Lightspeed To Shopify Migration: The Ultimate Guide
By Sam Nguyen
Key Takeaways
- Migrating from Lightspeed to Shopify can help you improve your online store’s performance, design, and scalability.
- You must prepare your data, choose a migration method, and test your new store before going live. Moreover, you can use migration apps or hire experts to help you with the migration process.
- You should also consider the costs, benefits, and best practices of Lightspeed to Shopify migration.
In this article, we will show you how to migrate from Lightspeed to Shopify effectively. We will explain what types of data you can migrate, what steps you need to take, and what tools you can use. We will also highlight the benefits of switching from Lightspeed to Shopify and answer some frequently asked questions.
Types of data to migrate from Lightspeed to Shopify
Products
Lightspeed offers flexibility with both variants and custom options for products. Shopify primarily supports variants and can accommodate custom options through combinations, with limitations on the number of options and variants.
Product Categories
Lightspeed supports hierarchical product categories for organized categorization. Shopify does not support hierarchical categories but allows for brilliant types based on product attributes.
Orders
In Lightspeed, a single status represents both payment and shipment for orders. Shopify distinguishes between payment and fulfillment statuses, with fulfillment not necessarily implying shipment. Migration may require status mapping.
Customers
Both platforms prioritize customer data and require valid email addresses and addresses for customer accounts, enhancing security.
Blogs
Both Lightspeed and Shopify offer blogging capabilities alongside online stores. Shopify provides a feature-rich blog page creation dashboard. Note that third-party website design modules may impact blog post compatibility with Shopify.
Others (Reviews, Manufacturers, etc.)
Lightspeed and Shopify support additional features like product reviews, manufacturers, and more. The structure of these additional data types is remarkably similar between the two platforms. This restructured content maintains the original information while categorizing it according to the specified structure for easier reference and understanding.
Lightspeed to Shopify migration: Preparation
1. Running Lightspeed Backups:
Before making significant changes to your online store, it’s crucial to back up your data. This way, if any errors occur during the migration process, your store’s performance won’t be affected.
Rest assured, LitExtension won’t change anything in your Lightspeed Source Store database. Your data will be smoothly transferred. For a manual Lightspeed backup, follow these simple steps on your Onsite server:
- Go to Tools > Utilities > Backup Database from the OnSite Dashboard.
- Select “Backup” and wait a few minutes.
- Your store data is now securely backed up.
If you’re using the Lightspeed eCommerce plan, exporting data into a single folder for future reference is easy. Here’s how:
- Open the Tools > Exports page.
- Click “New export.”
- Choose the types of data to export from the dropdown menu.
- Click the “Export” button.
With your backup complete, let’s move on to the next phase!
2. Creating a Shopify Store:
Since you’re transitioning to Shopify, you must set up your store on this platform first. After enjoying a 3-day free trial, Shopify offers new users a chance to extend their preparation for just $1 per month for the first three months. Take advantage of this opportunity and start your eCommerce journey now!
To create your Shopify store:
- Visit their website and sign up for a new account.
- Answer a few questions to provide more information about your business, or you can choose to “Skip All” and proceed.
Considerations before Migrating from Lightspeed to Shopify
When you’re planning to switch from Lightspeed to Shopify, there are several important factors to consider:
Customer Experience Improvement:
Ensure you have easy access to all the essential resources like photos, theme styles, and style sheets. If you remember this step, managing your store might become more complicated, and your customers might have a better experience.
Customer Passwords:
Different platforms use various methods to encrypt passwords and store data. When you move from Lightspeed to Shopify, your customers’ old passwords won’t work anymore. This could be a hassle and affect their satisfaction with your products. To address this, we recommend checking out our Customer Password Migration service for future reference.
Community and Support:
In terms of getting help and support:
- With Lightspeed, you can reach out for general inquiries, but for tech support, you’ll need to make appointments in advance. You can also contact them through their AskLightSpeed Twitter account.
- On the other hand, Shopify offers 24/7 technical and customer assistance. Their support features include a helpful center, webinars, video tutorials, and a dedicated support team that is always ready to assist you.
Step-by-Step to Migrate from Lightspeed to Shopify
Migrating from Lightspeed to Shopify can be simple, even if you’re not a tech expert. Thanks to Next-Cart’s user-friendly migration tool, you can complete the entire process in three simple steps. What makes it even better is that the data structure between the two platforms is quite similar, making the transfer quick and hassle-free.
Step 1: Setup the Connection
To start the migration, you must establish connections between your Lightspeed site and your Shopify site using our eCommerce platform migration tool. Here’s how:
- For your Lightspeed site, you can choose to migrate from either your eCom or Retail POS account. Detailed instructions in the migration tool will guide you through this.
- For your Shopify site, generate an Access Token from your Shopify admin page per the instructions. Then, enter the Access Token into the target setup form.
- Once you’ve entered all the necessary information, click “Next Step” to proceed with the migration configuration.
Step 2: Configure the Migration
In this step, you can select the specific types of data you want to move from Lightspeed to Shopify. Next-Cart’s migration tool supports various data types, including products, categories, reviews, customers, orders, coupons, blog posts, and CMS pages.
You can also customize the migration process using Additional Options. If your Lightspeed site is multilingual, you must map the languages in the Advanced Attributes Mapping section.
For order migration, ensure that you map the order statuses correctly. Lightspeed and Shopify use different order status systems, so choose the correct mappings based on your order processing. For instance, “Completed” in Lightspeed might correspond to “Paid” and “Fulfilled” in Shopify.
Once you’ve completed the necessary configuration, click “Next Step” to start the data migration.
Step 3: Start the Migration Process
After confirming your migration configuration, the migration process will begin. At this point, all you have to do is wait!
The migration duration depends on the amount of data on your Lightspeed site, which can range from a few minutes to several hours. Once the migration is finished, you’ll receive a “Congratulations” notification confirming the successful transfer of your data to Shopify.
Costs of Lightspeed to Shopify Migration
The total cost of switching from LightSpeed to Shopify can vary significantly depending on your chosen approach. Doing it yourself might seem cost-effective, but it’s not recommended due to the high technical skill required and potential data transfer challenges.
Alternatively, you can seek assistance by hiring a developer or web agency. Their hourly rates typically range from $50 to $80. However, finding a web design firm or freelancer with in-depth knowledge of platform data structures can be challenging. This might lead to longer wait times and higher maintenance costs.
Go-live Checklist of Lightspeed to Shopify migration
When you use LitExtension service, your current website will continue to work as usual while transferring from Lightspeed to Shopify. Any new orders or customers will be updated in your database.
To address your concerns about your website staying up-to-date, LitExtension offers these helpful post-migration services:
1. Recent Data Migration: This ensures that any new orders or clients created on your source store are automatically transferred to your new store during and after the migration process.
2. Smart Update: You can update modified data and migrate new data from your Source Store during or after migration.
3. Re-Migration: You can redo the migration process from Lightspeed to Shopify if needed.
For the first three months after your complete migration, you can use these services for free if the data is less than 10% of the total from the initial migration. Here’s how our Recent Data Migration service works:
After that, thoroughly check your migration results using our checklist below. For detailed information on each step, our tutorial can be of great help:
- Verify the final result.
- Change DNS and switch your domain.
- Decide on shipping methods.
- Select payment options.
- Place test orders in advance.
Benefits of Lightspeed to Shopify migration
Both Lightspeed and Shopify have their strengths and weaknesses, but upon closer examination, Shopify appears to have a competitive edge for several reasons. Let’s delve into why migrating from Lightspeed to Shopify is an ideal choice step by step:
1. Cost-Effective:
1.1. eCommerce Version:
First, let’s consider their monthly pricing plans. Lightspeed initially offered lower fees for their eCommerce version. However, when you examine the features, Shopify stands out with more extensive capabilities, including the number of products and sales channel integrations.
Lightspeed Pricing (eCommerce Version):
- Venture: $19/month ($14.08 annually).
- Business: $39/month ($29.08 annually).
- Unlimited: $99/month ($82.50 annually).
Shopify Pricing (Basic eCommerce):
- Starter: $5/month.
- Basic: $39/month ($29/month if paid yearly).
- Shopify: $105/month ($79/month if paying annually).
- Advanced: $399/month ($299/month if paying annually).
Shopify’s cost-effectiveness shines with its affordable Starter plan and fully functional online store options. You can start small and scale up as your business grows.
1.2. POS System:
In addition to eCommerce, Lightspeed’s most common offering is its POS system, which has three subscription levels:
- Lean: $139/month ($119 annually).
- Standard: $199/month ($169 annually).
- Advanced: $319/month ($249 annually).
On the other hand, Shopify POS is free and included in all Shopify pricing plans. You can also opt for POS Pro at any of your stores after signing up for a Shopify subscription, which costs $89/month ($79/month if billed annually).
2. Enhanced Inventory Tracking:
Shopify’s inventory tracking features and applications can save you money on shipping and handling. Orders are processed quickly without sacrificing efficiency or accuracy, ultimately boosting inventory efficiency. Additionally, inventory reporting capabilities provide valuable data for efficient storage, prompt distribution, and minimized shipping costs.
3. Powerful Customization Tools:
While Lightspeed emphasizes its POS systems, its eCommerce collection offers 50 different themes, some of which come at a cost of around $26.50 per month. The downside is that your website’s functionality depends on the chosen theme, limiting advanced customization options.
In contrast, Shopify offers 130+ themes, both free and paid, suitable for various industries. Premium themes are one-time payments, saving you money compared to Lightspeed’s subscription model. Moreover, Shopify’s customization tools empower merchants to fine-tune every aspect of their website, including access to coding for greater design control.
In conclusion, Shopify’s cost-effectiveness, robust inventory tracking, and powerful customization tools make it a compelling choice for migrating from Lightspeed.
Top 3 Lightspeed to Shopify migration apps
The top 3 Lightspeed to Shopify migration apps are Cart2Cart, LitExtension, and Next-Cart.
- LitExtension: This app allows you to migrate data from Lightspeed to Shopify quickly and easily. It supports the migration of products, customers, orders, categories, reviews, and more.
- Cart2Cart: This app provides a simple and automated way to migrate your data from Lightspeed to Shopify. It offers a free demo migration to test the app’s capabilities before committing to a full migration.
- Hura Apps: This app offers a seamless migration process from Lightspeed to Shopify. It allows you to migrate products, customers, orders, categories, and more. Hura Apps also provides a free demo migration to help you evaluate the app’s performance.
Recap of Lightspeed to Shopify migration
In the previous section, we outlined a simple 6-step process to help you transition smoothly from Lightspeed to Shopify:
1. Run Lightspeed Backups: This step ensures you don’t lose data or encounter issues during the migration.
2. Create a Shopify Store: Your data will move to your new online home.
3. Set up Source and Target Carts: Provide the necessary API keys and passwords for Lightspeed and Shopify.
4. Select Migration Entities: Choose the specific data elements you want to migrate, tailored to your needs.
5. Run the Full Migration: Test our service with a free demo to see how it works.
6. Follow the Post-Migration Checklist: Begin your journey with Shopify confidently by following a checklist of essential steps.
This straightforward process will help you smoothly transition from Lightspeed to Shopify.
FAQs
Bottom line
To summarize, the migration from Lightspeed to Shopify isn’t too complex if you’ve followed the steps carefully. With the help of our guide today, you’ve successfully transitioned from Lightspeed to Shopify and are ready to boost your sales.
