Switching from Shopware to Magento: process and risks

1. Why shop owners switch from Shopware to Magento

Shopware is shop software developed in Germany that is widespread above all in the German speaking region. It is built in a modern way, and many shops run reliably with it. Whoever moves from Shopware to Magento therefore rarely does so out of dissatisfaction with the software alone but for concrete reasons in their own business.

Typical reasons are the wish for a larger international ecosystem, existing knowledge in the team or at the agency, the requirements for multi-warehouse management and B2B functions, certain interfaces or a corporate requirement. Sometimes it is also the need to replace an old shop that is no longer maintained.

A special case are older Shopware versions. If your shop still runs on a version that is no longer maintained, a change is due, either to the current Shopware version or to another system. Both should be compared before you decide.

2. When the switch from Shopware to Magento pays off and when not

The switch pays off if there is a concrete reason that Shopware does not meet or meets only with high effort, and if you have the team to run the new shop. It does not pay off if your shop runs well and the wish arises only from an impression. A switch costs time and money and at first brings no new revenue.

If your shop runs on an old Shopware version, first compare the update to the current version with the switch. An update can be cheaper if you are satisfied with Shopware. We advise you honestly, even if the result is to stay with Shopware.

3. Which data comes along from Shopware to Magento

Shopware provides programming interfaces through which data can be read specifically, and in the admin there is import and export for many data types. The structure of your shop depends on version, properties and extensions. That is why we begin with an analysis before we transfer data.

Content from the shopping experiences builder is particularly elaborate because it is built differently in the new shop. Allow time for this, and check which of these pages really bring visitors.

4. SEO and addresses when switching from Shopware to Magento

Shopware creates addresses according to templates that can be configured. They differ in many shops. Magento uses its own address patterns. So that no link runs into nothing, every relevant old address is redirected to the new one by a 301 redirect, including addresses of categories, manufacturer pages and landing pages.

In the move from Shopware to Magento you also check titles, meta descriptions, structured data, sitemaps and canonical tags. These values must be present again in the new shop. What we do for this is described on the page on SEO optimization.

Part of the rankings depends on landing pages and guide pages. You should secure these pages before all others because they often bring many visitors.

5. Extensions and functions: what becomes of them in Magento

Shopware shops also use extensions for payment, shipping, invoices, reviews and product feeds. In the switch you go through each one: is it still needed? Is there a basic function, a module or an individual development in Magento for it? The result is a list from which effort and order emerge.

We implement the frontend with Hyvä, see Hyvä theme. For the connection to merchandise management and shipping read the guide to ERP integration, for B2B functions the guide to the [B2B shop](b2bshop).

6. The process: how you switch from Shopware to Magento

A switch from Shopware to Magento runs in five steps. First the inventory: which products, customers, orders and content exist, which functions do you really use and which addresses bring visitors? Then the test migration, in which part of the data is transferred and checked. After that the build of the shop with design, payment methods, shipping and legal texts.

In the fourth step you check the shop with us on a test system that search engines cannot see and place trial orders. In the fifth step the switch happens: the data is compared one last time, the redirects are activated and the domain is pointed to the new shop. In the first weeks afterwards we check errors and rankings. You keep the previous shop for a while until everything runs safely.

How you protect your ranking in the process is described in the guide to shop relaunch without SEO loss.

7. Effort and costs when switching from Shopware

When moving from Shopware to Magento the effort depends above all on the number of variants, the scope of the shopping experiences, the interfaces to other systems and the number of extensions that have to be replaced. A well kept shop with clear data is transferred much faster than one that has grown historically.

A flat figure would be unreliable. After the inventory we estimate in writing, the hourly rate is 30 euros net, see pricing. General hints on costs are in the guide Magento costs.

8. How we support you with the switch

We are a web agency in which fixed freelancers work together, all from home offices. We take over the data migration, build the shop with the fast Hyvä frontend and take care of redirects and start. Source code and access stay with you, and ongoing care can be regulated through a maintenance contract.

This guide gives general orientation and does not replace a check of your shop. For a first conversation a short message through our contact page is enough.

9. Summary

The switch from Shopware to Magento needs a concrete reason and a team for operation. Products, customers, orders and images can be taken over, shopping experiences must be rebuilt, and with 301 redirects the ranking is largely kept.

Note: This article offers general orientation. Statements about Shopware can change with new versions, check them in the individual case.

10. FAQ on switching from Shopware to Magento