Wix to Shopify Migration: The Complete 2026 Guide

I’ve been building ecommerce stores since before Shopify existed. I’ve migrated sites from platforms you’ve probably never heard of. But Wix migrations are a particular kind of job because Wix was never designed to let you leave.

That’s not conspiracy thinking. It’s architecture. Wix renders everything client-side, doesn’t give you clean data exports, and uses proprietary URL structures that don’t map neatly to anything else. Moving to Shopify isn’t difficult - but it requires someone who knows where the traps are.

This guide covers exactly what happens when I migrate a Wix store to Shopify, based on real migrations I’ve done - not theory.

Why Shopify Instead of Sticking with Wix?

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already felt the limitations. But here’s the honest comparison:

Wix is a website builder that added ecommerce. It works for simple shops, but the moment you need proper inventory management, multi-channel selling, or a checkout that actually converts at scale, you’re fighting the platform.

Shopify was built to sell from day one. The checkout is optimised across millions of stores. The app ecosystem is enormous. And critically, you’re not locked in - your data is yours.

The specific pain points I hear most from Wix store owners:

• Checkout conversion - Wix’s checkout is functional but basic. Shopify’s checkout, especially with Shop Pay, converts measurably better
• Apps and integrations - Wix has around 500 apps. Shopify has over 8,000. Need subscription boxes, wholesale pricing, or print-on-demand? Shopify has it
• Multi-channel selling - Shopify connects directly to Amazon, eBay, Instagram Shopping, TikTok Shop, and Google Shopping. Wix can’t do this properly
• Digital downloads - Wix’s digital product handling is basic. Shopify’s ecosystem (Sky Pilot, SendOwl) gives you proper licence management, drip content, and download limits
• SEO control - Wix’s URL structure is clunky and hard to optimise. Shopify gives you clean URLs and full control over meta data

The Wix Export Problem

This is where Wix migrations differ from EKM to Shopify migrations. EKM gives you clean CSV exports of products, customers, and orders. Wix gives you… partial tools and friction.

Here’s what you’re actually dealing with:

• Products - Wix lets you export product data as CSV, but the format doesn’t map cleanly to Shopify’s import template. Column names differ, variant structures differ, and image URLs need extracting separately
• Customers - Contact data exports reasonably well, but purchase history and account details need manual mapping
• Content - Blog posts and pages have no export function. Content needs to be extracted from the rendered pages
• Digital files - Your actual downloadable files need to be collected manually. Wix doesn’t bundle them in any export
• Images - Product images are hosted on Wix’s CDN with proprietary URLs. They need to be downloaded and re-uploaded to Shopify

None of this is impossible. But it’s why “just export and import” doesn’t work for Wix migrations. Each piece needs handling individually.

My Migration Process: Step by Step

1. The Store Audit

Before anything moves, I go through your entire Wix store and document everything:

• Every product with variants, pricing, images, and descriptions
• Digital download files and their delivery rules
• Customer data and order history
• Content pages, blog posts, and FAQ sections
• Active Wix apps and what they do (Wix Bookings, Wix Events, custom forms)
• Current URL structure for redirect mapping
• SEO metadata - titles, descriptions, alt tags

This audit becomes the migration checklist. Nothing gets left behind because nothing gets missed at this stage.

2. Shopify Store Build

While your Wix store stays live and taking orders, I build the new Shopify store:

• Theme selection and customisation - A design that matches or improves on your brand, not a template with your logo dropped in
• Payment gateway - Shopify Payments, PayPal, or whatever your customers prefer. All configured and tested
• Shipping rules - Carrier rates, free shipping thresholds, shipping zones. Set up to match your actual shipping costs
• Tax configuration - UK VAT settings, digital product tax rules if applicable
• App installation - Digital Downloads or Sky Pilot for digital products, review apps, email marketing integration

3. Data Migration

This is the methodical part. Each data type gets its own process:

Products:

• Export from Wix, reformat to Shopify’s CSV template
• Download all product images from Wix’s CDN
• Upload images to Shopify and map to correct products
• Verify variants, pricing, inventory levels, and weights
• Set up collections to match your Wix category structure

Digital Downloads:

• Download all digital files from Wix
• Upload to Shopify’s Digital Downloads app or Sky Pilot
• Configure delivery rules (immediate download, email delivery, download limits)
• Test purchase and download flow

Customers:

• Export contact data from Wix
• Clean and format for Shopify import
• Import with order history preserved
• Verify account creation and data accuracy

Content:

• Extract blog posts and page content
• Recreate in Shopify’s blog and page editor
• Preserve formatting, images, and internal links
• Update any hardcoded URLs

4. SEO Redirect Mapping

What I do:

• Crawl the entire Wix site to get a complete URL inventory
• Map each URL to its Shopify equivalent
• Set up 301 redirects in Shopify’s URL redirect system
• Transfer meta titles and descriptions for every page
• Update image alt text during the migration
• Submit updated sitemaps to Google Search Console
• Monitor rankings for 30 days post-launch

The goal isn’t just “no ranking loss.” Done well, a migration to Shopify often improves rankings because the page speed, URL structure, and technical SEO are inherently better.

5. Testing

Nothing goes live until everything works:

• Product browsing - Every product page, every variant, every image
• Checkout flow - Add to cart, shipping calculation, payment processing, order confirmation
• Digital downloads - Purchase a digital product, verify delivery and download
• Customer accounts - Login, order history, saved addresses
• Mobile experience - Full checkout on phone and tablet
• Redirects - Sample test of old Wix URLs resolving to correct Shopify pages
• Payment processing - Live test transaction, refund process
• Email notifications - Order confirmation, shipping notification, download delivery

6. Go-Live

The switch itself is straightforward:

• DNS change points your domain to Shopify (takes minutes to propagate)
• I monitor the first 48 hours for any redirect issues or broken links
• Google Search Console gets the new sitemap
• Your Wix subscription can be cancelled once everything is confirmed working

I provide Shopify admin training so you’re confident managing products, processing orders, and updating content on your own.

What Wix Apps Need Replacing

If you’re using Wix’s proprietary features, these need Shopify equivalents:

Wix Feature	Shopify Replacement
Wix Stores	Native Shopify (built-in)
Wix Digital Downloads	Shopify Digital Downloads / Sky Pilot
Wix Bookings	Sesami / BookThatApp
Wix Events	Event Ticketing apps
Wix Forms	Shopify Forms / Typeform
Wix Blog	Shopify Blog (native)
Wix Chat	Tidio / Shopify Inbox
Wix Members	Customer accounts (native)

Each replacement gets configured and tested before launch. You won’t lose functionality - in most cases, the Shopify equivalent is more capable than Wix’s version.

The Costs: Honest Numbers

I don’t hide pricing behind “contact us for a quote” pages. Here’s what a Wix to Shopify migration costs:

• Shopify store build: £995 - theme design, payment setup, shipping, apps, training
• Migration fee: £495 - data extraction, product transfer, digital downloads, SEO redirects
• Total: £1,490

That’s a fixed price. No hidden costs, no scope creep. Two week delivery with 30 days of post-launch support.

You’ll also need a Shopify subscription (from £25/month for Basic) and any premium apps you choose to install. I’ll advise on which apps are worth paying for and which free alternatives work just as well.

For context: if you’re currently on Wix’s Business plan at £27/month plus transaction fees, Shopify Basic at £25/month with Shopify Payments (no transaction fees) is roughly equivalent in running cost - but with a dramatically better platform underneath.

When Wix Is Actually Fine

I’m not here to tell everyone to leave Wix. If you have a simple brochure website with no ecommerce, Wix does the job. If you’re selling a handful of products as a side project, Wix is adequate.

But if any of these apply, you’ve outgrown it:

• You’re selling more than 50 products
• You need multi-channel selling (Amazon, eBay, social commerce)
• Your checkout conversion rate matters to you
• You’re selling digital and physical products together
• You want proper inventory management across locations
• You need wholesale or B2B pricing alongside retail
• Your SEO is limited by Wix’s URL structure

If three or more of those resonate, the migration pays for itself in improved conversion rates within months.

Ready to Move?

I’ve been doing this for 26 years. Not 26 years of Shopify - 26 years of building stores that sell, on whatever platform does the job best. Right now, for ecommerce, that’s Shopify.

If you’re thinking about moving from Wix to Shopify, get in touch. I’ll look at your current store, tell you honestly whether the move makes sense, and if it does, have you live on Shopify in two weeks.

No hard sell. If Wix is genuinely the right platform for what you’re doing, I’ll tell you that too.