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How to Migrate Products from BigCommerce to Shopify?

Last Updated: March 2024

With a hike in the number of e-commerce platforms, it is very common to opt for re-platforming. According to eMarketer, online retail sales will reach $6.17 trillion by 2023, with e-commerce websites taking up 22.3% of total retail sales. 

Given the importance of e-commerce websites, merchants like you will always be in search of the ideal platform to market and sell your products. So there is no wonder if you want to switch your business from BigCommerce to Shopify. However, before migrating products from BigCommerce to Shopify, you could be unsure if you’re making the right decision or if the process of migration is too complicated. 

Well, we are here to help you out! In this post, we’ll show you not only how to ease your BigCommerece to Shopify migration, but also all the specifics you’ll need to know:

Why Is Shopify Better Compared To Big Commerce?

Globally, Shopify has a much larger merchant base compared to Big Commerce. When Shopify ranked second with a 20% market share in the e-commerce platform market, BigCommerce was pushed down to an eighth-place with only 0.22%. These numbers don’t lie, right? So, let’s take a look at some of the features of both these platforms, and then decide why you should migrate your products from BigCommerce to Shopify:

 

Features

Shopify

BigCommerce

User-Friendly
  • Shopify’s onboarding process is so simple.
  • It also comes with an easy-to-use store editor that doesn’t require any designing or coding experience. 
  • Optimized for mobile.
  • With so many technical terminologies, users find it difficult to perform even simple functions. 
  • Its technical features are also not easily digestible for beginners.
Design & Customization 
  • Shopify comes with 70+ highly customizable themes.
  • With their customizable templates, you can edit every aspect of your storefront with total access to the HTML and CSS of your store.
  • Even though BigCommerce provides customization, technical skills are essential for designing your store.
App Diversity
  • Shopify App Store is filled with over 6000+ apps, among which 3000+ are free to use. 
  • Apps are designed for your business needs, including marketing, conversion, fulfillment, shipping & delivery, customer service, store management, etc.
  • BigCommerce App Store has only less than 1000 apps, which is a very less in number, compared to Shopify.
  • App categories include accounting & taxing, catalog & order management, CRM & customer service, marketing, payments & security,shipping & fulfillment, etc.
POS
  • Shopify offers an in-built and fully integrated POS solution, compatible with iOS and Android OS.
  • It connects your offline and online sales in a single place with in-store pickup, local delivery options, tipping, and other must-have functionality for retail stores.
  • BigCommerce lacks an in-built POS system. So, it mainly depends on 3rd party platforms for point of sale features.
Performance
  • High-speed performance. 
  • The average website loading time is 1.3 seconds.
  • Speed is low compared to Shopify which results in low conversion chances.
  • The average website loading time is 2.2 seconds.

 

From the above table, you must have got an idea as to why Shopify is better than BigCommerce, and right now, you may already have made up your mind to switch to Shopify. Let’s see how you can migrate products from BigCommerce to Shopify:

Two Methods To Migrate Products From Big Commerce To Shopify

To migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify, you can either opt for the Automated method or the Manual method. 

– Automated Method:

To migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify, you may require additional apps, tools, extensions, or services. The automated process usually requires less time compared to the manual method. The good news is that the Shopify App Store is already equipped with apps that can help you migrate products from BigCommerce to Shopify!

Some of the high-rated apps among these are listed below:

    • LitExtension Store Migration 
    • Cart2Cart 
    • Matrixify 
    • Multichannel Migrator

– Manual Method:

You can opt for the manual method if you own a comparatively smaller store. For larger stores, this method can be risky as there is a chance of data loss. Furthermore, you must also have ample technical knowledge to carry out the process smoothly. it is also a time-consuming process as you have to manually import data of products from BigCommerece and then export it to the Shopify database. On the bright side, it is a cost-effective method since you don’t have to pay extra for migration apps.

Now, let’s go through the detailed steps of each of these methods:

Automated Method ( Step-By-Step Guide)

The steps for migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify are almost similar for all apps with slight variations. However, we’ll walk you through the procedures for using the LitExtension Store Migration app. This app completes your migration process in just 3 steps. Let’s see the steps you have to follow after downloading the app:

1. Input Source Cart and Target Cart

a. On the ‘Create Migration’ page, input BigCommerce as Souce Cart from the drop-down menu. You should also fill in additional details like source cart details and API.

Migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify

b. As the next step, enter the ‘Target Cart’ as Shopify. Provide your Shopify store URL and the API password to the blank spaces right in the following dialog boxes.

setup-target-cart-as-shopify

c. Click on Configure your Migration.

2. Configure the BigCommerce to Shopify Migration

a. Since there are options to migrate a lot of entities, from the checkered box click on Products alone.

bigcommerce-to-shopify-migration

b. Now, carry on the Demo Migration

c. After the demo migration, you can see how your store will look after the migration. If you are satisfied with the look, move on to full migration.

3. Perform Full BigCommerce to Shopify Migration

a. Click on ‘Run Full Migration’. This may take some time. Once it is completed, you will receive a notification.

bigcommerce-to-shopify-product-migration

b. Once the migration is complete, you can Check for Results to see if all the products have been migrated from BigCommerce to Shopify. Further, if you want to import the product reviews also, this app will guide you with the steps involved.

Full-BigCommerce-to-Shopify-Migration

Manual Method ( Step-by-Step Guide)

The steps for migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify manually involve a bit more steps. Let’s see the processes involved in detail:

1. Exporting Products From BigCommerce

  • Open your BigCommerce Dashboard, and go to Products > Export.
  • From the Export Template and File Format Options, select Default and then click Continue.
  • From the Products dialog box that appears, click Export my Products to a CSV file and then click Close. A CSV file containing your product data will be automatically downloaded to your computer.
  • From the Export Template and File Format Options, select Bulk Edit and then click Continue.
  • Click Export my Products to a CSV file and then click Close. Another CSV file containing additional product details and variant data will be downloaded to your computer.

2. Import your product data into Shopify

  • Open your Shopify Admin, then click on Apps > Store Importer.
  • From the Import your data into Shopify page, select BigCommerce from the drop-down menu.
  • Under the option ‘Upload files’, click Add file and select your exported files. Add the exported files for both the Default and Bulk Edit templates for the data to import properly.
  • Click Continue import > Import.

3. Review and update your imported data

  • Go to the Import summary page, and check for the details of your import.
  • If any errors happened, check with the messages in the Review section of the import summary.
  • To remove the errors, edit your imported information manually by clicking View items next to the messages.
  • All done with BigCommerce to Shopify migration. You are now good to go!

Points to Consider During the Migration:

Since you are migrating from one e-commerce platform to another, there are certain potential chances of data loss, redirection problems, etc. To avoid such issues, follow the measures outlined in the illustration below:

Points-to-Consider-During-the-Migration

Performing these measures guarantees that the migration from BigCommerce to Shopify is done without hassle. If you are opting for the automated method, these steps will be carried out by the app if you just opt for them. However, if you are considering the manual method, you have to do each of these steps by yourself.

Bottom Line

In this post, we have given all the details on how to migrate products from BigCommerce to Shopify. You can use either the automated method or the manual method depending upon your store size, requirements, and budget. 

However, migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify is not a one-day process, you will also need to optimize many key processes like customer service for Shopify.

Customer service is a crucial and most sensitive aspect of any e-commerce business.

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