Migrate BigCommerce to Shopify: options, price lists and redirects

To migrate BigCommerce to Shopify, a migration tool moves products, customers and orders. The work that needs a plan is BigCommerce-specific: modifiers that aren't variants, custom fields, customer groups and price lists, B2B accounts, scripts from Script Manager, and BigCommerce's flexible URLs, which all need redirects to Shopify's fixed structure.

What moves easily

• Products with variant options, images, prices and stock.
• Categories, as collections, and brands, as a metafield or vendor.
• Customers and addresses.
• Order history.
• Web pages and blog posts, depending on the tool.

The hard parts, BigCommerce-specific

Variant options vs modifiers

Check Shopify's current limits on options and variants per product for products with many option combinations. Some products may need splitting, or turning into a combined listing.

Customer groups and price lists

BigCommerce customer groups with category discounts, and price lists with per-SKU prices, are the core of many BigCommerce B2B set-ups. In Shopify:

• price lists become B2B catalogs with fixed prices or percentage adjustments;
• customer groups become companies (with locations and contacts) assigned to those catalogs, or customer segments plus discounts for D2C groups;
• quantity-based pricing becomes volume pricing in B2B catalogs, or a discount Function for D2C.

Plan availability affects the design. Non-Plus plans include up to 3 active B2B catalogs assigned via Markets. Plus includes unlimited catalogs and direct assignment to companies and locations. See Shopify B2B.

Scripts and apps

List everything in BigCommerce's Script Manager (tracking, chat, custom behaviour) and every installed app. Tracking scripts become web pixels or app embeds. Behaviour becomes theme code, an app, or a custom app. Checkout customizations become Checkout UI extensions or Functions.

URLs and redirects

BigCommerce product and category URLs are customizable and often have no prefix, for example /blue-mug/ and /mugs/. Shopify's are /products/blue-mug and /collections/mugs. Collect every URL from the sitemap, Search Console and analytics, including brand pages and paginated or faceted category URLs that are indexed. Map them and import the redirects in bulk.

Customers and payment methods

Password hashes can't move. Customers use email and a one-time code on Shopify's current customer accounts. Saved cards generally stay with the old gateway. Only subscription migrations have a supported import path, for Stripe, Braintree, PayPal Express and Authorize.net payment methods.

Other BigCommerce details to plan for

• Multi-storefront. If you use several BigCommerce storefronts, decide whether they become Markets in one Shopify store or separate stores. The Shopify-to-Shopify guide covers the trade-offs.
• B2B Edition. Company accounts, buyer roles, quotes and shopping lists from BigCommerce's B2B tooling map partly to Shopify B2B (companies, locations, contacts, catalogs, payment terms). Quotes and shopping lists usually need an app or a custom build.
• Product reviews are often stored in BigCommerce or a review app. Export them and import into your Shopify review app so the history and any review markup continue.
• Stored gift certificates and store credit. Recreate outstanding balances as Shopify gift cards or store credit, and tell the customers.
• Webhooks and API integrations that talked to BigCommerce's API, such as an ERP, 3PL or PIM, must be rebuilt against Shopify's GraphQL Admin API and webhooks. See integrations.

Testing modifier products properly

Products with modifiers are where BigCommerce migrations usually go wrong. For each one, test that:

1. the option input appears on the product page and is required when it should be;
2. the value reaches the cart, checkout, order confirmation email and the order in the admin;
3. any price change the modifier caused is applied correctly, and shown clearly to the customer;
4. the value reaches your fulfillment system or 3PL in the field they read;
5. reorders, edits and refunds still work for those orders.

After launch

Monitor 404s in Search Console and your analytics, and add missing redirects quickly. Watch conversion rate by device for the first two weeks: a drop usually points to a theme or checkout issue that testing missed.

Step-by-step plan

1. Audit options vs modifiers, custom fields, customer groups, price lists, scripts, apps and URLs.
2. Decide Shopify plan and B2B design (catalog count and assignment).
3. Define metafields, metaobjects and options.
4. Migrate a sample including complex modifier products and B2B customers, then check it.
5. Full migration.
6. Replace scripts and apps. Build custom pieces.
7. Import and test redirects.
8. Test D2C and B2B orders end-to-end. Cut over and monitor.

Pre-launch checklist

• Products with modifiers capture the customer's input on the order.
• B2B customers see the right catalog prices, volume pricing and payment terms.
• Custom fields display on product pages.
• All tracking works as web pixels or app embeds. No scripts are pasted into checkout.
• Redirects work for products, categories, brands, pages and blog posts.
• Taxes, shipping and emails are correct for each market.