Why Move from Shopify to WooCommerce?
Shopify is beginner-friendly and hosted, but it comes with limitations that many store owners grow out of. Here’s why people transfer Shopify to WooCommerce:Full Control & Ownership
- With WooCommerce, you own your code, data, and store — no vendor lock-in.
Lower Long-Term Costs
- No monthly subscription for the platform itself.
- You pay for hosting and optional plugins, not for basic store functionality.
Customization & Extensibility
- Open-source architecture with over 60,000 WordPress plugins available.
- Total flexibility in design and features.
Scalable SEO & Content Capabilities
- WordPress + WooCommerce = superior SEO and content marketing tools.
- Easily create blogs, landing pages, and optimize product pages.
What Data Can You Migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce?
Using an automated WooCommerce migration tool like Cart2Cart, you can transfer:- Products (images, SKUs, prices, descriptions, inventory)
- Product categories & collections
- Customer accounts & details
- Orders & order history
- Coupons, taxes, currencies
- Blog posts & CMS pages
- SEO URLs, meta titles & meta descriptions
How to Migrate Shopify Store to WooCommerce – Step-by-Step
Step 1: Prepare Your WooCommerce Environment
To migrate successfully, you’ll need a working WooCommerce store:- Purchase a domain and hosting (use WooCommerce-optimized hosting like SiteGround, Bluehost, or Cloudways).
- Install WordPress and the WooCommerce plugin.
- Choose a WooCommerce theme — Astra, OceanWP, and Storefront are good free options.
- Configure your basic WooCommerce settings (currency, location, shipping, etc.).
Step 2: Backup Your Shopify Store
Before transferring any data:- Export Shopify products, orders, and customers via CSV (as a backup).
- Save images and media files.
- Consider using a Shopify app for backups if needed.
Step 3: Launch Cart2Cart – The Automated Shopify to WooCommerce Migration Tool
- Go to Cart2Cart’s official site.
- Register an account (free).
- Set up Shopify as your source cart:
- Provide your Shopify store URL.
- Generate API credentials if needed.
- Set up WooCommerce as the target cart:
- Install the Cart2Cart plugin on your WooCommerce site.
- Provide store URL and connection bridge.
Step 4: Choose Data to Migrate
You can selectively migrate:- All products or only specific categories.
- All or filtered orders.
- Customer data, blog posts, tags, and SEO metadata.
Optional Add-ons:
- Preserve order/customer IDs
- Migrate images to product descriptions
- Create 301 redirects from Shopify to WooCommerce URLs
- Migrate SEO data (meta titles/descriptions)
Step 5: Run a Free Demo Migration
Cart2Cart offers a free demo migration to test how your data looks in WooCommerce. This takes a few minutes and lets you:- Preview products, categories, and orders.
- Ensure formatting and images are intact.
- Identify and fix any issues early.
Step 6: Start Full Shopify to WooCommerce Migration
Once you're satisfied with the demo:- Launch the full migration.
- Migration occurs in the background — your Shopify store stays online and unaffected.
- Cart2Cart will notify you via email when it’s done.
Check Your Store Data
- Review products, prices, categories, and orders.
- Test customer logins, account details, and order histories.
- Payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, etc.)
- Shipping zones and tax settings
- Inventory management
- Use 301 redirects for old Shopify URLs to retain your search engine rankings.
- Plugins like Redirection or Cart2Cart’s built-in redirect add-on can help.
Remind Customers to Reset Passwords
Shopify passwords can’t be migrated (due to encryption). Send a reset email to your customer list.Optimize Your New Store
- Add performance plugins (like caching and image optimization).
- Install SEO tools (Yoast SEO or RankMath).
- Set up analytics (Google Analytics 4, Facebook Pixel, etc.)
