Shopify migration
OpenCart to Shopify for a store you can finally improve.
Older OpenCart stores moved onto Shopify with products, customers and a storefront the team can actually improve.
OpenCart stores often sit on ageing hosting with a catalogue that has grown without structure. Moving to Shopify is the chance to clean the data and give the team a modern admin.
We export products and customers, rebuild options and collections, protect ranking URLs, and launch a theme that is ready for ongoing support.
Why people leave OpenCart
OpenCart stores are often old, cheap to host and expensive to change. The person who built the theme has gone. Extensions conflict on every update.
Teams leave when they want a checkout and a theme they can trust, and an app ecosystem that does not depend on a forum post from 2016.
Multi-store OpenCart setups are another push. Several shops in one admin look efficient until stock and content drift apart.
The catalogue is usually salvageable. The extension stack is not.
What breaks in the data
Options
OpenCart options can exceed what Shopify will store as variants. We split products or move detail into metafields before import.
Extensions
SEO, filters and extra fields live in extension tables. A default product export misses them.
Multi-store
If several stores share one database, we decide what becomes a market, a separate Shopify store or a collection.
SEO URLs
OpenCart keyword URLs are custom. We export the keyword table and redirect the paths customers and Google already use.
Timeline and cost
Week 1
Read the extension list and the option counts. Flag products that will not fit Shopify's variant model.
Weeks 2 to 5
Clean import, theme and collections. Filters rebuilt with Shopify's own tools where they are enough.
Weeks 5 to 6
Redirect file from the SEO keyword table. Checkout test.
Cutover
Short window. OpenCart can stay as a backup export until the first week of orders looks right.
Migrations and builds typically run £20,000 to £35,000, plus a monthly retainer. A smaller catalogue with a clean export sits at the lower end. Wholesale, an ERP and years of messy data sit at the higher end. We confirm the range after we have seen the store.
How the project runs
OpenCart options are counted before anyone talks about a launch date. Products that will not fit Shopify's variant model are split or moved into metafields in the plan, not in a failed import.
Extension tables are part of the export. SEO keywords, filters and extra fields do not live in the default product row. Multi-store databases are split into a market, a second store or a collection, one decision at a time.
The SEO keyword table becomes the redirect file. Filters on the new collections are tested with a real browse, not assumed because the app is installed.
The old shop can remain as a backup export for the first week. It should not still be taking payment.
Checklist
- Count options per product against Shopify variant limits.
- List extensions that store extra product or SEO fields.
- Export the SEO keyword table.
- Decide the fate of each store if you run multi-store.
- Map customer groups if trade prices exist.
- Test filters on the new collections before launch.
What makes a OpenCart migration different
Ageing data quality
Duplicates, odd option names and incomplete images get cleaned before they land in Shopify.
Extensions and themes
OpenCart extensions are replaced with Shopify-native features or focused apps, not a like-for-like pile.
Hosting and security
Leaving self-hosted OpenCart removes a class of server risk. Cutover still needs redirects and customer continuity.
How it runs
01
Audit
We inspect the current platform, catalogue health, traffic URLs, integrations and what regular customers rely on.
02
Map
Data fields, URL redirects and cutover risks get written down. You see the plan before we move a product.
03
Migrate
Catalogue and customers move into staging. Structure is cleaned. Integrations and the storefront come together.
04
Rehearse
Redirects, accounts, checkout and the top landing pages are tested. Cutover is practised, not hoped for.
05
Launch and watch
Go live on the agreed window. We monitor Search Console, 404s and the first trading days with you.
Also in the move
Design and build
The new storefront, product structure and content templates that make the migration worth doing.
Apps and integrations
ERP, 3PL and the tools around the store, connected so stock and orders stay true after cutover.
Ongoing support
Monitoring and improvements once the new platform is live. Month to month, no lock-in.
OpenCart to Shopify questions
Can old OpenCart versions migrate?
Yes. Older versions need more cleanup, but the process is the same: audit, map, migrate, rehearse, launch.
Do you redesign as part of the move?
Usually yes. There is little value in dropping cleaned data into a weak theme. Design and build sits with the migration when you need it.
Other platforms
Talk about your OpenCart move
Send the store URL and what you are most worried about losing. We will tell you what to protect first.
Prefer a call? Book a call.