OpenCart to Shopify is not a difficult task. You don’t need to hire highly skilled developers.
Merchants have been increasingly leveraging the automatic Cart2Cart option for OpenCart to Shopify migration for years. According to user reviews, the results have been outstanding, as we can see from the samples that we have seen.
Cart2Cart continues to be praised by online store owners around the world for its ability to import OpenCart to Shopify. It’s capable of migrating all critical data elements accurately without any technical difficulties. It also manages to do all this at a fraction the cost of hiring data migration specialists.
That’s quite interesting. It’s amazing, but how true? How can you use this tool to do an OpenCart to Shopify conversion?
We were also curious about the process. We were curious about the whole process, and so we did an OpenCart to Shopify conversion using Car2Cart to verify its capabilities.
This article can be viewed as the ultimate OpenCart to Shopify Migration Guide. This article explains how to migrate OpenCart from Shopify using Car2Cart.
Let’s now look at the possible ways to import OpenCart into Shopify.
Your OpenCart To Shopify Migration Options
Although OpenCart is ecommerce platform and Shopify are, their operations tend to be very different.
OpenCart is an open-source shopping cart platform. Shopify however, provides a fully-integrated closed-source system. It combines its shopping cart platform and web hosting services with an in-house payment gateway. Additionally, it offers POS capabilities for businesses looking to expand into retail sales.
It’s easy to see why OpenCart to Shopify migration was so difficult with these different system frameworks. It’s not as easy as moving your online store to another OpenCart hosting provider.
Shopify’s default tool for transferring domains doesn’t support web domains. It can only be used to import the domain of your online store from its original registrar into Shopify’s system. You can do nothing more.
This leaves you with only three options to transfer your eCommerce data.
You can choose to go with either of these options:
- Manual OpenCart to Shopify Migrating
- OpenCart Assisted to Shopify Migration
- Automated OpenCart to Shopify Migrating
Manual OpenCart to Shopify Migrating
This is more similar to the Quantum Mechanics process of migrating OpenCart from Shopify. To complete the entire process smoothly, you will need to have advanced technical skills.
Are you wondering why?
First, it is not as simple as copying data from OpenCart, then pasting it into your Shopify store. You will need to program each entity separately and configure the website framework to allow everything to seamlessly integrate.
The whole process can be complicated and could take days to import OpenCart into Shopify.
It’s also the most affordable OpenCart to Shopify migration option. Since you are able to do everything yourself, there won’t be any third-party fees.
However, manual OpenCart-to-Shopify migration is fraught with risks. You may have to start over from scratch if you make a mistake like missing data or using an incompatible theme. Sometimes, important data can be lost by businesses.
To avoid this, you will need to verify every batch of data before and during the import OpenCart into Shopify.
OpenCart Assisted to Shopify Migration
Only a small percentage of merchants are able to manually import OpenCart into Shopify. Rest are too busy with their businesses, or don’t have the necessary data migration skills.
If this is you, you might be interested in assisted OpenCart-Shopify migration. It involves obtaining professional assistance from ecommerce specialists, just like the name implies.
The agency will handle the entire data transfer process for you. Finally, you will receive a fully-featured Shopify store from the professionals.
Do not get excited, though. There are many downsides to using assisted OpenCart to Shopify Migration.
For example, you should expect to pay professional fees. These can often run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. While large companies can afford this service, small businesses can find it very expensive.
OpenCart’s import to Shopify is another problem. Even though the agencies usually divide the work between several professionals, it is possible for a single project to take days.
Automated OpenCart to Shopify Migrating
If manual data transfers are not for you and you don’t want to spend hundreds of thousands hiring a professional agency then automating OpenCart to Shopify migration is the best option.
You can see it as the best combination of both.
It works in the same way as manual migration, but it allows you to have complete control without any technical complexities. This means that OpenCart can be easily imported to Shopify with no programming knowledge.
You can use a tool such as Cart2Cart to perform data transfers on your behalf. The system will handle all the rest by linking it to the appropriate cart directories.
Cart2Cart is not the only tool. You can also find other tools on the internet that allow you to automate your OpenCart to Shopify conversion.
However, it’s worth noting that Cart2Cart has proven to be one the most reliable and versatile tools available.
We don’t leave any stone unturned. Here’s a breakdown of all the benefits that Cart2Cart offers when it comes to OpenCart-to-Shopify migration.
Cart2Cart Can Import OpenCart to Shopify
Extensive Ecommerce Migration Experience
You’ll be able to see that Cart2Cart is not a one-trick pony if you have read our review. Cart2Cart is a full-fledged migration tool that focuses specifically on ecommerce platforms. This does not mean OpenCart or Shopify, but all types of digital shopping carts.
Cart2Cart has been facilitating data transfer between platforms for more than a decade. The tool has performed over 150,000 ecommerce site transfers to date, involving many shopping carts.
To be more precise, Cart2Cart supports over 86 shopping carts. The company has secured partnerships with every major brand you can imagine, including WooCommerce and PrestaShop, BigCommerce and Magento to the likes Etsy, Weebly and Zen Cart to Wix and Yahoo Store.
You can easily migrate your online store to many other ecommerce platforms, without having to touch a single line of code. You can also take advantage of Cart2Cart’sextensive experience with ecommerce migration while you wait.
It’s easy to use
Cart2Cart is a great example of this. OpenCart can be imported to Shopify without any technical knowledge. Instead, the tool will transfer all core store entities without any human supervision.
In fact, all you need to do is enter the details of your OpenCart or Shopify stores. Cart2Cart is an intuitive wizard that allows you to import URLs from your source and target stores. After this, you can choose the data entities you wish to migrate.
The wizard will take you through three configuration stages: target and source cart details, entity choice, plus the free demo migration, before moving on to the complete OpenCart-to-Shopify migration.
This is all it takes to make the whole process simple.
Flexibility
Although the goal is the same for all sites, the OpenCart to Shopify migration process involves many variables that can vary greatly from one online shop to the next.
For example, your ecommerce site might want to move thousands of products and their categories from OpenCart into Shopify. Another site could only be doing the same process with hundreds of items.
Cart2Cart seems to have taken this into consideration when designing its system provisions. It now lets you specify what you want to transfer and how you want it to be transferred.
Users can also choose the store entities that they wish to migrate. You can even add extras such as migration insurance for an additional fee. You can also choose from different ecommerce platforms.
The service cost of Cart2Cart is based on how much data users intend to transfer. You should expect to pay more for the higher volume of Shopify store entities that you will be migrating from OpenCart.
However, the final price will not be as high as hiring a team of developers. Cart2Cart has always been much cheaper for OpenCart to Shopify Migrations, since the entire process is automated.
Free Demo Migration
There are some things that come at a cost. As it turns out, freebies begin rolling in as soon as you sign up.
Cart2Cart is a free tool for shopping cart migration that doesn’t cost anything.
The account creation process is the same, and it’s completely free. There are no card details nor any commitment required. Sign up and you can start your OpenCart to Shopify Migration.
But the generosity does not end there. HTML2Cart further allows users to create and customize OpenCart to Shopify migrations without having to pay anything. You can even perform a demo migration for free while you’re at the same time.
What does this mean?
A free demo migration is nearly identical to the actual OpenCart-to-Shopify migration. Cart2Cart basically transfers your data from the OpenCart target store to the Shopify destination store. This is a demonstration of the possibilities.
This migration will be different from a full OpenCart to Shopify migration because of the number of imported entities. You can get a preview of the final result by only transferring and deploying a few store entities. It’s enough to provide all the assurance that you may need.
After completing a demo migration and reviewing the results, Cart2Cart raises the payment issue.
Zero Downtime
Web service downtime is a common phenomenon that can be understood when it comes to site-migrations. However, Cart2Cart approaches things differently.
It imports OpenCart to Shopify and does not interfere with your web service. It is designed to manage all data transfer tasks while your ecommerce website remains online.
In case you were wondering, each component of your website is online. This means that your entire online shop should be functional. You can run your business, and even process payments during the OpenCart to Shopify migration.
This will save you from any potential losses that businesses could incur when they import OpenCart to Shopify.
We are available to assist customers whenever they need us.
Cart2Cart has been proven to be flexible, reliable and user-friendly. You can just click a few buttons on the intuitive wizard to start your OpenCart to Shopify Migration.
It’s a very admirable system, I have to say. Although it would be unreasonable to expect problems with such an easy system, it is not impossible for problems to occur.
For example, relying on a badly-configured target cart could lead to data errors. Your hosting provider could experience technical difficulties, and its servers may be taken offline during data transfer.
These and other possible problems have led to establishing a team with customer support agents that are available 24/7 via email, phone and live chat.
I have interacted with them several times and found them to be knowledgeable and responsive. All questions and concerns you have during your OpenCart to Shopify Migration will be answered promptly.
Let’s now look at how to migrate Opencart from Shopify to Cart2Cart…
Tutorial: How to Migrate OpenCart to Shopify With Cart2Cart
Step 1: Create Your Shopify Target Store
Once you have created an OpenCart-based store source, you can create a Shopify site that will be the target store. In other words, this is where you will migrate your OpenCart store data to Shopify and then set up a new home.
The process of creating a Shopify store is easy. You simply need to sign up with Shopify and choose the right pricing package. After that, you can create a new site using Shopify’s dashboard tools.
Shopify includes a website builder and a selection of pre-built themes. The customization process is very simple and you won’t need to have any technical knowledge. Simply select the layout elements you wish to modify and then use Shopify’s WYSIWYG editor.
However, it’s worth noting that not all edits are necessary at this stage. You are advised to avoid any customizations that might cause problems with Cart’sdata mapping.
Therefore, it is best to leave your Shopify store as-is. After you import OpenCart into Shopify, you’ll have the ability to customize everything.
Step 1: Create your Cart2Cart account and install Cart2Cart
Once your Shopify store is up and running you can set up the Cart2Cartaccount you will use for your OpenCart-to-Shopify migration.
There are two possible approaches to this problem.
Cart2Cart allows you to access your Shopify dashboard directly. It’s easy to install the migration module from Shopify App Shop and you will be ready to go.
The Shopify Cart2Cart store migrator app is a lightweight tool that integrates seamlessly with the ecommerce platform. It should be accessible from the Shopify dashboard. From there, you can create your user account.
However, you could also initiate the entire process from Cart2Cart’smain website. Simply go to shopping-cart-migration.com and sign up by picking OpenCart as your source cart and Shopify as the target cart, and then hit “Start Free Demo Now”.
You’ll see that Cart2Cart gives you the option to sign up with your personal details and social accounts, regardless of which registration route you choose. Although Google and Facebook are the only options, I think they should be enough.
Step 2: Launch the Migration Wizard, enter your Source Cart details, and configure The Source Cart’s Connection bridge
Once you have access to the Cart2Cart system via your account, you are ready to start the OpenCart to Shopify Migration. You can simply go to the “Create migration”tab and launch Cart2Cart’smigration wizard.
This setup window’s first stage is about the source cart. Cart2Cart basically requires that you direct the source cart to your OpenCart store and establish a valid connection to the relevant data directory.
The first field is “Source Cart”. Here you can specify which shopping cart platform you will be transferring your store data to.
OpenCart should still be your default choice. You can choose OpenCart from the dropdown menu.
Next is the Source Store URL field. Here you will need to enter the domain link to OpenCart’s site.
Once that is done, we will move on to the next section. This involves setting up a connection link within your OpenCart store directory. This will be the data exchange point for OpenCart imports to Shopify.
The connection bridge can be created by downloading the zip file from the download button, unzipping it to your computer, then uploading them through OpenCart’s primary file manager to your OpenCart root directory.
After you are done, click on the button to confirm that the connection bridge is functioning properly.
Step 3: Fill in your Shopify Cart details and install the Cart2Cart Extension
Similar to the source cart stage, you will be asked to enter your target cart details and set up a valid connection.
Start by selecting Shopify as your target cart. You will then notice that the next steps are different from OpenCart.
For example, you won’t be required to download or create a connection bridge for the target cart. Instead, Shopify’s Car2Cart migration extension will be installed directly to your Shopify admin panel.
Cart2Cart establishes an automatic connection to your Shopify target cart.
Step 4: Choose All The Store Entities That You Would Like To Transfer
The data transfer between OpenCart to Shopify doesn’t follow a random pattern. Cart2Cart groups everything into their original entities, then maps the data elements onto the target shop.
This is where the goal lies: to preserve all core data elements and maintain the original data structure.
Cart2Cart is now one of the most flexible OpenCart-to-Shopify migration tools. This allows you to choose the data entities that you wish to transfer before the entire migration process.
Cart2Cart can transfer each product’s name, full description, images in description, status, manufacturer, price, special price, URL, Meta title, meta description, weight, product tags, UPC and Variants (Attributes Price, Special Prices), base image, additional images, quantity, and manage stock.
When it comes to your store order, Cart2Cart’s OpenCart migration to Shopify facilitates: Order ID, Order Date, Order Status, Product Price (Name, SKU), Quantity, Discount Price (Tax Price), Tax Price (Tax Price), Shipping Price (First name, last name, Company), Address 1, Country, State and Zip Code (Telephone), Shipping Address (Firstname, Last Name), Company, Address 1, Country, Zip Code (Telephone),
On the other hand, the customer details are collected and transmitted in the following form: First name, last name, email, Customer Group newsletter, Billing Address (First name, last name, Company, Address 1 Address 2 Country, State City, Zip Code Telephone), Shipping Address (Firstname, lastname, Company Address 1 Address 2 Country, State City, Zip Code Telephone
Cart2Cart also allows for the migration of your manufacturer’s name and product category entities such as Name, Description Status Image URL, Meta Description and Meta Description.
Finally, the reviews are transmitted along with their respective Created date, Rate, User name, Comment, Product, and Coupon Code. Coupon codes follow the Name and Coupon Code.
Step 5: Add Additional Options to Customize Your Data Transfer
The entity selection is about which data elements you want to import from OpenCart into Shopify. However, the Additional Option allows you to specify how you would like to proceed with the migration. This is how you can customize your OpenCart-to-Shopify migration.
How deep can Cart2Cart actually go?
If you have a limited budget, the system “Clear Target Store data before migration” could be a good option. This is because it’s the only option for customization.
then offers the rest of the premium add-ons at different pricing rates, starting at $29 and ending at $59 .
To “Change product quantity to 100 on Target Store”, for instance, you will need to pay an additional $29, while “Migrating products descriptions, category descriptions and blog post descriptions” costs $49, with ” Preserve Target Store order IDs.”
The most expensive options are “Migrate products and categories SEO URLs”, and “Create 301 redirects to your target store after migrating”. Each one will run you $59.
All in all, you have the option to choose how Opencart will migrate to Shopify.
Step 6: Perform a free demo migration, review the outcome, and then proceed with the full migration
You’re likely excited about migrating your online shop from OpenCart into Shopify.
Now you’ve set up both the target and source carts and selected the entities that you want to migrate. You may have even added a few customizations using the system options. As you move towards actual migration, everything seems to be in place.
If you are in a rush, you can perform the entire OpenCart to Shopify conversion right away. You can skip the demo migration and pay for the data transfer service. The system will then kick-start the full migration. It’s that simple.
This is not the best way to go. Cart2Cart allows you to skip the free demo migration but it’s not always a good idea to start the entire process right away. Online merchants should take advantage of the free demo migration to avoid committing further.
Why?
The demo migration is a great way for you to see the outcome before you commit to full migration. Only after you have confirmed that everything is in order, can you move on to the full migration.
You might also want to buy Cart2Cart‘s Migration Insurance at the last billing stage. In the event that things don’t go according to plan, it will grant you discounted remigration cases.
Last words
If you have a standard-sized online shop, it should take only a few hours to complete the OpenCart migration.
After the process is complete, Cart2Cart will send you an email. You should then thoroughly review your Shopify ecommerce website. To test the functionality of Shopify, you can place orders and process payments.
