A Shopify migration is worth it for most online retailers and follows a structured three-phase process: planning and conception, implementation, and launch. Costs vary greatly depending on shop size; a migration can cost anywhere from a few thousand to over $100,000, while operating costs can often be cut in half.

The trend is clear: More and more companies are switching to Shopify. The platform is already number 2 in Swiss e-commerce – right after WooCommerce and the clear number 1 among cloud-based solutions. The goal of switching to Shopify? Digital growth and optimization of existing processes.

The challenge, however, lies in properly planning and implementing the shop migration. In this article, you’ll learn why the switch makes sense, what difference the enterprise solution Shopify Plus makes, what the process looks like in detail, what costs you’ll face, and which success factors are crucial.

Why Does Switching to Shopify Make Sense?

Shopify is the only e-commerce platform that’s still growing – with a 10 percent increase in shops last year. While other platforms are shrinking: Magento loses 9 percent, Shopware 10 percent, and SAP Commerce even 13 percent of their market shares.

The biggest risk for brands in 2025 isn’t trying something new – it’s sticking with outdated technologies. Many shops still run their e-commerce platform as if it were 2015: complex, expensive legacy systems like Magento or SAP.

Thanks to Shopify Plus and high customization flexibility, leading brands now rely on Shopify too. Shopify has focused heavily on enterprise customers in recent years and offers a robust solution for complex, large online shops. The platform has evolved from a startup tool to an enterprise solution and offers:

• Security and reliability: Fully hosted, 99.99 percent uptime, PCI compliant, and safe from plugin conflicts
• Scalability: Handles growth across all channels, markets, and SKUs – without redevelopment
• Top-tier e-commerce features: Integrated B2B, powerful checkout, multilingual, TWINT compatible, and over 8,000 apps
• Flexible integration options: Seamless connections to ERP systems, Microsoft Business Cloud, SAP, Salesforce, CRM, and other business solutions

When Is Shopify the Right Choice?

Shopify works particularly well when you need a quick launch, have limited internal IT resources, and standardized processes for checkout, product catalog, and pricing logic are sufficient. The platform is also ideal for omnichannel sales via social media, marketplaces, and POS – at significantly lower total costs.

Sponser Sport Food is a perfect example: The Swiss company migrated from Magento to Shopify Plus and achieved double-digit growth while simultaneously cutting operating costs in half. The migration also included ERP integrations.

Shopify is less suitable for in-depth checkout customizations, millions of transactions per month, or when you need complete control over the source code.

Shopify Plus Migration: Focus on Enterprise Customers

For larger companies, Shopify Plus is the better choice because it’s specifically designed for more complex requirements. The main difference isn’t just in price – Shopify Plus costs about $2,500 monthly instead of $200-500 annually for standard Shopify – but in the extended features.

Shopify Plus customers typically have much more complex IT infrastructure with various systems: ERP for business planning, CRM for customer management, PIM for product data, physical shops with POS systems, and often warehouse management systems too. For these companies, $2,500 monthly is often negligible because they’re already spending tens of thousands on their existing shop solution.

We are specialized in such complex projects with many integrations. Migration to Shopify Plus doesn’t just mean a platform switch, but optimization of the entire digital infrastructure.

How the Shopify Migration Works

A professional Shopify migration typically happens in three phases: planning and conception, implementation and testing, and launch with post-launch optimization.

Phase 1: Planning and Conception

Before the actual migration begins, we thoroughly analyze your existing infrastructure. What systems are already running? Do you have an ERP, CRM, or PIM? What do your return processes look like, and do you also operate physical shops?

This infrastructure analysis is crucial because it determines whether we can use existing interfaces or need to develop custom software for the integrations. Only when we understand your entire system landscape do we create the detailed migration plan.

At the same time, we define your individual business requirements, determine which data needs to be migrated, and set the final launch date.

Phase 2: Implementation

In the implementation phase, several processes run in parallel: data migration, shop design, apps and integrations, and configuration of payments and settings:

• Migration of data and content: The export and import of shop data starts early: products, customers, orders, and all media are transferred. For larger shops with complex data structures, this process can take several weeks.

• System integrations: Parallel to data migration, we develop the necessary integrations to your existing infrastructure. These could be Microsoft Business Central connections, SAP interfaces, or Salesforce integrations. This system integration is often the most complex part of a Shopify Plus migration because each integration must be developed individually.

• Shop design and theme development: Design is extremely important to us – not just the appearance, but also brand identity and psychology. We don’t just develop a standard theme, but create a custom solution that perfectly represents your brand and contributes to higher conversion rates.

• Apps and integrations: We install and configure all necessary third-party apps and develop individual integrations. Especially for Shopify Plus projects, custom solutions that go beyond standard apps are often necessary.

• Payments and settings: Configuration of payment providers, shipping rates, tax rates, and shop settings also happens in this phase. For Swiss shops, TWINT integration is particularly important.

Phase 3: Testing, Launch and Post-Launch Optimization

The final phase includes employee training, extensive integration and usability testing, and finally the go-live. We don’t just test orders, but also complex scenarios like ERP synchronizations, fulfillment processes, and frontend experiences on various devices.

After extensive testing and any corrections, the actual launch follows: domain setup, removing the storefront password, setting up 301 redirects, and SEO migration. But even after launch, the work continues: performance monitoring, further development, and optimizations ensure sustainable success.

For larger e-commerce projects, additional components like ERP integrations, POS systems, or complex third-party interfaces come into play.

MEDiDOR shows how quickly a switch to Shopify can happen: The company needed a new B2B shop in less than 3 months after a management buyout. With Shopify Plus, they managed the launch on schedule at a third of the originally calculated costs.

What Does a Shopify Migration Cost?

The costs of a Shopify migration depend heavily on customer size and individual requirements – but they are definitely lower than with other platforms. There’s no blanket answer, but here are the main cost factors:

Agency Costs

The costs of a Shopify agency vary considerably depending on project scope. Simple migrations start at about $5,000, while complex enterprise projects with extensive system integrations can easily cost $100,000 and more.

Ongoing Costs

Shopify itself starts at $35 monthly for the Basic plan. Shopify Plus for larger companies starts at about $2,000 per month. Additional costs may include premium apps, additional themes, or extended features.

Sponser Sport Food shows the potential: setup costs of $40,000 plus $2,000 monthly subscription for Shopify Plus – but total operating costs were cut in half compared to the old Magento solution.

Tips for a Successful Migration

The most important success factor for your Shopify migration is careful SEO planning, so your shop remains highly visible. All relevant URLs must be redirected to avoid ranking losses.

Ensure Data Quality Before Import

Before transferring data, you should clean up thoroughly: remove duplicates, correct faulty product information, and archive outdated items. A clean database saves you a lot of work and frustration later.

Customer Access and Legal Aspects

Inform your customers early about the migration, especially if they have user accounts. Passwords can’t be transferred for security reasons – so plan a smooth reset process.

Don’t forget the legal aspects either: terms and conditions, privacy policy, imprint, and cookie banners must be adapted and reviewed.

Plan Sufficient Testing Time

Never underestimate the testing phase. Conduct test orders, check all payment processes, and test the display on various devices. A time buffer of at least 2-3 weeks for testing and fixes is realistic.

Conclusion: Is a Migration to Shopify Worth It?

Migration to Shopify is definitely worth it for most online retailers – both from a financial and operational perspective. The platform offers modern technology, significantly lower operating costs, and scalability that grows with your business.

The examples of Sponser Sport Food and MEDiDOR show: companies benefit from faster launches, lower costs, and better performance. Instead of wasting budget on IT maintenance, you can invest more in marketing and growth.

Thinking about a Shopify migration? As an experienced Shopify agency, we’ll guide you through the entire process – from planning to successful launch and beyond.