Migration to Shopware – How to Safely Move Your Online Store
Changing your e-commerce platform is a moment when store owners feel both excitement and concern. On the one hand – the prospect of a new system, greater flexibility, and automation. On the other – the fear of data loss, migration errors, or decreased visibility in search results.
Migrating a store is not just a technological project. It’s a process that affects every layer of your business – from product catalogue structure and SEO to customer relations and team efficiency.
In this article, we show how to prepare for e-commerce migration to safely move your store to Shopware.
When is the right time to migrate?
Not every company needs a new platform. But at some point, every system starts to “weigh down” the business. Initially, small limitations – the need for a developer for every change, slow site performance, lack of integration with ERP or marketing automation systems – gradually begin to affect sales.
The most common signs that your system needs to change:
- every modification requires a developer,
- the store is slow or frequently crashes,
- there is no possibility for automation and integration,
- UX and the shopping process no longer meet customer expectations,
- handling data and orders becomes too complicated,
- implementing new ideas takes weeks or months.
At some point, maintaining the old platform becomes more expensive than investing in a new one.
Then migration stops being a risk – it becomes a natural step in business growth.
How to prepare for migration – step by step
Migrating an online store should be treated as a strategic development project. When properly planned, it allows you not only to change technology but also to organize data, improve SEO, and increase the efficiency of your entire sales operation.
1. Start with analysing your needs and data
Don’t start with the question “how to move the store?”, but rather “what do I want to improve during migration?”.
This is the time to examine how your e-commerce works today:
- which features really support sales,
- which processes can be simplified or automated,
- which data has real value (e.g. purchase history, customer accounts, reviews),
- what requires restructuring (e.g. category structure, product variants, filters).
Based on this analysis, a migration plan is created – not a simple copy of the old system but a redesigned version that supports your business model.
2. Plan the technical aspects of the platform change
Every e-commerce platform operates under its own logic: it handles discounts, product variants, or checkout in different ways. Therefore, it’s essential to determine:
- which system you are migrating from (e.g. Magento, WooCommerce, PrestaShop),
- which data should be transferred and which can be archived,
- which integrations (ERP, PIM, CRM, payments, shipping) must work from day one,
- which functions should be implemented after launch to avoid overloading the project.
For stores migrating to Shopware, a great advantage is the Migration Assistant – an official tool that automatically transfers products, customers, and orders from many popular platforms.
However, every migration requires testing in a development environment and data cleaning before import, to avoid transferring past errors.
3. Take care of SEO and redirects
One of the biggest challenges in migration is maintaining organic visibility. Changing URLs, category structures, or product descriptions may reduce traffic.
Therefore, before migration, it’s worth:
- preparing a list of all current URLs and assigning new equivalents,
- implementing 301 redirects,
- keeping metadata,
- updating the sitemap.
Shopware is well-optimized for SEO, but technology alone is not enough – strategy and post-launch monitoring are essential.
In practice, a well-executed migration can not only maintain but even improve visibility if the new structure is designed correctly.
4. Test – everything you can
Store migration is a process where every detail matters. Even if the data was transferred correctly, you must verify process logic, integrations, and performance.
Tests should include:
- the entire purchase process (from cart to payment),
- correct operation of integrations with external systems,
- performance and loading speed under heavy traffic,
- correct transfer of customer data and order history,
- SEO behaviour (links, metadata, redirects).
A good practice is also a test purchase performed by someone outside the project – a customer’s perspective differs from a developer’s.
5. Choose the right time to migrate
It may sound trivial, but it’s crucial. Migration should be carried out during periods of lower traffic – outside sales seasons, large campaigns, or assortment changes.
This way, the team can monitor results in real time, and any adjustments won’t affect customers.
How to avoid migration mistakes
Problems during migration don’t come from lack of skills but from haste and poor planning.
The most common mistakes companies make:
- lack of data audit before migration,
- transferring outdated integrations,
- ignoring SEO in the plan,
- launching too quickly without tests,
- no post-launch plan.
Migration is the perfect moment to reset the chaos – remove unnecessary data, standardize processes, and prepare the store for future growth.
Shopware – a stable base for future growth
Shopware was built with growth in mind, not just sales.
Thanks to its modular architecture and open API, it connects with any system – ERP, PIM, CRM, WMS, or marketing automation – without technical limits.
In practice, this means a company can evolve without replacing the system every few years.
Shopware supports both B2C and B2B models, offering advanced features for managing prices, company accounts, user roles, and order approval processes.
It’s a solution that not only handles sales but becomes the operational hub of your entire e-commerce business.
Summary: migration as an investment in growth
Store migration is not about “copying data” – it’s a strategic project that defines your company’s development path.
A well-planned process helps not only avoid errors but also organize data, improve user experience, and open the door to automation.
If you’re considering changing your platform or want to find out whether migration to Shopware makes sense for your business – talk to a team with real experience.
At CREHLER, we have been implementing e-commerce migrations for years. We combine technical expertise with business insight, helping clients go through the process safely, predictably, and with full control over results.
If you’d like to see what migration looks like step by step, contact us.
We’ll start with a short consultation to assess your current system, identify potential risks, and outline an action plan tailored to your business model.
