Introduction

Migrating your online store from Wix to Shopify is a strategic decision for business owners looking to scale up and tap into the full potential of e-commerce. Shopify, recognized for its robust e-commerce functionalities, powers more than 10% of the global e-commerce market. On the other hand, Wix is a versatile website builder that also offers e-commerce options but is more tailored to smaller businesses or those not focused primarily on online sales.

A seamless migration between these two platforms requires careful planning, data management, and customization to ensure your store remains functional, your data is preserved, and your search engine rankings remain intact.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through a detailed step-by-step process for migrating from Wix to Shopify, provide in-depth comparisons between the two platforms, outline potential challenges, and discuss the benefits of making this transition.

Why Migrate from Wix to Shopify?

E-commerce Features Tailored for Growth

While Wix has grown into a popular website builder for small businesses, Shopify is explicitly designed for e-commerce. It offers an array of tools that support not only the management of your store but also its growth, including advanced payment gateway options, inventory management, and integration with marketing tools.

Increased Scalability

As businesses grow, so do their needs. Shopify’s infrastructure supports both small businesses and large-scale enterprises with vast inventories and high transaction volumes. It offers the ability to handle thousands of SKUs, multiple stores, and even international selling, something Wix finds challenging with its more limited architecture.

Superior Customization Options

Shopify offers superior flexibility when it comes to customizing your online store. You can choose from hundreds of themes, and with access to an extensive app marketplace, you can add powerful functionalities to enhance your store’s performance. With APIs and coding access, developers can create entirely custom solutions, allowing your store to evolve alongside your business.

Step-by-Step Guide for Migrating from Wix to Shopify

Migrating a store from one platform to another is a multi-phase process. Here’s an expanded, detailed breakdown of the steps you’ll need to take to ensure your migration from Wix to Shopify is as seamless as possible.

Step 1: Sign Up for Shopify and Choose a Plan

Begin by signing up for Shopify and selecting a plan that best fits your needs. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, which will allow you to explore the platform, but eventually, you’ll need to choose between the following plans:

  • Basic Shopify: £29/month – Best for new or smaller businesses.
  • Shopify: £79/month – Ideal for growing businesses that require advanced features.
  • Advanced Shopify: £299/month – Great for scaling businesses with higher sales volumes.

Consider your business size and projected growth when selecting a plan.

Step 2: Backup and Export Wix Data

Backing up your data on Wix is a crucial first step. Wix doesn’t offer a built-in export tool for every part of the store, but you can export product data, customer information, and blog posts manually:

  • Products: Export as CSV.
  • Customer Data: Manually compile customer names, emails, and order histories.
  • Pages and Posts: Use tools like Wordable or manually copy your content into a format that Shopify will accept.

Step 3: Install Data Migration Tools

To simplify the migration process, you can leverage third-party tools such as Cart2Cart or LitExtension, which automate the migration of products, customer data, orders, and more from Wix to Shopify. While these services come at a cost, they significantly reduce the manual work involved and decrease the risk of data loss.

Step 4: Set Up Your Shopify Store

Once you’ve created your Shopify account, it’s time to begin setting up your store:

  • Choose a Theme: Shopify offers a variety of free and premium themes tailored for e-commerce. Select one that fits your brand and offers a great user experience.
  • Customize the Design: Shopify allows you to customize themes further to suit your branding. You can add your logo, adjust color schemes, and design your navigation.

Step 5: Migrate Your Products and Inventory

Migrating your products from Wix involves exporting a CSV file from Wix and importing it into Shopify. Shopify’s CSV Importer Tool makes this easy, but ensure you verify the formatting before importing:

  • SKU: Make sure each product retains its unique SKU.
  • Inventory Levels: Verify that stock quantities align with your current inventory.
  • Product Descriptions: Transfer descriptions and ensure formatting remains intact.
  • Product Variants: Ensure that options like size, color, or material are correctly imported.

Step 6: Migrate Customer and Order Data

Customer information is crucial for continuity, especially if you rely on email marketing or have a loyalty program. You’ll need to manually import customer data into Shopify, or you can use migration apps that simplify the process. Shopify allows for easy CSV imports of:

  • Customer Names and Emails
  • Order Histories
  • Loyalty Points (if applicable)

For active subscriptions or recurring orders, use Shopify apps like Recharge to set up new subscriptions and manage recurring payments.

Step 7: Migrate Your Content

Migrating your content, including pages, blog posts, and media files, requires a manual approach. Since Wix and Shopify have different structures for content management, this process will include:

  • Copy and Paste Pages: Manually move over your static content pages (e.g., About Us, Contact Us, FAQ).
  • Blog Posts: You may want to use apps like BlogVault to help move blog content, including comments.
  • Image and Media Migration: Download images from Wix and upload them into Shopify’s File Manager.

Step 8: SEO Migration (Critical Step)

SEO is one of the most important aspects of your migration. If not done correctly, you risk losing your search engine rankings, which could lead to reduced traffic and sales:

  • Set Up 301 Redirects: One of the most crucial steps in migration is ensuring that all old URLs (Wix) redirect to new ones (Shopify). Shopify has built-in support for 301 redirects, so make sure that you carefully map each Wix URL to its corresponding Shopify URL.
  • Meta Tags and Alt Text: Ensure that product and page meta tags (title and description) are migrated accurately. You should also include alt text for images to retain image SEO.
  • Sitemap Submission: Once your Shopify store is live, submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to ensure the search engines index your new URLs quickly.

Step 9: Set Up Your Domain

Migrating your domain from Wix to Shopify involves updating the DNS settings in Wix to point to Shopify’s servers. If you’re using a custom domain, Shopify will guide you through the steps to update these records. Ensure that your domain points correctly before launching the new site.

Step 10: Set Up Shipping and Taxes

Shopify offers flexible shipping options, including integrations with major carriers (UPS, FedEx, DHL). Set up your shipping zones, methods, and rates based on your geographical reach and pricing strategy. You’ll also need to configure tax settings according to your region or state.

Step 11: Integrate Payment Gateways

One of Shopify’s strengths is the wide variety of payment gateways it supports. Shopify Payments is the default option, which has low transaction fees, but you can also integrate third-party providers like PayPal, Stripe, or even local gateways depending on your market. Ensure that payment methods align with the preferences of your customer base.

Step 12: Set Up Apps for Enhanced Functionality

Shopify’s App Store offers a wide range of apps to add additional functionalities to your store. Some key app categories to consider include:

  • Marketing Apps: Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Omnisend for email marketing.
  • Inventory Management: Apps that help you track stock levels across multiple channels.
  • Customer Support: Zendesk or LiveChat for customer service.
  • Analytics and Reporting: Apps that provide detailed insights into traffic, sales, and customer behavior.

Step 13: Test, Test, and Test

Before launching your Shopify store, test every aspect of the store:

  • Checkout Process: Ensure all payment gateways are functioning correctly and orders can be processed without issues.
  • Mobile Responsiveness: Shopify themes are mobile-optimized, but test the design on various screen sizes.
  • Forms: Verify that contact forms and other lead generation elements work as expected.

Step 14: Launch Your Shopify Store

Once you’re satisfied with your testing, it’s time to make your store live. Announce the new store launch through your marketing channels, email newsletters, and social media to inform your customers. If you’re using Shopify’s built-in marketing tools, you can launch automated campaigns to boost initial sales.

Wix vs. Shopify: In-Depth Features Comparison

Migrating from Wix to Shopify is a decision based on the future needs of your e-commerce business, so it’s crucial to understand the differences in features between the two platforms. Both Wix and Shopify offer unique benefits, but Shopify’s focus on e-commerce gives it a significant edge in terms of features that are specifically designed to grow online businesses. Let’s break down the key features of each platform to help you understand why Shopify might be the better choice for scaling your e-commerce store.

1. User Interface and Ease of Use

  • Wix: Known for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, Wix is a beginner-friendly platform designed for users with little to no coding knowledge. Its simple visual editor allows you to design websites quickly, with hundreds of pre-designed templates available. However, while this system works well for simple websites, it can be limiting for those looking to create more advanced e-commerce features.
  • Shopify: Shopify’s user interface is designed specifically for e-commerce businesses. Though it may have a slightly steeper learning curve compared to Wix, it offers a structured, streamlined approach to building an online store. Shopify’s dashboard is packed with dedicated e-commerce tools, which might be overwhelming at first but are essential for serious online merchants. Shopify’s themes are customizable through both the theme editor and coding access (HTML, CSS, Liquid), giving you flexibility in design.

Verdict: Wix is easier to use for beginners creating simple websites, but Shopify provides a more structured interface tailored to managing and scaling an e-commerce business.

2. Design and Customization Options

  • Wix: Wix offers over 800 templates across various industries, but the customizability of these templates is somewhat limited. Once you choose a template in Wix, you cannot switch to a different one without rebuilding your site. Wix offers a visual editor, making it easy to drag-and-drop elements to create custom layouts. However, for more advanced users, Wix’s design flexibility is somewhat limited, particularly for e-commerce customization.
  • Shopify: Shopify offers a robust selection of free and premium themes designed for e-commerce. These themes are highly customizable, and with access to HTML, CSS, and Shopify’s Liquid programming language, developers can make more advanced customizations. Shopify also has a vast theme marketplace, with themes optimized for mobile responsiveness, speed, and SEO, giving businesses a solid foundation for creating unique, professional-looking stores.

Verdict: Shopify provides more flexibility and better customization options, making it ideal for businesses that require bespoke designs and more control over the website’s look and functionality.

3. E-commerce Functionality

  • Wix: Wix offers basic e-commerce features with its Business and eCommerce plans. These features are suitable for small businesses selling a limited number of products. Wix allows you to set up an online store, add products, and manage orders. However, Wix’s e-commerce tools lack the depth and breadth of Shopify’s functionality, especially when it comes to handling large product catalogs, automation, and scaling.
  • Shopify: Shopify is designed with e-commerce at its core, offering advanced features like inventory management, abandoned cart recovery, multiple sales channels (such as Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon), and integrations with fulfillment centers and dropshipping services. Shopify also supports unlimited products, multiple product variations, and detailed product pages, making it easier to manage larger stores. Additionally, Shopify includes powerful tools for managing discount codes, shipping, taxes, and more.

Verdict: Shopify’s focus on e-commerce gives it a clear advantage for businesses looking to build a fully-functional, scalable online store with advanced sales, fulfillment, and inventory management features.

4. SEO Capabilities

  • Wix: Wix has improved its SEO features over the years, offering SEO-friendly practices like custom URLs, meta tags, and alt text. However, Wix’s URL structure can be limiting, especially for e-commerce, as it includes unnecessary parameters in the URLs (like “/product-page/”) that can impact SEO performance. Wix is sufficient for small websites but lacks advanced SEO control.
  • Shopify: Shopify excels in SEO, allowing merchants full control over meta titles, descriptions, product URLs, and image alt text. Shopify’s clean URL structure, fast load times, and mobile-optimized themes contribute to better SEO performance. Additionally, Shopify apps like SEO Booster and Smart SEO offer more advanced SEO functionalities, giving you more control over search rankings.

Verdict: Shopify’s superior SEO tools, cleaner URL structures, and app integrations give it a significant advantage for businesses looking to improve their search engine visibility and attract organic traffic.

5. App Marketplace and Integrations

  • Wix: Wix’s App Market offers over 300 apps that enhance website functionality, including marketing tools, social media integrations, and some e-commerce add-ons. However, Wix’s e-commerce apps are more limited compared to Shopify, focusing on basic functionalities rather than offering deep integration with enterprise-level tools.
  • Shopify: Shopify’s App Store is a powerhouse, with over 6,000 apps designed to enhance every aspect of your store’s functionality, from marketing automation to inventory management and customer support. Whether you need apps for dropshipping, accounting, shipping integrations, or product reviews, Shopify offers one of the most comprehensive app ecosystems available. Many apps are free, but premium apps can also provide powerful additional features for growing businesses.

Verdict: Shopify’s extensive App Store makes it far superior in terms of integrations, allowing businesses to scale and customize their stores with advanced tools and services that Wix cannot match.

6. Payment Gateways and Transaction Fees

  • Wix: Wix supports around 50 payment gateways, including popular options like PayPal and Stripe, which are sufficient for smaller businesses. However, Wix’s range of supported payment options is limited compared to Shopify. Additionally, Wix does not provide native payment processing, so you’ll be subject to the fees set by your chosen payment provider.
  • Shopify: Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways worldwide, including Shopify Payments, which simplifies the payment process and reduces transaction fees. If you use Shopify Payments, there are no additional transaction fees beyond the credit card processing fees. For businesses using third-party payment providers, Shopify charges a small additional transaction fee (ranging from 0.5% to 2%, depending on your plan). The flexibility of having so many payment options is invaluable for businesses with international customers.

Verdict: Shopify’s wider range of supported payment gateways and lower transaction fees, especially when using Shopify Payments, make it the better choice for businesses looking to scale globally or reduce transaction costs.

7. Inventory Management

  • Wix: Wix allows you to manage inventory and track stock levels, but these features are basic and suitable only for small stores with limited products. Wix does not have advanced features for handling large inventories or integrating with third-party inventory management systems.
  • Shopify: Shopify’s inventory management is one of its core strengths. You can manage unlimited products, variants, and stock levels with ease. Shopify also supports low-stock alerts, product transfers between locations, and integrations with third-party inventory management systems, allowing businesses to keep track of stock levels across multiple channels. Shopify’s automation tools make inventory management more streamlined, especially for businesses handling large product catalogs.

Verdict: Shopify offers far more robust inventory management, making it ideal for businesses that require detailed control over stock levels, multiple product variations, and automated inventory tracking.

8. Shipping and Fulfillment

  • Wix: Wix offers basic shipping options, allowing you to set up flat-rate shipping, free shipping, and weight-based shipping. However, it lacks integrations with major shipping carriers and advanced fulfillment options like real-time shipping rates or integrations with third-party fulfillment services.
  • Shopify: Shopify excels in shipping and fulfillment options. You can integrate your store with major shipping carriers like FedEx, UPS, and DHL to provide real-time shipping rates at checkout. Shopify also offers shipping label printing, order tracking, and integration with fulfillment services like Amazon FBA or third-party logistics (3PL) providers, giving businesses complete control over their shipping process.

Verdict: Shopify offers more advanced shipping options and better integrations, making it ideal for businesses with high shipping demands or those looking for streamlined fulfillment processes.

9. Multi-Channel Selling

  • Wix: Wix allows you to sell products on your website and integrate with limited sales channels like Facebook and Instagram. However, the platform’s multi-channel selling capabilities are not as developed as Shopify’s, particularly when it comes to managing multiple sales channels and syncing inventory across platforms.
  • Shopify: Shopify shines in multi-channel selling, allowing businesses to seamlessly integrate their store with platforms like Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and even brick-and-mortar POS systems. Shopify’s multi-channel selling tools allow you to manage inventory, track orders, and offer a consistent customer experience across all channels.

Verdict: Shopify is the better platform for businesses looking to expand their sales across multiple channels, as it offers seamless integration with leading marketplaces and social media platforms.

10. Customer Support

  • Wix: Wix provides customer support through email, live chat, and phone, but their support is not 24/7, and there are limits to how in-depth their e-commerce support can go.
  • Shopify: Shopify offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email. Given Shopify’s focus on e-commerce, its customer support team is highly knowledgeable about the platform’s features, apps, and e-commerce best practices. Shopify also has a large, active community forum and a comprehensive help center to assist with common issues.

Verdict: Shopify offers superior, around-the-clock customer support, which is critical for e-commerce businesses that can’t afford downtime or delays in troubleshooting.

Cost of Migrating from Wix to Shopify

Shopify Pricing Plans:

  • Basic Shopify: £29/month – Best for small, growing businesses.
  • Shopify: £79/month – Ideal for established businesses with growing traffic and sales.
  • Advanced Shopify: £299/month – Great for large-scale businesses with higher transaction volumes.

Additional costs to consider:

  • Domain Transfer Fees: If transferring a domain from Wix, expect to pay for registration or renewal.
  • Apps and Plugins: While many apps in Shopify’s App Store are free, premium apps may come with monthly fees.
  • Custom Development Costs: If you require unique customizations beyond the capabilities of Shopify’s themes and apps, budget for a developer.

Market Share and E-commerce Data

Shopify’s dominance in the e-commerce world is undeniable. As of 2023, Shopify commands over 10% of the global e-commerce platform market, while Wix, although popular for website creation, only holds about 3% of the e-commerce market. Shopify’s specialized focus on online sales is what sets it apart from general website builders like Wix, giving it a clear edge in terms of features, flexibility, and long-term growth potential.

Final Thoughts

Migrating from Wix to Shopify is a crucial step for businesses that want to grow, scale, and tap into more advanced e-commerce features. While the migration process involves multiple steps, careful planning, and testing, the long-term benefits of using Shopify far outweigh the effort required. Shopify’s robust e-commerce tools, enhanced scalability, deep customization options, and comprehensive app ecosystem make it the go-to platform for serious online businesses.

By following this step-by-step guide, you’ll ensure a seamless transition that maintains your customer data, SEO performance, and brand integrity. Shopify’s capabilities allow you to build a thriving online store that not only meets your current business needs but also adapts to future growth opportunities. Ready to make the switch? Start your Shopify migration today and unlock your business’s true potential.

https://www.divwytechnologies.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Wix-Shopify-Divwy-Technologies-1024x1024.jpghttps://www.divwytechnologies.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Wix-Shopify-Divwy-Technologies-150x150.jpgDivwy TechnologiesWeb DevelopmentBenefits of Migrating from Wix to Shopify for E-commerce Success,Comparing Wix vs. Shopify for E-commerce: Why Shopify is Better for Scaling,How to Move from Wix to Shopify Without Losing Data,Wix to Shopify Migration: Step-by-Step GuideIntroduction Migrating your online store from Wix to Shopify is a strategic decision for business owners looking to scale up and tap into the full potential of e-commerce. Shopify, recognized for its robust e-commerce functionalities, powers more than 10% of the global e-commerce market. On the other hand, Wix is...