Shopify migration cost & scope

The cost of a Shopify migration depends largely on what needs to move alongside the products. Customer accounts, order history, special prices, content and integrations may take more work than the catalogue itself. I separate the move into work packages before preparing a proposal.

What belongs in the proposal

Data: Which record types will move, how will fields map and how will the team check completeness? A product spreadsheet doesn't cover order history. Allow for a trial import and a final transfer before launch.

Design and theme: Are we retaining familiar behaviour or redesigning the store? Name the page types, such as homepage, collection, product and cart. “Design included” doesn't explain which exceptions will be implemented.

Integrations: Inventory, shipping, accounting and other systems each need a defined workflow. Configuring an existing connector is different from developing a custom integration. Include checks with the people who run those systems.

SEO and switching: Inventory old URLs, map relevant destinations, check redirects, switch the domain and review the live store. These tasks should appear in the proposal.

Three useful project scopes

Move a store with limited custom logic

A maintained catalogue, a chosen theme and a few established integrations give the project a contained starting point. The scope can cover data transfer, theme setup, redirects and launch checks. A full brand redesign, new copy and custom apps only belong in it if agreed.

Combine migration with a relaunch

New page types and purchase journeys add design, review and implementation work. At IDEAL, two existing web properties were brought into Shopify. Requirements like that need to be visible when the project is scoped.

Move the store and connected operations

When inventory and shipping depend closely on the store, system handovers become a work package of their own. The Meßmer project included Sendcloud, SEO and inventory management. A proposal needs the systems, owners and required data flows.

These scopes are planning examples. Pricing your project requires its actual requirements and a look at the data. A single blanket figure would combine work you might not need with work that hasn't been examined.

Separate delivery from running costs

The one-off project includes preparation, design, development, migration and acceptance. Running costs include Shopify, required apps, any custom integration hosting and support. Ask who handles updates and faults after launch.

Compare proposals over the same scope and period. A low starting price tells you little if necessary integrations are added later. Equally, a smaller store needn't pay for a complete redesign when its current buying experience works well.

Prepare a useful first estimate

Download the migration scope worksheet. Add your current platform, required data, integrations and desired changes. It's a proposal brief, not an import file.

A product with variants and an anonymised order are often enough for an initial data sample. Don't place customer information in a public document. The migration checklist includes field-mapping and redirect examples.

See Shopify migration for my process. In the project call we'll clarify the scope, unresolved questions and the steps toward a concrete proposal.