Spend less time maintaining your platform. Build the store your business needs next.
We review your catalog, product choices, pricing rules and extensions, then handle the agreed data, storefront and launch together.
or call 888-711-2347
Includes 60 days of free post-launch migration support. We stay with you after the move.
Official Shopify Partner
Since 2015 · Shopify store migration, design and development. View profile ↗
Illustrative workflow, not a live project
Attention: 7 items need attention.
Are you stuck on an older OpenCart because upgrading looks like a rebuild?
Commentators describe OpenCart 4 as a substantial rewrite rather than a simple update, and note that themes and extensions built for 3.x generally need rework to run on 4.x. Guides on upgrading stress doing it on a staging copy first.
If you are on 3.x, you may face a rebuild whichever way you go. Compare the cost of porting extensions and theme to 4.x against building the same on Shopify.
Do key features rely on third-party extensions that may not be maintained?
Analysts say many older paid extensions were never ported to 4.x and that the 4.x catalog is smaller. Extension developers have also described the shift from OCMOD to events as complicating their work, though OCMOD support was reported as returning in 4.1.
List every extension, who maintains it, and when it was last updated. For each one, check whether Shopify has a built-in feature or an app that covers the same job.
Is keeping the site patched and secure falling on you?
As self-hosted software, patching, backups and admin hardening are the owner's job. One 2026 assessment says the core is reasonably maintained and names abandoned third-party extensions, especially on checkout pages, as the main risk.
Decide whether you or a developer can keep doing this reliably. A hosted platform handles server-level upkeep, but you still manage your apps and staff access.
Have updates introduced bugs you had to chase?
Reports on OpenCart 4 differ. One blog describes frequent bugs and checkout, payment and order-editing problems, while a 2026 article says early 4.0.x releases had regressions that later point releases fixed. Experiences vary with version and extensions.
If you had to stay on an old release to keep things working, note which problems you actually hit. Test any upgrade path on a staging copy before deciding.
Does the store rely on one developer or one technical person?
Commentators say OpenCart suits stores with a technical owner or retained developer and is a weaker fit for teams without that support. Core development is described as steady but slower than large hosted platforms.
Consider what happens if that person leaves. Shopify lets non-technical staff handle more day-to-day work, although custom needs can still call for a developer.
Do you have a clear place to go when something breaks?
The official site points to the free community forum, with paid help available from approved partners. That works for many people, but there is no single vendor support plan covering your hosting, theme and extensions together.
Think about who owns each part of your stack, from host to extension author. Check what support each platform plan you consider actually includes.
Has the store outgrown what its extensions and admin can easily do?
A 2026 assessment says OpenCart fits small, fairly fixed catalogs and is a weaker fit for fast-growing or content-heavy stores and for those wanting a modern app ecosystem. This is one author's view.
Match this to your own plans for catalog size, channels and marketing. If your needs are stable and met, staying put can be reasonable.
Electronics & gaming retail
We moved City of Games from a broken OpenCart store to Shopify in four weeks, kept its look, rebuilt the features it had lost and protected its search rankings with 301 redirects.
Read the case study
Pet supplies
Advance Pet Mart started on WooCommerce, but plugin and hosting problems kept getting in the way. We moved the store to Shopify, and they are very happy with the move. We also worked with them on design, SEO, AI SEO and marketing.
Visit the live store
We moved Contours Rx from BigCommerce to Shopify and redesigned the website with a sleek, user-friendly interface and enhanced product pages.
Visit the live storeMove and rebuild. For stores that need their data moved and a storefront rebuilt on Shopify.
Quote after a free store review
Move a complex business. For large or heavily customized stores and connected systems.
Custom quote after discovery
Included in every migration: redirects for your old URLs, titles and descriptions carried over, and 60 days of free support after launch. Quotes don’t include your Shopify plan, apps or other third-party costs.
Names, descriptions, models and SKUs
The combinations and options you sell
Prices, specials and available stock
Specifications, brands and filters
Navigation and related products
Product images and agreed downloads
Accessible records, duplicates checked
An agreed date range and detail
Available preferences, kept separate
Information pages and agreed reviews
Assessed record by record
Metadata and a tested redirect map
Where each item goes in Shopify, and what we check before launch.
| OpenCart | Where it goes in Shopify | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Products & identifiers | Products, variants and agreed custom fields. | Model and SKU mapping, prices, quantities, availability, descriptions and tax settings. |
| Options & customer input | Agreed variants, fields, apps or development. | Valid combinations, required choices, price adjustments and fulfillment instructions. |
| Attributes & manufacturers | Suitable product fields, specifications and filters. | Meaning, structure and display, not just copied labels. |
| Categories & related products | Collections, navigation and agreed recommendations. | Nested browsing and product assignments. The structures aren’t identical. |
| Images & downloadable files | Agreed product media and digital delivery setup. | Access to the original files, quality, matching and anything still served from the old host. |
| OpenCart | Where it goes in Shopify | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Customers & addresses | Customer records and agreed segments. | Duplicates, customer-group context and which addresses are accessible. |
| Historical orders | An agreed history import or a retained archive. | Dates, line items, totals, statuses and source references. Old order numbers are kept as a reference where supported. |
| Newsletter & marketing preferences | Agreed subscriber and consent mapping. | A purchase or an account doesn’t automatically mean marketing permission. |
| OpenCart | Where it goes in Shopify | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Information pages | Rebuilt Shopify pages. | Content, formatting, images and internal links. |
| Product reviews | A compatible reviews app or an agreed alternative. | Access, product matching and which fields the destination accepts. |
| Extension records | Assessment and a compatible destination. | Access, relationships and completeness. Custom records need their own review. |
| OpenCart | Where it goes in Shopify | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Useful SEO information & URLs | Metadata and a tested destination map. | Important public URLs, query-based routes, translations and old redirect chains. |
| Store credit, rewards & vouchers | A separately agreed replacement or reconciliation. | Outstanding value, expiry and how customers are told. |
Moving order history doesn’t transfer the original payment transactions, and keeping an old order number as a reference isn’t the same as identical Shopify numbering. Customer records aren’t automatically marketing subscribers. Existing passwords and saved payment details aren’t assumed to transfer.
Variants, options, attributes, images and files.
Customers, orders and the date range you need.
Customer groups, discounts, specials and wholesale.
A new theme, a customized theme or a recreated look.
Features to replace and systems to connect.
Acceptance tests, final updates and the URLs to map.
Your proposal separates our one-time project fee from Shopify, theme, app, payment and retained-service costs. We confirm price and schedule after the review.
FreeStore review and quote before you hire us
60 daysFree post-launch migration support included
Send us your store address and the features your business relies on. We look at your catalog, options, pricing rules, extensions and records, then explain what moves, what is rebuilt and what the project will cost.
You don’t need to know your exact version. No exports, backups or logins are needed to start; we arrange secure access later.
The installed release, the exports available, database access and where your images and files live. A backup or a spreadsheet is a source to review, not a ready-made Shopify import.
Your theme, installed extensions, custom fields and code changes. We record what each one does and whether your business still needs it.
Payment, shipping, stock, accounting or supplier connections, plus how customers browse, choose and buy today.
| In your OpenCart store | What we review | How we decide the Shopify setup |
|---|---|---|
| Stocked variations | Valid combinations, SKUs and other identifiers, availability, and which record owns and reduces stock. | Products with variants for the combinations you actually sell. We don’t generate combinations your store never offered. |
| Extras & personalization | Paid add-ons, required selections, text entry, file uploads and other customer instructions. | Suitable fields, an app or development. These don’t all belong in Shopify variants. |
| Price & fulfillment rules | Option price adjustments, weight changes, required choices and the instructions passed to staff. | A setup that produces the right total, shipping weight and order details, confirmed with test orders. |
| Specifications & browsing | Attributes, manufacturer information, categories and the filters shoppers use. | Product fields, collections and filters. Attributes describe a product; purchase options change what is bought. |
This is an example of how we test, not a promise that every OpenCart option type is native to Shopify. Some need an app or development, and your proposal says which.
| Leather notebook · A5 / Tan NB-A5-TAN · stocked variant | $38.00 |
|---|---|
| Engraving: “M.K.” paid option | + $6.00 |
| Logo file uploaded customer input | — |
| Order total | $44.00 |
| Variant NB-A5-TAN | $38.00 |
|---|---|
| Engraving add-on | + $6.00 |
| File on the order | — |
| Order total | $44.00 |
Variant stock reduced, and the engraving text and uploaded file shown on the order your team fulfills
Current OpenCart 4 documentation describes master products with variants that keep their own SKU, price and stock. Older releases and extension-based catalogs can be arranged differently. We inspect the real relationships in your store before mapping them, rather than treating every release as the same.
What we review
What we review
Each part becomes one of
For each feature you keep, the decision list records what it does, the data involved, the Shopify solution, any recurring cost, known limits and the acceptance test. Features you no longer need aren’t carried over just because they were installed.
We plan the chosen Shopify account experience. Email-code accounts can avoid a blanket password reset, and old passwords aren’t assumed to transfer. Customers get a clear message at launch.
Balances, expiry and source records reviewed, then a replacement or settlement process agreed. Order history doesn’t recreate these.
Active billing, downloadable files and existing buyer access assessed, with a supported transition agreed.
Saved card details aren’t promised to transfer. Importing products doesn’t move access.We agree where outstanding fulfillment, refunds and customer service are handled during the switch.
Moving a record doesn’t move its payment.Before importing history, we review order emails and connected tools so old orders don’t send new messages or trigger fulfillment. Imported contacts aren’t subscribed to marketing automatically.
An import doesn’t reconnect these services. We check the agreed feeds and tracking after launch; ad history and audiences aren’t assumed to stay unchanged.
Shopify’s own guidance notes that redirects with query strings may not work as expected, so query-based OpenCart links get a specific, tested plan. Shopify has its own URL structure, and rankings can change after any migration, so nobody can honestly promise identical URLs, unchanged rankings or automatic SEO gains.
Example paths only. We work from your store’s actual URLs, which vary by version, language and SEO settings.
Brand layouts, product templates, navigation and editable content, or agreed elements of your current design.
Explore theme & design →Scoped workflows and integrations where a suitable existing app doesn’t meet the need.
Explore app development →The agreed migration checks for URLs, content and metadata, with ongoing optimization as a separate service.
Explore Shopify SEO →SEO, Google Ads, Meta Ads, email and other suitable channels to support growth after launch.
Explore ecommerce marketing →Migration is quoted on its own. Redesign, app development and ongoing marketing are added only if you want them, each with its own scope and price.
A domain you own can usually connect to Shopify without transferring its registration. We review DNS before switching.
Shopify doesn’t host email inboxes. If your mailboxes run on the same hosting account as OpenCart, we plan them before the hosting changes.
We keep the agreed exports, database backup and files until dependencies and outstanding obligations are resolved.
Don’t cancel hosting the day the new store goes live. We agree what to keep and for how long, and access is always arranged securely—never through the public enquiry form.
Migration tools can move common OpenCart records, and some providers offer assisted services. Merchants use them successfully. Where a tool suits your store, we can use it as part of the project. Our value is the scoped work around it: source review, mapping, business rules, storefront, features, testing and launch.
| Your question | Self-service migration tool | Migration managed by WEP |
|---|---|---|
| Who defines the scope? | You choose the records and options the tool supports. | We review your OpenCart setup and document what moves, what is rebuilt and who does what. |
| What about options, extras and uploads? | Mapped to the structure the tool supports, then checked by your team. | We agree the setup for each kind of choice and test totals, stock and order details. |
| What about pricing rules and wholesale? | Price values may move; the rules behind them need your own review. | We review groups, discounts and specials and recreate the agreed outcome. |
| Who plans the theme and extensions? | Usually a separate job for you or another provider. | Each feature gets a decision, a cost and an acceptance test, alongside the storefront build. |
| Who runs the launch? | Your team coordinates final updates, the domain, redirects and checks. | We run the final update, domain switch, redirects, late-order checks and 60 days of free support. |
The online store migration was seamless without having 0 downtime. The staff is properly trained, well communicated and proactive Highly recommended
Web commerce pros created a really lovely design for our website. They also changed the layout for our images and updated/resized images so that the site is overall much more attractive. We have been receiving a lot of positive feedback from customers on the ease of use and the overall look of our site. In addition, we are very grateful to Roy for coming up with a creative solution for allowing customers to easily create their own quotes, which has been very helpful to both our operations and our customers.
Arfat and team were proficient with BigCommerce Page Builder and Shogun to create and modify pages. We successfully completed the migration with their assistance and were happy with their work. We would hire again soon for our next project.
We review the catalog, pricing rules, content, extensions, data access, URLs and costs, then agree the Shopify destination.
We prepare the data and the storefront separately, then review representative records and customer journeys with you.
We agree a catalog freeze or change log, the cut-off and the source of truth for stock, then update selected orders, customers, prices and stock.
We coordinate the domain and connections, check late OpenCart activity—even one order—and handle migration issues within scope.
So the switch is planned, not improvised.
This is a coordinated migration with a defined cut-off, not ongoing two-way synchronization between OpenCart and Shopify. We reduce the risks, but no honest agency promises zero downtime or zero errors.
It depends on your extensions, your version and who maintains the store. If you are on 3.x, upgrading to 4.x can involve reworking extensions and the theme. We compare both paths for your store in the free store review and give an honest view.
It depends on catalog size, how many extensions you use and how much design work is needed. We give a timeline after the free store review instead of a generic figure.
Yes. We build the new store separately while your OpenCart store keeps taking orders, then agree a switch date and sync recent orders and customers close to launch.
Extensions do not transfer. Each one is replaced by a Shopify built-in feature, an app, a small custom build, or is dropped. We map them one by one during the review.
You can export products and customers as CSV files, or use a migration tool that reads the database. Shopify then needs its own template columns, so data usually has to be reformatted. We handle the mapping and confirm what comes over in the free store review.
Images are usually pulled in from a publicly reachable web address, so they need to be accessible on your current server during the move. We check this early so no images are missed.
Categories commonly become collections, and subcategories may become tags or nested menu entries. Product options generally become variants, but Shopify currently allows up to three options and up to 2,048 variants per product, so large option sets may need restructuring. We check the current limits for your plan.
Past orders can usually be brought across as historical records using migration tools or apps, but they are not live orders. Shopify's own customer CSV import does not bring in order history. We confirm the approach in the review.
OpenCart can run several storefronts from one install. Shopify treats separate stores differently, often as markets or as separate stores. We would look at how your stores differ and recommend a structure in the review.
Usually yes. Shopify's documentation says passwords cannot be imported by CSV because they are encrypted elsewhere, and customers are invited to set new ones. Some third-party tools claim to carry passwords over, but we confirm what is actually possible for your setup before relying on it.
OpenCart customer groups do not match Shopify directly. They are often turned into customer tags, with group pricing handled through discounts, catalogs or an app depending on the plan. Tell us if you use group pricing and we will plan it.
OpenCart and Shopify build URLs differently, so we map old product, category and page addresses to the new ones and set up permanent redirects. Shopify supports CSV redirect imports within documented limits. Redirects help protect search visibility, but we cannot promise rankings will stay the same.
No, themes are not portable between platforms. We rebuild the design in a Shopify theme, matching or refreshing your current look and carrying over your content and branding.
We keep your current store selling until the switch and plan the domain change to be short. Brief disruption around DNS can happen, so we schedule it for a quiet time and test beforehand.
Yes. You keep your domain and we point it to Shopify at launch. Email usually runs separately, but we check your DNS records so it is not disturbed.
It depends on catalog size, extensions to replace and design work. We give a written quote after the free store review. Budget separately for your Shopify plan and any apps, which are billed by Shopify and the app providers.
Yes. Every project includes a free post-launch support period for fixes and questions, and ongoing support can be arranged afterwards.
Our own team handles data migration, theme build, apps and testing, and you approve each stage with one point of contact.
60 days of free post-launch migration support within the agreed scope. Further development, maintenance and marketing can be arranged separately.
Tell us what needs to stay and what you want to improve. We’ll review the setup and prepare a migration scope and quote.
Or call 888-711-2347
60 days of free post-launch migration support within the agreed scope.
