Migration guide · 2026

Migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify.

Shopify has pulled ahead on the things that matter most — checkout, apps, and headless tools. And switching is less disruptive than you'd think.

2-4 wk
Typical timeline
Native
Shop Pay checkout
8,000+
Apps available
The problem

Why leave BigCommerce?

Checkout that leaves conversions on the table

BigCommerce checkout is fine. Shopify's Shop Pay is measurably better — one-click for returning shoppers, accelerated flows for new ones, and an uplift you can see in the numbers.

A smaller pool of apps to choose from

BigCommerce has around 1,200 apps. Shopify has 8,000+, with deeper coverage across CRM, ERP, subscriptions, and headless commerce. When you need a specific tool, Shopify usually already has it.

Fewer developers to hire from

BigCommerce's Stencil and Blueprint are capable but niche. Shopify's developer community is an order of magnitude larger, which means faster hires and better-tested patterns.

What changes

What you gain on Shopify.

Shop Pay, out of the box

One-click checkout across Shopify's buyer network typically lifts conversion 10–20% compared to generic checkouts. No plugin to install, no integration to maintain.

Headless without the heavy lift

Hydrogen (Shopify's React framework) plus Oxygen (their hosting) make custom storefronts the easy path instead of the expensive one. BigCommerce's version of this takes significantly more setup.

An app for every edge case

Whatever odd need your store has — subscriptions, B2B tiers, loyalty programs, inventory sync — there's a proven Shopify app for it. No custom build required.

Side by side

BigCommerce vs Shopify

Feature-by-feature comparison between BigCommerce and Shopify. Shopify wins are marked with a star. Comparable features are marked on both sides.
Feature BigCommerce Shopify
Checkout experience Solid but generic Shop Pay + accelerated checkout
App ecosystem size ~1,200 apps 8,000+ apps
Custom storefront (headless) Possible but heavier setup Hydrogen + Oxygen (first-party)
Staff user pricing Included on higher tiers Included on higher tiers
Enterprise support Good Good (Plus Merchant Success team)
Typical time to launch 3–5 weeks 2–4 weeks
Checkout conversion lift Baseline +10–20% from Shop Pay
The process

How we run the migration.

  1. Discovery & data audit

    We walk through your store together and catalog everything that needs to come over — products, orders, customers, blog posts. We check every URL and search ranking you care about so nothing slips through the cracks. You walk away with a written plan to sign off on before we touch a thing.

    Deliverables: Audit report · inventory sheet · URL map · risk register

  2. Theme & storefront build

    We build your new Shopify storefront in your brand — colors, type, layout, the lot. Any checkout customizations go through Shopify's supported extension points so nothing breaks on a platform update. Speed targets are baked in from day one, not bolted on later.

    Deliverables: Theme repo · Figma mapping · speed report · staging preview

  3. Data migration & redirects

    Every product, customer, and past order moves over intact — nothing lost, no orphans. We build a complete redirect map so every old URL points to the right new one. Google keeps the link equity you've earned and your rankings stay where they are.

    Deliverables: Migration scripts · redirect CSV · SEO preservation report

  4. Testing & launch

    We test the whole site top-to-bottom on a staging copy — checkout, search, admin, the works. Then we practice the domain switchover ahead of time so there are no surprises on launch day. Go-live happens during a quiet traffic window, with a one-click rollback ready if anything looks off.

    Deliverables: Test suite · launch runbook · post-launch monitoring dashboard

Questions we hear

What people actually ask.

Will our BigCommerce Stencil theme come over cleanly?
Not directly — Stencil and Shopify's Liquid use different languages, so we rebuild the theme. In practice, that's a good thing: we port your visual design and tighten the underlying structure to match Shopify's conventions, especially around checkout.
Does Shopify handle BigCommerce features like Price Lists?
Yes. Shopify Plus includes Price Lists out of the box, and standard Shopify handles customer-specific pricing through metafields. For more complex pricing logic (volume tiers, contract overrides), we use Shopify Functions — a cleaner way to program pricing rules than BigCommerce's customer-group setup.
What about our existing analytics and pixels?
All the big ones — Google Analytics 4, Meta Pixel, TikTok, and every major ad platform — work natively with Shopify. We move your pixel setup over during launch and verify events are firing correctly before we call it done.
Can we keep our Amazon and eBay channels?
Yes. Shopify has native sales channels for Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google Shopping. The migration includes reconnecting each one, and your inventory stays in sync throughout the switchover.
How does pricing compare after migration?
Shopify Plus starts around $2,500/month; BigCommerce Enterprise is in the same neighborhood. The total cost is close — what changes is where you spend it (Shopify's app ecosystem vs. BigCommerce's native feature set). We model the real numbers for your store in discovery.
Let's build

Ready to start your migration?

Share a few details and we'll come back with a scoped migration plan within one business day.

  • Free migration audit
  • Reply within 24 hours
  • No-downtime cutover plan

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