STEP 01

Step 1: Plan Your Migration Before You Start

Before touching a single file, take stock of what you actually want to move over. The main types of data you can migrate are products, customers, historical orders, and reviews. For each type, you choose how to transfer it.

Your Migration Method Options

• Manual Copy-Paste — Copy content manually from WooCommerce and paste it into Shopify.
• Store Migration App — Use Shopify's own early-access tool that accepts a raw WooCommerce CSV directly.
• CSV Import — Export data as CSV files, edit the columns to match Shopify's format, then import.
• Third-Party Apps — Apps like LitExtension or Matrixify handle complex migrations automatically.
• Hire an Expert — A Shopify Partner manages everything end-to-end — best for large or complex stores.

💡 Pro Tip: During Shopify sign-up, enter your WooCommerce store URL and Shopify can generate a preview theme based on your existing storefront so you can see how it looks before committing.

 STEP 02  

Step 2: Export Your Products from WooCommerce

Head into your WooCommerce admin to pull out your product data. This gives you a CSV file you'll reshape to fit Shopify's format.

1. In WooCommerce, go to 
2. Click Export
3. Choose which columns, products, and categories to export
4. Optionally select Yes, export all custom meta to capture extra product fields
5. Click Generate CSV and save the file as WooProductDownload.csv

  STEP 03  

Step 3: Edit Your Product CSV for Shopify

WooCommerce and Shopify use different column names and data formats. Open the file in Google Sheets, Excel, or Numbers, and rename columns per the table below. Remove any columns not listed.

⚠️ Important: Shopify only allows 3 product options (e.g. Size, Color, Material). Products with more than 3 options won't import — handle extras via third-party apps or metafields.

Name

Title

Rename the column

Description

Body (HTML)

Rename the column

Attribute 1 name

Option1 Name

Rename the column

Attribute 1 value(s)

Option1 Value

One value per row — split multiples into separate rows

Attribute 2 name

Option2 Name

Rename the column

Attribute 2 value(s)

Option2 Value

One value per row — split multiples into separate rows

SKU

Variant SKU

Rename the column

Weight (lbs)

Variant Grams

Multiply pounds × 453.6 to convert to grams

Stock

Variant Inventory Qty

Rename the column

Regular price

Variant Price

Rename the column

Images

Image Src

Rename the column

 STEP 04  

Step 4: Import Your Products to Shopify

1. In Shopify admin, go to Products
2. Click Import
3. Click Add file and select your WooProductDownload.csv
4. Deselect Publish new products to all sales channels — review before publishing
5. Click Upload and preview, review everything, then click Import products

✓ After import: Shopify sends a confirmation email to your account address. Import errors are listed directly in the admin so you can fix them quickly.

 STEP 05  

Step 5: Verify and Organize Your Products

Always audit your import before going live. Price errors, missing inventory counts, or broken descriptions can cost real money if left unchecked.

Common Import Problems & Fixes

Products imported but not visible

Products marked as hidden won't show until you manually publish them to your sales channels.

Missing product details

Open the product page in admin and fill in the missing fields manually.

Variants failed to import

A product with a missing variant option won't import — add those products manually in the Shopify admin.

After Verifying, Organize Your Store

• Check product descriptions, images, pricing, and meta descriptions on each product
• Create product collections to group related items (e.g. Summer Sale, Men's Shoes)
• Review inventory settings and connect any inventory management apps needed
• If selling digital products, disable the shipping option for those items

  PHASE 2 — OPTIONAL DATA  

  STEP 06-08  

 OPTIONAL  

Steps 6–8 (Optional): Migrate Your Customer Data

If you want existing customers in Shopify for order history, loyalty, or marketing, you can export and import them as CSV. You'll need the Import Export Suite plugin installed in WooCommerce first.

Export from WooCommerce

1. Go to Import Export Suite → Export
2. Select User/Customer from the dropdown
3. Choose your export method and hidden fields
4. Set Export guest users to Yes if needed
5. Name the file WooCustomer Download, choose CSV format, click Export

Edit the CSV — Column Mapping

⚠️ Critical: Shopify has zero data mapping support for customer imports. Every column name must exactly match Shopify's template — there is no flexibility.

first_name

First Name

last_name

Last Name

user_email

Email

billing_company

Default Address Company

billing_address_1

Default Address Address1

billing_city

Default Address City

billing_state

Default Address Province Code

billing_country

Default Address Country Code

billing_postcode

Default Address Zip

billing_phone

Phone

Import to Shopify

Go to Customers → Import in the Shopify admin, upload your edited file, and confirm with Import customers.

  STEP 09  

  OPTIONAL  

Step 9 (Optional): Import Your Product Reviews

WooCommerce doesn't have a native review export, so you can't bring them over via CSV. Use a third-party review app that handles manual imports:

• Judge.me — popular and affordable, widely used
• Loox — photo review focused
• Yotpo — enterprise-grade review platform

  STEP 10-11  

  OPTIONAL  

Steps 10–11 (Optional): Migrate Your Order History

Historical orders are valuable for customer service lookups and business reporting. Export them from WooCommerce using Import Export Suite (select Orders as the post type), saving as WooOrdersDownload.csv.

For importing, Shopify's native importer doesn't support orders. Use a third-party app:

• LitExtension — full store migration suite
• Matrixify — powerful bulk data operations
• Ablestar WooCommerce Importer — WooCommerce specialist

  PHASE 3 — STORE SETUP  

  STEP 12  

Step 12: Design Your Storefront

Shopify installs a default theme when you create your account. Replace or customize it to match your brand.

• Browse free themes in Shopify admin under Online Store → Themes (developed and supported by Shopify)
• Visit the Shopify Theme Store for paid options from third-party designers
• Try any paid theme for free before buying — customize with your real products first
• You can preview up to 19 paid themes simultaneously to compare options

⚠️ Remember: Paid themes are non-refundable once purchased. Always use the Try theme feature first to see how it looks with your actual products and brand colors.

 STEP 13  

Step 13: Set Up Shipping

Getting shipping right before launch is essential. Charging customers the wrong amount — too much or too little — leads to refunds and lost margin.

• Verify your store address for accurate rate calculations
• Add additional fulfillment locations if you ship from multiple warehouses
• Create shipping zones for every region you ship to
• Configure package dimensions for carrier-calculated rates (carriers use volumetric weight)
• Set your shipping rates per zone — flat rate, free shipping, or carrier-calculated
• Decide whether to self-fulfill orders or use a third-party fulfillment service

  STEP 14  

Step 14: Configure Your Taxes

Shopify automatically calculates taxes based on your customer's location and product type. For most stores, the default settings handle this well. For unique regional rules or product-specific exemptions, Shopify supports tax overrides at the product or collection level.

💡 Year-round tracking: Connect an accounting app from the Shopify App Store to keep your tax records organized throughout the year — not just at tax season.

 STEP 15  

Step 15: Set Up Payments

You can't launch without a way to collect money. Shopify offers its own payment processor plus support for many third-party providers.

✓ Best choice for most stores: Shopify Payments eliminates third-party transaction fees, lets you view payouts directly in the admin, and is the simplest option to set up.

After activating payments, configure your checkout page: set up payment authorization timing, add your store policies (returns, shipping, privacy), and decide whether to collect customer emails for future marketing.

  STEP 16  

Step 16: Place Test Orders

Before going live, run through your store as a customer would. Test orders help you catch problems in your payment flow, email notifications, and fulfillment before real customers experience them.

• A successful payment — and a deliberately failed payment
• Refunding and canceling an order
• Fulfilling and partially fulfilling an order
• Archiving a completed order

As you test, watch the automated emails sent at each step. Customize all of these templates under Settings → Notifications in your Shopify admin.

  STEP 17  

Step 17: Add Staff Members

If you have a team, add them with individual login credentials. Shopify's permissions system lets you control exactly what each staff member can see and do — keeping sensitive financial and customer data secure.

  PHASE 4 — LAUNCH  

  STEP 18  

Step 18: Set Up Your Domain

You have two options: buy a new domain through Shopify, or transfer your existing domain from WooCommerce.

⚠️ Before transferring: Disconnect your domain from WooCommerce/WordPress first. Failing to do so can cause SSL certificate errors that make your new store inaccessible.

Important: Shopify's URL structure differs from WordPress. Your old shipping policy page might have been at example.com/policies/shipping-policy, but on Shopify it could be example.com/pages/shipping-policy. Set up URL redirects before switching your domain to avoid customer-facing 404 errors.

  STEP 19  

  OPTIONAL  

Step 19 (Optional): Set Up SEO Before You Launch

A migration can hurt your search rankings if handled carelessly. A few proactive steps protect the SEO equity you've built on WooCommerce.

Set Up URL Redirects

In Shopify admin, go to Content → Menus → View URL Redirects → Create URL redirect. After launch, test each redirect by visiting the old URL in a browser to confirm it lands on the right page.

Write Unique Meta Descriptions

Each page — products, collections, blog posts, static pages — should have its own unique, plain-language meta description. Good descriptions improve click-through rates from search results. Set them in the SEO section of each page.

Submit Your Sitemap to Google

Shopify automatically generates a sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml that updates whenever you add a product, page, or blog post. Submit this URL to Google Search Console so Google can find and index your store. Initial indexing can take a few days to a few weeks.

💡 Check your index status: After launch, type site:yourdomain.com into Google to see which pages have been indexed. It's a quick way to spot anything that's been missed.

You're Ready to Launch

Follow these 19 steps in order and you'll have a fully migrated, well-configured Shopify store ready for customers. Take your time with each phase — especially verifying your product data and testing your checkout before going live.