Metro Boutique and the honest numbers behind the migration decision

Metro Boutique runs 25 stores across Switzerland and speaks to a crowd between 16 and 34. The online store worked – but that was about it.

The NopCommerce system from 2015 was costing CHF 250,000 a year in maintenance alone. Every content change needed a developer. Black Friday campaigns had to be manually switched on at midnight. Scheduling simply didn’t exist.

The main driver was financial: platform costs were making it harder and harder to stay profitable.

Phase 0: Business case first, migration second

what. didn’t kick things off with development. Instead, we started with a structured Store Check & Migration Assessment – the goal being to figure out, based on actual data, whether a Shopify migration even made sense, and if so, how to approach it.

The assessment came back with concrete numbers:

• 55% TCO savings over 5 years
• CHF 2 million in projected savings over the same period
• 9 million URLs in the existing store – only 88,000 of which were indexed
• 1.04% conversion rate as a starting point

That’s a business case you can actually defend internally. Management could back the decision with real numbers, not just gut instinct.

One more insight from the assessment: Metro Boutique’s strong brand identity lived primarily in its physical stores. Online, it felt muted. “Same brand, different decibels.”

The system landscape before and after the migration

The three biggest technical challenges – and how what. solved them

Complex system landscapes always have spots that look straightforward on paper but aren’t in practice. At Metro Boutique, there were three of them.

Akeneo Connector

The existing Akeneo connector wasn’t up to the task for Metro Boutique’s specific data structure. The vendor was slow to respond and not particularly open to making adjustments. So what. built their own – clean, maintainable, and tailored to what was actually needed.

This comes up more often than you’d think. Off-the-shelf solutions rarely fit 100%. The difference is whether you’re willing to do something about it.

Physical Gift Cards as a Payment Method

Gift cards account for around 4% of online revenue. Shopify’s native gift card system isn’t built for physical in-store cards.

what. built a fully custom payment method that validates card balances via the external payment provider MF Group. It might sound like a minor detail – but letting 4% of revenue disappear simply wasn’t an option.

Worth noting: the old store already had this feature. The custom development simply closed the gap on the Shopify side.

App Wishlist Synchronization

The third-party solution originally evaluated caused synchronization issues. what. is currently developing their own script. This one is still in progress – and we’re being upfront about that here, because it’s part of the honest project picture.

Timeline: from proposal to go-live

The planned launch was October 2025. Actual go-live: mid-January 2026 – around 7 months after the project kicked off.

At go-live, there was no downtime, no data loss, and all critical integrations worked without a hitch.

The timeline shifted because integration quality took priority. That was the right call – going live with unresolved critical issues creates more problems than it solves.

What’s changed since launch

Denis Spycher from Metro Boutique puts it well:

“Internally, we’d been thinking about switching our shop system for a while – mainly because of high fixed costs and limited flexibility. From day one, I had a really good feeling about it. The collaboration was efficient, goal-oriented, and genuinely enjoyable. With Shopify, we now have significantly more flexibility, better efficiency in day-to-day operations, and a CMS that’s fast, intuitive, and easy to use.”

The conversion rate climbed from 1.04% to 1.08% in the first 90 days. That might sound small, but at the volume of a national fashion retailer, it adds up.

The qualitative changes are just as significant:

• The e-commerce team can now launch campaigns independently – no developers needed
• 95% of content changes are handled in-house
• Time-controlled campaign scheduling without manual activation is now possible (still to be implemented)
• The foundation for personalization, A/B testing, and SEO optimization is in place
• UX/UI improved
• Cost structure sustainably improved

And when it comes to day-to-day life for the team:

“Since going live, we’ve had a lot more freedom and can act much more proactively. For many things, we no longer need external support – we can step in ourselves, optimize the store, and test new ideas quickly. I’m convinced that Shopify Plus was the right decision for us.”

Platform costs are now around a quarter of what they used to be.

The complete technology stack

*The old store already had this feature; our custom development simply closed the gap on the Shopify side.

What this project says about the right migration approach

Shopify migration projects often don’t fail because of the technology. They fail because implementation starts too early, before anyone really understands the business case.

The assessment phase wasn’t a nice extra – it was the foundation that allowed Metro Boutique to make the decision and defend it internally. Understand first, decide next, then build.

And if an existing vendor connector doesn’t cut it, what. simply builds their own. That’s not a special case – it’s a principle. Complex system landscapes need solutions that actually fit.

Planning a similar migration?

If your platform costs are too high, your team depends on developers for every little change, or you just know your system is holding you back – the first step is an honest look at where things stand.

That’s exactly what our Shopify Migration Services are for: from the initial assessment through technical implementation to go-live and beyond. As Switzerland’s leading Shopify Plus agency with over 200 completed stores, we know where the real challenges tend to hide – and how to tackle them.

The post From NopCommerce to Shopify Plus: How what. Led Metro Boutique into the E-Commerce Future appeared first on what. AG.

This guide focuses on what’s genuinely specific to a PrestaShop-to-Shopify migration. For the general migration process and cost structure, see our Shopify Migration guide.

Why PrestaShop merchants switch

The core issue is ownership of complexity. Every security patch, server update, and performance fix lands on your team. Shopify handles all of that – including PCI DSS Level 1 compliance – on your behalf.

PrestaShop’s module ecosystem compounds this. Modules vary wildly in quality, and years of accumulated legacy modules frequently conflict with each other. Upgrades become risky and expensive. Shopify’s app store is better-vetted, with far more predictable behaviour.

The combination system – PrestaShop’s equivalent of product variants – also becomes unwieldy at scale. It supports unlimited combination attributes per product; Shopify caps variants at three option types. That gap creates real work during migration, and it’s the most underestimated challenge on a PrestaShop project.

PrestaShop’s native multistore feature is powerful on paper but complex to manage in practice. Shopify Markets offers a far more intuitive approach to multi-region and multi-language selling – especially relevant for Swiss merchants covering DE/FR/IT.

The switch makes the most sense when:

• Your team spends meaningful time on hosting, updates, and module maintenance rather than growth
• You lack in-house PHP/PrestaShop expertise and depend on external developers for routine changes
• You’re scaling internationally and need multi-currency, multi-language, and multi-market features without a custom module stack

It’s harder to justify if your store has deeply customised modules, complex B2B pricing logic, or if your current setup works reliably and your margins are tight.

What makes this ecommerce migration different

The migration process is similar to the BigCommerce to Shopify migration and follows an eight-phase structure: Audit & Planning → Store Setup → Theme Development → Data Migration → Apps Setup → QA & Testing → SEO Preparation → Launch & Monitoring.

Here’s what makes a PrestaShop to Shopify migration distinct from other migrations:

Data structure differences matter more here than in most migrations. PrestaShop uses hierarchical categories; Shopify uses flat collections. Nested navigation needs to be manually recreated post-migration. PrestaShop’s single order status field also maps to Shopify’s separate payment and fulfillment status fields, which requires explicit mapping during import.

The combination system is the most technically distinctive challenge. Products with more than three attribute types need to be restructured before import – either by consolidating attributes or splitting products. Running a demo migration first with tools like Prestify or Cart2Cart is a smart way to spot these issues early.

Translation data doesn’t migrate automatically. Plan for a manual translation setup phase in Shopify Markets, or use Langify or Weglot to rebuild multilingual content. For Swiss stores covering German, French, and Italian, Langify gives the most control. Shopify’s native Translate & Adapt is free but limited to two automatic translations – manual translations are unlimited.

Related: we published an article on the best translation apps for Shopify.

PrestaShop themes can’t be ported to Shopify. A new theme must be built from scratch using Shopify’s Liquid templating language and JavaScript. Most merchants treat this as an opportunity to modernise the storefront – which is the right call.

What migrates, what doesn’t, and what needs work

Most core data transfers cleanly: products (titles, descriptions, images, variants, SKUs, prices, inventory), customer accounts, order history, collections, blog posts, pages, and basic discount codes.

Several things require extra planning:

• Product combinations with more than 3 options need restructuring before import.
• Discount rules – simple codes transfer fine; tiered discounts, cart rules, and group-based pricing need rebuilding via Shopify apps or Shopify Functions (Plus only).
• Loyalty points history doesn’t map to Shopify natively – plan a fresh start with Smile.io or LoyaltyLion and communicate the change to customers in advance.
• Multistore setups require careful mapping to Shopify Markets or separate stores.
• Group-based pricing – basic “VIP gets 10% off” logic is now replicable natively in Shopify. Complex scenarios like fixed product-level prices per group or tiered wholesale pricing still require Shopify Plus B2B Catalogs or apps like Wholesale Club.

Not migratable: URL structures (a comprehensive 301 redirect map is non-negotiable) and customer passwords. Due to encryption, customers log in via OTP after migration – plan a communication campaign before launch.

Migrating directly to Shopify Plus

If you’re moving directly to Shopify Plus rather than standard Shopify, several additional capabilities are worth planning for from day one.

Checkout Extensibility lets you add custom fields, upsells, loyalty point display, and complex discount logic directly in checkout – without modifying core checkout code. This is particularly relevant if your PrestaShop store had custom checkout logic that otherwise can’t migrate.

Higher API rate limits matter significantly for shops with ERP or PIM integrations.

Costs, tools, and Swiss-specific configuration

Agency fees for a PrestaShop to Shopify migration typically start around CHF 5,000 and can go up to more than CHF 50,000 for complex migrations with ERP integrations, custom functionality, and full theme development.

Shopify subscriptions begin at CHF 25/month, while Shopify Plus starts from CHF 2000/month.

One cost that’s routinely underestimated: PrestaShop stores with large combination catalogues require significant upfront data restructuring before migration can begin. Build this into your project timeline specifically – it’s not something you can skip.

For the actual data transfer, Matrixify gives granular CSV-based control over products, customers, orders, and metafields. Running theme development and data migration as parallel workstreams is the most efficient project structure.

Swiss-specific configuration needs to be handled from day one. Swiss VAT (MWST) must be manually set up in Shopify. TWINT – one of the most popular payment methods for Swiss customers – is now natively available through Shopify Payments.

Related: To dive deeper into Swiss-specific configurations for your migration to Shopify also read our Odoo to Shopify migration article.

Is the migration worth it?

The switch pays off fastest when PrestaShop maintenance costs – hosting, modules, developer time – are consistently eating into your margins without delivering growth. Teams that can’t make basic storefront changes without filing a developer ticket get the fastest ROI.

It’s harder to justify if your store has complex combination catalogues, deeply custom pricing logic, or heavy B2B workflows. If your current setup works reliably and your margins are tight, the upfront investment needs a clear ROI case before committing.

Done right, a PrestaShop to Shopify migration reduces overhead, improves checkout conversion, and lets your commercial team move independently of technical dependencies.
As an experienced Shopify agency with deep knowledge of Swiss payment configuration, MWST setup, and data migration, we handle the complexity so you don’t have to – from audit to go-live. Get in touch to discuss your project.

The post PrestaShop to Shopify Migration for Swiss Merchants: Data, Tools, ROI appeared first on what. AG.

For a general overview of the migration process and costs, see our Shopify Migration guide.

Odoo and Shopify aren’t competing e-commerce platforms

This is the most important thing to understand before planning anything: Odoo and Shopify are built for fundamentally different jobs.

Odoo is a full ERP. It manages accounting, inventory, manufacturing, HR, purchasing – and yes, e-commerce too. But that e-commerce module is bolted onto a business management system. Every storefront change typically requires developer involvement, and the interface reflects that – it’s built for power users, not marketing teams.

Shopify is the opposite. The storefront, checkout, and customer experience are the product. Your marketing team can update products, launch campaigns, and edit content without filing a single ticket.

The practical consequence: if e-commerce is your primary revenue driver, Odoo’s architecture is working against you. If e-commerce is a small channel alongside manufacturing or complex accounting workflows, the integration value of Odoo may still outweigh the friction – and a hybrid setup (more on that below) might be the smarter path.

This distinction also shapes what the migration actually involves. You’re not moving between two e-commerce platforms. You’re extracting the commercial layer from an ERP and rebuilding it on a purpose-built storefront. That requires a different mindset – and a different audit.

What’s specific to an Odoo migration

The migration itself follows a familiar structure – Audit & Planning → Store Setup → Theme Development → Data Migration → Apps Setup → QA & Testing → SEO Preparation → Launch & Monitoring. What’s specific to Odoo is what happens inside those phases.

Product structure is the first major challenge. Odoo uses a template-variant model that doesn’t map cleanly to Shopify’s product-variant model. Products with more than three attribute types need restructuring before import. SKU matching is the most reliable way to avoid duplicates – prioritise this during data preparation.

Pricelist logic is where things get genuinely complicated. Odoo’s multi-tier pricelists – customer-specific pricing, quantity-based rules, date-range discounts – have no native equivalent in Shopify. Basic rules can be approximated via apps; complex B2B pricing requires Shopify Plus native B2B features or Shopify Functions. The more layered your Odoo pricing logic, the more rebuild work you should budget for.

Custom modules don’t transfer. Any server-side business logic or automated actions built in Odoo need to be manually rebuilt in Shopify – via Flow, third-party apps, or custom development. The audit phase exists specifically to map this out before work begins.

Accounting data stays in Odoo. Invoices, journal entries, and financial history aren’t part of the Shopify migration. You’ll need a separate accounting tool – Bexio, ABACUS, or Xero – for ongoing bookkeeping after the switch.

The tool of choice for the actual data transfer is Matrixify, which gives you granular CSV-based control over products, customers, orders, and metafields. The recommended import sequence to avoid referencing errors: customers first → products and variants → inventory levels → historical orders.

What migrates, what doesn’t, and what needs rebuilding

Most core e-commerce data moves cleanly: products (titles, descriptions, images, variants, SKUs, prices, inventory), customer accounts, order history, collections, and basic discount codes.

Several things require manual work or rebuilding:

• Order history transfers, but tax breakdowns and payment metadata often lose fidelity
• Product metafields can migrate but require explicit field mapping
• Odoo pricelist logic needs rebuilding from scratch in Shopify
• Loyalty points don’t map to Shopify – plan a fresh start with Smile.io or LoyaltyLion, and communicate the change to customers in advance
• Odoo themes don’t port to Shopify; a new theme is required

Not migratable at all: Odoo accounting data, customer passwords (customers log in via OTP after migration), and page builder layouts (only raw text transfers). URL structures will also change, making a comprehensive 301 redirect map essential for protecting SEO rankings.

Running Odoo and Shopify in parallel

For many businesses, a full cutover isn’t the right answer. The better setup is Shopify handling the storefront and order processing while Odoo continues managing accounting, inventory, or manufacturing in the background.

This hybrid approach works well when your Odoo ERP workflows are deeply integrated with operations outside of e-commerce. Bidirectional connectors can sync products, stock levels, and orders between both systems. The key is defining clear data ownership upfront – product master data typically flows from Odoo to Shopify, while order status updates flow the other way.

If you’re migrating to Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus opens up capabilities worth planning for from day one.

Checkout Extensibility lets you add custom fields, upsells, and complex discount logic directly in checkout – without touching core code. This is how you recreate Odoo checkout logic that otherwise can’t migrate.

Native B2B features include company accounts, multiple buyers per company, custom price lists, and net payment terms (Net 30, Net 60). For Swiss B2B merchants relying on Odoo’s B2B module, this is often the primary reason to switch. Higher API rate limits also matter significantly if you’re running ERP or PIM integrations alongside Shopify.

Swiss-specific configuration

Switzerland isn’t in the EU, so Swiss VAT (MWST) must be manually configured in Shopify. You need all three rates: 8.1% (standard), 2.6% (food, books, medicines), and 3.8% (accommodation). Always verify current thresholds at estv.admin.ch.

TWINT is available natively through Shopify Payments since 2025 – no third-party plugin needed. PostFinance can be integrated via Datatrans or Payrexx.

For multilingual stores, Langify gives maximum control; Shopify’s native Translate & Adapt is free but limited to two automatic translations.

The revised Swiss nFADP (in force since September 2023) requires a data processing agreement with Shopify and transparent communication about data residency in your privacy policy. For most SMBs, this is a documentation requirement, not a technical blocker.

Costs and timeline

Agency fees start around CHF 5,000 for straightforward projects and can reach CHF 50,000+ for setups with complex ERP connectors and custom functionality. Ongoing costs include:

• Shopify subscription: CHF 25/month (Basic) to ~CHF 2,000+/month (Plus)
• Apps replacing Odoo modules: typically CHF 100–500/month
• Transaction fees: 0% additional with Shopify Payments; 0.5–2% with third-party providers

Simple stores with clean product data typically take 4–8 weeks. Projects involving ERP connectors or custom Odoo module replacements: 12–16 weeks.

What you eliminate: server maintenance, security patching, and infrastructure surprises.

Is the switch worth it?

The honest answer depends on what role e-commerce plays in your business – and that’s exactly what makes the Odoo decision different from migrating off Magento or Shopware.

When you migrate from WooCommerce or Shopware, you’re moving between platforms with overlapping purposes. When you migrate from Odoo, you’re making a strategic call about whether your ERP should own your storefront at all.

It pays off fastest when e-commerce is your primary growth lever and Odoo’s complexity is the bottleneck – particularly for teams that can’t move without developer support for basic storefront changes. The ROI is typically clear within the first year.

It’s less clear-cut when operations are deeply integrated with Odoo’s manufacturing, accounting, or MRP modules. In that case, the hybrid approach – Shopify as the storefront, Odoo retained for backend operations – is often the better path. You get the commercial agility of Shopify without dismantling the ERP workflows that actually run your business.

Ready to move from Odoo to Shopify? As an experienced Shopify agency with deep knowledge of Swiss payment configuration, ERP integration, and data migration, we handle the complexity so you don’t have to. Get in touch to discuss your project.

The post Odoo to Shopify Migration: What Makes It Different appeared first on what. AG.

This guide focuses specifically on what makes a WooCommerce-to-Shopify migration different from other platform switches. For a general overview of the migration process, check out our Shopify Migration guide.

Why WooCommerce merchants switch to Shopify

Plugin dependency and “plugin hell”

The number one reason is what developers call “plugin hell.” The average WooCommerce store runs 20–30 active plugins, each needing independent updates – and plugin conflicts are the leading cause of WooCommerce downtime.

A single incompatible update can silently break your checkout, often during a campaign when it hurts most. Shopify’s app ecosystem works differently: apps run in a sandboxed, version-controlled environment, which dramatically reduces the risk of one update cascading into a broken storefront.

Security vulnerabilities

WooCommerce requires you to actively monitor and patch WordPress core, your theme, PHP versions, and every plugin you run. In 2023, a critical WooCommerce Payments vulnerability was discovered that could have granted attackers unauthorized admin access.

Shopify handles all of that – including PCI DSS Level 1 compliance, the highest standard – on your behalf.

Uptime and performance

Shopify has maintained 99.9% uptime across all major services and regions. Self-hosted WooCommerce stores on shared hosting routinely crash during traffic spikes like Black Friday or product launches.

The average WooCommerce page load time is 3.7 seconds – already above the 3-second threshold where 53% of mobile users abandon a site, according to Google research. That’s lost revenue, not just a slow experience.

Shopify’s checkout converts better

A study completed in April 2023, conducted in partnership with a Big Three global management consulting firm, found that Shopify’s checkout outperforms WooCommerce specifically by 17%. That’s not a marginal difference.

When the switch makes sense – and when it doesn’t

The switch makes most sense if 

• your team spends meaningful time on technical maintenance instead of growth, 
• you’re hitting performance ceilings on shared hosting, 
• you want to expand to multiple sales channels – Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, POS – without managing separate plugins for each.

It makes less sense if

• your store relies on deeply custom WordPress integrations – bespoke CRM connectors, complex membership systems, or ERP integrations built on WordPress APIs. Rebuilding those on Shopify can cost more than the migration saves. Get a technical audit first. 
• your margins are tight right now – a proper migration involves agency fees, potential design costs, and app subscription changes.

What the WooCommerce to Shopify migration process looks like

Eight-phase migration process

The eight-phase structure of a WooCommerce-to-Shopify migration – Audit & Planning → Shopify Store Setup → Theme Development → Data Migration & Connector Development → Apps Setup → QA & Testing → SEO Preparation → Launch & Monitoring – is very similar to what we cover in our BigCommerce to Shopify migration guide. The phases there are explained in more detail, and the process maps almost identically to a WooCommerce to Shopify migration.

The phases run partly in parallel – theme development and data migration typically happen at the same time, which shortens the overall timeline without adding risk.

What’s specific to WooCommerce migrations is the audit phase. WooCommerce stores tend to accumulate years of plugin logic, custom post types, and WordPress-specific data structures. Before anything moves, you need a clear picture of what’s running your store and what needs to be rebuilt, replaced with a Shopify app, or simply left behind.

If you’re migrating to Shopify Plus

Subscribing to Shopify Plus is not a prerequisite for the migration. But migrating directly from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus opens up more capabilities that are worth planning for from day one. 

Checkout Extensibility lets Plus merchants fully customize the checkout using UI extensions – this is how you recreate complex WooCommerce checkout logic that otherwise can’t be migrated. 

Native B2B features replace WooCommerce B2B plugins entirely, with built-in company accounts, custom price lists, and net payment terms.

Shopify Flow handles automation workflows that on WooCommerce typically require multiple plugins or custom code. Plus contracts also include higher API rate limits, which are critical for complex ERP or PIM integrations.

What can and can’t be migrated

Most of your core data moves cleanly: products (titles, descriptions, images, variants, SKUs, prices, inventory), customer accounts, order history, collections, blog posts, pages, and discount codes.

A few things don’t transfer and require planning:

• Customer passwords can’t be migrated due to encryption. Customers will need to log in via a one-time passcode sent to their email — plan a communication campaign before launch to avoid confusion and support tickets.
• Page builder layouts built with Elementor, Divi, or WPBakery don’t transfer. Only raw text content migrates; layouts need to be rebuilt in Shopify’s theme editor or a page builder app like Shogun, PageFly, or GemPages.
• Complex custom checkout logic doesn’t carry over, but it can be rebuilt using Shopify’s checkout extensions – available only on Shopify Plus.
• URL structures will change between platforms. A comprehensive redirect map is essential to protect your SEO rankings. Without proper 301 redirects, you risk losing rankings that took years to build.

Costs: what to budget for

Migration costs vary significantly depending on store complexity. 

Agency fees start around CHF 5,000 for simple migrations and can reach CHF 25,000–50,000+ for projects with ERP integrations, custom functionality, and full theme development. 

Shopify subscriptions start at CHF 25/month; Shopify Plus starts at CHF 2000/month. Budget CHF 100–500/month for apps replacing your WooCommerce plugin stack.

What you gain on the other side: no hosting costs, no security patching, no plugin maintenance, and a predictable monthly cost structure. For many merchants, the ongoing savings more than offset the migration investment.

Swiss-specific considerations

A few things to configure correctly from day one if you’re operating in Switzerland.

Swiss MWST (VAT) must be manually configured – Shopify doesn’t auto-detect it the way it handles EU countries via the OSS system. Current rates are 8.1% (standard), 2.6% (food, books, medicines), and 3.8% (accommodation). Verify current thresholds with the Swiss Federal Tax Administration at estv.admin.ch.

TWINT is now natively available through Shopify Payments as of 2025, which removes the need for third-party plugins. 

For multilingual stores, Langify gives maximum control; Shopify’s native Translate & Adapt is free but limited to two automatic translations. Learn more about Shopify translation apps in this guide.

And if you store customer data: you’ll need a data processing agreement (DPA) with Shopify in place under the revised nFADP.

Is the migration worth it for your store?

It usually is if a plugin conflict or server issue has ever taken down your checkout during a campaign, your team is non-technical, and you don’t have a developer on retainer, or international expansion is on your roadmap.

It’s probably not worth it right now if 30%+ of your store’s functionality is built on bespoke WordPress code that would need to be fully rebuilt, or if short-term budget is a hard constraint.

Migrations typically take 2 weeks to several months depending on complexity. The right Shopify agency makes a meaningful difference – specifically one with experience in WooCommerce data structures, Swiss payment configuration, and ERP integrations. Bad data mapping and missing redirects are the two most common and most costly mistakes, and both are entirely avoidable with the right setup.

Ready to make the move? Get in touch with our team to discuss your migration – we’ve guided Swiss merchants through exactly this process, from audit to go-live.

The post WooCommerce to Shopify: Migration Guide & Costs appeared first on what. AG.

That was the core tension in our work with BMW Classic: how do you modernize without disrupting a highly specialized, globally shipping operation? Here’s what actually happened, and what we learned.

The real problem wasn’t the old technology

BMW Classic runs one of the most specialized online shops in the motorcycle world – genuine parts for everything from 1920s classics to current models, with worldwide shipping. The platform they were running had done its job for years, but it had reached its limits:

• SEO was essentially broken. The site was barely indexed, which meant customers searching for long-tail spare parts – often very specific queries – simply couldn’t find the shop. 
• Content updates were slow and risky. 
• The system wasn’t built to support modern marketing workflows or a smooth purchasing experience.

The hidden complexity: a significant portion of the business logic lived inside FileMaker, a legacy database system that had accumulated years of operational knowledge – product structures, compatibility rules, fulfilment logic. That’s not something you just switch off.

Keeping the business running while rebuilding it

The biggest architectural decision we made early on was this: don’t replace FileMaker in a big bang. Build around it, carefully.

This meant designing a dedicated sync layer – a structured integration that connects FileMaker with the new custom-built storefront, keeps product and catalog data in sync, and insulates the shop from the risks that come with legacy data sources. If FileMaker becomes temporarily unavailable, the shop keeps running. That stability is only possible because of the abstraction layer between them.

What this taught us is that preparation and understanding of the existing system matters more than the technology you’re migrating to. We spent significant time with the architects of the old shop before writing a single line of the new one. That investment paid off directly in the quality of the integration.

Two systems, two responsibilities: why Payload CMS was the right call

A shop like BMW Classic needs two fundamentally different things working in parallel: a structured commerce layer for parts data, pricing, compatibility, and stock – and a flexible content layer for landing pages, campaigns, and editorial storytelling.

Trying to force both into a single system creates compromises in both directions. So we separated them intentionally.

Payload CMS became the content brain. It gave the BMW Classic team the ability to publish and update marketing content, build campaign pages, and manage editorial material without needing a developer for every change. That kind of operational independence matters – especially for a team managing a catalog this size.

The custom commerce layer handled the rest: product data, checkout, pricing, and order flow. Connected through the sync layer, both systems together gave BMW Classic something they didn’t have before – speed without risk.

SEO as a product requirement, not an afterthought

One of the clearest decisions we made going in was to treat SEO as a core requirement – not a layer added after development. For a shop selling 40,000+ spare parts, organic discoverability isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between capturing long-tail search demand and missing it entirely.

In practice, this meant:

• A clean, indexable URL and navigation structure from day one
• Fast page loads via Next.js and Digital Ocean infrastructure
• Scalable metadata and content architecture that grows with the catalog
• A navigation model built around the way real customers actually search – by model family, then category, then part

The previous platform had essentially no SEO foundation. Fixing that structurally, rather than patching it, was one of the most commercially relevant things we did in this project.

What we’d do the same – and what we’d watch more closely

The design and technical architecture held up well. Building a storefront around the real buyer journey – find the right model, navigate categories confidently, validate part details, purchase without friction – is the right approach for a parts shop at this scale.

What we’d watch more closely next time: even more rigorous documentation of FileMaker data structures before migration begins. Legacy systems often contain edge cases that only surface under real conditions. The more thoroughly you map the old system upfront, the fewer surprises appear during sync testing.

The other key learning – and this applies beyond BMW Classic – is that a sync layer isn’t just a technical workaround. It’s actually a long-term architectural feature. Future migrations, additions, or replacements of any single component don’t require rebuilding the whole platform. That’s a real advantage as the business evolves.

Where things stand

The shop is live, stable, and continuing to develop. We’re ongoing with SEO improvements, UX refinements, and expanding the content layer. A project like this doesn’t end at launch – it enters a growth phase, and the foundation needs to be solid enough to support that.

If there’s one thing worth taking away from this project: the hardest part of migrating a legacy system isn’t the new technology. It’s respecting and understanding the old one well enough to build around it safely.

Working with a content-heavy platform or considering a CMS migration? Our Payload CMS services are built for exactly these kinds of projects – complex data, editorial independence, and no big-bang risk.

Related: Learn how we developed an ERP-Shopify connector and merged the e-commerce store for Rokker.

The post E-Commerce and CMS Migration for BMW Classic appeared first on what. AG.

Why merchants leave BigCommerce for Shopify

The short answer: BigCommerce works, but Shopify works better for most growing businesses.

Number of apps

BigCommerce’s app marketplace sits at roughly 1,000–1,500 apps. Shopify’s has over 15,000. That gap matters the moment you need something slightly outside the standard setup – subscriptions, advanced loyalty programs, niche integrations – because on BigCommerce, you’re often stuck with a custom build. On Shopify, there’s usually an app for it.

Admin interface

Shopify’s backend is widely regarded as the cleanest in ecommerce. New staff can typically handle products, orders, and basic settings within a day or two. 

BigCommerce’s admin has a steeper learning curve – more complex navigation, less intuitive workflows – which quietly increases training costs and error rates over time.

Payment integrations

For Swiss merchants specifically, Shopify Payments natively supports CHF and integrates with TWINT (via Shopify Payments directly since 2025). The broader Swiss payment provider ecosystem like Datatrans, Payrexx and Wallee also integrates cleanly with Shopify. On BigCommerce, you’re stuck routing everything through third-party gateways with additional fees and configuration overhead.

Shopify Markets

Shopify Markets lets you manage storefronts for Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and France – with localized pricing, currencies, languages, and domains – all from one backend. BigCommerce has no direct equivalent. For Swiss merchants already selling to DACH neighbors, this alone is a significant operational advantage.

Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus extends this further with Checkout Extensibility, Shopify Functions for custom discount and shipping logic, and higher API rate limits – critical once you’re running complex ERP or PIM integrations.

The switch makes the most sense if:

• Your team is constantly working around platform limitations
• You’re planning international expansion
• Your marketing team can’t run campaigns without developer support for basic storefront changes
• Your BigCommerce contract is up for renewal
• You’re losing ground on mobile commerce

It’s worth waiting if:

• You depend on BigCommerce’s native B2B features – complex quote workflows, tiered pricing, purchase order management. Shopify Plus is closing this gap, but if your setup is deeply embedded, audit it carefully before committing.
• A major custom development project was completed in the last six months and hasn’t delivered its full ROI yet.

How the BigCommerce to Shopify migration works

A Shopify migration from BigCommerce follows a structured eight-phase process. The general flow is similar to other platform migrations – but there are a few BigCommerce-specific things worth knowing.

For a detailed breakdown of each phase with full context, check out our general guide on Shopify migration. Here’s a quick summary of how the phases apply specifically to a BigCommerce setup:

• Phase 1 – Audit and planning: This is where most migrations succeed or fail. You need a detailed brief covering every data object, every integration, every custom script, and every piece of functionality that needs to be replicated or replaced. Skipping this phase is the single most common cause of migration failures.
• Phase 2 – Shopify store setup: Store settings, payment providers (CHF/EUR), shipping zones, and tax rules. For Swiss shops, MWST (VAT) configuration (8.1% standard, 2.6% reduced) needs to be correct from day one.
• Phases 3–5 – Theme development, data migration, app setup: These run largely in parallel. Theme development tailors your chosen Shopify theme to your brand. Data migration transfers products, customers, orders, and content using tools like Matrixify for granular CSV-based control. App setup maps each BigCommerce integration – email marketing, accounting, wishlists, translations – to a Shopify equivalent.
• Phase 6 – QA and testing: Cover the full customer journey from product discovery to post-purchase confirmation, across devices and browsers. Don’t skip edge cases like tax overrides or B2B pricing.
• Phase 7 – SEO preparation: Non-negotiable. Every URL that changes needs a 301 redirect to its Shopify equivalent. Meta titles, descriptions, and structured data should be verified across key pages. Submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console on launch day and monitor rankings closely for four to six weeks.
• Phase 8 – Launch and monitoring: DNS cutover during a low-traffic window, with the full team on standby to catch any post-launch issues.

One structural tip that works well: run theme development and data migration as parallel workstreams. It cuts the overall timeline significantly without adding risk.

What data migrates – and what doesn’t

Most of the core ecommerce data set moves cleanly between platforms. Here’s a clear breakdown:

Migrates well:

• Products and variants (custom metafields require remapping)
• Customers and historical orders
• Product reviews (via apps like Judge.me)
• Blog posts, pages, and product images
• Discount codes and metafields

Historical orders are especially worth migrating – they’re not live orders on Shopify, but they matter for customer service and reporting continuity.

One important caveat: Customer passwords can’t be migrated due to encryption. Customers will need to log in via OTP sent to their email. Plan a communication campaign around this before launch.

Partially migratable:

• URL structures – they will change between platforms, making a comprehensive redirect map essential
• BigCommerce-specific custom scripts and widgets – these need to be rebuilt with third-party apps or custom solutions
• Native BigCommerce analytics history – this doesn’t transfer directly, but Shopify’s built-in analytics is genuinely strong, with cohort reporting, sales attribution, and real-time dashboards. Transaction data in Google Analytics is also retained, so historical performance data isn’t lost.

Migrating to Shopify Plus: what changes

If you’re migrating directly to Shopify Plus, a few additional capabilities open up that are worth planning for.

Checkout Extensibility lets you add custom UI components to the checkout – additional fields, B2B-specific inputs like UID numbers, age verification, or regional payment restrictions – without touching core checkout code. Unlike the old checkout.liquid approach, these extensions survive platform updates.

Shopify Functions gives you custom logic for discounts, shipping rules, and payment customizations – things that often required bespoke development on BigCommerce Enterprise.

Higher API rate limits matter a lot if you’re running ERP or PIM integrations with high data volumes. Standard Shopify can hit limits quickly in complex setups.

B2B on Shopify Plus adds company accounts, custom price lists, and net payment terms – closing the gap with BigCommerce’s native B2B features for most use cases.

Plus merchants also get a dedicated Merchant Success Manager during and after migration, which is genuinely useful for complex projects.

Costs and Swiss-specific hurdles

Migration costs vary widely. Agency fees for a BigCommerce to Shopify migration typically start around CHF 5,000 for simpler projects and can reach CHF 25,000–50,000+ for setups with ERP integrations, custom functionality, and theme rebuilds. Shopify plans run from CHF 25/month up to CHF 2,000/month for Plus.

Hidden costs merchants often overlook:

• App replacements for BigCommerce native features (these add up monthly)
• Theme rebuild costs if you’re also redesigning
• Staff retraining time – though this is usually minimal given Shopify’s simpler admin

For Swiss shops specifically, the main technical hurdles are: setting up CHF and multi-currency correctly, integrating TWINT and PostFinance, and connecting Swiss ERP systems like Bexio. 

A Shopify agency with local knowledge removes the most common and costly points of failure here – Swiss MWST (VAT) configuration, local payment providers, and regional ERP connectors aren’t things you want to figure out on the fly.

The right time to start

The merchants who get the most out of a BigCommerce to Shopify switch are the ones who treat migration as an opportunity to improve – better UX, cleaner integrations, faster checkout – rather than a like-for-like copy of what they had before.

Even if launch is six months away, starting the audit and planning phase now means arriving at launch day with confidence rather than compromise.

We’ve helped Swiss merchants through this exact process – from the initial audit to a smooth go-live. As an experienced Shopify agency with deep knowledge of Swiss payment providers, MWST (VAT) configuration, and local ERP systems, we handle the complexity so you don’t have to.

Get in touch with our team to discuss your migration – and let’s make sure it goes right the first time.

The post BigCommerce to Shopify Migration: The Complete Guide for Swiss Merchants appeared first on what. AG.

What we built: a live data bridge between Shopify and SAP S/4 HANA

Rausch GmbH needed a fully automated connection between their Shopify Plus store and SAP S/4 HANA. No manual exports, no spreadsheet handoffs.

We built a custom SAP connector handling four core jobs: orders, payment terms, tracking numbers, and inventory sync. Working alongside Eddyson – an external SAP integration partner – we owned the Shopify side while Eddyson bridged the gap to SAP.

The flow works like this:

• Shopify sends order data via webhook to our connector
• We enrich the files with missing information and deposit them on an FTP server for Eddyson to pick up
• In the other direction, SAP sends tracking and inventory updates to Eddyson, which forwards them to us – we enrich and push them into Shopify

Clean loop, when it works.

File enrichment and payment flows: where the real complexity lives

Shopify’s order webhook payload doesn’t include everything SAP S/4 HANA needs – and that gap is where most of the work happened.

Barcodes, for example, aren’t part of the order data. The connector loops through each line item, fires an additional API call using the variant ID, and fetches the barcode separately. Same logic for gift cards: we detect the payment gateway name, hit the transactions endpoint, and pull the gift card data before packaging the file.

None of this is complex in isolation. But when you’re mapping fields across two systems with fundamentally different data models, it adds up fast.

Buy on account required its own solution entirely. SAP handles these orders with a delivery block – the order exists but doesn’t ship until payment is confirmed. That meant orders/create and orders/paid couldn’t follow the same flow. We built two distinct flows, each triggering different downstream logic. Getting the SAP behavior properly documented took longer than expected.

Three-party project coordination: the hidden cost of misalignment

Any project involving a client, an agency, and a third-party integration partner has natural friction points. Mapping decisions took time to finalize, and some delays came from waiting on alignment between parties rather than from the technical work itself.

We navigated it – but it taught us something important about how these projects should be set up from the start.

What we’d do differently on a Shopify ERP integration

We went into this project without a detailed requirements list or milestone-based roadmap. That gap cost us time.

Upfront documentation is non-negotiable. When you’re coordinating between Shopify, a custom connector, and a third-party SAP middleware partner, ambiguity is expensive. A requirement that seems obvious to one party is news to another.

A few things we now treat as mandatory on any Shopify ERP integration:

• A detailed requirements list before kickoff – especially for payment flows, tax logic, and edge cases like gift cards or custom payment methods
• A shared Slack channel with all parties onboarded from day one – context scattered across emails and calls slows everything down
• Data mapping completed early and in detail – the gap between what Shopify sends and what SAP expects is where projects lose weeks

Key takeaways for your Shopify SAP integration

If you’re planning a Shopify SAP or broader Shopify ERP integration with a third-party middleware partner, here’s the short version of what this project taught us:

• Define requirements before kickoff – not a rough scope, an actual list. Payment flows, tax logic, edge cases.
• Map your data early – the Shopify-to-SAP field gap is real and takes time to resolve properly.
• Build on a stack you’ll maintain – technical debt from legacy codebases surfaces as migration costs, not if but when.
• One shared communication channel from day one – when three parties need to align quickly, async fragmentation kills momentum.

The connector works. The lessons were worth it.

We also delivered the full Shopify services scope for Rausch GmbH – building their Shopify Plus store, migrating from Shopware 5, and implementing a custom product configurator for their Pick&Mix solutions. The ERP connector sits inside a larger, working ecosystem.

The post Shopify ↔ SAP S/4 HANA Integration: What We Learned Building a Custom ERP Connector appeared first on what. AG.

The conversion rate shows you how many of your visitors actually make a purchase. On average, it is between 1.4 and 1.8% for Shopify shops – but with the right measures, you can get much more out of it.

Why Conversion Rate Optimisation is so Important in Shopify

Every additional visitor you convert into a buyer is worth cash – without you having to spend more on advertising. Especially in Switzerland, where traffic is expensive, every optimisation pays off twice.

Swiss Peculiarities

Frequent CVR killers in Swiss shops are required terms and conditions checkboxes at checkout. Replace them with a simple text such as “By clicking on ORDER, you agree to our terms and conditions” – this significantly reduces abandonment rates.

Multilingual shops also have advantages: offering German, French and Italian reaches more Swiss customers. Translation apps for Shopify help you build your shop in multiple languages.

Quick Win 1 – Optimise Product Pages for Maximum Impact

Your product pages are your digital shop window and often determine whether a customer buys or leaves within seconds. High-quality images from different angles, videos and clear product descriptions are a must.

Typical mistakes made by Swiss shops: CTAs are too weak, buttons are not colour-coded and bullet points are completely missing. Bullet points are invaluable – they show the most important benefits of a product at a glance.

For multilingual product descriptions, keep it simple. Focus on bullet points that are targeted and clearly written – in German, French and Italian.

Quick Win 2 – Radically Simplify the Checkout Process

The checkout is the last hurdle before the purchase – and this is where many shops fail. A complicated checkout costs you money directly.

Typical reasons for checkout abandonment in Switzerland: missing payment methods such as TWINT or buy on account. The checkout process is too long (several pages) or requires unnecessary mandatory fields such as date of birth or registration.

You can also reduce checkout abandonment with one-page checkout. Shopify summarises the entire purchase process on a single page where customers can enter their contact details, shipping information and payment information in one step.

Shopify Plus offers advanced checkout customisation via Extensibility. You can add additional fields or restrict payment methods by region – perfect for more complex shops.

The recommended payment method order for Swiss shops: TWINT first, then credit card, possibly PayPal, buy on account and the rest. TWINT is indispensable for mobile purchases – over 70% of transactions are made on smartphones.

Quick Win 3 – Use Smart Pop-up Strategies

Pop-ups can be very effective – if you use them correctly. Exit-intent pop-ups intercept visitors who are about to leave the site and offer them a last-minute discount or free shipping.

Typical pop-up mistakes: they appear too early, are too intrusive or are simply annoying. A pop-up that appears as soon as the page is loaded drives visitors away instead of turning them into customers.

Legal aspects in Switzerland: the Data Protection Act is less strict than the GDPR, but you still need a cookie banner for international traffic. Provide clear information about data use – this creates trust.

More Quick Wins for Higher Conversion

PageSpeed Insights shows you where your shop is slow. Image optimisation, less JavaScript and better Core Web Vitals (LCP, layout shifts) make your shop faster – and faster shops convert better.

Social proofs such as product reviews are a must. Apps like judge.me automatically collect reviews and display them prominently on product pages. Customers want to see that others are already satisfied – especially with higher-value products.

Content improvements to CTAs, menu items and navigation often fall by the wayside. A clear “Buy now” button in an eye-catching colour makes more of a difference than you think.

A/B testing shows you what really works. Test different headlines, product images or button colours – and let data decide, not gut feeling.

Essential Tools & Apps for Shopify CRO

Shopify Bundles helps you put together product bundles and increase the average basket value. Customers would rather buy a bundle for CHF 100 than three individual products for CHF 35 each.

Shopify Flow automates processes such as inventory alerts and customer segmentation. This saves time and reduces errors.

Search & Discovery improves shop search and makes it easier for customers to find what they are looking for. The native Shopify solution is free and works well.

The Seal Subscriptions app enables subscription models for recurring purchases. This is particularly ideal for consumer products – and it ensures predictable sales.

The 3 best Shopify apps to boost your conversion rate will give you even more inspiration for your CRO strategy.

Shopify Plus for Larger Companies – Enterprise CVR Optimisation

Shopify Plus is worthwhile for companies with an annual turnover of around CHF 1 million or more – below that, it usually doesn’t make sense. However, this must be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on sales volume and complexity.

Shopify Plus offers advanced B2B features, better API limits and priority support. It is practically indispensable for larger shops with complex requirements.

The lower transaction fees with Plus (from 2.3% instead of 2.55%) quickly save several thousand francs a year with high sales.

Most Common Mistakes Customers Made Before Working With Us

In over 200 projects, we have analysed numerous shops and repeatedly observed the same typical customer mistakes:

• The structure of the site is often wrong: navigation, CTAs and USP positioning are unclear. A clear structure leads to higher conversions – it’s not rocket science, but it is often neglected.
• The speed of the site suffers from heavy images, unused JavaScript files and poor rendering. PageSpeed Insights shows you the problems.
• The customer journey is not optimised based on measurable results. Without A/B testing, you don’t know if your changes are really working.

As an experienced Shopify agency, we help you avoid these mistakes from the outset. We know the stumbling blocks and show you which adjustments make sense for your business model.

Conversion rate optimisation is not a one-off project, but a continuous process. Those who test and optimise regularly get more out of their shop year after year.

The post Quick Wins for Conversion Rate Optimisation on Shopify appeared first on what. AG.

This article shows you how Shopify Markets works, what pricing strategies are available and what you as a Swiss retailer should pay attention to.

What is Shopify Markets and How Does It Work?

Shopify Markets is the integrated solution for international sales. Instead of setting up a separate shop for each country, you manage all markets centrally from one admin panel.

The basic idea is that you define different markets (e.g. Switzerland, Germany, Austria) and specify the currency, price calculation, payment methods and shipping options for each market. Shopify automatically recognises which country a visitor is from based on their IP address.

Customers see prices in their local currency, can pay with their preferred payment methods and receive transparent shipping costs. This builds trust and increases conversion.

Who is Shopify Markets For?

• Shopify beginners with an international focus
• Existing merchants looking to expand (e.g. from Switzerland to DACH)
• Migration projects from WooCommerce, Magento or other systems

Markets is available free of charge in all plans except the Starter Plan. You don’t pay any additional licence fees – just the usual currency conversion fees for transactions.

Shopify Managed Markets, formerly “Markets Pro”, is only available to US merchants – as a Swiss merchant, you use Standard Markets, which is perfectly sufficient for successful international sales.

International Pricing Logic: How to Control Prices for Different Markets

Pricing for international markets is one of the most important strategic decisions. Shopify Markets offers you three approaches, which you can also combine.

Automatic Currency Conversion

You only maintain prices in your home currency (e.g. CHF) and Shopify automatically converts them into the target currency.

Advantages:

• Minimal maintenance effort
• Ideal for large product ranges
• Exchange rate changes are automatically considered

Disadvantages:

• Prices appear “odd” (CHF 97.50 instead of CHF 99)
• No control over psychological price thresholds
• Exchange rate fluctuations lead to undesirable changes

We recommend this method for larger product ranges (500+ products), frequent price changes or primarily B2B commerce, where round prices are less important.

Country-Specific Fixed Prices

You set individual, fixed prices for each market. A product then costs, for example, exactly CHF 99 in Switzerland, €89 in Germany and £79 in the United Kingdom – regardless of the exchange rate.

Advantages:

• Full control over psychological prices
• Takes market specifics (such as higher purchasing power in Switzerland) into account
• Customers trust round prices

Disadvantages:

• High manual maintenance effort
• You have to adjust prices manually when exchange rates fluctuate
• Risk of outdated prices

The challenge: Many smaller merchants rely on fixed prices because of the control they offer. However, keeping prices up to date quickly becomes a full-time job.

We recommend fixed prices for manageable product ranges (less than 100-200 products), stable market conditions and sufficient resources for regular price reviews.

Percentage Price Adjustments

The middle ground: you use automatic currency conversion but adjust prices by a percentage.

Example: Base price CHF 100 → automatically converted to EUR → plus 15% surcharge.

Advantages:

• Balance between automation and control
• Ideal for reflecting cost differences (higher shipping costs, customs duties)
• Less maintenance than fixed prices

Disadvantage:

• Prices remain uneven
• Requires strategic consideration of the surcharge per market

We recommend this method for larger merchants with specific cost factors (logistics, taxes, market conditions).

In practice: We often see hybrid approaches – fixed prices for 3-4 main markets (DACH), automatic conversion for all others, percentage adjustments for markets with higher logistics costs.

Swiss Specifics: CHF and Currency Risk

As a Swiss retailer, there are specific points to consider when selling internationally.

The strong Swiss franc: If you purchase and produce in CHF but sell in EUR, you bear an exchange rate risk. If the franc rises against the euro, your products become more expensive for EU customers – or your margin shrinks.

Practical strategies:

• Factor a buffer (5–10%) into export prices
• Quarterly price reviews for exchange rate checks
• Use automatic conversion to minimise currency risk

Business logic for pricing:

• How price-sensitive are your target markets?
• Do you have significant cost differences?
• How quickly do prices generally change?
• How big is your team?
• What margins do you have?

Practical example: A customer sells fashion items with 400+ products and fixed prices. 

Problem: He regularly adjusts CHF prices, but often forgets the EUR prices. 

Result: Prices drift apart, margins are incorrect. He is considering switching to automatic conversion with a 10% surcharge.

ERP Integration: Synchronise Prices and Stock

For many customers, especially in the B2B sector, the ERP connection between Shopify Markets and the ERP system is crucial.

Typical challenges:

• ERP often only recognises one currency (CHF)
• Prices in ERP are sometimes customer-specific
• Stock levels must be synchronised across markets
• Orders from different markets should be consolidated

Possible solutions:

• Currency mapping – clear rules on how ERP prices are converted into Shopify market prices
• Price list import – some ERPs natively support multiple currencies
• Middleware – for more complex setups, we use Make, Zapier or custom solutions
• Shopify as the leading source – in some cases, Shopify becomes the leading source for online prices

The right strategy depends heavily on your setup. It is important to consider integration early on, not just once the shop is live.

Setting Up Shopify Markets: The Most Important Steps

Now it’s time to get practical. We’ll show you how to set up Shopify Markets.

Step 1: Activate Markets

Go to Settings → Markets. Your primary market (e.g. Switzerland) is automatically active. Click on “Add Market” and select countries (e.g. Germany, Austria as the DACH market).

Tip: You can group countries into regions. An “EU” market with 10 countries is easier to manage than 10 separate markets.

Step 2: Set the Currency

For each market, you specify the currency in which customers pay. Under “Sell in local currency”, select the currency (e.g. EUR).

Important: For local currencies to work, you need a payment provider with multi-currency support. Shopify Payments is the simplest solution – in Switzerland, Stripe is often used as an alternative.

Step 3: Set Pricing Logic

Under “Products and pricing”, select: Automatic conversion, percentage adjustment or individual prices.

Step 4: Configure Payment Methods

Different markets prefer different payment methods. What is standard in Switzerland (Buy on Account, TWINT) is often unusual in Germany.

Shopify Payments automatically supports local payment methods (Germany: Sofort, giropay; Netherlands: iDEAL; Poland: Przelewy24).

Our recommendation: Test the checkout process in each market yourself. Simulate orders to ensure that the currency, payment methods, and shipping options are correct.

Costs: How Much Does International Sales Cost?

Shopify Markets itself is free in all plans except Starter (including Shopify Plus). You do not pay any additional licence fees.

What costs money:

• Currency conversion fees – typically 1–2% in addition to normal transaction fees
• Translation costs – manual, professional services (CHF 0.08–0.20 per word) or automatic tools (CHF 20–100/month)

Our tip: Start with one market (e.g. Germany), optimise processes and prices, then expand gradually. This significantly minimises risks.

Conclusion: Strategy is Key

Shopify Markets is a powerful tool – but it’s not autopilot. The platform gives you the technical basis, but strategic decisions are up to you.

Key insights:

• Choose your pricing logic wisely – fixed prices give you control, but only if you keep them up to date. Automatic conversion scales better. Percentage adjustments are the middle ground.
• Keep an eye on currency risk – the strong franc is both a blessing and a curse. Factor in buffers or rely on automatic conversion.
• Payment methods are critical for conversion – customers want to pay in their currency and with their preferred method.
• Don’t forget ERP integration – if you use an ERP, plan the mapping between ERP prices and Shopify Markets prices early on.
• Start small, then scale – start with 1–2 strategically important markets, learn from them, and then expand.

International e-commerce is an opportunity – but one that needs to be well thought out. Shopify Markets gives you the tools. Whether you use them profitably depends on your strategy and operational excellence.

If you need support – from strategy to technical implementation to optimisation – we are happy to help as a Shopify agency.

The post Shopify Markets & International Pricing Logic for Successful International Sales appeared first on what. AG.

The biggest update? AI evolves from a nice gimmick to a real workhorse. Sidekick now builds apps, creates flows, and adjusts your theme – all via text command.

On top of that, you get native A/B tests that save you from expensive third-party tools. And particularly exciting: your products automatically become discoverable in ChatGPT, Copilot, and other AI agents – a completely new sales channel.

Sidekick Becomes an AI Agent – Your New Shopify Pro

Sidekick is no longer just a chat tool, but a full-fledged operator that plans, executes, and handles complex tasks. Instead of just answering questions, it now builds custom apps, creates workflows in Shopify Flow, and generates reports in ShopifyQL.

An example: you say “Build me an app that automatically checks which products need reordering.” Sidekick builds the tool for you – no code, no developer.

Proactive insights instead of reactive answers: Sidekick Pulse delivers personalized recommendations before you even ask. Based on market trends and your shop data, it suggests concrete optimizations – like which products you should push or where your customer journey is breaking down. The whole thing runs in the background and only alerts you when it’s really relevant.

Custom apps without developers: Custom App Generation is a real game-changer for SMEs without their own IT department. Sidekick understands your requirement in natural language and builds a working Shopify app from it. Examples from the Winter Edition: reorder tools for inventory, task trackers for your team, bulk importers for B2B customer data.

Automations that actually work: Sidekick now creates flows in Shopify Flow, custom reports in ShopifyQL, and customer segments – all on command. A concrete use case: “If inventory drops below 10, create an order with the supplier and notify the team.” Sidekick translates that into a working flow that you just need to activate.

Design adjustments via text command: Theme edits now run through Sidekick instead of the code editor. “Make the buttons rounder,” “Change the spacing between products,” “Add a trust badge under the add-to-cart button” – it all works via chat.

The built-in image editor removes backgrounds, expands canvas size, and clears out distracting elements from your product photos. On mobile, you can even operate Sidekick via voice – perfect for on the go.

Practical Sidekick features for everyday use: Skills are reusable prompts that you can share with the community. Instead of phrasing the same request every time, you save successful prompts as a skill and call them up with one click.

App Discovery helps you find the right tools for your requirements – Sidekick compares features and suggests which app best fits your setup. Sidekick now also remembers your preferences and past chats – making collaboration much smoother.

Native A/B Tests and Launch Security – Finally Without Third-Party Chaos

Rollouts bring you native A/B tests for themes directly in the admin, with scheduled theme rollouts and automatic winner takeover. No more fiddling with external tools, no plugin conflicts, no additional costs.

This is particularly valuable for Shopify Plus shops that regularly want to test optimizations. Standard shops will get a stripped-down version – when exactly is still unclear.

SimGym tests your changes before customers see them: SimGym is a new app from the Shopify App Store that uses AI agents to simulate buyer behavior. Based on billions of real transactions, SimGym predicts how your changes will affect conversion, add-to-cart rate, and average cart value.

A practical example: you’re planning a theme redesign before Black Friday. SimGym shows you in advance whether the new design performs better – without having to use real customers as guinea pigs.

When are A/B tests really worth it? Theme redesigns before major launches like Black Friday or product launches are the perfect use case. With Rollouts, you test different versions in parallel and automatically let the winning variant take over.

Particularly interesting for multilingual Swiss shops: you can configure tests per market – so run different variants in parallel for German, French, and Italian. This helps you account for cultural differences in buying behavior.

Agentic Storefronts – Your Shop Sells in AI Chats

Agentic Storefronts make your products automatically discoverable in ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity – more channels to follow. Customers can browse, ask questions, and buy directly in chat without visiting your website.

You set up the data once, and Shopify handles the distribution. New discovery channels without extra effort – exactly as it should be.

Why this matters for your shop: E-commerce is increasingly shifting into conversations rather than traditional webshops. Those who start now have an advantage before the channel becomes too crowded.

Setup takes just a few minutes. What’s important is that your product data is cleanly structured – categories, metafields, and descriptions need to be on point.

Immediately Usable Features for Your Daily Shop Operations

• 2048 variants per product instead of the previous 100 finally make large assortments properly manageable. Fashion shops with many colors and sizes, B2B shops with complex configurators, and customizable products benefit most.
  
• Unlisted Product Status hides products from search and collections but keeps them accessible via direct link. Perfect for exclusive offers, VIP customers, or pre-launch tests where only selected people should have access.
  
• Automatic discounts for customer segments now run without workarounds. You define the segments – like “customers who haven’t bought anything in the last 30 days” or “VIP customers from the Zurich region” – and Shopify applies the discounts automatically. No more coupon codes needed.
  
• Flow Mail extends Shopify Flow with transactional emails. Shipping confirmations, tracking updates, and invoices run fully automatically as soon as certain conditions are met. This saves time and reduces errors.

B2B & Enterprise – Shopify Grows Up

Shopify Collective is now available in 35 additional countries, making wholesale and B2B networks easier than ever. You can source and sell products from other Shopify brands – all in the admin.

Key B2B updates at a glance:

• Payment Requests per Fulfillment allow separate invoices for multi-shipment orders
• Store Credit is now also available for B2B customers
• Pickup in Store finally works for corporate customers too
• Dynamic Payment Terms & Deposits via Shopify Functions (Plus-exclusive)
• Order Review Rules define which orders need manual review

ERP integrations to NetSuite, BrightPearl, Fulfil, Sage, and Acumatica now run via pre-built connectors from Patchworks, Fulfil, and Kensium. This makes integration significantly faster and cheaper.

For Swiss B2B requirements like QR invoices, VAT ID fields, and longer payment terms, Shopify covers the basics. For special requirements, you’ll often still need apps or custom solutions.

Marketing, Checkout & Internationalization

SMS marketing now runs directly in Shopify Messaging – create campaigns, schedule, track, all in one place. No more third-party providers needed.

Auto-translation for Shopify Forms supports 19 languages automatically, which is invaluable for multilingual Swiss shops. Forms are displayed according to browser language.

Personalized Shop Pay Button shows the last four digits of the saved card. This builds trust and speeds up checkout because customers immediately see which payment method is stored.

Checkout & Accounts per Market can now be individually customized. You can configure different checkout flows for different countries or B2B segments – perfect for international shops with varying requirements.

New payment options: Shop Pay Installments are now also available in the UK with terms up to 24 months. Apple Pay is available as a payment method in Shop Pay, and onboarding for Shopify Payments is now faster, with fewer requirements and AI support.

Developer & Platform Updates – Brief Overview

Bulk Operations now run significantly faster, mass imports process larger datasets in less time. Perfect for shops with large product catalogs or frequent updates.

Shopify Functions replace the old Scripts in June 2026 – faster execution, more parity, safer migration. If you still have old scripts in use, you should start the migration now.

Dev Assistant has been beefed up and now supports the entire developer platform with targeted documentation and code examples. For agencies like us, this means: faster development, fewer bugs, happier clients.

Conclusion: What You Should Do Now

The Shopify Winter Edition 2026 brings real improvements instead of marketing gimmicks. AI becomes productive, A/B tests run natively, and your products become discoverable in AI chats.

Particularly relevant for your Shopify shop:

• Multilingual features for German/French/Italian
• Agentic Storefronts for new sales channels
• B2B updates for wholesale and corporate customers
• Native A/B tests for data-driven optimization

Those who adopt the new features now save time, money, and nerves. As a Shopify agency, we help you identify and implement the right features for your shop.

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