The Real Cost of Shopify Plus Migration in Australia: Beyond Products and Orders

A Shopify migration quote might well cover products, customers, orders and a new store. What about contract pricing, ERP systems, checkout rules and customer accounts?

For businesses in Australia considering Shopify Plus, these costs are often harder to estimate. Your current store may have years of custom features. Moving the data is one task. Making those features work on Shopify is another.

Before you go ahead and approve a migration, you need to know what Shopify can already do, what you’re going to need to replace and what you’re going to need to build custom. This guide covers the full cost of the move, what to put in your budget and how to work out whether it’s actually worth it.

How Much Does Shopify Plus Cost in Australia?

Shopify Plus starts at A$3,700 per month, according to Shopify’s Australian pricing page.

That’s $44,400 per year. Your final fees will depend on your contract and business requirements. But the subscription is only one element of the cost.

Your Shopify Plus migration cost may also include:

1. Storefront design and development.
2. Product and customer data migration.
3. ERP, CRM, POS and warehouse integrations.
4. Paid apps and custom features.
5. SEO migration and testing.
6. Staff training and ongoing support.
7. Payment processing fees.

To compare fairly, look at the full cost of Shopify Plus against your current platform over the same period.

What needs rebuilding beyond the products and the orders?

Your existing store does more than just hold your product and customer data.

It may also handle discounts, wholesale accounts, stock updates and order approvals. Those features don’t always align with your data.

Here are 5 areas to consider before starting an eCommerce platform migration.

1. Storefront Design and Checkout

You can’t just take a Magento, WooCommerce or BigCommerce theme and move it over to Shopify.

You may end up having to re-create the product filters, the menus, the promotions and various bits of the checkout process.

Shopify already has loads of these capabilities, so check what you can use before paying to build anything new.

2. Customer Accounts and B2B Pricing

For the wholesalers, it could be more than just the customer records.

You may need company accounts, agreed prices, payment terms and buyer permissions.

Shopify has built-in B2B functionality (company accounts, catalogues, etc.). The B2B features show what options are available on each plan.

However, custom credit checks and approval rules may still require ERP integration or development.

For a closer look at company accounts, contract pricing and wholesale ordering, read our Shopify Plus guide for Australian wholesale businesses

3. ERP, POS and Warehouse Integrations

Your current integrations may not work with Shopify at all without some changes.

For example, a retailer using Dynamics 365 and multiple warehouses needs to know which system owns stock, pricing and orders.

Before migration, check:

• Where each type of data is stored.
• How frequently do the systems update each other?
• What happens when an update fails?
• Can the existing integration tools be reused?
• How returns and refunds get into the finance system.

These details can impact cost more than your product catalogue size.

4. Apps and Custom Features

A Magento extension or a WooCommerce plugin is pretty much the same as a Shopify app.

But similar features don’t necessarily work in the same way.

Apps can also be charged monthly or based on usage. Compare those costs with custom development and future support.

5. SEO, Analytics and Customer Journeys

Moving platforms can impact product URLs, search rankings and analytics.

Plan your redirects, metadata, tracking and your customer account changes before launch.

Also check what happens to the customer’s saved details and order history.

For more detail, read our Shopify Data Migration Checklist.

How do Shopify Plus migration costs differ by eCommerce platform?

The work required for the migration depends on the platform you are moving from; the final cost depends on your custom features, integrations, and day-to-day processes.

Australian businesses should consider the following points when switching from one eCommerce platform to another.

1. Migration of Magento / Adobe to Shopify Plus

Migrating from Magento to Shopify Plus may require rebuilding custom modules, B2B pricing rules, and ERP integrations.

Stores with complicated catalogues or multiple stores will need more planning. Check what features Shopify provides before paying to recreate them.

2. Migration from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus

Any migration from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus will require replacing WordPress plugins, subscription tools, and the custom checkout.

For certain features, a Shopify app may offer an alternative. Be sure to include app fees, setup costs, and ongoing support in your budget.

3. Migration from BigCommerce to Shopify Plus

Moving from BigCommerce to Shopify Plus may require changes to customer groups, pricing rules, product options, and integrations.

Check how those features work now and whether Shopify offers the same functionality. Any shortcomings in this area would likely need to be addressed through apps or custom development.

4. Migration from PrestaShop to Shopify Plus

When migrating from PrestaShop to Shopify Plus you will need to replace your custom modules, product combinations, pricing rules and the existing themes.

For certain modules, there is no direct equivalent in Shopify, which will require more development work (especially when the module supports a key part of the order process).

5. Migration from Squarespace to Shopify Plus

A migration from Squarespace to Shopify Plus usually involves transferring content, redesigning page layouts, and replacing third-party apps.

Any store with a booking feature or a custom form will require additional work. Make sure that the Shopify app has these features before selecting it.

The number of products doesn’t indicate migration cost; a store with far fewer products but a complicated set of business rules may require more work than a much larger store with fairly standard features.

What Hidden Costs Should Australian Businesses Include?

Some costs aren’t picked up in the initial migration quote.

01 | Running Two Platforms

Your old store may need to stay live while Shopify is set up and tested. Include the cost of running both stores during that period.

02 | Replacing Custom Features

A feature you’re using today might end up requiring a paid app or bespoke development. Don’t forget to check both the initial setup cost and the ongoing cost.

03 | GST and Payments

Test the GST rules, pricing, invoices, refunds and payment records. Just make sure the new store works with your accounting system.

04 | Staff Training

Your team may need to learn new ways to handle orders, refunds, and stock updates. Include training in your budget.

05 | Testing After Launch

Allow time to check orders, payments, customer accounts, and SEO. Some issues may only become apparent once customers start using the new store.

A quote that omits these tasks may look cheaper than it is.

How much will Shopify Plus cost over three years?

For a fair comparison, look at total cost of ownership (TCO). This is the cost of moving plus the cost of running the new platform.

Three-year TCO = Migration cost + Platform and app fees + Support costs + Changeover costs

Here’s an example:

These are sample figures, not actual market rates or a Magneto IT Solutions quote. Payment fees and other variable costs are not included.

Now compare that figure to the cost of staying on your current platform.

Include hosting, licences, upgrades, extensions and support. Also consider how much time your team will spend fixing problems that will keep coming up.

A migration may cost more initially but could save you money in the long run. In other instances, the better option may simply be to improve your existing store.

When is moving to Shopify Plus worth the cost?

Shopify Plus isn’t the right solution for every business.

Start with two questions:

1. Can Shopify support the way we sell? Will the benefits be worth the cost of moving?

There are three possible decisions:

• Stay: your platform is working perfectly and the cost is quite reasonable.
• Improve: You can fix the core issues without having to change platforms.
• Migrate: Shopify Plus ticks all the boxes and the long-term benefits more than make up for the cost.

Also check whether you actually need Shopify Plus or whether one of the other Shopify plans would be sufficient.

Review your buying process, integrations, and plans before you decide.

2. What should a Shopify Plus migration quote include?

A good quote should show what you’re paying for and what’s not included.

Ask your migration partner to provide:

• Current store review: What features and systems need to move?
• Feature plan: What can Shopify do and what does it need to be rebuilt?
• Integration plan: How will the ERP, the POS and all the other systems work?
• Migration plan: How will the data, the testing and the launch be managed?
• SEO plan: How will URLs, redirects and search traffic be dealt with?
• Cost breakdown: What are the one-off and the ongoing fees?

Also ask who will fix any issues found after launch.

For larger stores, request a test migration before moving the live site.

At Magneto IT Solutions, we help businesses review their current store, check their integrations and plan Shopify migrations around their needs.

Explore our Shopify Development Services in Australia to see how we approach these projects.