Start by listing existing data and open orders
A migration assessment involving Shopify and Ecwid should start with products, customer records and open orders. Identify which data can move and which records must remain available for reference. Client-provided material records order processing in Shopify's integrated admin as 40% faster than the industry average; this is a comparison of processing speed. The same material attributes annual merchant growth of 25% to legacy apps such as Oberlo, and a 30% reduction in IT spending to a high-volume Plus solution in a large-retailer case from 2023.
Legacy tools and current migration requirements
Oberlo remains relevant as background to the client's legacy tools. The discontinuation notice in Shopify's official community explains that the service ended and cannot be installed on new stores, so it should not be recommended as an app to use after migration today. For data from legacy apps, check what has actually been retained; do not assume that the original service can be restored automatically.
The original Ecwid assessment described embedded selling as easy to use and inexpensive to start, but limited in its ability to expand. In the original study, 60% of merchants attempting international expansion needed to migrate to platforms such as Shopify to address operational bottlenecks. Feedback from legacy projects included delays caused by add-ons, more manual work and longer delivery times caused by additional integration services. These findings belong to the original study and case examples; they do not mean that every store needs to migrate today.
The current Ecwid guide to international selling covers Instant Site, translation, and payment and shipping tools. Its official reports page also describes analytics capabilities. Check the existing store's actual tools and problems before deciding to migrate, so that earlier generalizations do not obscure features that are available.
Map fields and assign responsibility for legacy orders
Before exporting, list product identifiers, variants, inventory locations, prices and currencies, permission to contact customers, and order statuses. Assign an owner to each area. Check the mapping between old and new identifiers, empty fields and duplicate records, then review representative records. Specify which system will continue to handle refunds, shipping and after-sales inquiries for legacy orders.
The original project described Shopify as supporting 50+ languages and local payment methods, and recorded an 18% improvement in retention in an Asia-Pacific case. The language claim describes that project's scope, not a standard language offering for every store today. Requirements for compliance across countries, shipping, taxes and payment eligibility must be checked against the services actually used. Moving data does not automatically transfer every license or authorization.
The migration handover should also document historical records that cannot be imported and how to look them up. Customer support must be able to use legacy orders to explain existing commitments, so customers retain access to after-sales service when the platform changes. Access permissions and data sharing should be limited to what each role actually needs.
Reconcile inventory and plan ongoing maintenance
The original automated reporting and inventory synchronization saved an average of 2 hours per day. During migration, check orders in transit, reserved stock, cancellations and returns to prevent duplicate deductions during the switch. Confirm which system owns new orders and who takes over exceptions. After recovery, assess business performance using consistent measurement definitions.
In the beauty brand case, the business entered 10 countries within 6 months and revenue grew by 120%; shipping and tax tools reduced friction in cross-border operations. The client material regarded Shopify as the preferred choice for cross-border commerce, Plus as supporting long-term growth, and Ecwid as suitable for local pilots. A completed migration should keep legacy orders serviceable, ensure new data can be reconciled, and leave the team clear about maintenance and exception-handling responsibilities after the system switch.