madeforshopify
Shopify solutions

02 / Replatforming to Shopify

Move to Shopify without turning launch day into a recovery project.

Replatforming for stores where catalogue structure, SEO history, customer data, business rules, and operational integrations matter as much as the new design.

The situation

Problems this engagement is built to solve.

  • The current platform is expensive or difficult to change.
  • Years of URLs, customer data, content, and business rules must survive the move.
  • The migration plan treats data and redirects as final-week tasks.
  • Critical ERP, fulfilment, subscription, or wholesale workflows are poorly documented.

What changes

The outcome is operational, not just visual.

01

A migration plan that exposes risk before implementation.

02

Mapped and validated product, customer, order, content, and metafield data.

03

Redirect and SEO continuity built into the launch plan.

04

A controlled cutover with rollback thinking and post-launch checks.

Fixed-scope foundation

What the scope can include.

The final proposal names the exact deliverables and exclusions. These are the common building blocks, not a vague promise that everything is included.

  • Migration readiness audit
  • Source-platform and data inventory
  • Field mapping and transformation rules
  • Catalogue, customer, order, and content migration
  • URL inventory and redirect implementation
  • Integration replacement or rebuild plan
  • Dry runs, reconciliation, launch checklist, and stabilisation

Delivery model

Risk first. Working checkpoints. No black box.

  1. 01

    Inventory what exists

    Document data, URLs, integrations, custom rules, reporting needs, and operational dependencies before estimating the move.

  2. 02

    Design the target model

    Map the source platform into Shopify products, variants, markets, metafields, customers, orders, and app responsibilities.

  3. 03

    Run migrations before launch

    Test transformations and reconcile counts early, rather than discovering malformed data during the final cutover.

  4. 04

    Cut over with controls

    Freeze, migrate, validate, redirect, monitor, and stabilise using an agreed launch sequence and ownership map.

Strong fit

This is likely useful when…

  • The existing store has meaningful organic traffic or customer history.
  • There are integrations or business rules beyond a basic catalogue.
  • Leadership wants a realistic migration scope rather than a platform sales pitch.
  • The launch needs one technical owner across data and storefront work.

Probably not the right fit

This is deliberately not for every brief.

  • The only requirement is exporting a small CSV into an untouched theme.
  • No one can provide access to the current platform or operational owners.
  • The launch date is fixed before discovery and cannot respond to uncovered risk.

Start with the actual constraint

Bring the messy version of the problem.

The first call is for deciding what should be built, what should not, and what must be understood before a responsible quote exists.

Book a scope call