Shopify to Squarespace Migration Guide

Navigate to your Shopify admin dashboard and use the built-in CSV export functionality to download all your store data. Go to Settings > Data and privacy > Export store data to generate comprehensive CSV files for products, customers, and orders. Download the products CSV which will include all variants (up to your current 100 variant limit), customer information, and order history. Save these files in an organized folder structure as you'll need them throughout the migration process.

Create your Squarespace account and select an appropriate Commerce plan that supports e-commerce functionality. Choose between the Basic Commerce ($18/month) or Advanced Commerce ($40/month) plans based on your needs for abandoned cart recovery, advanced analytics, and selling on social platforms. The Advanced plan is recommended for businesses migrating from Shopify as it provides more robust e-commerce features. Complete the initial account setup and domain configuration.

Browse Squarespace's collection of design templates and select one that aligns with your brand aesthetic, particularly focusing on templates optimized for your industry (photography, creative services, or small retail). Popular e-commerce templates include Bedford, Brine, or Pacific for their clean, modern designs. Customize the template's colors, fonts, and layout to match your brand identity. Take advantage of Squarespace's drag-and-drop editor to create a unique look that showcases your products beautifully.

Use Squarespace's product import feature to upload your Shopify products CSV file, taking advantage of the increased variant limit of 250 per product. Navigate to Commerce > Inventory and use the import tool, mapping Shopify fields to corresponding Squarespace fields (title, description, price, SKU, inventory). Configure product variants for size, color, or other options, ensuring all images are properly associated with the correct variants. Set up product categories and tags to organize your catalog effectively.

Import customer information from your Shopify customer CSV export into Squarespace's customer database. Go to Commerce > Customers and use the import function to upload customer details including names, email addresses, and shipping addresses. Since customer passwords cannot be migrated, prepare a communication strategy to inform customers about password reset procedures. Set up customer accounts and configure email notifications for account creation and password resets.

Set up payment processing through Squarespace's integrated Stripe system or connect your existing payment processor. Navigate to Commerce > Payments and configure accepted payment methods including credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay. Enter your tax identification information and bank account details for payment deposits. Configure payment security settings and enable fraud protection features available in Squarespace Commerce.

Configure shipping zones, rates, and methods in Commerce > Shipping to match or improve upon your Shopify shipping setup. Create shipping zones for domestic and international delivery, set up flat-rate or calculated shipping based on weight or price, and configure free shipping thresholds. Integrate with shipping carriers if needed and set up shipping notifications and tracking information for customers. Consider Squarespace's built-in shipping label printing capabilities.

Set up tax configuration in Commerce > Taxes to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal tax requirements. Configure automatic tax calculation for different regions, set up tax-exempt categories if applicable, and integrate with tax services for accurate calculations. Ensure digital products and physical products are taxed appropriately based on your business location and customer shipping addresses. Review tax reporting features for accounting purposes.

Transfer important content from your Shopify store including About Us, Contact, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and FAQ pages. Use Squarespace's page editor to recreate these pages with improved design and layout. Migrate blog content if applicable, ensuring all images and links are properly formatted. Create any additional pages needed for your business such as size guides, return policies, or brand story pages that take advantage of Squarespace's content creation strengths.

Configure 301 redirects from your Shopify URLs to corresponding Squarespace URLs to maintain SEO rankings and prevent broken links. Use Squarespace's URL redirect feature in Settings > Advanced > URL Redirects to map old product, collection, and page URLs to new ones. Update your sitemap, meta descriptions, and page titles for SEO optimization. Set up Google Analytics and Search Console integration to track performance after migration.

Conduct thorough testing of your new Squarespace store including product browsing, cart functionality, checkout process, payment processing, and email notifications. Test on multiple devices and browsers to ensure responsive design works properly. Verify that all product variants, pricing, and inventory levels are correct. Test customer account creation, login, and password reset functionality. Review all imported content for formatting issues and broken links.