PrestaShop to Shopify Migration: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Introduction

Thinking about a PrestaShop to Shopify migration? You’re not alone. Many growing eCommerce brands are making the switch for better scalability and features like improved performance, scalability, and user experience. If you’re planning to migrate your store from PrestaShop to Shopify, you’re in good company. Shopify’s intuitive interface, powerful features, and extensive app ecosystem make it a top choice for growing brands.

But moving your entire store isn’t as easy as flipping a switch—it needs careful planning. To help you out, here’s a comprehensive step-by-step checklist for a smooth and secure PrestaShop to Shopify migration.

Analyze Your Current PrestaShop Store

Before starting the migration, do a thorough audit of your existing store:

• Review your product catalog – How many products and variants do you have?

• Assess customer data – Are customer groups or segments critical?

• Take stock of order history, reviews, blogs, CMS pages, and SEO configurations.

• Identify any custom modules or third-party integrations you rely on.

This step ensures you know what data is vital and what can be left behind or streamlined.

Set Up Your Shopify Store

If you haven’t already, sign up for a Shopify account. Then:

• Choose a plan that matches your business needs.

• Select and install a theme from the Shopify Theme Store.

• Customize your theme to reflect your branding. Start with layout, fonts, colors, and homepage content.

• Set up payment gateways, shipping zones, taxes, and policies.

Make sure your Shopify store structure (categories, collections, etc.) is ready to receive the data from PrestaShop.

Backup Your PrestaShop Data

Data safety is key. Create a full backup of your PrestaShop store, including:

• Products and product images

• Customer and order data

• Blog posts and CMS content

• Theme files and customizations

• Database files

You can use PrestaShop’s export tools or rely on your hosting provider for a full server-level backup.

Choose Your Migration Method

You can migrate your store data manually or with tools. Here’s a breakdown:

• Manual Migration: Export CSV files from PrestaShop and import them into Shopify. This requires formatting the data to match Shopify’s standards.

• Automated Tools: Use migration services like LitExtension, Cart2Cart, or Matrixify (formerly Excelify) to automate the process. These tools transfer data such as:

  • Products and categories

  • Customers

  • Orders

  • Coupons

  • Reviews and blogs (in some cases)

While automated tools cost money, they save hours of manual work and reduce errors.

Migrate Key Store Data

Whether manual or automated, ensure the following elements are migrated:

• Product Information: Titles, descriptions, SKUs, prices, stock levels, variants, tags, and images.

• Categories → Collections: PrestaShop categories will become collections in Shopify. Structure them accordingly.

• Customer Data: Names, emails, addresses, and customer group info.

• Order History: Essential for accounting, analytics, and customer service.

• Content Pages: About Us, Contact, Shipping Policy, etc.

• Blog Posts: If you’ve been blogging, move the content to Shopify’s blog platform.

Recreate the Design (If Needed)

You cannot import PrestaShop themes to Shopify directly. Instead:

• Pick a Shopify theme that mirrors your PrestaShop design or improves on it.

• Customize it using Shopify’s drag-and-drop theme editor.

• Use Shopify apps or custom code to replicate any specific features or widgets you had in PrestaShop.

Reinstall Apps & Integrations

PrestaShop modules don’t work in Shopify, so you’ll need to:

• Identify apps that match the functionality of your old modules.

• Reinstall integrations for email marketing, shipping providers, analytics tools, CRMs, etc.

The Shopify App Store has thousands of apps, so you’ll likely find replacements—many with better UX and support.

Set up SEO Redirects & Analytics

To prevent SEO damage:

• Set up 301 redirects from old PrestaShop URLs to new Shopify URLs.

• Submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console.

• Check for broken links.

• Install Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel if used earlier.

• Use apps like SEO Manager to optimize metadata, alt text, and more.

This step is crucial to retaining organic traffic and search engine rankings.

Test Everything Thoroughly

Before going live:

• Test product pages, cart, checkout, and customer registration.

• Place test orders.

• Check for missing content or broken links.

• Review email notifications (order confirmations, shipping updates, etc.)

• Browse on mobile to ensure a responsive design.

Involve your team to test various scenarios—discounts, returns, login issues, etc.

Launch Your Shopify Store

Once you’re confident everything works:

• Remove password protection.

• Announce the launch via email, social media, and newsletters.

• Monitor performance for the first few weeks—track traffic, orders, and customer feedback.

• Keep PrestaShop live in a limited capacity (on a subdomain or localhost) for reference for a short time.

Conclusion

Migrating from PrestaShop to Shopify is a big step, but it can unlock a more scalable and modern eCommerce experience. By following this checklist and planning the process carefully, you can ensure a smooth, hassle-free transition that sets your business up for long-term success.

Need help with Shopify migration? Consider hiring a Shopify expert to save time and avoid errors.