Migrating from Shopware to Shopify: Guide 2026

You've decided to switch from Shopware to Shopify – now it's about a clean implementation. Unlike our Shopify vs. Shopware comparison, which helps with the decision, this post is the concrete guide: what data to transfer and how, how to protect rankings, and where self-migrations typically fail.

01Preparation: Data Audit and Inventory

Before you migrate anything, get an overview. Export products including variants and properties, categories, customers, orders, and all content pages from Shopware. Note special cases: tiered pricing, customer groups (B2B), individual properties, and cross-sellings. What you capture cleanly now, you'll save yourself from chaos later.

02Data Transfer: Products, Customers, Orders

Products and customers can be transferred via CSV or migration apps. Pay attention to clean variant assignment (Shopify works with up to 100 option combinations per product in the classic model, more via metafields) and correct transfer of images and SEO fields. Order history and customer accounts can be imported, but passwords cannot for security reasons – customers will set a new one on their first login.

03Secure SEO: 301 Redirects are Mandatory

By far the most common mistake in self-migrations is missing redirects. Shopware uses different URL structures than Shopify. You need a complete 301 redirect map from every old URL to the new address – for products, categories, and content pages. Also, transfer meta titles and descriptions. This way, your rankings will be preserved. Our Shopify SEO guide shows you how to build on SEO on Shopify afterwards.

Unsure how many redirects you need? Schedule an appointment →

04The Shopware Special: GMV Limit and B2B

A common reason for migration is Shopware's GMV licensing model: as soon as your revenue crosses a threshold, the license price jumps. Ideally, plan the switch before the next tier takes effect. If you have true B2B structures (customer groups, price lists, offers), check beforehand whether Shopify Plus with its native B2B features supports your logic – this is the crucial point of any Shopware B2B migration.

05Setup, Test, and Go-Live without Downtime

Set up the theme, payment methods, tax rules (DE 19%, AT 20%, CH 8.1%) and shipping on a staging environment. Test the entire purchase process including order confirmation. Only then go live: switch DNS, activate redirects, place a live order for control. With a plan, the migration runs without data loss and without downtime.

We migrate Shopware shops to Shopify without loss – including redirect mapping and SEO protection. Request migration now →

Frequently Asked Questions