Migrating from Shopify

Moving from Shopify is a set of exports and imports, then a short list of things to rebuild. Work through the steps in this order and you will not have to redo anything.

Considerations

• Orbit recognises a Shopify product export and matches its columns for you. You should not need to map anything by hand.
• Product images come across from the web addresses in the file, so keep your Shopify store live until the import has finished.
• Passwords never move. Customers set a new password the first time they sign in.
• Your Shopify theme does not move. Pick an Orbit theme and adjust it in the page builder.
• Products import live unless the file says otherwise. A product with no price imports as a draft.

1. Set up your Orbit store first

1. Create the store and choose your plan.
2. Set your currency, timezone and units.
3. Set up your shipping zones and rates.
4. Leave your domain where it is. You point it at Orbit at the very end.

2. Move your products

1. In Shopify, go to Products, then Export, and export all products as a CSV.
2. From your Orbit dashboard, go to Products and click Import.
3. Click + Add file and choose the Shopify CSV.
4. Leave Create new products ticked and click Upload and preview.
5. Check the product count against your Shopify catalogue, then open Column mappings and read what Orbit matched.
6. Click Import products. You can close the dialog and the import carries on.

Tip: Import ten products first. Look at one with several variants on your storefront, then run the full file.

3. Move your customers

1. In Shopify, go to Customers, then Export.
2. From your Orbit dashboard, go to Customers and click Import.
3. Add the file, check the mapping and import.
4. Plan an email telling customers about the new shop and asking them to set a new password.

4. Rebuild your collections as categories

1. Create a category in Orbit for each Shopify collection you want to keep.
2. Filter your product list by the tag or product type that matches the collection.
3. Add the filtered products to the category in bulk, rather than one at a time.

5. Finish before you point your domain

1. Add a redirect for every Shopify address that matters. Shopify product addresses start with /products/ and Orbit's do not, so this is what protects your search traffic.
2. Recreate the discount codes that are still running.
3. Reissue any gift cards that still have a balance on them.
4. Export your Shopify orders and keep the file. Past orders stay in that export rather than importing as live orders.
5. Order something on the Orbit store yourself and check the whole checkout.
6. Point your domain at Orbit.

Note: Keep your Shopify store open and read only for a month after you switch. It is your copy of record while you settle in.

Related guides

• Importing and exporting products
• Importing and exporting customers
• Redirecting an old URL to a new one
• Setting up your domain