Moving from Shopify or WooCommerce to CartWhizz: what moves and how

Short answer: you move a store to CartWhizz by exporting your products and customers from your old platform as CSV files, importing them in CartWhizz's Product Import/Export (where you match each column to a CartWhizz field), adding 301 redirects for any URLs that change, and then pointing your domain at your new store. There is no one-click importer, but a small store can usually be moved in a day. Past orders stay in your old platform's export.

What you can bring across

Data	How it moves
Products	CSV or XML import: name, SKU, price, list price, stock, weight and size, descriptions, SEO title and description, categories
Product images	Image URLs in the CSV are downloaded into your store; you can also upload a ZIP of photos matched by SKU
Categories and brands	From the product file, or their own CSV imports
Customers	CSV import with email, first name, last name and phone
Old URLs	301 redirects from your old addresses to the new ones

What does not move

• Order history. Keep your old platform's order export for your records and accounts.
• Customer passwords. No platform can export them. Imported customers set a new password with "Forgot password" the first time they log in.
• Apps and theme customisations. Rebuild your look with a CartWhizz theme and the layout editor, and switch on the CartWhizz features that replace your apps.
• Reviews, gift card balances and discount codes. Plan to recreate the codes you still need.

Step 1: Export from your old platform

From Shopify

In your Shopify admin, export your products to a CSV file from the Products page, and your customers from the Customers page. Shopify's product CSV includes columns such as Handle, Title, Body (HTML), Vendor, Variant SKU, Variant Price, Variant Inventory Qty and Image Src.

From WooCommerce

WooCommerce has a built-in product CSV exporter under Products, with columns such as Name, SKU, Regular price, Sale price, Stock, Description, Categories and Images. Export customers with your usual WordPress user or customer export.

Step 2: Prepare the file

• Make sure every product has a unique SKU. CartWhizz matches products by SKU, so a re-import updates instead of duplicating.
• Check that image columns contain full image links starting with https.
• Keep your Shopify Handle column. Mapped to the CartWhizz URL slug, it keeps your product addresses the same.
• Add the HSN code for each product if you charge GST.

Step 3: Import into CartWhizz

1. Open Products → Product Import/Export in your CartWhizz admin and choose Import.
2. Upload your CSV (or XML) file, or give the link to a file online.
3. Match each column in your file to a CartWhizz field, such as Title to Name, Variant Price to Price and Image Src to the primary image. Columns you do not need can be skipped. Save the matching as a preset if you will import again.
4. Run a test import first. It previews what would happen without changing your store.
5. Run the real import, then download the error report if any rows were skipped, fix them and import again.

Products with variations (such as size and colour) need the most care, because platforms store them differently. Import a few first and check them in the product editor, where you can also finish variations by hand. Large files can take a few minutes.

Step 4: Import customers

Import your customer CSV with at least the email column; first name, last name and phone are optional. Customers already in your store are skipped, so it is safe to run again. Email your customers to tell them about the new store and that they will need to set a new password.

Step 5: Keep your search rankings with redirects

Search engines and old links know your current URLs. Wherever an address changes, add a 301 redirect from SEO → Redirects in your admin, so visitors and search engines go straight to the new page.

• Products: CartWhizz product pages live at /products/your-product. Shopify's are also at /products/handle, so if you keep the handle as the slug, product links do not change.
• Collections and categories: Shopify uses /collections/name; CartWhizz category pages have their own addresses. Redirect each collection you care about.
• WooCommerce: product links usually include /product/; redirect your best-selling products and main categories first.

CartWhizz creates your sitemap automatically. After switching your domain, submit it in Google Search Console.

Step 6: Set up payments, shipping and taxes

Connect your payment gateway with its API keys, recreate your shipping rates and set your GST details. If you used the same gateway on your old platform, you can usually use the same gateway account. See how CartWhizz works for each setting.

Step 7: Switch your domain

1. Test your new store on its free cartwhizz.com address: place a test order with each payment method.
2. Pick a quiet time, then add your domain in Domains and change the DNS records at your registrar to the ones CartWhizz shows.
3. CartWhizz checks the records automatically. Once they are right and your request is approved, it issues a free SSL certificate and switches your domain on, usually within minutes.
4. Keep your old store's subscription for a few days until you have checked that orders are arriving in CartWhizz.

A simple migration checklist

• Products imported and checked, including images and variations.
• Customers imported and told about the move.
• Redirects added for categories and any changed product links.
• Payments, shipping, GST and policies set up and tested.
• Domain switched and sitemap submitted.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import my Shopify products into CartWhizz?

Yes. Export products from Shopify as a CSV file, then import it in Product Import/Export and match Shopify's columns to CartWhizz fields.

Will my product images come across?

Yes. Image links in your CSV are downloaded into your CartWhizz store. You can also upload a ZIP of photos named by SKU.

Will I lose my Google rankings if I move?

Keep URLs the same where you can, and add 301 redirects where they change. That passes visitors and search engines to the new pages.

Can I move my order history?

Past orders are not imported. Keep your old platform's order export for your records.

Do my customers need new passwords?

Yes. Passwords cannot be exported from any platform, so imported customers use "Forgot password" to set a new one.

Want to try an import first? Start a free 7-day trial and test with a handful of products.