BigCommerce to Shopify Migration – Explained Step-by-Step

Let me paint you a picture. Shopify now powers over 4.6 million live stores and holds 28% of the US ecommerce market share. That's not just impressive – it's a clear sign that Shopify is doing something right. But here's the thing – migrating platforms can feel overwhelming, especially when your livelihood depends on your online store.

Don't worry, though. We’re going to walk you through this entire process, step by step, and address all those nagging questions that are probably keeping you up at night. 

Why Are So Many Businesses Making the Switch From BigCommerce to Shopify?

Before we dive into the how, let's talk about the why. Shopify is one of the fastest-growing ecommerce platforms in the world, available in over 170 countries, and there's a reason for this explosive growth. It's not just marketing hype – businesses are seeing real, measurable improvements after making the switch.

Here's what we keep hearing from business owners who've made the switch:

While BigCommerce’s base plans can look cheaper, they include annual sales limits that trigger plan upgrades as you grow. This means your monthly costs rise with your revenue, whereas Shopify’s plan pricing stays fixed. And with Shopify Payments, you can avoid Shopify’s own transaction fees entirely.

Shopify's user-friendly interface, vast app ecosystem, and seamless integrations make it easier to manage, optimize, and scale an ecommerce business. While BigCommerce has apps, Shopify's ecosystem is in a league of its own. Need a specific feature? There's probably an app for that. Want to integrate with a new service? Shopify likely has you covered.

This one's huge. How many times have you heard your team complain about clunky interfaces or confusing workflows? Shopify consistently gets praised for being intuitive. Less time spent figuring out how to do basic tasks means more time growing your business.

BigCommerce vs. Shopify: a quick comparison

Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify

Step 1: Pre-migration planning

Successful migration begins with thorough planning. This phase is crucial for identifying potential challenges, setting clear objectives, and establishing a timeline that minimizes disruption to your business.

Setting clear objectives

Write down exactly why you're migrating. Is it to reduce costs? Get better marketing tools? Improve your team's workflow? Having this clarity will guide every decision you make during the process.

Conducting a comprehensive audit

Before beginning the migration, conduct a thorough audit of your current BigCommerce store. Document all products, customer data, order history, blog content, pages, and custom functionalities. This audit will serve as your migration checklist and help identify potential challenges.

Establishing a timeline

Develop a realistic timeline that accounts for the complexity of your store and any seasonal considerations. Most migrations take 2-6 weeks depending on the size of your catalog and the level of customization required.

Choosing the right migration method

There are several approaches to migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify, each with its own advantages and considerations.

Manual transfer → This method involves manually exporting data from BigCommerce and importing it into Shopify using CSV files. While time-consuming, it offers the most control over the process and is cost-effective for smaller stores with simple structures.

Shopify's native import tools → Shopify provides built-in import functionality for common data types, though it may require data formatting to match Shopify's requirements.

Professional migration services → For complex stores with extensive customizations, hiring migration experts ensures the highest success rate and minimal risk of data loss or functionality issues.

Let’s Address Common Migration from BigCommerce to Shopify Concerns

Migrating e-commerce stores naturally raises concerns about data security, business continuity, and potential risks. This section addresses the most common questions and concerns business owners have about BigCommerce to Shopify migration.

Will I lose my existing data during the migration?

With the right approach, data loss during migration can be virtually avoided. A backup-first strategy is key—creating multiple copies of products, customer data, orders, content, and media before starting. Professional tools guide the process: connect source and target carts, select entities, and run the BigCommerce to Shopify migration. These tools ensure data integrity, supported by verification steps that compare source and destination. Running tests in a staging environment helps catch and fix issues before launch, ensuring your store goes live with complete, accurate data.

How long will my store be offline during the switch?

Downtime during migration can be kept minimal with the right strategy. Most work happens in a staging environment while your BigCommerce store stays live, limiting actual downtime to the DNS update—usually 15–30 minutes. DNS propagation may take 24–48 hours, but most visitors see the new site much sooner. By building and testing your Shopify store in staging first, you avoid disrupting sales and can perfect the setup. If downtime is unavoidable, use a professional maintenance page to inform customers, set expectations, and maintain trust during the transition.

Can all my products, customer data, and order history be transferred?

Most data can be successfully migrated from BigCommerce to Shopify, though there are a few limitations to be aware of. Products and inventory—including descriptions, images, pricing, stock levels, product variants, custom fields, and categories—transfer completely, ensuring your catalog remains intact. Customer information, such as contact details, account data, and preferences, also migrates successfully, but for security reasons, passwords cannot be transferred, meaning customers will need to reset them after launch.

Order history can be imported to maintain continuity for customer service and business analytics, though importing complete historical records may be limited by data volume or age. Likewise, content and SEO elements, such as blog posts, static pages, and metadata, can be moved to Shopify, but some manual optimization may be necessary to fully leverage Shopify’s SEO capabilities.

What about my current integrations and third-party apps?

Integrations and third-party apps require careful review during migration, as many must be rebuilt on Shopify. Fortunately, Shopify’s vast app ecosystem often offers stronger alternatives, with seamless connections, user-friendly tools, and features to scale your store. For services linked via API—like payment gateways, accounting, or marketing platforms—you’ll need to set up new connections in Shopify. Many businesses find these alternatives deliver better performance. To ensure continuity, list all current integrations early, then research equivalent or improved options in the Shopify App Store.

Will my SEO rankings be affected?

SEO can be preserved during migration with the right strategy. Keep your existing URL structure where possible, and use 301 redirects if changes are needed to protect rankings. Transfer all metadata—titles, descriptions, and SEO tags—to ensure continuity. Migration is also a chance to optimize content like product pages and blogs for stronger performance while retaining current SEO value. Finally, update Google Search Console and other webmaster tools with your new Shopify details to maintain accurate monitoring and tracking after launch.

Will I lose sales during the transition period?

This fear keeps a lot of business owners paralyzed, but it's largely unfounded with proper planning.

Remember, you're building your entire Shopify store while BigCommerce keeps running. The actual "switch" is just changing DNS settings, which takes minutes, not hours or days.

Time your migration during slower business periods, communicate with customers about improvements coming, and have your team ready to handle any questions.

What's the ROI timeline for switching platforms?

Most businesses start seeing benefits within the first 3-6 months, and here's why:

• better conversion tools, improved mobile experience, and more efficient admin workflows often boost performance right away;

• lower app costs and transaction fees (especially with Shopify Payments) can provide immediate budget relief;

• Shopify's platform built for growth means you can implement improvements and scale more easily than before.

Can I keep my current website design and branding?

Absolutely! You can find Shopify themes that closely match your current design, customize a theme to match your branding exactly, or have a custom theme built that replicates your current design while taking advantage of Shopify's superior functionality.

Will my custom features still work on Shopify?

Here's where Shopify really shines. Instead of maintaining custom code that breaks with platform updates, you can often find app-based solutions that provide better functionality with ongoing support.

For truly unique features that require custom development, Shopify's development ecosystem is robust and well-documented. You'll have more developers to choose from and better long-term support options.

How long does a typical migration take?

Migration timelines vary based on store complexity and chosen migration method.

Simple stores—basic stores with standard products and minimal customization can often be migrated in 1-2 weeks.

Complex stores—stores with extensive product catalogs, custom features, and complex integrations may require 4-6 weeks for complete migration.

Enterprise-level migrations—large-scale migrations with significant customization requirements can take 8-12 weeks or more, depending on the scope of work involved.

When is the best time to migrate to minimize business disruption?

Timing matters. Here's what to consider.

• Avoid peak seasons—don't migrate during Black Friday, your busy season, or major product launches.

• Consider your calendar—make sure key team members are available and not distracted by other major projects.

• Plan for testing time—allow buffer time before any critical business periods to ensure everything works perfectly.

• Think about marketing cycles—don't migrate right before launching a major campaign that depends on your website working flawlessly.

What's the worst-case scenario if something goes wrong?

Understanding migration risks—and having clear plans—keeps you confident. Rollback procedures let you revert to BigCommerce if major issues arise, while data recovery ensures nothing critical is lost.

Experienced migration specialists provide rapid troubleshooting and emergency support. Most migrations face only minor hiccups that are quickly resolved, leading to a better-performing store. In rare cases, you might temporarily switch back, but with proper backups and planning, your business stays protected throughout.

Making Your New Shopify Store Shine

This is where the real fun begins—optimizing your new Shopify store to perform better than your old one ever could.

Keeping an eye on performance

Your first month on Shopify is critical for establishing performance baselines and spotting opportunities for improvement. Start by setting up proper tracking, including Google Analytics 4 with enhanced e-commerce tracking, alongside Shopify’s built-in analytics, to give you a complete view of your store’s performance.

During this period, monitor everything—from site speed and conversion rates to traffic patterns and search rankings—comparing these metrics against your BigCommerce benchmarks to measure progress. Stay alert for potential issues by regularly checking error logs, listening to customer feedback, and investigating any unusual activity in the first few weeks after launch. 

Getting your team up to speed

A platform is only as effective as the people using it, so investing in proper team training is essential. Start with the basics, ensuring everyone understands Shopify’s interface and can confidently manage their daily tasks. Then, encourage your team to explore the platform’s capabilities—its user-friendly design, vast app ecosystem, and seamless integrations often hold features they might not discover without guidance.

To support long-term efficiency, create clear documentation of your workflows and configurations so new team members can get up to speed quickly. Finally, plan for ongoing education, as Shopify frequently releases new features and updates. 

Why This Migration from BigCommerce to Shopify Makes Sense for Your Future

Let’s be honest—migrating platforms is work. It takes planning, attention to detail, and a willingness to deal with some temporary inconvenience. But here’s what often happens when businesses make the move: they don’t just maintain their previous performance—they exceed it.