A BigCommerce to Shopify migration moves your products, customers, orders, and content, but the real work is mapping B2B price lists and customer groups to Shopify companies and catalogs, rebuilding apps and integrations, and protecting your search rankings with a complete 301 redirect plan. This guide is for Canadian manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and direct-to-consumer brands weighing the move. It covers what maps across, what breaks, how Canadian taxes and shipping fit, which Shopify plan you need, and what the project costs.
01. The Quick Answer: What a Move Involves
- Timeline: 4 to 12 weeks, driven by B2B logic, integrations, and QA.
- Biggest risk: Lost SEO equity from missing 301 redirects, not the data transfer.
- B2B mapping: Customer groups and price lists become companies and catalogs.
- Plan choice: Native B2B features sit on Shopify Plus; simple stores can start lower.
- Cost in Canada: Roughly $5,000 to $40,000 or more, set by scope after an audit.
Why it matters: A BigCommerce store with a standard catalogue is a straightforward move. One with wholesale pricing and integrations is a redesign project, and should be scoped like one.
02. What Maps from BigCommerce to Shopify
| Area | On BigCommerce | On Shopify | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product and catalogue data | Products, option sets, custom fields, categories | Products, variants, metafields, collections | Medium: custom fields need manual mapping |
| Wholesale pricing | Customer groups and price lists | Companies, locations, and catalogs | High: pricing logic must be redesigned and tested |
| URLs and SEO | Root-level product and category paths | /products/ and /collections/ paths | High: every changed URL needs a 301 |
| Customers and accounts | Customer records and groups | Customers, companies, and account structure | Medium: passwords do not transfer |
| Orders and history | Full order history | Imported historical orders | Low to medium: imported for reference |
| Apps and integrations | BigCommerce apps and connectors | Shopify apps, Flow, and APIs | Medium to high: each one needs a replacement |
| Checkout and payments | Optimized one-page checkout, gateways | Shopify Checkout and Shopify Payments | Medium: rebuild payment terms and shipping rules |
Why it matters: The rows marked high effort are where budgets and timelines move, so they should be scoped before a price is agreed.
03. Why Businesses Leave BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a capable platform, and many stores run well on it. The businesses we see move to Shopify usually cite the same reasons: a larger app and partner ecosystem, easier hiring of developers and agencies, checkout conversion, Shopify Flow for automation, and one system for online, retail, and wholesale selling with Shopify POS. Some move because their ERP, CRM, or marketing stack has better Shopify connectors.
None of these reasons is a guarantee. If your BigCommerce store converts well and your team is not hitting limits, a migration is a cost without a clear return.
Why it matters: A clear business reason keeps the project scoped to outcomes, not to a like-for-like copy of the old store.
04. BigCommerce B2B Edition: Customer Groups and Price Lists
This is the part generic migration guides skip. On BigCommerce, wholesale pricing typically lives in customer groups and price lists. On Shopify, the equivalent structure is companies, locations, and catalogs. Each wholesale customer becomes a company with one or more locations, and each price list becomes a catalog with its own prices and product availability. Payment terms, order approvals, and quote requests are rebuilt using Shopify's B2B features and, where needed, apps.
Do not export and import this logic. Redesign it: confirm which pricing tiers still make sense, which customers belong to which catalogs, and how minimum order quantities and case packs should work. Our guides to Shopify B2B catalogs and tiered pricing and the complete Shopify B2B feature set cover the target structure in detail.
Why it matters: Wrong price mapping costs real margin on the first wholesale order, so test it with real customer accounts before launch.
05. SEO: URLs, Redirects, and Rankings
BigCommerce and Shopify structure URLs differently. Shopify uses fixed prefixes such as /products/ and /collections/, so most product and category URLs change. Every changed URL needs a 301 redirect, uploaded before the domain points at the new store. Export every indexed URL from Search Console and your crawl, map each to its Shopify destination, preserve titles, meta descriptions, and structured data, submit a new sitemap on launch day, and monitor 404s for the first weeks.
Why it matters: Rankings do not disappear because of the platform. They disappear when redirects are incomplete. Our SEO-safe migration guide lists what to ask a partner about this.
06. Apps, Integrations, and Custom Functionality
BigCommerce apps and connectors do not transfer. Build a list of every app, script, webhook, and integration, then confirm the Shopify replacement for each: ERP and accounting sync, 3PL, shipping, reviews, subscriptions, search, and your CRM. Custom theme logic, such as bulk order forms and configurators, is rebuilt with Shopify themes, Functions, or apps. If your CRM is HubSpot, plan the HubSpot and Shopify integration as part of the project, not after it.
Why it matters: Unlisted integrations are the most common reason a migration runs over budget.
07. Canadian Tax, Shipping, and Payments
Rebuild tax rules for GST, HST, PST, and QST by province, and confirm wholesale tax exemptions and resale certificates. Recreate shipping zones, carrier rates, and any LTL freight logic. Confirm gateways, payment terms, and surcharging rules. Our guide to Shopify tax in Canada lists the settings to verify.
Why it matters: Tax and shipping errors show up on customer invoices, which is the worst place to find them.
08. Which Shopify Plan You Need
Choose by feature, not by the plan you had before. If you need company accounts, contract pricing, payment terms, and quote workflows natively, plan on Shopify Plus. If you sell mainly to consumers, or wholesale with simple discounts, a lower plan may be enough. See Shopify Plus pricing in Canada and Shopify B2B without Plus before you decide.
Why it matters: The wrong plan means paying for features you do not use, or rebuilding with apps what Plus does natively.
09. Timeline and Cost in Canada
As a guide, a simple store with a small catalogue runs about $5,000 to $12,000 over 4 to 6 weeks. A mid-size store with some customization and integrations runs about $12,000 to $25,000 over 6 to 10 weeks. A complex store with B2B pricing, ERP or 3PL connections, and custom features runs $25,000 to $40,000 or more over 8 to 12 weeks. Treat these as ranges, not quotes: scope comes from a discovery audit.
Why it matters: A fixed quote before an audit is a guess, and you carry the risk of the unknowns.
10. A Migration Plan That Works
- Audit the catalogue, customers, URLs, apps, and custom logic.
- Design the Shopify structure: collections, metafields, companies, and catalogs.
- Build the store, theme, tax, shipping, and payment settings.
- Migrate data in a test run, then validate it against the source.
- Rebuild integrations and test with real orders and real wholesale accounts.
- Upload redirects, switch the domain, resubmit the sitemap, and monitor 404s.
Why it matters: Running the data migration twice, a test and a final, removes most launch-day surprises. For the same process from another platform, see our WooCommerce and Magento migration guides.
11. When You Should Not Migrate
Stay put if the store converts well, your integrations work, your team can make changes without developers, and the only reason to move is a competitor's platform choice. Also avoid migrating during peak season, such as the weeks before Black Friday. Fix the specific problem first, and revisit the move when the cost of staying is clear. If you are unsure whether you need a move or only an integration, read migration vs integration.
Why it matters: The cheapest migration is the one you do not need.
12. How AtlanticWorks Helps
AtlanticWorks is a Fredericton, New Brunswick commerce agency and certified Shopify, HubSpot, Google, and Salesforce partner. We audit your BigCommerce store, map your wholesale pricing to Shopify B2B, build the redirect plan, rebuild integrations, and launch with monitoring, for manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and DTC brands across Atlantic Canada, the rest of Canada, and the US.
Why it matters: One accountable team across the build, the data, and the SEO transition removes the hand-off gaps where migrations fail.
13. Key Takeaways
- Audit before you quote: scope lives in custom fields, price lists, and integrations.
- Map BigCommerce customer groups and price lists to Shopify companies and catalogs early.
- Protect SEO with a full 301 redirect map uploaded before the domain switch.
- Choose the Shopify plan by features such as native B2B and checkout control, not by habit.
- Plan for customers to reset passwords and tell them before launch.
- Test every integration, tax rule, and shipping method with real orders before go-live.
14. Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a BigCommerce to Shopify migration take?
Most BigCommerce to Shopify migrations take 4 to 12 weeks. A store with a small catalogue and a standard theme can move in 4 to 6 weeks. Stores with B2B price lists, customer groups, ERP connections, or custom checkout logic usually need 8 to 12 weeks. Most of the time goes to data validation, rebuilding custom functionality, and QA, not the transfer itself.
Will I lose my SEO rankings when I move from BigCommerce to Shopify?
Not if redirects are planned properly. BigCommerce and Shopify use different URL patterns, so every changed URL needs a 301 redirect to its Shopify equivalent. Preserve titles, meta descriptions, and structured data, submit a new sitemap on launch day, and monitor Search Console for 404s. Expect a few weeks of fluctuation, then recovery.
How do BigCommerce customer groups and price lists map to Shopify?
BigCommerce customer groups and price lists map to Shopify companies, locations, and catalogs. Each wholesale customer becomes a company with one or more locations, and each price list becomes a catalog with its own prices and product availability. Native B2B on Shopify is part of Shopify Plus, so confirm your plan before you design the structure.
Do I need Shopify Plus to replace BigCommerce B2B Edition?
If you rely on company accounts, tiered contract pricing, payment terms, and quote workflows, plan on Shopify Plus, which includes native B2B. If you only sell simple wholesale discounts or sell mostly to consumers, a lower Shopify plan may be enough. Your required features decide the plan, not the platform you are leaving.
What data transfers from BigCommerce to Shopify?
Products, variants, images, categories, customers, historical orders, pages, and blog content can all be migrated. Customer passwords cannot be moved, so customers set a new password on first login. Product custom fields, option sets, and BigCommerce-specific features need manual mapping to Shopify metafields, variants, or apps.
How much does a BigCommerce to Shopify migration cost in Canada?
Canadian projects typically range from about $5,000 for a simple store to $40,000 or more for large catalogues with B2B pricing, integrations, and custom features. Cost depends on catalogue size and data quality, the number of integrations, how much custom functionality must be rebuilt, and design scope. A scoped quote follows a discovery audit, not a guess.
Is Shopify better than BigCommerce for Canadian businesses?
It depends on what you need. Both platforms handle Canadian taxes and shipping. Businesses usually move to Shopify for the larger app and partner ecosystem, checkout conversion, Shopify Flow automation, POS for retail, and easier hiring of developers. Stay on BigCommerce if its built-in features fit your catalogue and your team is not hitting limits.
Thinking about moving from BigCommerce to Shopify?
AtlanticWorks runs a free assessment of your store, wholesale setup, and integrations and gives you a scoped answer on what a migration would involve.
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