The Shopware migration checklist we actually use
A migration doesn't fail because of the platform switch itself — it fails because something specific got skipped. Here's the checklist we run so it doesn't.
Updated September 9, 2026 · 10 min read
Most migration problems aren't platform problems — they're a specific step that got skipped under deadline pressure. This is the checklist we run on every Shopware migration, grouped into the five phases from our migration cost and timeline guide. Use it to scope your own project or to sanity-check a quote from someone else.
1. Audit
- Inventory every installed plugin, theme customization, and piece of custom code on the current platform
- Export a full product catalog and flag variants, bundles, and custom attributes with no direct Shopware equivalent
- List every integration (ERP, PIM, CRM, tax, shipping, marketplace) and confirm which have existing Shopware connectors
- Crawl and export every indexed URL from Search Console and your current sitemap — this becomes the redirect map source
2. Data mapping
- Map product, category, and customer fields field-by-field onto Shopware 6's data model
- Flag any field or relationship with no direct equivalent for a manual decision, not a silent drop
- Plan customer password migration (most platforms can't export password hashes in a usable form — decide on forced reset vs. hash-compatible migration)
- Map every old URL to its new Shopware equivalent, including category, product, and CMS pages
3. Build
- Rebuild the theme for Shopware's architecture rather than copying the old one pixel-for-pixel
- Rebuild custom logic as Shopware plugins hooked into the plugin system, not core overrides
- Configure payment, shipping, and tax providers and test each in Shopware's sandbox mode
- Set up 301 redirects from every mapped old URL to its new Shopware URL, and verify none point to a redirect chain
4. Migrate & QA
- Run the full data migration into a staging Shopware instance first — never directly into production
- Compare record counts (products, customers, orders) between source and staging, and spot-check a sample against the source
- Functionally test checkout, account creation, search, and any custom B2B workflows end to end in staging
- Confirm canonical tags, meta titles/descriptions, and structured data carried over on migrated pages
5. Launch & stabilize
- Set a short, clearly communicated content freeze window on the old platform for the final data sync
- Run the final sync, switch DNS, and verify redirects are live before announcing the cutover
- Resubmit the sitemap in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools immediately after launch
- Monitor 404s, indexed page count, and organic traffic daily for the first two weeks, and keep the old platform readable (not writable) as a rollback safety net
The one category most checklists leave out: SEO
Products, customers, and orders get careful attention because losing them is obviously bad. SEO URL mapping gets treated as a formality — and it's the reason otherwise-clean migrations see a ranking dip that has nothing to do with data loss. Every indexed URL needs an explicit 301 to its Shopware equivalent before cutover, not a generic redirect to the homepage. If you're moving off Magento specifically, cross-check this against our Shopware vs Magento comparison for what else tends to differ structurally between the two platforms.
Running this checklist internally and want a second set of eyes before you commit to a timeline? Our Shopware migration services start with a fixed-price discovery audit that covers every item in the first phase above.
Frequently asked questions
SEO URL mapping and 301 redirects. Teams focus on getting products and orders across correctly and treat redirects as an afterthought — then rankings drop after launch because old URLs 404 instead of forwarding to their Shopware equivalent. Map every indexed URL before cutover, not after.
Want us to run this checklist for you?
Send us your current platform and catalog size — we'll scope a fixed-price discovery audit within one business day.