Moving from Shopify to UpMinutes: a step-by-step migration guide

You can move a Shopify store to UpMinutes without taking your shop offline. The order is simple: build and test the new store on its free subdomain while Shopify keeps selling, bring your products across by CSV, add redirects so old links still work, and switch your domain only when a test order has gone through cleanly. For most stores the work fits into an afternoon or two, depending on how many products and photos you have.

This guide follows the eight steps on our switch page, with the practical details that save you time. If you are still deciding whether to move at all, read our UpMinutes and Shopify comparison first, and the longer UpMinutes vs Shopify guide for Indian sellers.

Why do Indian sellers move off Shopify?

Every business has its own reasons, but the ones we hear most are about how costs add up for a store selling mainly in India. As listed on shopify.com/in/pricing on 20 October 2026, Shopify Basic is ₹1,994 a month on monthly billing (₹1,499 a month billed yearly), and Shopify's page does not say whether GST is added, so check that. Shopify Payments is not available for businesses in India, so Indian stores use a third-party provider such as Razorpay, and Shopify lists a 2% third-party transaction fee on the Basic plan on top of the gateway's own fee. Paid apps for things like COD rules or GST invoices can add more. Shopify changes prices and offers from time to time, so check Shopify's current pricing.

UpMinutes Growth is ₹999 a month including 18% GST, with no commission on sales and no app fees. Razorpay's own payment fees apply with either platform. The post on how paid apps add up walks through the sums.

When should you stay on Shopify?

Moving is not right for everyone. Shopify may suit you better if you sell internationally and need checkout in many currencies (UpMinutes shows guide prices in up to 12 currencies but always charges in rupees), if you run several physical shops with POS hardware, if you rely on a specific app from Shopify's app store, or if you have an in-house development team building a custom storefront. Be honest with yourself about these before you start.

What should you do before you start?

A little preparation makes the move calm rather than rushed:

• Pick a quiet week. Not the fortnight before Diwali or your biggest sale.
• Count your products and options. UpMinutes plans allow up to 100, 300 or 1,000 products, and each product can have up to three options, such as size, colour and fabric. Check which plan fits on the pricing page.
• List your important pages. About, size guide, FAQs and any blog posts you want to keep.
• Note your best-ranking addresses. Your top product and collection pages from Google Search Console, so you know which redirects matter most.
• Have your Razorpay account ready. Payments go through your own Razorpay account into your bank; see our Razorpay setup guide.

Step 1: Start a free trial and choose a theme

Start a 14-day free trial; no card is needed. Pick the theme closest to your current look from the theme store. Nothing goes live on your domain yet: the store sits on a free subdomain (yourbrand.upminutes.com) while you work, and your Shopify store keeps selling as normal.

Step 2: How do you export products from Shopify?

In Shopify admin, go to Products and use Export to download a CSV of all products. Choose the plain CSV option so you can open it in a spreadsheet. The columns that matter most are Handle, Title, Variant Price, Variant SKU and the Option name and value columns. Keep the file safe: it is also your backup.

Step 3: Import your products with a preview

In UpMinutes, go to Products and Import CSV. Copy your Shopify columns into our template: name, price, stock, SKU and options. A few tips:

• Shopify lists each variant as its own row under one Handle. Make sure each variant keeps its SKU, because photos and stock are easier to match that way.
• Tidy option names while you are here. "Colour" and "Color" on different products look messy to shoppers.
• Check GST rates and HSN codes per product, so invoices come out right from the first order. Our HSN codes guide helps.

You see a preview before anything is saved, so you can fix a column and try again without creating duplicates.

Step 4: Bring your photos across

Upload photos in bulk. They are matched to products by SKU or name and converted to WebP in three sizes automatically, so pages stay light on mobile data. If your file names are random, rename the best photos with the SKU first; it is quicker than attaching them one by one.

Step 5: Pages and policies

Standard policy pages are written for you. Read them and adjust them to match how you actually work, especially returns. Paste in your About page, size guide and anything else you want to keep. If you blog, copy your best posts across and keep their titles.

Step 6: How do you keep Google rankings when you switch?

This is the step people skip and regret. Shopify addresses look like /products/blue-silk-saree and /collections/sarees. Paste your old product and page addresses into Redirects in UpMinutes, each pointing to its new page. These are permanent redirects, so links in old Instagram posts, WhatsApp messages and Google results keep working and rankings carry over.

Start with the pages that bring the most visits, then work down the list. Rankings may move about for a few weeks after any platform change; good redirects keep that short.

Step 7: Connect your domain

On the Domain page you will see two DNS records (a CNAME and a TXT). Add them at the company where you bought your domain. HTTPS is set up automatically once they are found. Your free subdomain keeps working too. If DNS is new to you, the company that sold you the domain can usually show you where to add records.

Step 8: Test, then switch

Before you point the domain, place a real test order on the new store:

When everything passes, point your domain, watch the first few real orders closely, and only then cancel your Shopify plan. Download any Shopify order history and customer exports you need for your records before you do.

What about customers, orders and reviews?

The switch page covers products, pages, redirects and the domain. Past orders stay in your Shopify export for your accounts. Let regular customers know you have moved with a short message on WhatsApp or email, and ask happy customers for fresh reviews once orders start flowing; UpMinutes sends review requests after delivery.

Need help?

If you get stuck on a column or a redirect, write to [email protected] or browse the help centre. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. UpMinutes is not affiliated with Shopify.

Filed under Comparisons. More guides on the UpMinutes blog.