THE SHORT ANSWER
Export products, customers and orders from Shopify as CSV files, map them to WooCommerce’s format, and import them on a staging WordPress site. Rebuild the theme, apps and checkout in WordPress, then 301 redirect every Shopify URL on launch day. Customer passwords can’t be moved, so plan a reset email. A typical store of up to a few hundred products moves in one to two weeks.
Clients leave Shopify for full ownership of their store, no platform transaction fees on top of the payment processor when they use a third-party gateway, and fewer monthly app bills. The risk is the move: lost product URLs, missing order history and a checkout nobody tested. A careful Shopify to WooCommerce migration avoids all three.
The process at a glance:
- Inventory every product, collection, page and blog URL.
- Export products, customers and orders from Shopify as CSV files.
- Import them into WooCommerce on staging and check every variation.
- Rebuild the theme, apps, payments and shipping in WordPress.
- Redirect every Shopify URL with a 301, launch and watch for a month.
01What moves from Shopify, and what doesn’t
| Data | Moves? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Products and variants | Yes | Shopify product CSV, mapped to the WooCommerce importer |
| Product images | Yes | Imported from their URLs while the Shopify store is still live |
| Customers | Yes | Shopify customer CSV, imported as WooCommerce customers |
| Order history | Yes, with work | Order export plus an import tool or script |
| Customer passwords | No | Customers set a new password on first login |
| Theme and apps | No | Rebuilt with a WordPress theme or builder and plugins |
| Gift card balances | Rarely | Usually reissued as WooCommerce coupons or gift cards |
KEEP SHOPIFY LIVE UNTIL THE IMPORT IS DONE
Product images import from Shopify’s servers. If the store closes before the import finishes, the images go with it. Keep the plan active until every image is in the WordPress media library.
02Step 1: inventory every URL
Shopify uses fixed URL patterns, which makes the redirect map predictable. List them all before anything changes.
- Products at
/products/handleand collections at/collections/handle. - Pages at
/pages/handleand blog posts at/blogs/blog-name/post-handle. - Product URLs inside collections, like
/collections/mugs/products/blue-mug. - Top landing pages and linked URLs from Google Search Console.
- SEO titles and descriptions for every product and collection, saved in one sheet.
03Step 2: export and import the store data
- Export products from Shopify as a CSV. It covers products and variants, and inventory levels come from a separate inventory export.
- Map Shopify’s columns to WooCommerce’s product CSV format, then import with WooCommerce’s built-in product importer.
- Check variable products by hand: options, prices, SKUs and stock on every variation.
- Export and import customers, then orders if the client needs order history in WordPress.
- Set up product categories, tags and attributes to match the Shopify collections and options.
FROM OUR DESK
Variants are where imports go wrong. A Shopify product with three options can become hundreds of WooCommerce variations. We check a sample of every product type on staging before importing the full catalog.
04Step 3: rebuild the store in WordPress
Data moves. The store experience is rebuilt. Plan each part.
| Shopify feature | WooCommerce replacement |
|---|---|
| Shopify theme | Divi 5, Elementor Pro or a block theme with WooCommerce templates |
| Shopify Payments | Stripe, PayPal or Square, in the client’s name |
| Shipping rates and zones | WooCommerce shipping zones, or a carrier plugin |
| Product reviews app | WooCommerce reviews, imported from the app’s CSV export |
| Subscriptions app | WooCommerce Subscriptions |
| Email marketing app | The same platform, reconnected to WooCommerce |
Test checkout end to end with real orders, then refund them. Our WooCommerce store build guide has the full payment and speed checklist.
05Step 4: map and test the redirects
| Old Shopify URL | New WooCommerce URL |
|---|---|
| /products/blue-mug | /product/blue-mug/ |
| /collections/mugs | /product-category/mugs/ |
| /collections/mugs/products/blue-mug | /product/blue-mug/ |
| /pages/about-us | /about/ |
| /blogs/news/spring-sale | /spring-sale/ |
Because Shopify’s patterns are fixed, most rows can be generated from the export, then checked by hand. Add them with a plugin such as Redirection or Rank Math, test every row on staging, and test again on the live domain after launch.
06Step 5: launch and watch
- Copy the email DNS records (MX and TXT) before switching the domain.
- Switch DNS at a quiet time, outside the store’s busy season.
- Send customers a short email explaining the new store and the password reset.
- Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and check Merchant Center product feeds.
- Check the 404 log and the first week of orders every day, then weekly for a month.
Moving a client off Shopify?
Products, customers and orders moved, store rebuilt and tested with real orders, under your brand. Fixed quote within 24 hours.
07How long does a Shopify to WooCommerce migration take?
| Store size | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Up to 15 products, simple shipping | 5 to 7 working days |
| Up to a few hundred products | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Large catalog, subscriptions or order history | Quoted per project |
The store build itself starts from $900 for up to 15 products. Most of the extra time on bigger stores goes into checking variants and testing checkout, not the import. Moving a non-store site instead? See our Squarespace and Wix migration guides.
08FAQ
Can I move my Shopify store to WooCommerce?
Yes. Products, variants, images, customers and orders can all be moved. The theme, apps and checkout are rebuilt in WordPress.
Will I lose SEO moving from Shopify to WooCommerce?
A short dip is normal while Google processes the redirects. With every product, collection and blog URL redirected to its match, rankings usually settle within a few weeks.
Can customer passwords be migrated from Shopify?
No. Shopify doesn’t export passwords, so customers set a new one on their first login. A short email before launch avoids confused support tickets.
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
Often, for growing stores. WooCommerce has no monthly platform fee, but you pay for hosting, some premium plugins and maintenance. Compare the full yearly cost, including Shopify’s apps and transaction fees.
Can I keep my order history?
Yes. Orders export from Shopify and can be imported into WooCommerce with a migration tool or script. Many smaller stores skip this and keep a CSV archive instead.
How long does a Shopify to WooCommerce migration take?
About 5 to 7 working days for a small store, and one to two weeks for a few hundred products. Large catalogs and subscriptions are quoted per project.
