Shopify Plus Migration: When, Why, and How to Migrate to Shopify Plus Smoothly

At a certain point, your ecommerce platform might start holding you back. Slow performance, checkout issues, rising costs — all these issues will call for Shopify Plus migration. 

But what if you lose all your data or Google rankings you’ve worked so much to get? Or where do you even start? 

We get it — switching platforms can feel daunting. And all those development partners screaming from all corners that they’ll migrate to Shopify Plus in no time don’t really instill much trust.

As a certified Shopify Plus Partner, Elogic is here to answer your questions. In fact, we’ve helped so many brands of all ecommerce niches migrate smoothly in the times of business scale that we’ve learned the bumps in the road—and exactly how to help you avoid them.
Read on to find out the eight key signs it’s time to move, why Shopify Plus is the right choice, real success stories, and a step-by-step migration plan — including a free Shopify migration checklist to keep the process smooth.

When to Migrate to Shopify Plus? 8 Telltale Signs It’s Time to Move Away From Your Platform

Scaling an ecommerce business isn’t just about selling more — it’s about ensuring your platform keeps pace with your growth. Unfortunately, many businesses discover their current platform is more of a bottleneck than a partner in success.

Here are eight specific signs that signal it might be time to start thinking about migrating to Shopify Plus, drawn from real-world ecommerce challenges we’ve seen from our clients.

Your ecommerce store experiences frequent crashes during peak traffic

High-traffic ecommerce events like Black Friday or a flash sale are opportunities to boost revenue and attract new customers, but they can quickly become a nightmare if your platform can’t handle the load. 

Platforms like Magento often require extensive custom server configurations to support large traffic spikes, and even then, performance can be unreliable. For many ecommerce businesses, this leads to painfully slow page load times, frozen checkout processes, or complete site outages at the worst possible moments.

If your current platform requires constant monitoring, costly upgrades, or third-party support to stay online during peak times, it’s likely time to migrate to Shopify Plus and focus on growth rather than crisis management.

There’s limited scalability for your growing business

As your business grows, so do its needs: a larger product catalog, more customer accounts, and more complex order processing. 
Many ecommerce platforms, including Salesforce Commerce Cloud, struggle to scale without costly upgrades or extensive custom development. Slow-loading product pages, delayed backend processes, and limits on product variants or API usage are common frustrations that disrupt operations and customer experiences. These challenges often drive businesses to migrate from Salesforce to Shopify Plus.

Clunky checkout process makes you lose customers

The checkout page is where sales are won or lost. If cart abandonment rates are high due to slow loading, limited payment options, or poor mobile optimization, your platform could be the issue. 

Magento stores using the default Luma theme are particularly prone to sluggish checkouts. While switching to a lightweight theme like Hyvä can help, it’s not a guaranteed fix. 

For many businesses, the best way to overcome these challenges is to migrate from Magento to Shopify Plus, which delivers a faster, more efficient solution to checkout bottlenecks.

Lack of modern features and flexibility

If introducing new features or making updates to your store feels like a constant uphill battle, it’s a sign your ecommerce store needs replatforming. 

Many businesses face challenges with platforms that require developer intervention for even simple tasks, like updating a homepage banner or launching seasonal promotions. These delays not only drain resources but also make it harder to stay competitive.
The problem is even more apparent when implementing advanced features like loyalty programs, personalized recommendations, or mobile-first designs. If your platform’s too rigid or outdated and is leading to missed opportunities, it’s a strong indication that your business has outgrown its current solution and needs a Shopify Plus migration.

Third-party integration feels like a nightmare

Ecommerce businesses rely on tools like CRMs, email marketing platforms, and inventory management systems to function efficiently. But limited API functionality or poor third-party compatibility will inevitably lead to data silos, inefficient workflows, and costly manual workarounds. For instance, syncing inventory across channels or automating customer segmentation can become unnecessarily complex without proper integration support.

If your platform frequently disrupts your tech stack or prevents you from adopting new tools, it’s a clear sign migrating to Shopify Plus should be on your agenda. 

Skyrocketing maintenance costs

Many of the challenges we’ve discussed that drive Shopify Plus migration often come with a hefty price tag for temporary fixes. Legacy platforms frequently demand ongoing custom development, constant patches, and server upgrades just to address these recurring issues, driving up costs without delivering lasting solutions.

You struggle with global expansion

Expanding into international markets and selling products overseas can unlock major growth, but it often reveals platform limitations. 

Managing multi-currency pricing, local tax compliance, and region-specific payment gateways frequently becomes a challenge. These barriers require costly customizations and can slow your ability to compete globally.

Another common issue is creating localized site structures for international SEO. Many platforms make it difficult to implement subdomains, hreflang tags, or multilingual storefronts without extensive manual effort. If your business is impacted, it’s time to migrate to Shopify Plus. 

Your ecommerce platform’s security features are outdated

With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated, robust security is non-negotiable for ecommerce. Outdated systems rely on manual updates or patches. Many platforms lack essentials like PCI compliance, SSL encryption, and advanced fraud detection, leaving stores vulnerable to security breaches.

These gaps can expose sensitive customer data, lead to financial losses, and damage your reputation. For businesses handling high transaction volumes, a single breach can result in exposed customer credit card details, leading to chargebacks, legal fees, and a PR nightmare. Sales plummet as once-loyal shoppers take their business elsewhere, no longer trusting the brand with their information.

If maintaining security feels like a never-ending challenge, it’s a clear sign your platform isn’t keeping pace with modern standards.

Why Switch to Shopify Plus? Key Reasons You’d Want to Make the Move

If the challenges we’ve outlined earlier feel all too familiar, it’s likely your current platform isn’t built to meet the demands of a growing ecommerce business.

The good news? Shopify Plus can cover the limitations. Check out what makes it stand out as a platform of choice for businesses set out for growth. 

Built-in multi-store and global expansion features

Shopify Plus simplifies global operations with multi-store capabilities, allowing you to manage multiple storefronts for different countries under a single account. With tools for multi-currency pricing, automatic tax calculation, and localized experiences, Shopify Plus makes it easy to scale into 175 countries and support 21 languages.

Seamless scaling for high-traffic and seasonal peaks

Handling traffic spikes during viral product launches is effortless with its enterprise-grade infrastructure. Supporting up to 10,978 checkouts per minute, Shopify Plus ensures reliability under even the most demanding conditions, enabling businesses to focus on growth without worrying about downtime.

Powerful API and app ecosystem

Shopify Plus provides extended API limits, enabling seamless integrations with third-party tools like CRMs, ERPs, and marketing platforms. This flexibility allows businesses to streamline operations, automate workflows, and scale their tech stack as needed. Whether syncing inventory or building custom applications, Shopify Plus removes the integration bottlenecks common on other platforms.

Customizable checkout for personalization and conversion

Shopify Plus’s advanced checkout customization tools allow businesses to tailor the experience to specific regions or customer segments. Features like dynamic pricing, loyalty programs, and localized payment options help increase conversions, especially for B2B ecommerce stores. Integrated tools like Shop Pay deliver a 60% faster checkout process and boost conversions by 18%, ensuring a frictionless experience for customers.

Cost savings on transaction fees

High-revenue businesses can significantly reduce costs with Shopify Plus’s lower transaction fees of 0.15%. 

In contrast, Salesforce Commerce Cloud employs a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV)-based pricing model, charging between 1% to 3% of GMV, depending on the selected tier. Magento’s transaction fees can vary significantly based on the specific payment gateway and service provider chosen, making it crucial for businesses to assess these costs in relation to their sales volume. 

This makes Shopify Plus migration an attractive option for businesses operating on slim margins or high volumes, where these savings can offset the cost of the plan itself.

Enhanced reporting and analytics

Shopify Plus provides advanced analytics tools that allow businesses to monitor customer behavior, track sales trends, and optimize inventory management. This data empowers businesses to make informed decisions, refine pricing strategies, and identify growth opportunities — keeping them ahead of the competition.

Automation for operational efficiency

Shopify Flow, an exclusive tool for Shopify Plus merchants, allows businesses to automate repetitive tasks like inventory updates, order management, and customer segmentation. Collectively, Shopify Plus merchants have saved over 22 million hours through automation, freeing up resources for strategic initiatives.

Sandbox testing for experimentation

Shopify Plus includes a free sandbox environment, enabling businesses to test new features, themes, and integrations without affecting the live store. This feature ensures that innovations can be safely rolled out, minimizing risk while supporting experimentation.

Access to exclusive features and priority support

Shopify Plus merchants enjoy 24/7 priority support and access to dedicated account managers, ensuring quick resolutions to any issues. Additional features like advanced POS integrations and centralized organizational management simplify operations, especially for businesses managing multiple stores or complex setups.

Enterprise-level scalability without high IT costs

With Shopify Plus, businesses spend up to 80% less on their ecommerce infrastructure compared to other platforms. By eliminating the need for server maintenance and manual updates, businesses can reinvest those savings into customer experience and marketing.
These benefits make Shopify Plus an ideal solution for businesses ready to scale, automate operations, and compete globally. If you’re facing challenges with your current platform, migrating to Shopify Plus with the help of Shopify migration services ensures a smooth transition to a platform built for growth.

How to Migrate to Shopify Plus? A Foolproof 5-Step Plan

Unlike a Shopify Plus upgrade for those who have already tried other versions of the platform, Shopify Plus migration isn’t just a simple platform switch. It’s a full-scale transformation that requires careful planning and execution. 

Done wrong, it can wreak havoc on your SEO, disrupt your operations, and frustrate customers. Done right, it sets your business up for scalability, better user experience, and increased revenue.

Step 1: Pre-migration prep — audit and plan everything

Before you start moving data, take stock of everything in your current store. You need to evaluate:

• Product catalog – SKUs, pricing, descriptions, images, variants, inventory status, categories
• Customer data – Names, email addresses, purchase history, account status
• Order history – Fulfilled, pending, and canceled orders, refunds, and transaction data
• SEO & URLs – Page URLs, metadata, structured data, backlinks, XML sitemaps
• Content – Blog posts, landing pages, FAQs, policies
• Discounts & gift cards – Active promotions, loyalty programs, store credits
• Apps & integrations – Payment gateways, shipping providers, CRM tools, third-party plugins

During this stage of the Shopify Plus migration process, decide what parts of your current store you want to keep, and what to leave behind. If your old store has outdated product listings, duplicate customer records, or broken links, now’s the time to clean house.

Once you know what you’ll migrate to Shopify Plus, it’s time for field mapping and data transformation. Since every ecommerce platform structures data differently, it’s vital to create a mapping document that aligns your current platform’s fields with Shopify Plus:

• Product categories & collections: Many platforms use hierarchical category structures, whereas Shopify uses collections. For example, “Men > Shoes > Sneakers” on Magento would need to be mapped to a Shopify collection such as “Men’s Sneakers” with appropriate tags.
• Date formats: Platforms like Magento store dates in YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS format, while Shopify may require simpler formats like MM/DD/YYYY for certain imports.
• Customer data fields: Some platforms store full names in a single field, while Shopify requires separate first and last name fields.
• Order IDs & statuses: Shopify has a different order processing workflow, so order statuses (e.g., “Processing” in Magento) might need to be translated into Shopify’s equivalent

Depending on your technical expertise and store size, choose how you’ll migrate:

• CSV exports & imports – Manual but manageable for small stores looking to migrate to Shopify Plus.
• Third-party migration apps – Tools like Cart2Cart or LitExtension automate data transfer.
• Shopify migration experts – Best for large or complex stores with unique data structures.

Step 2: Set up your Shopify Plus store

If you haven’t already, sign up for Shopify Plus and configure your new store environment.

Start by adjusting your general store settings — currency, shipping rates, tax rules, and payment providers. These settings dictate how transactions are processed and how customers are charged. Shopify locks your primary currency once transactions begin, so set it correctly from the start. Define tax rules based on your target markets to ensure compliance with local regulations.

Pro tip: Shopify Plus supports multiple expansion stores, ideal for brands selling in different regions. If you operate internationally, set up localized stores with region-specific pricing, languages, and tax settings.

Next, set up staff accounts with precise permissions. Shopify Plus offers advanced user roles, so carefully assign access to developers, marketers, and support teams to maintain security while giving employees the tools they need.

After that, design your Shopify store. Choose a Shopify Plus theme that matches your brand identity and user experience goals. Shopify provides many high-quality themes, but if your business demands a custom look or advanced functionality, consider hiring developers to customize the control the look and feel of your store using Shopify’s Liquid template language.

Finally, install and configure apps to maintain essential functionality from your previous store. Shopify Plus has a vast ecosystem of apps for automation, customer support, inventory management, and analytics. Choose only the ones that enhance efficiency without adding unnecessary bloat.

Step 3: Migrate your data to Shopify Plus

Products form the foundation of your store, making them the first priority in migration. If you have a small inventory, manual entry may work. However, larger catalogs benefit from Shopify’s structured CSV format or migration apps that automate bulk imports. If your product data is highly customized, API-based migration ensures precision and completeness.

To maintain consistency and avoid SEO pitfalls during Shopify data migration:

• Keep existing SKUs and product URLs the same.
• Assign accurate categories and collections to match your previous site structure.
• Upload high-resolution images with optimized alt texts for accessibility and search rankings.
• Ensure product variants (e.g., color, size, material) are mapped correctly.

Pro tip: Run a test Shopify data migration with a small subset of your products before executing a full transfer. This allows you to identify and fix mapping issues in advance.

Once you’re done working with your product catalog, it’s time for customer data Shopify Plus migration. Due to Shopify’s password encryption, customer accounts can’t be migrated directly. Instead, export customer data into a CSV file and import it into Shopify. 

Pro tip: Once the migration is complete, send reactivation emails prompting customers to reset their passwords, ensuring they can easily log back in.

Another important thing to note is that Shopify does not support direct past order imports. To migrate data about past orders, you’ll need to use a workaround. For example:

• Use third-party migration tools that map order data to Shopify’s system.
• Keep historical orders stored externally while maintaining customer order history visibility within a CRM or reporting tool.

Finally, Shopify SEO migration is crucial to maintaining search rankings and organic traffic. Moving blog posts, landing pages, and policies manually or via API ensures content continuity, but SEO elements need special attention.

During the Shopify SEO migration, focus on:

• URL consistency: If possible, keep URLs the same to retain search rankings.
• 301 Redirects: For changing URLs, set up 301 redirects to maintain SEO value.
• Metadata preservation: Keep page titles, descriptions, and keywords intact.
• Alt text for images: Ensure all images retain their alt text for SEO and accessibility.
• Structured data (schema markup): Verify schema implementation for rich search results.

Step 4: Test your Shopify store before the big launch

A structured approach to testing your Shopify Plus store helps catch and fix issues before they impact customers. This includes setting up a staging site, verifying functionality, and refining the user experience.

After you migrate to Shopify Plus and go live, keep a closeA staging site acts as a private replica of your store, allowing safe testing without disrupting customers. It should mirror real-world conditions, including your full product catalog, customer data, payment configurations, and installed apps.

Verify that all essential features — product search, category browsing, cart functionality, checkout, and payment processing — work correctly after the Shopify Plus migration. Test discount codes and post-purchase actions like order confirmation emails. Ensure the layout is intuitive, visually consistent with your brand, and fully responsive for mobile users.

Run performance stress tests to simulate peak traffic during sales events or holiday rushes, ensuring the site remains stable under load.

Step 5: Launch and post-migration optimization

You can opt for a hard launch (immediate live deployment) or a soft launch (gradual rollout). While a hard launch works for smaller stores, a soft launch is generally safer, allowing real-world testing and minimizing risks.

Pro tip: Communicate the transition to customers via email, social media, and website updates. Choose a launch time that minimizes disruptions, avoiding peak shopping periods.

 eye on the performance of your site and focus on optimization.

And don’t forget to keep a finger on the pulse of platform feature updates to enhance performance — after all, that’s why you decided to migrate to Shopify Plus in the first place!

Stay proactive, optimize continuously, and keep your store running at its best.

Shopify Migration Checklist to Avoid Common Pitfalls

Migrating to Shopify Plus comes with major benefits, but without proper planning, it can lead to data loss, downtime, broken integrations, and SEO issues. A structured Shopify migration checklist helps keep everything organized, reducing risks and ensuring a seamless transition.

Use this detailed migration checklist for Shopify to avoid the most common pitfalls and make the move smooth and stress-free.

Following this Shopify migration checklist services ensures a structured and efficient migration, reducing risk and helping you maximize Shopify Plus’s full potential from day one.

Shopify Plus Migration Case Studies: These Brands Made It Big, and So Can You

If you’re considering whether to migrate to Shopify Plus, you’re in good company. Some of the biggest global brands have successfully replatformed to Shopify Plus, improving scalability, performance, and customer experience. 

Here’s how three well-known businesses made the transition and what they gained fro

ModestMaillot — Apparel & fashion

Shopify Plus migration helped the Belgian luxury swimwear brand Modest Maillot refine its store for better performance and brand alignment. 

Despite an already well-built ecommerce site, slow load times were hurting user experience. Through Shopify migration services, Elogic optimized the backend, streamlining the site’s structure to improve speed and responsiveness. Search engines took notice, boosting rankings and driving more traffic. Customers could now browse seamlessly, making it easier to discover and purchase their ideal modest swimwear.

Beyond performance, Modest Maillot wanted to emphasize sustainability in its website redesign, which reinforced brand values. Elogic repositioned the sustainability category in the top navigation, ensuring visitors immediately grasped the brand’s recycling commitment. 

With technical and design improvements in place, Modest Maillot saw higher traffic, better conversions, and a website that truly reflected its mission.

Gymshark — Fitness apparel & accessories

Gymshark had outgrown its Magento store, struggling with frequent site crashes during high-traffic sales events like Black Friday. Their old platform couldn’t handle the brand’s rapid growth, leading to lost revenue. They needed a scalable, high-performance ecommerce solution to support their expanding global audience.

By choosing to migrate from Magento to Shopify Plus, Gymshark increased revenue by 197% during peak sales events, eliminated downtime issues (even during flash sales), and enabled faster global expansion with localized Shopify Plus stores.

Banana Republic – Fashion & apparel

As part of Gap Inc., Banana Republic needed a modern, unified platform to enhance its omnichannel strategy. Their previous ecommerce system wasn’t optimized for mobile shopping or seamless integration between online and in-store experiences. Migrating to Shopify allowed them to streamline operations and provide a frictionless customer journey.
The migration to Shopify Plus helped Banana Republic adapt to the changing retail landscape. After the Shopify Plus migration, the brand improved mobile shopping experience, enabled better integration between their ecommerce and retail stores, and simplified content management.

PetHQ – B2B retail, Petcare

PetHQ, the UAE’s top pet care retailer, thrived in B2C but struggled to scale B2B due to a platform that couldn’t support bulk orders, custom pricing, or efficient order management. Managing wholesale operations manually drained time and resources, stalling growth in a competitive market.

To fix this, PetHQ teamed up with the Elogic Shopify migration experts to build a dedicated B2B store on Shopify Plus, integrating native features with custom solutions like an optimized order quotation flow, custom registration, and quick order functionality. 

In just 2.5 months, Elogic delivered a scalable, automated platform that streamlined supplier onboarding, bulk ordering, and the overall B2B experience. Now, PetHQ is a dominant force in UAE’s wholesale pet market — saving time, cutting costs, and fueling long-term growth.

Afterthought

Replatforming is a big decision—one that comes with risks, from temporary disruptions to concerns over SEO rankings and migration costs. If you’re debating whether to migrate to Shopify Plus, chances are your current platform is already limiting your growth. Maybe your checkout process is slow, your site crashes under peak traffic, or integrations feel like an uphill battle.

The reality? The longer you wait, the more you lose — whether it’s frustrated customers, mounting maintenance costs, or missed revenue opportunities.

At Elogic, we specialize in Shopify Plus migrations for both B2C and B2B brands, ensuring a smooth, strategic transition that protects your SEO, maintains business continuity, and optimizes your store for long-term success. As a certified Shopify Plus Partner, we take the guesswork out of replatforming so you can focus on what really matters—scaling your business without limits.

Your ecommerce platform shouldn’t hold you back. Move to Shopify Plus with Shopify migration experts at Elogic and scale without limits

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