Migrate to Shopify Plus without losing momentum.
Phased rollouts from WordPress, ColdFusion, or custom stacks. Senior-led end to end, with zero customer-facing downtime on every migration I have shipped.
What this work actually involves.
Most migrations fail not because the destination platform is wrong, but because the project is treated as a lift-and-shift. Data models diverge. Integrations that worked fine on the old stack have no direct Shopify equivalent. Redirect coverage is thin. The launch plan is a single cutover date with no fallback.
I run migrations as phased engineering projects. Discovery comes first: I audit the source platform, catalog every integration, map the data model, and produce a redirect strategy before a single line of new code is written. Each subsequent phase goes live only after it is validated against production traffic. Customers see nothing until the cutover is clean.
I have led this process coordinating internal engineering teams, external partner agencies, and QA. I write code and documentation that other engineers can work alongside. The goal is a migration that ends, not one that becomes a permanent condition.
Redirect and SEO coverage.
Redirect mapping is part of Phase 2. Soft launch testing verifies redirect coverage before full cutover, so organic traffic does not disappear on go-live day.
Apps and integrations.
Some apps have no direct Shopify equivalent and require rebuild or replacement. I catalog every integration in Phase 1 and address each one explicitly. Nothing is assumed to carry over.
Customer accounts and order history.
Customer accounts are one of the trickier parts of any migration, and they do not always require a forced password reset. I take the time during discovery to map the approach with the least customer disruption. Order history strategy depends on volume: full migration, summary migration, or read-only archive.
ISSA (the International Sports Sciences Association) had been running on a ColdFusion + ElasticPath stack for over a decade. When the VP leading the project stepped away, I took over as technical program manager: building the Shopify Plus migration myself and driving deliverables across internal engineering, an external partner agency, and a QA team through a phased rollout. Each phase was validated on production traffic before the next began. Zero customer-facing downtime through the cutover. Eight-plus integrations rebuilt off the legacy stack.
Typical timeline is 8 to 16 weeks end to end, depending on data complexity and integration count. Migrations are scoped per project and quoted firm before any contract, fixed-scope or time-and-materials depending on what discovery turns up. They are often followed by a fractional retainer for ongoing engineering.
Need to launch on Plus but starting from no existing platform? See the Launch Sprint for a faster, fixed-scope path.
Can this happen without downtime?
Yes. Every migration I have shipped has been zero-downtime to customers. Internal admin systems may have brief windows during cutover.
Do you work with the existing vendor or partner agency?
Yes. Most migrations involve coordinating with someone, whether an internal team, an incumbent agency, or a specialised vendor. I write code and docs that other engineers work alongside.
Will my current apps move over?
Mostly. Some apps have no Shopify equivalent and require rebuild or replacement. I catalog and address each one during Phase 1.
Do you handle the SEO and redirect plan?
Yes. Redirect mapping is part of Phase 2. Soft launch tests redirect coverage before full cutover.
Planning a migration?
Send a note with a bit about your store. I read every message myself and reply within a day.