Migrate BigCommerce to Shopify A Practical Guide

Making the jump from BigCommerce to Shopify is a serious strategic decision, one that signals a brand is ready for its next phase of growth. It's less of a sideways step and more of an investment in your future, opening up a world-class app ecosystem, more intuitive design tools, and an infrastructure built to handle high-volume sales.

Why Smart Brands Migrate From BigCommerce to Shopify

Moving your e-commerce store isn't just about swapping out one platform for another; it's about fundamentally upgrading your operational foundation. I've seen countless scaling brands hit a ceiling with BigCommerce. It served them well in the early days, but its limitations eventually become bottlenecks to growth.

The decision to migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify almost always comes down to a need for more control, better tools, and an ecosystem that can keep up with a brand's ambition.

Unlocking a Superior App Ecosystem

One of the biggest game-changers is Shopify's absolutely massive app marketplace. With over 8,000 apps, there’s a tested, proven solution for nearly any challenge you can think of—from complex subscription models to sophisticated loyalty programs and AI-powered personalization.

This means you can add powerful new features without waiting on expensive, time-consuming custom development, which is a common roadblock on other platforms.

For example, a fashion brand wanting to implement a "try before you buy" program would face a significant custom build on BigCommerce. On Shopify? There are several well-supported apps that can get you up and running in a matter of minutes. That ability to adapt and innovate on the fly is a massive competitive advantage.

Gaining Unmatched Design Flexibility

Shopify’s Online Store 2.0 and its section-based theme editor offer a level of design freedom that is, frankly, in a different league. Instead of being locked into rigid theme structures, you can build and customize layouts on a page-by-page, section-by-section basis.

This granular control lets you create truly unique landing pages, optimize product templates for conversion, and build a storefront that genuinely reflects your brand—all without writing a single line of code.

The real power comes from combining Shopify's design tools with its app ecosystem. This synergy allows you to create a customer experience that's not just beautiful but also highly functional and conversion-focused.

Embracing a Platform Built for Scale

When you're deciding where to build your brand's future, it's worth looking at where the market momentum is heading. This table breaks down the core differences that often drive the migration decision.

Key Strategic Drivers for Migrating to Shopify

The numbers tell a clear story. Shopify isn't just a platform; it's the center of gravity in e-commerce right now, and that ecosystem brings with it more innovation, more support, and more opportunities for growth.

As of early 2025, Shopify powers approximately 2.54 million active stores globally, while BigCommerce supports around 41,221. The trend is even clearer when you look at merchant movement. In a recent 90-day period, Shopify gained 242 stores directly from BigCommerce, which saw a net loss of 239 stores in that same window.

You can dig deeper into these e-commerce platform trends to see the data for yourself. The pattern is undeniable: ambitious, growing businesses see Shopify as the most sustainable and scalable choice for their future.

Ultimately, this migration is about setting your brand up for long-term success. It’s about choosing a partner that not only meets your needs today but also gives you the community and tools to thrive for years to come.

Mapping Your BigCommerce to Shopify Migration

A successful move from BigCommerce to Shopify all comes down to the plan. This isn't something you want to rush. Before you even think about exporting a single product, you need to get a crystal-clear picture of the project's true scope. This initial planning phase is your best defense against scope creep, surprise costs, and a launch date that keeps getting pushed back.

First things first: you need to do a thorough audit of your current BigCommerce store. Don’t just get a product count. You need to dig deeper into the complexities you’ve built over the years. Do you have custom-coded features? Intricate B2B pricing structures? What about the apps that are absolutely critical to your daily operations? Nailing these potential hurdles down early is everything.

I always tell clients to think of it like a cross-country move. You wouldn't just start throwing things into boxes at random. You’d take inventory, decide what's worth keeping, and figure out a special plan for the fragile or oversized items. Your e-commerce migration demands that same methodical approach.

Setting a Realistic Project Timeline

One of the biggest mistakes I see brands make is grossly underestimating how long a platform migration actually takes. The timeline to migrate BigCommerce to Shopify isn't just about the data transfer; it’s the whole package—design, development, app configuration, and rigorous testing.

So, how long will this actually take? Honestly, it depends entirely on your store's complexity. Drawing from hundreds of replatforming projects, the timeline can stretch anywhere from 16 to 39 weeks.

• A standard store with fewer than 10,000 SKUs is typically in the 16–20 week range.
• More complex stores with up to 50,000 SKUs might need 20–30 weeks.
• Enterprise-level brands with massive catalogs and custom B2B workflows are looking at closer to 39 weeks.

This timeline isn’t just about moving data; it’s about rebuilding your entire business operation on a new foundation. To keep your plan on track and make sure nothing critical gets missed, using an Ultimate Website Migration Checklist can be a lifesaver. A resource like this helps you track everything from data mapping all the way to SEO redirects.

Debunking Common Shopify Myths for B2B and Enterprise

A lot of merchants on BigCommerce worry that Shopify can't handle their complexity, especially when it comes to B2B or enterprise-level operations. This is a persistent—and outdated—myth. Shopify has poured massive resources into its enterprise capabilities, making it a powerhouse contender for even the most demanding businesses.

Shopify’s native B2B tools, headless commerce options via Hydrogen, and a rich ecosystem of over 8,000 apps provide a flexible and powerful alternative. The platform is no longer just for small direct-to-consumer brands; it's a future-proof solution for global enterprises.

For example, Shopify's native B2B on Shopify features let you create company profiles, set net payment terms, and manage custom price lists and catalogs, all right inside the admin. This kind of built-in functionality often replaces the clunky workarounds or expensive third-party apps you might be used to.

By mapping your migration strategically, you create a clear path forward. If you're looking for a deeper dive into the nuts and bolts, check out our comprehensive guide on how to migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify. A well-defined plan not only leads to a predictable launch but also positions your brand to take full advantage of Shopify's powerful ecosystem from day one.

Executing Your Core Data Transfer

Alright, this is where things get technical. We're about to move the very lifeblood of your business—your products, customers, and order history—from BigCommerce over to Shopify. The goal here isn’t just to copy and paste. It’s about making sure every piece of data lands on Shopify securely, accurately, and in a way that makes sense.

Trust me, a botched data transfer is a nightmare. It can lead to lost order histories, confused customers calling your support line, and a product catalog so messy it takes weeks of manual work to fix. Getting this right is non-negotiable.

The "best" way to do this really depends on your store. There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Your decision will come down to a mix of your budget, technical comfort level, and just how complex your store's data really is.

To give you an idea of what we're often working with, here's a snapshot of a typical data set for a small-to-medium business making the switch.

As you can see, the customer and order files are often much larger than the product catalog itself. That sheer volume is a huge factor when picking your transfer method.

Choosing Your Migration Method

You've got three main paths you can take to get your data from Point A to Point B. Each has its pros and cons, so let's break them down to figure out which one is the right fit for your business.

• Automated Migration Apps: Services like Cart2Cart or LitExtension are lifesavers. They are built specifically for this purpose, acting as a bridge between platforms to automate the transfer. It’s the most popular method for a reason.

• Manual CSV Transfer: This is the hands-on approach. You export data from BigCommerce into CSV (Comma Separated Values) files and then carefully import those files into Shopify. You have total control, but it's also the most time-consuming and easiest to mess up.

• Hiring a Migration Expert: For really complex stores or for merchants who just want it handled professionally, hiring a Shopify agency is the safest bet. They'll manage the entire technical process, including mapping out all your data and cleaning it up.

My personal advice? If you have more than a few hundred products or any complexity in your data—like lots of product variants or custom fields—the cost of an automated app is almost always worth it. The time you save and the errors you avoid will far outweigh the one-time fee.

Don't Skip the Pre-Transfer Data Audit

Before you even think about exporting a single file, you absolutely have to clean up your existing data inside BigCommerce. Think of it like packing for a move. You don't want to bring a bunch of junk to your brand-new home. A clean dataset prevents countless headaches later.

Start by auditing your BigCommerce data:

• Kill the Duplicates: Get rid of duplicate customer accounts and old, outdated product listings.
• Standardize Everything: Make sure your product tags, categories, and other attributes are consistent. You shouldn't have "t-shirt," "T-Shirt," and "tshirt" as three separate tags. Pick one and stick to it.
• Archive Old Info: Get rid of old, irrelevant orders or inactive customer accounts that you don't need to bring over.

A classic oversight is forgetting to map custom data fields. For example, if you use a custom field in BigCommerce for "Washing Instructions," that field doesn't exist by default in Shopify. You need to decide upfront where that information should go. Will it be part of the product description? A Shopify Metafield? Planning this mapping is critical for a smooth transfer.

Comparing Data Migration Methods

To make the decision a little easier, I've put together a table outlining the pros and cons of each method. This should help you quickly see which approach aligns with your store's needs, budget, and how hands-on you want to be.

Choosing the right path from the start will save you from some major headaches down the road. Be realistic about your data's complexity and your own bandwidth.

Handling Sensitive Customer Information

Security is paramount here, especially when you're moving customer data. You absolutely must handle it responsibly. The most important thing to understand is that customer passwords cannot and will not be migrated.

This is a non-negotiable security standard across all e-commerce platforms. Because passwords are encrypted, they can't be exported and moved.

So, what does that mean for you? After the migration is complete, all of your existing customers will need to create a new password to access their account on your new Shopify store. It's crucial that you communicate this to them before you launch. A simple email campaign explaining the move and instructing them on how to reactivate their accounts is the best practice here. It avoids a flood of support tickets and ensures everyone has a smooth transition.

Rebuilding Your Storefront and App Ecosystem

With your data safely moved over to Shopify, the heavy lifting is done. Now for the fun part: actually building your new storefront and bringing your brand to life. This isn't just about slapping a new coat of paint on your old BigCommerce design. Think of it as a golden opportunity to rethink, refine, and seriously upgrade your customer experience from the ground up.

First up, you need a theme. This is the visual foundation of your entire store, and Shopify’s Theme Store is packed with a huge collection of both premium and free options. My advice? Don't get hung up on finding a perfect match for your old site. Instead, look for a theme that vibes with your brand's aesthetic and comes with the features you know you'll need, like slick product filtering, mega menus, or quick-buy buttons.

The real game-changer here is Shopify’s Online Store 2.0 architecture. This lets you use drag-and-drop sections on every page, not just the homepage like in the old days. You can create custom templates for different products, build out unique landing pages, and tweak your site's entire layout without touching a line of code. For anyone coming from BigCommerce, this level of control is a massive leap forward.

Auditing and Replacing Your Apps

Next, let's talk apps. None of your BigCommerce apps will carry over, which is honestly a blessing. It forces you to audit the tools you were paying for and find better, more tightly integrated solutions on Shopify’s App Store.

Start by listing your absolute "must-have" functionalities.

• Subscriptions: Is recurring revenue a core part of your model?
• Loyalty Programs: How do you keep your best customers coming back?
• Reviews: What are you using for social proof and user-generated content?
• Email Marketing: Which platform handles your newsletters and automations?
• Customizations: Do you need product personalizers or complex variant options?

With your list in hand, you can start hunting for Shopify replacements. Don't just grab the first app you find with good ratings. Dig into recent reviews, check out their help docs, and see how they play with the other apps you’ll be installing. A well-chosen app stack can give your store capabilities you only dreamed of on your old platform.

This is a strategic reset. Think about the functionality you always wished you had on BigCommerce but couldn't implement. Now is the time to build that dream setup.

I've seen it happen time and time again. A brand might have been using a clunky subscription app on BigCommerce, only to discover a Shopify app that not only handles recurring payments but also provides a sleek customer portal, smart churn-reduction features, and deep analytics. This is a common "aha!" moment when you migrate BigCommerce to Shopify—the quality and depth of the app ecosystem is often a huge step up.

As you get your new store set up, you could even explore more modern tools like a Shopify video shopping cart integration to really make your product pages pop and simplify the path to purchase.

Configuring Your New Shopify Store

Once your theme is installed and your key apps are chosen, it's time to dial in the settings. This is the final configuration sprint, covering all the operational details that make your store actually function before you start testing.

Here’s a quick checklist of what you need to nail down:

1. Shipping and Taxes: Go through your shipping zones, rates, and tax rules with a fine-tooth comb. Shopify's settings are powerful, but a mistake here can lead to abandoned carts or, worse, losing money on shipping.
2. Payment Gateways: Connect your payment processors like Shopify Payments, PayPal, and any others you rely on. Make sure you enable accelerated checkout options like Shop Pay—it's a proven conversion booster.
3. Email Notifications: Don't stick with the default templates. Customize the automated emails for order confirmations, shipping updates, and abandoned carts. This is a perfect place to inject your brand's voice and maybe even add a small upsell.

This stage is all about sweating the small stuff. Getting these details right from the start means that when you flip the switch, the back end of your business will run like a well-oiled machine, giving both your team and your customers a great experience from day one.

Protecting Your SEO During the Transition

Moving platforms feels like a huge win, but all that hard work can be undone if your search rankings take a nosedive. Let me be blunt: protecting your SEO when you migrate BigCommerce to Shopify isn't just a box to check. It's the single most important thing you'll do to keep the traffic and revenue you've spent years building.

One wrong move here can make you practically invisible on Google. I’ve seen it happen. Climbing back up that ladder is a long, hard road you don't want to travel.

The absolute cornerstone of a safe transition is a meticulous 301 redirect strategy. Think of it as setting up mail forwarding for your website. When Google tries to visit an old BigCommerce page, a 301 redirect tells it, "Hey, this page has moved for good. Here's the new address on Shopify." This simple instruction passes most of the ranking power—often called "link equity"—from your old URL to the new one.

Without these redirects, search engines and users hit a dead end—a 404 "Not Found" error. That’s a huge red flag for Google, signaling your site is broken and frustrating potential customers. Your rankings can plummet fast.

Building Your URL Redirect Map

First things first, you need a complete map of every single indexable URL on your BigCommerce store. Don't guess. Use a crawling tool like Screaming Frog or export the data straight from your Google Search Console account to get a comprehensive list.

Once you have that list of old URLs, you have to map each one to its new counterpart on Shopify. Yes, this will likely be a giant spreadsheet, and it needs to be perfect.

• Product Pages: Your old /product/blue-widget/ URL must point directly to the new /products/blue-widget URL on Shopify.
• Category Pages: The old /categories/widgets/ URL should redirect to the new /collections/widgets path.
• Content Pages: Don't forget your blog posts, "About Us," and contact pages. Every single URL that gets traffic or has backlinks needs a new home.

I've seen people get lazy and just redirect all their old product pages to the new homepage. This is a massive SEO mistake. You must create a one-to-one redirect for every important page to preserve its specific ranking value. Anything less is telling Google to discard the authority you've built.

Migrating SEO Metadata and Content Structure

Redirects get the traffic to the right place, but what Google and your visitors see when they arrive is just as important. You need to make sure your on-page SEO elements make the journey, too.

This means migrating your meta titles and meta descriptions. These are the snippets that show up in search results and are absolutely critical for getting clicks. While an automated tool can often move this data, you have to double-check it. I always recommend manually reviewing your top-performing pages to ensure the titles and descriptions are still compelling and have been implemented correctly on the new site.

This is also the perfect opportunity to check your content structure. Are your H1s, H2s, and other heading tags logically structured on your new Shopify pages? This hierarchy helps search engines understand the context of your content, which is a key ranking factor.

Your Post-Launch SEO Checklist

The work isn't over the second you flip the switch. The first few weeks after launch are crucial for monitoring the transition and catching any issues before they cause real damage.

1. Submit Your New Sitemap: As soon as your Shopify store is live, find your new sitemap.xml file (it's usually at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml) and submit it to Google Search Console. This is like sending Google a change-of-address card and asking them to crawl your new site structure immediately.
2. Monitor Crawl Errors: Keep a close eye on the "Coverage" report in Google Search Console. This is where Google will tell you about any 404 errors or other problems it finds. Jump on these errors and fix them fast.
3. Check Canonical Tags: Make sure your new Shopify theme is using rel="canonical" tags correctly. These tags are your defense against duplicate content issues, especially on product pages with multiple variants, by telling Google which version of a URL is the "master" copy.

By following this playbook, you can turn a high-anxiety project into a smooth and successful transition. The goal is simple: make sure search engines—and your customers—love your new Shopify store just as much as you do.

Your Pre-Launch Testing and Go-Live Protocol

A smooth launch day is no accident. It’s the direct result of putting your new site through its paces with some serious, methodical testing. This final phase after your BigCommerce to Shopify migration is your quality assurance safety net. It's where you hunt down and squash any last-minute bugs to make sure your new store delivers a flawless experience from the very first click.

Rushing this part is a classic recipe for disaster. I always tell my clients to think of it like a dress rehearsal for a big show. You wouldn't go on stage without testing every light, sound cue, and scene change, right? Your store launch deserves that exact same level of attention.

Simulating the Complete Customer Journey

The absolute most critical piece of your pre-launch plan is walking through the entire customer journey yourself. And not just once—you need to do it multiple times, trying to break things in different ways before a real customer does.

Start by placing several test orders. Make sure you're using a real payment gateway but have it in test mode. A solid Shopify migration checklist will always hammer this point home because it reveals problems that just looking at settings won't catch.

You need to test a bunch of different situations:

• Simple Purchases: Add a single item to the cart and go all the way through checkout. Easy enough.
• Complex Orders: Now try an order with multiple items, different product variants (size, color, etc.), and ship it to various locations.
• Discount Codes: Does the cart correctly apply both percentage-based (e.g., 20% off) and fixed-amount (e.g., $10 off) discount codes? Does the total update instantly and accurately?
• Gift Cards: If you offer them, test buying a gift card and then using it on a separate purchase.
• Failed Transactions: This one is key. Intentionally use a declined credit card number to check that your store shows the right error message and doesn't just crash.

Getting hands-on like this will immediately expose any weirdness with shipping rate calculations, tax settings, or payment gateway configs that looked perfect on paper but totally fail in practice.

Verifying Critical Store Functions

Beyond just the checkout, you have to confirm that all the interconnected parts of your store are playing nicely together. This means everything from customer emails to the apps you've installed.

Make a simple checklist for these final verifications:

1. Email Notifications: Do the automated emails—like order confirmations, shipping updates, and abandoned cart reminders—actually send? And more importantly, do they have your correct branding and links?
2. Customer Accounts: Create a test account, log out, and then try to log back in. Definitely test the "forgot password" flow to make sure customers can easily get back into their accounts without bugging your support team.
3. Third-Party Apps: Go through every single app you installed. Do your product reviews actually show up on the product pages? Is your loyalty program tracking points correctly? Is your email marketing app syncing new subscribers from the footer form?

A surprisingly common mistake is just assuming an app works because it was installed without errors. You have to actively test each one. An app that fails to sync inventory or customer data can cause absolute chaos on launch day.

Once you’ve gone through this exhaustive testing and fixed anything that came up, you're finally ready for the go-live sequence. This is where you point your domain to the new Shopify store and then do one last, quick sanity check on the live site. Taking this methodical approach turns what could be a massively stressful launch day into a controlled, successful event.

Got Questions About the BigCommerce to Shopify Move?

Jumping from one platform to another always brings up a few questions. It's a big project, after all. Here are some of the most common things we get asked by merchants planning a migration from BigCommerce to Shopify.

How Long Will This Whole Migration Actually Take?

Honestly, it depends. There's no one-size-fits-all timeline. A smaller store with a straightforward catalog might be looking at a few weeks from start to finish. But for a larger, more complex business with tons of customer data, custom features, and a web of app integrations, you could be looking at a multi-month project.

The only way to get a realistic timeframe is to start with a deep-dive audit. We need to look at everything—your products, customer accounts, order history, and every single app you rely on—to map out a proper schedule.

Am I Going to Tank My SEO Rankings?

You don't have to. In fact, a well-planned migration should protect your hard-earned search rankings. But this is the one area where you absolutely can't cut corners.

The secret? A rock-solid 301 redirect strategy. Every single URL from your old BigCommerce site needs to be meticulously mapped to its new home on Shopify. This tells search engines where to find the new page and passes along all that valuable link authority. Skipping this step is the fastest way to greet your old customers with 404 error pages and watch your organic traffic disappear overnight.

Why Are So Many Big Brands Moving to Shopify Anyway?

It usually comes down to ambition and scale. Many successful businesses eventually hit a growth ceiling on BigCommerce and make a strategic move to Shopify to break through it. They're not just switching platforms; they're investing in a more robust foundation for future growth.

Just look at global players like Gymshark and Kylie Cosmetics. They migrated to tap into Shopify's massive app ecosystem, its powerful tools for international selling, and its proven ability to handle the insane traffic spikes that come with major sales events. You can dive deeper into these strategic migration trends.

Ready to make your migration seamless and strategic? The experts at ECORN specialize in Shopify development and can guide you through a flawless transition, ensuring your business is poised for growth from day one. Get in touch with our Shopify specialists today!