How to Move Your Store from Shopify to WooCommerce

What are Shopify and WooCommerce?

Shopify is a paid online shop service run by another company. WooCommerce is a free plugin that adds a shop to WordPress. A plugin is an add-on that gives a site new features. With WooCommerce you host the shop yourself, on your own hosting.

Moving takes time. Plan it for a quiet period.

Warning: Do not cancel Shopify until the new shop is fully tested. Keep your Shopify data safe until then.

Step 1: Prepare WordPress and WooCommerce

Install WordPress on your hosting. Use your control panel's installer, or ask Hostvento support.
Log in to the WordPress dashboard.
Go to Plugins, then Add New Plugin.
Install and activate WooCommerce.
Finish the WooCommerce setup wizard.

Step 2: Export your Shopify data

Log in to your Shopify admin.
Go to Products and click Export. Choose all products and a CSV file. CSV is a simple table file that opens in Excel.
Go to Customers and click Export.
Go to Orders and click Export.

Shopify may email you the file. Menu names can change, so look for the Export button on each page.

Step 3: Import into WooCommerce

For products, WooCommerce has a built-in importer.

In WordPress, go to Products, then All Products.
Click Import at the top.
Choose your products CSV file.
Click Continue.
Match each column from Shopify to a WooCommerce field.
Click Run the importer.

Shopify and WooCommerce name the columns differently, so matching may need care. A migration plugin can do this for you. Search the plugin list for "Shopify to WooCommerce". Check ratings first.

Step 4: Check the shop

Open a few products. Check prices, pictures and descriptions.
Check categories.
Go to WooCommerce, then Settings, then Payments and set up payment methods.
Set up shipping and tax settings.
Place a test order.

Step 5: Point your domain

When you are ready, point your domain to your Hostvento hosting. A domain is your website name. Do this from the DNS settings at your domain provider. DNS is like a phone book that tells browsers where your site lives. Your welcome email has the details you need.

Also keep your old Shopify page addresses in mind. Search engines already know them. Add redirects from old addresses to new ones, using a redirect plugin.

Tip: Customer passwords usually cannot be moved. Ask customers to reset them. Need help? Open a ticket at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.

Quick recap

Set up WordPress and WooCommerce on your hosting first.
Export products, customers and orders from Shopify as CSV.
Import them with the WooCommerce importer or a migration plugin.
Test everything, then point your domain.
Keep Shopify until you are sure.