the five most common mistakes when moving to shopify.
Moving all information without an error does not mean the changeover succeeded. These mistakes often start costing revenue and trust later.
Do not switch off the old store as soon as products appear in Shopify. Products are the easy part. Customer details, old page addresses, connected systems and daily work decide whether the move actually works.
the five mistakes
- ✸Moving products without checking variants, extra product information and relationships
- ✸Waiting until after launch to send old page addresses to the right place
- ✸Confusing customer records with transferable passwords
- ✸Testing one successful payment but forgetting refunds and failed payments
- ✸Involving warehouse, customer service and accounting on changeover day
why one test import is not enough
A trial move proves that information can be transferred, not that everything arrives correctly. Check totals, examples and exceptions. Work in the right order so products, customers and earlier orders remain connected.
| check | before launch | after launch |
|---|---|---|
| information | totals and samples | compare new changes |
| being found | send old page addresses to the right place and check page information | missing pages and Google Search Console |
| orders | success, failure, refund and cancellation | follow real orders and shipping |
| connected systems | stock, accounting, email and payments | review errors 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 trial runs are needed?
Enough to make the move repeatable. With a lot of complicated information 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 shipping and the fallback plan has been checked.
“The move is complete when the store works, not when the progress bar reaches one hundred percent.”