CloudCart to Shopify: what to prepare

Before choosing a theme for the new store, collect the information that determines whether the business can operate on Shopify. You need an inventory of the data, daily workflows and important old URLs. This helps the assessment include the work that order processing actually depends on.

Start with how an order works

Describe one order from choosing a product to dispatching the parcel. How does the customer choose a variant? Where does stock come from? Is a collection point required? Who creates the shipping label? What happens when the customer returns an item?

For each step, record the application, the person responsible and the requirement you cannot trade without. “We have a delivery integration” is too vague to test. “The customer selects a collection point and that selection is saved with the order” gives the project a clear acceptance check.

Do not send passwords or customer records with the first enquiry. The store address, approximate volumes and a description of the required functions are enough for an initial assessment.

Inventory the data

• Products and variants: count them separately. Identify product codes, options, images, prices and stock information.
• Categories: describe how customers find products and which categories must remain distinct.
• Customers: list the fields you need without putting personal records in widely shared documents.
• Content: list pages, articles, files and language versions.
• Applications: include delivery, payments, invoicing, stock management, reviews and other connections you use.

A sample export should show how variants, images and relationships between records are represented, rather than just the column names. An order export is not a ready-made Shopify import. CloudCart documents a separate CSV export for orders in its help centre.

Separate launch requirements from later work

Use three groups: required for launch, suitable for later, and no longer needed. Give every requirement an owner who can accept the result. If a replacement app has not been chosen, keep that decision open. A similar product name does not establish that it supports the same workflow.

In BMWParts.bg, the collection-point selection and BMW model navigation needed separate work. Moving the catalogue was only part of the job. The BMWParts.bg case study shows what I built for that particular store.

Collect URLs before switching

Combine a crawl of the old site, its sitemap, important Search Console landing pages and known external links where available. Navigation alone rarely lists the whole store. Give each important URL a decision: keep it, redirect it to suitable content, or document that it has no replacement.

What the assessment should give you

Look for a defined scope, limitations, unresolved questions and an indicative price range with conditions. “Everything transfers” needs an accompanying list. My free migration assessment uses a questionnaire before project work begins and does not require access to your store admin.

Should I close the old store first?

Plan the switch once the new store has been checked and the timing agreed. Decide how orders and stock changes between the trial import and final import will be handled. Keep responsibility for those changes explicit.

Will my rankings stay the same?

There is no reliable promise for every search query. URL mapping and checks help avoid preventable errors; they do not guarantee rankings.

Sources

Shopify migration guide. CloudCart order exports. Checked on 18 October 2026.

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