E-commerce
E-commerce Migration & Replatforming
Most replatforming projects are sold on the new storefront and lost on the details behind it, the URLs nobody mapped, the order history that did not come across, the integration that was rebuilt from a screenshot. Those are the parts we plan first, because they are the parts that decide whether the migration was worth doing.
- 2018
- building since
- 70+
- designers, engineers and product people
- 5
- regionsAustralia, Europe, the Philippines, the Middle East and the USA
- 6,500+
- commits across six repositoriesthe three SES aviation platforms we build and still run
What a migration actually involves
Deciding whether to move at all
The first honest question is whether the platform is the problem. Stores that feel slow and fragile are often carrying years of plugins, an unindexed database and hosting picked on price, none of which a new platform fixes, and all of which follow you. We audit before recommending a replatform, and we say so when staying put is the better spend. It is the same judgement that runs through our end-to-end e-commerce practice.
Protecting the search rankings you already have
The single most common way a migration destroys value: the new platform generates different URLs, the old ones start returning 404s, and every ranking attached to them is thrown away. We inventory every existing URL, map each to a destination, and verify the redirects resolve, before launch and again afterwards.
Moving the data, not just the design
Products, variants, categories, customers and historical orders, including the awkward parts, custom fields, non-standard attributes, and the data someone has been maintaining in a spreadsheet since 2019. Password hashing differs between platforms, so we plan the customer reset communication rather than letting it become a launch-day surprise.
Rebuilding the integrations
ERP and inventory, POS, freight carriers and rate logic, payment gateways, subscriptions, marketing and CRM. These are usually the real timeline driver, and the reason a migration quoted on catalogue size alone runs over.
Cutover and the weeks after
A launch plan with a rollback position, then active monitoring of search performance, redirects and conversion once traffic is on the new store. Migrations are judged on the month after go-live, not the day of it.
Keeping the rankings you already have
Most of what a migration risks is not data. It is the search equity attached to URLs that have been indexed for years. That risk is entirely manageable, and it is lost when the redirect map is treated as a launch-week task rather than a deliverable.
Every indexed URL gets a mapped destination
Not the ones in the sitemap, the ones Google actually has. Old campaign landing pages, discontinued products with backlinks, category paths that changed three platforms ago. The inventory comes first, and it is almost always larger than anyone expects.
Platforms enforce their own URL shapes
Shopify will not accept most Magento product and collection paths. A one-to-one map is rare, so the exceptions need decisions, consolidate, redirect to the nearest parent, or accept the loss deliberately rather than by omission.
The map is enforced, not hoped for
We check it mechanically. On our own platform migration the build fails if any legacy URL would 404, every one has to resolve or carry a redirect before anything ships. A spreadsheet nobody re-runs is how redirects quietly rot.
Measured after launch, not assumed
Rankings dip during reindexing and recover; that is normal. What is not normal is finding out six weeks later that a redirect chain was pointing at a removed page. We check the live URLs after the deploy rather than trusting the plan.
The proof
Work we have shipped, not a capability deck.
- Aelia Duty FreeTaking over an Adobe Commerce platform that was underperforming under a previous arrangement, stabilising it first, then improving it. Multi-currency, multi-location, and duty and tax rules that leave no room for approximation.Read the case study
- MUK HaircareAn established Australian retail brand rebuilt on custom WordPress, with the internal team running content and campaigns afterwards.Read the case study
Commerce work we do
Magento & Adobe Commerce
Builds, replatforms, upgrades and performance rescue, including SAP integration.
Magento upgrades
Version upgrades and extension audits, and when the platform is not what needs the money.
Shopify & Shopify Plus
Storefronts, theme builds, app integration and headless front ends.
Shopify Plus
Checkout extensibility, B2B and D2C together, multi-storefront, and when the tier is not worth it.
E-commerce development
The whole practice: platform selection, build, integrate and run.
Headless commerce
Decoupled storefronts on Shopify and Adobe Commerce, and when a themed build is the better call.
Magento to Shopify
The specific route, and an honest view of when not to take it.
WooCommerce
WordPress commerce where the catalogue and the content live together.
E-commerce & retail
The sector view, what retail platforms are actually asked to do, and where they break.
B2B & wholesale commerce
Company accounts, contract pricing, quotes, credit terms and ERP-held price logic for trade suppliers.
Adelaide commerce
Adobe Commerce for South Australian retailers, including the duty free store trading at Adelaide Airport.
New Zealand commerce
GST, rural freight and trans-Tasman selling, and the duty free stores running across airports in both countries.
More on commerce
What Does a Shopify Plus Build Cost in Australia?
What Shopify Plus actually costs Australian retailers, the platform fee, the transaction economics nobody models, and what drives a build quote up or down.
Two Thirds of Australian Retail's Page Weight Isn't Theirs
We measured 21 of Australia's largest online retailers. None scored above 44. The median site ships 7MB, and 62% of it is third-party code the retailer didn't write.
ERP Integration for E-commerce: What It Actually Costs
Why ERP integration is the line item that blows e-commerce budgets, the four questions that decide the price, and how to tell real-time requirements from imagined ones.
Adobe Commerce vs Shopify Plus for Australian Retailers
Where Adobe Commerce genuinely beats Shopify Plus, where it does not, and the three questions that actually decide it, from a team that builds on both.
Adobe Has Patched StyleSmuggler. Patching Is Not the Whole Job.
Adobe has released APSB26-146 for CVE-2026-75650. Apply it now, but a patch does not clean a store that was already compromised. What to preserve before you patch, what to check after, and the disclosure clock most coverage skips.
Selling Into Australia and New Zealand From One Store
Whether to run one store or two across the Tasman, what actually differs between AU and NZ commerce (GST, freight, currency) and the duplication that costs more than it solves.
Common questions
Will we lose our Google rankings when we replatform?
Not if URLs are treated as a deliverable rather than an afterthought. Most traffic losses after a replatform come from one cause: the new platform generates different URLs, the old ones return 404s, and every ranking attached to them is discarded. The fix is unglamorous, inventory every existing URL, map each to its destination, and verify the redirects resolve before launch and again after. We hold ourselves to that too: this site was migrated off WordPress with an automated check that fails the build unless 100% of the old URLs still resolve or redirect.
How long does an e-commerce migration take?
For a straightforward catalogue with standard integrations, usually weeks rather than months. What extends it is rarely the storefront. It is data quality, custom functionality that has to be rebuilt rather than carried across, and integrations with ERP, POS or fulfilment systems. We would rather scope those three honestly up front than discover them mid-migration.
Can you migrate our order history and customer accounts?
Yes. Products, variants, categories, customers and historical orders can all move; what varies is how cleanly, depending on the source platform and how much custom data lives in non-standard fields. Passwords are the usual exception, hashing differs between platforms, so customers normally need one password reset. Planning that communication is part of the migration, not a surprise on launch day.
Should we migrate at all, or fix what we have?
Often the second one. A store that feels slow or fragile is frequently carrying accumulated plugins, an unindexed database or hosting chosen on price, none of which a new platform fixes, and all of which follow you if the underlying discipline does not change. We audit before recommending a replatform, and we will tell you when staying put is the better spend.
Which platform should we move to?
It depends on who maintains it. Shopify if you would rather not think about hosting, security or upgrades, see Magento to Shopify for that route specifically. WooCommerce if you want to own the store outright and run content and commerce from one WordPress install. Adobe Commerce when catalogue rules, B2B pricing, multi-store or ERP integration would fight a hosted platform. We are not tied to any of them.
Do you work with retailers outside Sydney?
Our head office is in Sydney and we work with clients across Australia (Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and regional NSW included) as well as in New Zealand, where the duty free stores across the major airports have run on a platform we build and support since 2021. Delivery has been remote-first for years, so a project runs the same way whether you are ten minutes away or across the Tasman: scheduled calls, a shared board you can see at any time, and one named point of contact. We are happy to meet in person in Sydney.
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Engagement models
How we work
Four straightforward ways to engage us. Pick the one that fits, or mix them as your needs change.
Staff Augmentation
Add experienced Shakewell developers, designers or specialists directly to your own team. Engagements typically run three to twelve months, but can be as short or long as you need, you get the skills without the commitment and cost of hiring full-time.
About staff augmentationFixed-Scope Projects
Have a defined outcome in mind? We scope it, price it and deliver it as a project, a clear timeline, agreed milestones and a single point of accountability from kickoff to handover.
Embedded Delivery Teams
For larger or longer-running work, a cross-functional Shakewell team (development, design and delivery management) plugs in as your delivery arm, working to your priorities and your reporting cadence.
Support & Maintenance
Already live? We keep websites, stores and apps secure, updated and performing through ongoing retainers, business-hours support as standard, with 24/7 coverage available for critical issues.
About support & maintenance