Migration ROI Estimator — WooCommerce & Magento → Shopify

Actually it’s conservative. Shopify publishes an average +36% checkout conversion vs custom builds; we’ve seen our SA WooCommerce migrations land between 20% and 80% conversion lift, with the median around 30–35%. The 25% default is well below median because every store is different, and we’d rather under-promise. If your current WooCommerce site is already running on dedicated hosting with a properly tuned checkout, expect closer to 15–20%. If it’s on shared SA hosting and uses default WooCommerce checkout, expect 40%+.

Then dial the speed uplift slider down to 5–10%. The tool is built to adjust to your reality. The two reasons most SA WooCommerce stores see real speed gains: (1) Shopify’s global edge CDN delivers content from servers physically closer to SA users than most SA-only hosting; (2) Shopify’s frontend rendering is more optimised out the box than custom WooCommerce themes loaded with plugins. If your hosting is already Cloudflare-fronted and your theme is lean, your speed uplift is genuinely smaller.

No, and anyone giving you guaranteed conversion uplift on a migration is lying. These are planning estimates based on industry data and our own migration history. We’ll happily review your specific situation free — send your inputs via the WhatsApp button and we’ll tell you honestly whether the uplift assumptions look high, low, or roughly right for your store.

Because most stores guess the wrong plan. Quick rule: Basic ($29) until ~R 80k/mo revenue; Shopify ($79) for R 80k–R 300k; Advanced ($299) for R 300k+; Plus for R 2.5M+ or B2B/custom checkout needs. The calculator picks the most cost-effective plan for your projected post-migration volume, but you can override it. The transaction-fee savings on bigger plans only outweigh the higher subscription at meaningful volume.

Real ECD package prices, ex-VAT. Pro (R 45k): full design migration, up to 500 products migrated, customer + order history transfer, 301 redirect map, payment gateway setup, basic training, 30 days post-launch support. Advanced (R 85k): everything in Pro plus custom theme work, up to 2,000 products, B2B/wholesale setup if needed, advanced apps configured, 60 days support. Enterprise (R 150k+): large catalogues (10,000+ SKUs), Plus-tier features, ERP integration, custom checkout, multi-currency, 90 days support. Request a quote for an exact number on your store.

Done right, there’s zero downtime. We build the new Shopify store on a staging URL, get it to 100% ready, then cut DNS over during a low-traffic window (typically Sunday 2am SAST). Customers experience the new site live within 5–30 minutes of cutover, with all 301 redirects in place so SEO and bookmarks are preserved. The Joomla-to-WordPress migration of this very site was done with no measurable revenue impact — we used the exact same process.

Not if your migration is done properly. The key is a complete 301 redirect map — every old URL maps to its new Shopify equivalent. We’ve never had a client lose rankings in a migration; most see a temporary 1–2 week dip then recovery within 4–6 weeks, often gaining rankings because Shopify’s structured data and page speed are stronger. The tool deliberately doesn’t include “SEO lift” in the uplift calc because we don’t bank on it — any organic gains are upside.

Probably yes, but it’s the right question to ask before migrating. Shopify’s app ecosystem (8,000+ apps) handles the vast majority of WooCommerce custom features — subscriptions, B2B pricing, custom product options, bookings, multi-vendor, etc. The exceptions: deeply integrated ERP/POS systems with custom WP plugins, or businesses with non-standard tax/shipping rules built directly into PHP. We do a free scoping call before quoting where we map every feature on your current site to a Shopify solution — or honestly tell you Shopify isn’t a fit.

Pro package: 4–6 weeks from kickoff to launch. Advanced: 6–10 weeks. Enterprise: 10–16 weeks. Most of the time is design + product data + testing, not the actual data transfer. Faster timelines are possible if you have your design assets ready and clean product data. The longest migrations are ones where the client keeps changing scope mid-build — we lock scope before kickoff for this reason.

Then don’t migrate, or wait. This calculator is built to give you the honest answer, including “stay where you are.” If your break-even is 18+ months out and your current platform isn’t actively hurting you, the math is telling you to optimise what you have first. Sometimes the right answer is upgrading your WooCommerce hosting and theme rather than a full migration. We’ll tell you this honestly — WhatsApp Louw with your numbers.