the five most common shopify migration mistakes.
An import that finishes without an error is not a successful migration. These mistakes only start costing revenue and trust after the changeover.
Do not switch off the old store as soon as products appear in Shopify. Products are the easy part. Customer data, redirects, integrations and daily operations decide whether the move actually works.
the five mistakes
- ✸Importing products without checking variants, metafields and relationships
- ✸Waiting until after launch to map old urls to redirects
- ✸Confusing customer records with transferable passwords
- ✸Testing one successful payment but forgetting refunds and failed payments
- ✸Involving warehouse, support and accounting on changeover day
why one test import is not enough
A test import proves that data can move, not that it arrives correctly. Check totals, samples and exceptions. Import in the right order so products, customers and historical orders can remain connected.
| check | before launch | after launch |
|---|---|---|
| data | totals and samples | compare new changes |
| seo | redirect plan and metadata | 404 reports and Search Console |
| orders | success, failure, refund and cancellation | follow real orders and fulfilment |
| integrations | erp, wms, email and payments | review logs and exceptions daily |
make the changeover reversible
Set a clear decision point, keep exports and document when you fall back to the old environment. A fallback plan is not pessimism. It stops a small issue becoming a large one under pressure.
frequently asked questions
can customer passwords move?
Normally not because passwords are encrypted. Plan how customers reactivate accounts and explain that clearly before launch.
how many test migrations are needed?
Enough to make the process repeatable. With complex data that usually means more than one complete rehearsal.
when do you switch off the old store?
Only after the new store has correctly processed a real order, payment and fulfilment and the fallback plan has been checked.
“A migration is done when the store works, not when the import bar reaches one hundred percent.”