Ecommerce store migration planned around your rankings, revenue and order history.
1Dot Digital runs ecommerce replatforming projects, such as Magento, Volusion or WooCommerce to Shopify or BigCommerce, and Shopify to BigCommerce or WooCommerce. Products, customers, order history, URLs and integrations move through five documented phases, with sign-off at each.
We inventory every URL and data type first, build the redirect map before development starts, and prove the new store in staging before cutover, so you can see the risks before you commit.
- Validation before cutover
- Staged
- At each phase
- Sign-off
- Redirect strategy
- Per URL
- Data mapping
- URL preservation
- Redirect strategy
- Staged validation
The plan
Five phases, each with defined outputs and a sign-off
Audit & inventory
Crawl every URL, product, customer, order and integration; set the organic and revenue baseline.
Data & redirect mapping
Map catalog, variants, customer groups and price lists to the target; build the 301 redirect map before development.
Build & integrate
Build templates with URL patterns that match the map; reconnect tax, shipping, ERP and 3PL.
Staged validation
Run trial imports, validate redirects in staging, and check performance and SEO per template.
Cutover & stabilization
Final delta import, DNS switch, redirects live, sitemaps submitted, then 30 days of daily monitoring.
What gets preserved
What we carry across, and what we check
Search visibility
Every URL that earns traffic or links is mapped to a 301 redirect. Titles, metadata, canonicals, structured data and internal links are carried over and checked in staging.
Commercial data
Products, variants, inventory, customers, customer groups, price lists, order history, reviews and gift cards, where the target platform supports them.
Operations
Tax, shipping, payment, 3PL, ERP and PIM sync, marketplace feeds, analytics and email flows are reconnected and tested.
What To Expect
What doesn’t move automatically
Some things can’t be copied from one platform to another. Customer passwords are usually stored in a form that can’t be transferred, so customers reset them on the new store. Stored payment details typically stay with the payment processor and may need a processor-assisted transfer. Theme code and many apps don’t carry across and are rebuilt or replaced on the new platform. We list each of these in the audit and plan for every one before launch.
Risk register
The risks we plan for
| Risk | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Lost rankings after cutover | Redirect map validated in staging; rankings and indexing monitored daily for 30 days after cutover. | 1Dot SEO |
| Orders placed during cutover | Final delta import; short agreed freeze window; reconciliation before launch is confirmed. | 1Dot + client ops |
| Integration failures | Each integration tested in staging with real payloads; rollback path documented. | 1Dot engineering |
| Data loss or mismatch | Field-level data map, trial imports and record-count reconciliation before launch. | 1Dot + client data owners |
Changing platforms and considering headless?
Migrate first, decide on headless second.
Moving platforms and rebuilding the front end in the same project multiplies risk. Most stores are better off migrating to a well-built theme first. Our headless page explains when a custom front end pays off and what it costs to run.
Is headless right for you?FAQ
Migration questions
What is ecommerce store migration?
Store migration, or replatforming, moves a store to a new ecommerce platform with its products, customers, order history, URLs and integrations intact. We run it in five phases, each with defined outputs and a sign-off.
Which platforms can you migrate between?
Typical paths are Magento to Shopify Plus or BigCommerce, Volusion or WooCommerce to Shopify or BigCommerce, and Shopify to BigCommerce or WooCommerce. If your platform isn’t listed, send it with your inquiry and we’ll confirm whether we can take it on.
Will we lose search rankings when we migrate?
Migrations always carry some ranking risk, and we plan to reduce it. Every URL that earns traffic or links is mapped to a 301 redirect, the redirect map is validated in staging, titles, metadata and structured data carry over, and rankings are monitored daily for 30 days after cutover. We don’t promise rankings will hold.
What data is migrated?
Products, variants, inventory, customers, customer groups, price lists, order history, reviews and gift cards, plus the tax, shipping, payment, 3PL, ERP or PIM, marketplace feed, analytics and email connections, where the target platform supports them.
What happens to orders placed during cutover?
A final delta import picks them up within a short freeze window agreed in advance, and orders are reconciled before the launch is confirmed.
Will our current store stay live while you migrate?
Yes. The current store keeps taking orders while the new store is built and validated in staging. The only pause is the short freeze window at cutover.
How long does a store migration take?
It depends on catalog size, the number of integrations and how much custom functionality has to be rebuilt. After the audit and inventory phase, you receive a dated plan.
What does a migration cost?
Cost depends mainly on data volume and complexity, the number of integrations and any theme or functionality rebuild. We outline the plan and its risks, then quote, before you commit.
Do customers keep their passwords?
Usually not. Passwords typically can’t be transferred, so customers reset them on the new store. We plan the launch communication for this.
Planning a replatform?
Tell us your current platform, catalog size and target. We’ll outline the plan and its risks before you commit.