • Search functionality
  • Filter performance
  • Checkout speed

Migration Tools Comparison

1. Cart2Cart

Pros:

  • Automated migration
  • Free demo available
  • 24/7 support
  • Additional services available

Cons:

  • Limited customization
  • May miss complex data
  • Additional costs for options

Pricing: Starting at $69

2. LitExtension

Pros:

  • Comprehensive migration
  • Smart migration options
  • Good customer support
  • SEO-friendly migration

Cons:

  • Can be expensive
  • Some manual work required
  • Learning curve

Pricing: Starting at $59

3. Excelify (Matrixify)

Pros:

  • Powerful and flexible
  • Handles complex migrations
  • Regular updates
  • Good for bulk operations

Cons:

  • Requires technical knowledge
  • Manual process
  • Time-consuming

Pricing: $20-50/month

4. Manual Migration

Pros:

  • Complete control
  • No tool limitations
  • Cost-effective for small stores

Cons:

  • Time-intensive
  • Error-prone
  • Requires expertise

Cost: Free (time investment)

Launch Day Execution

24 Hours Before Launch

  • Final data sync from BigCommerce
  • Complete testing checklist
  • Prepare team communication
  • Set up monitoring tools
  • Create backup of everything

Launch Day Steps

  • 9:00 AM: Put BigCommerce in maintenance mode
  • 9:15 AM: Final product/order export
  • 9:30 AM: Import final data to Shopify
  • 10:00 AM: Final testing round
  • 11:00 AM: Update DNS records
  • 11:30 AM: Remove password protection
  • 12:00 PM: Monitor traffic and orders

Post-Launch Monitoring (First 48 Hours)

  • Check 404 error reports
  • Monitor site performance
  • Review order processing
  • Address customer issues
  • Fix critical bugs immediately
  • Document all issues

Common Migration Challenges

Challenge 1: Product Variant Limitations

BigCommerce Advantage:

  • 600 SKUs per product
  • Complex option sets
  • Modifier groups

Shopify Limitation:

  • 100 variants per product
  • 3 option sets maximum

Solutions:

  • Break into multiple products
  • Use apps like Infinite Options
  • Restructure product catalog
  • Custom development

Challenge 2: B2B Functionality

BigCommerce Strengths:

  • Customer groups
  • Custom pricing
  • Quote management
  • Net payment terms

Shopify Alternatives:

  • Shopify Plus B2B features
  • Bold Customer Pricing
  • B2B pricing apps
  • Wholesale channel

Challenge 3: API Rate Limits

Issue: Shopify has stricter API limits

Solutions:

  • Implement request queuing
  • Use bulk operations
  • Optimize API calls
  • Consider GraphQL API

Challenge 4: Built-in Features vs Apps

BigCommerce: More built-in features Shopify: Requires apps for advanced features

Strategy:

  • Identify essential features
  • Research app alternatives
  • Budget for app costs
  • Test before committing

Post-Migration Optimization

Week 1-2: Stabilization

  • Fix critical issues
  • Optimize site speed
  • Train team on Shopify
  • Monitor customer feedback
  • Fine-tune configurations

Week 3-4: Enhancement

  • Implement A/B testing
  • Add new Shopify features
  • Optimize for conversions
  • Expand marketing efforts
  • Integrate additional apps

Month 2: Growth

  • Analyze migration impact
  • Optimize based on data
  • Plan new features
  • Scale marketing
  • Explore Shopify Plus

Month 3+: Innovation

  • Leverage Shopify's latest features
  • Expand to new channels
  • International expansion
  • Mobile app development
  • Subscription offerings

Success Metrics to Track

Technical Metrics

  • Page load speed improvement
  • Mobile performance scores
  • Uptime percentage
  • Error rates reduction

Business Metrics

  • Conversion rate changes
  • Average order value
  • Customer acquisition cost
  • Customer lifetime value
  • Revenue growth

SEO Metrics

  • Organic traffic recovery
  • Keyword ranking changes
  • Indexed pages count
  • Backlink preservation

Customer Metrics

  • Support ticket volume
  • Customer satisfaction scores
  • Account reactivation rate
  • Repeat purchase rate

Final Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

  • Complete store audit
  • Choose migration method
  • Set realistic timeline
  • Allocate budget
  • Assemble team
  • Create project plan

During Migration

  • Export all data
  • Set up Shopify store
  • Migrate products
  • Transfer customers
  • Import orders
  • Configure apps
  • Design store
  • Test everything

Post-Migration

  • Update DNS
  • Monitor performance
  • Fix issues
  • Train team
  • Optimize store
  • Plan growth

Conclusion

Migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify is a strategic decision that can unlock new growth opportunities for your e-commerce business. While the process requires careful planning and execution, the benefits of Shopify's user-friendly interface, extensive app ecosystem, and scalable infrastructure make it worthwhile.

Success hinges on thorough preparation, choosing the right migration tools, and maintaining SEO value throughout the transition. Whether you're handling the migration internally or working with professionals, this guide provides the roadmap for a successful transfer from BigCommerce to Shopify.

Remember to prioritize data integrity, customer experience, and SEO preservation. With proper planning and execution, your migration can be seamless, setting your business up for enhanced growth and success on the Shopify platform.

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