Client came to me frustrated: "Shopify's taking 2% + 30¢ per transaction - that's $18,000 yearly on $900K sales!!"
Plus: $79/month Shopify plan, $39/month apps, $29/month email marketing. Total: $19,764/year just to operate the store!!
Moved them to Astra + WooCommerce. Now paying $240/year hosting + $0 transaction fees = $19,524 annual savings!! Same sales, way less overhead.
Here's exactly how to migrate 300+ products from Shopify to WooCommerce on Astra without losing data:
Why People Leave Shopify (The Economics)
Shopify looks cheap until you do the math:
Basic Shopify ($39/month):
- 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
- Limited features
- Pay for apps
- Monthly fees
- Lock-in to their ecosystem
Advanced Shopify ($399/month):
- 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction
- More features but still app costs
- High monthly commitment
Real Numbers
$50K monthly sales store:
- Shopify fees: $1,480/month (2.9% + 30¢)
- Shopify plan: $79/month
- Essential apps: ~$100/month
- Total: $1,659/month = $19,908/year!!
Same store on WooCommerce:
- Transaction fees: $0 (use Stripe/PayPal directly)
- Hosting: $20/month quality managed WordPress
- Astra Pro: $69/year
- Essential plugins: ~$100/year
- Total: $409/year!!
Savings: $19,499 yearly!! And that's conservative - most Shopify stores pay MORE in apps.
Why Astra For WooCommerce?
Could use any WordPress theme with WooCommerce. Why specifically Astra?
Speed (Critical For E-commerce!)
Astra = 48KB frontend load
Most themes = 300KB+ load
Test results:
- Fully loaded: 1.9 seconds
- PageSpeed mobile: 91/100
- PageSpeed desktop: 99/100
Fast site = higher conversions!! Amazon found 100ms delay = 1% sales loss. Astra's speed directly impacts revenue!!
WooCommerce Built-In
Not "WooCommerce compatible" - actually built FOR WooCommerce:
- Product page layouts optimized
- Shop grid settings built-in
- Cart/checkout customization
- Off-canvas sidebar
- Infinite scroll products
- Quick view popups
- Sticky add-to-cart
- Distraction-free checkout
These features cost $100+ in Shopify apps!! Astra Pro ($69/year) includes everything.
100+ E-commerce Starter Templates
Import complete store design in minutes:
- Fashion stores
- Electronics shops
- Digital downloads
- Handmade/craft stores
- Health products
- Food/beverage
No designer needed - professional templates ready to customize!!
Lightweight and SEO-Optimized
Schema markup built-in, clean code, mobile-first design. Astra sites rank better than heavy themes!!
Prerequisites Before Migration
1. WordPress Site Setup
Need WordPress installed with:
- PHP 8.0+ (8.1 better!)
- 512MB memory minimum
- Good managed WordPress hosting
My hosting recommendations:
- Cloudways ($12-25/month) - scalable, fast
- WP Engine ($25+/month) - premium managed
- SiteGround ($15-30/month) - affordable reliable
Avoid: Cheap shared hosting!! WooCommerce needs resources.
2. Install Astra Theme
Free from WordPress.org or Astra Pro if you want premium templates.
Appearance → Themes → Add New → Search "Astra"
3. Install WooCommerce Plugin
Plugins → Add New → Search "WooCommerce"
Run WooCommerce setup wizard - configure:
- Store location
- Currency
- Payment methods (Stripe, PayPal)
- Shipping zones
- Tax settings
Pro tip: Match your Shopify settings exactly first, optimize later!!
4. Choose Migration Method
Three options:
Option 1: Free Plugin (S2W Import Shopify to WooCommerce)
- FREE for products
- Manual CSV for customers/orders
- Good for 300+ products
- My recommendation for most stores
Option 2: Paid Plugin (Cart2Cart, LitExtension)
- $69-299 depending on data volume
- Automated everything
- Good for complex stores with lots of order history
- Worth it for 1000+ products or active orders
Option 3: Manual CSV
- Free but time-consuming
- Error-prone with large catalogs
- Only for tiny stores (<50 products)
For 300 products: Use Option 1 (S2W free plugin)!!
Step-by-Step: Migrating Products with S2W Plugin
Step 1: Get Shopify API Credentials
In Shopify Admin:
- Apps → Develop apps → Create app
- Name it "WooCommerce Migration"
- Configure Admin API scopes:
- read_products
- read_product_listings
- read_inventory
- read_locations
- Install app
- Copy API key and API secret token
Important: Keep these secret!!
Step 2: Install S2W Plugin
In WordPress:
Plugins → Add New → Search "S2W Import Shopify"
Install and activate.
Step 3: Configure Migration Settings
Go to: S2W → Import Shopify to WooCommerce
Enter:
- Shopify store URL:
yourstore.myshopify.com - API key: (from Step 1)
- API password/token: (from Step 1)
Click Save
Step 4: Configure Import Options
Products per request: Start with 5
- Too high = server timeout
- Increase to 10-15 if working smoothly
Product status: Choose "Publish" or "Draft"
- Draft = review before publishing (safer!)
- Publish = products live immediately
Categories:
- Keep Shopify categories
- Or add all to new category
Download images: YES
- Images download in background
- Don't need to wait
- Checks for duplicates
Step 5: Start Product Import
Click Import Products
Plugin shows progress bar. Don't close browser!!
For 300 products: Takes 15-45 minutes depending on images.
What gets migrated:
- Product titles
- Descriptions
- Prices (including sale prices!)
- SKUs
- Stock quantities
- Product variations
- Categories/tags
- Images (including variants!)
- Meta descriptions
What doesn't migrate:
- Customer reviews (separate process)
- SEO URLs (need redirects - covered later!)
Step 6: Verify Products
After import:
- Go to Products → All Products
- Spot check random products:
- Images loaded?
- Prices correct?
- Variations working?
- Stock quantities accurate?
Found issues? Common fixes:
Missing images:
- Re-run import with "Download images" enabled
- Or bulk upload via Media Library
Wrong prices:
- Check currency conversion
- Verify Shopify export had correct data
Broken variations:
- WooCommerce handles max 3 attributes
- Complex Shopify variants may need manual fixing
Migrating Customers (Manual CSV Method)
S2W free version doesn't migrate customers. Need manual CSV import.
Export from Shopify
Shopify Admin → Customers → Export
Select: All customers
Format: CSV for Excel
Import to WooCommerce
Install plugin: Import and Export Users and Customers
Tools → Import Customers → Upload CSV
Map Shopify columns to WooCommerce:
- Email → Email
- First Name → First Name
- Last Name → Last Name
- Accepts Marketing → (skip or custom field)
Important: Customers won't have passwords!!
Email them: "We've migrated to new platform, please reset password"
Handling Orders History
Critical decision: Do you NEED order history in WooCommerce?
If YES (for analytics, refunds, customer service):
- Use paid service (Cart2Cart, LitExtension)
- Worth $149-299 for peace of mind
If NO (order history stays in Shopify for reference):
- Keep Shopify read-only
- New orders in WooCommerce only
- Saves money, reduces migration complexity!!
My recommendation: Keep Shopify active 30 days read-only, don't migrate orders unless critical.
Setting Up Astra Theme for Your Store
Import Starter Template
Appearance → Starter Templates
Browse WooCommerce templates, pick one matching your niche.
Click Import - installs:
- Complete design
- Homepage
- Shop page
- Product page template
- Cart/checkout styling
Customization takes 30 minutes instead of 30 hours!!
Customize Astra Settings
Customize → WooCommerce
Critical settings:
Product Catalog:
- Products per page: 12, 18, or 24
- Grid columns: 3 or 4
- Product structure: Image → Category → Title → Price → Cart
Single Product:
- Gallery layout: Vertical thumbnails (converts best!)
- Sticky add to cart: ON
- Product tabs: Reviews + Description
Cart:
- Layout: 2-column (cart left, summary right)
- Distraction-free: Enable (removes header/footer clutter!)
Checkout:
- 2-step or modern layout
- Distraction-free: Enable
- Coupon field: Above checkout (better visibility!)
SEO: The Critical Redirect Setup
Biggest migration mistake: Ignoring URL structure change!!
Shopify URLs: yourstore.com/products/blue-widget
WooCommerce URLs: yourstore.com/product/blue-widget
Different URL = broken links = lost Google rankings!!
Solution: 301 Redirects
Install plugin: Redirection (free)
Create redirect rule:
Source: /products/(.*)
Target: /product/$1
This redirects ALL product URLs automatically!!
For collection/category pages:
Source: /collections/(.*)
Target: /product-category/$1
Test thoroughly!! Check Google Search Console for 404 errors after launch.
Payment Gateway Setup
Stripe (recommended):
WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → Stripe
Connect Stripe account - NO transaction fees to WooCommerce!! Only Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢.
Compared to Shopify taking 2% ON TOP of Stripe fees = instant savings!!
PayPal:
Same process - connect PayPal account.
Other gateways: Square, Authorize.net, PayPal Pro - all available as free plugins!!
Post-Migration Checklist
Before going live:
☐ Test complete checkout process
☐ Verify payment gateways working
☐ Test product variations
☐ Check mobile responsiveness
☐ Set up automated backups (UpdraftPlus!)
☐ Install security plugin (Wordfence)
☐ Configure email notifications
☐ Test shipping calculations
☐ Verify tax settings
☐ Check inventory sync
☐ Set up Google Analytics
☐ Submit new sitemap to Google
After going live:
☐ Monitor 404 errors (Redirection plugin)
☐ Watch server resources
☐ Track sales first 48 hours
☐ Customer support ready for questions
☐ Announce migration to customers
Real Migration Timeline
For 300-product store:
- Day 1: Setup WordPress, Astra, WooCommerce (2 hours)
- Day 2: Configure settings, get Shopify API (1 hour)
- Day 3: Migrate products with S2W plugin (1 hour active, 3 hours processing)
- Day 4: Verify products, fix any issues (3 hours)
- Day 5: Import customers, setup redirects (2 hours)
- Day 6: Customize Astra design (4 hours)
- Day 7: Test everything, go live (3 hours)
Total: ~20 hours work over 7 days
Compare to: Paying agency $5,000-10,000 for same migration!!
The Numbers After 6 Months
Client results (actual data):
Before (Shopify):
- Monthly sales: $75K
- Shopify fees: $2,205/month
- Apps/tools: $150/month
- Total costs: $2,355/month
After (Astra + WooCommerce):
- Monthly sales: $82K (faster site = more conversions!)
- Hosting: $35/month
- Plugins: $15/month
- Total costs: $50/month
Monthly savings: $2,305
Annual savings: $27,660!!
Plus: Site 40% faster, better Google rankings, more control, zero platform lock-in.
Bottom Line
Shopify great for beginners testing ideas. For established stores doing $500K+/year? The fees are brutal!!
Astra + WooCommerce combination gives you:
- Zero transaction fees
- Lightning-fast performance (91/100 mobile!)
- Complete ownership
- Unlimited customization
- $20K+ annual savings typical
Migration not scary!! 300 products = one weekend of focused work. ROI pays back instantly in saved fees.
Stop paying platform fees!! Get Astra Pro and migrate to WooCommerce - your profit margins will thank you!! 💰
This article contains affiliate links!


Top comments (0)