"We're losing £2,000 in sales every day our site is down for migration." That's what a Manchester-based retailer told me during their botched platform migration last year. Their story isn't unique—we've seen dozens of UK businesses lose weeks of revenue, SEO rankings, and customer trust due to poorly planned e-commerce migrations.
But it doesn't have to be this way. In the past 18 months, we've successfully migrated 47 UK e-commerce stores with zero downtime and an average 23% increase in conversion rates post-migration. Here's exactly how we do it.
Why UK Businesses Are Migrating E-commerce Platforms
Top Migration Triggers We See
- Platform limitations: Outgrown current platform's capabilities
- Rising costs: Transaction fees eating into margins
- Poor performance: Slow loading times hurting conversions
- Integration needs: Want to connect with UK-specific services (Royal Mail, Sage, etc.)
- Customisation limits: Can't create the customer experience they want
The 6-Phase Migration Framework That Protects Your Business
Every successful migration follows the same pattern. Skip a phase, and you risk losing sales, customers, or search rankings. Here's our proven framework:
Pre-Migration Audit & Planning (Week 1-2)
Before touching anything, we map out exactly what you have and where it needs to go.
- Complete data inventory (products, customers, orders, content)
- SEO audit and URL mapping strategy
- Integration requirements assessment
- Performance benchmarking
- Risk assessment and mitigation planning
Platform Setup & Configuration (Week 2-4)
Build your new store in a staging environment while your current site keeps running.
- New platform installation and configuration
- Theme customisation and mobile optimisation
- Payment gateway setup (Stripe, PayPal, UK-specific options)
- Shipping configuration (Royal Mail, DPD, etc.)
- Essential apps and integrations
Data Migration & Import (Week 3-5)
The critical phase where we move your business data without losing anything.
- Product catalogue migration (with images, descriptions, variants)
- Customer data transfer (GDPR-compliant)
- Order history preservation
- Blog content and pages migration
- SEO metadata preservation
Testing & Quality Assurance (Week 4-6)
Thorough testing prevents costly mistakes when you go live.
- Functionality testing (checkout, payments, shipping)
- Mobile responsiveness verification
- Performance testing and optimisation
- Cross-browser compatibility
- User acceptance testing with your team
Go-Live & DNS Switch (Day of Launch)
The big day—executed with military precision to minimise downtime.
- DNS propagation and monitoring
- SSL certificate activation
- Redirect implementation
- Real-time monitoring and issue response
- Customer communication
Post-Migration Optimisation (Week 7-8)
Fine-tuning and optimisation to exceed your previous performance.
- Performance monitoring and optimisation
- Conversion rate analysis and improvements
- SEO monitoring and ranking recovery
- Team training on new platform
- Analytics setup and reporting
The Critical Migration Checklist
This checklist has saved our clients from disasters. Print it out and tick off each item:
Before You Start (Do NOT Skip These)
Case Study: Fashion Retailer's £2.4M Migration
A London-based fashion retailer with £2.4M annual revenue was stuck on an outdated platform. Their site was slow, mobile experience was poor, and they couldn't integrate with their warehouse management system.
The Challenge
- 15,000+ products across 200+ categories
- 50,000+ customer records
- Complex size/colour variants
- Integration with Sage accounting
- Peak season approaching (couldn't afford downtime)
- Strong SEO rankings they couldn't lose
Our Solution
We migrated them from their legacy platform to a modern, scalable solution over 6 weeks:
Week 1-2: Foundation
- • Complete data audit and export
- • New platform setup in staging environment
- • Theme customisation for brand consistency
Week 3-4: Data Migration
- • Product catalogue migration with variant preservation
- • Customer data transfer (GDPR-compliant)
- • URL structure mapping for SEO preservation
Week 5-6: Testing & Launch
- • Comprehensive testing across devices and browsers
- • Integration testing with Sage and warehouse systems
- • Go-live executed during low-traffic period
Results After 90 Days:
UK-Specific Migration Considerations
GDPR Compliance
Customer data migration must comply with UK GDPR. We ensure:
- Explicit consent for data transfer
- Secure data handling procedures
- Right to be forgotten compliance
- Data minimisation principles
VAT and Tax Configuration
UK businesses need proper tax handling:
- VAT rates configuration (20% standard, reduced rates)
- EU VAT handling post-Brexit
- Northern Ireland protocol compliance
- Digital services tax considerations
Payment Gateways
Popular UK payment options to consider:
Essential Gateways
- • Stripe (card payments)
- • PayPal
- • Sage Pay
- • Worldpay
Growing Options
- • Klarna (buy now, pay later)
- • Clearpay
- • Apple Pay
- • Google Pay
Migration Cost Breakdown
Migration costs vary significantly based on complexity. Here's what UK businesses typically invest:
Basic Migration
Simple store, standard features
- • Under 1,000 products
- • Standard theme
- • Basic integrations
- • 4-6 week timeline
Standard Migration
Most UK businesses fall here
- • 1,000-10,000 products
- • Custom design work
- • Multiple integrations
- • 6-8 week timeline
Enterprise Migration
Complex stores, custom features
- • 10,000+ products
- • Fully custom development
- • Complex integrations
- • 8-12 week timeline
When to DIY vs Hire Professionals
Consider DIY If:
- Under 100 products
- Simple product structure
- Standard theme works
- No complex integrations
- You have technical skills
Hire Professionals If:
- 1,000+ products
- Complex variants/options
- Custom functionality needed
- Multiple integrations
- Can't afford downtime
Your Migration Action Plan
Start Here (This Week)
- 1Audit your current setup: Export product list, customer count, and identify all integrations you currently use.
- 2Define requirements: List what you need that your current platform can't deliver.
- 3Research platforms: Consider Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom solutions based on your needs.
- 4Get quotes: Contact 3 migration specialists for detailed proposals.
- 5Plan timing: Avoid peak seasons and allow 8-12 weeks for complex migrations.
Free Migration Assessment
We'll review your current setup and provide a detailed migration roadmap, timeline, and cost estimate. No obligation—just honest advice about your best options.
Get Your Migration RoadmapThe Bottom Line
E-commerce migration done right transforms your business. Done wrong, it can cost weeks of revenue and damage customer relationships. The key is treating it as a business transformation project, not just a technical exercise.
Take time to plan properly, test thoroughly, and consider professional help for complex migrations. Your future self (and your accountant) will thank you.
Remember: the cost of a properly executed migration is always less than the cost of a botched one. We've fixed enough migration disasters to know—prevention is definitely better than cure.
About TryfanTech: We've successfully migrated 47 UK e-commerce stores with zero downtime and an average 23% conversion improvement. Our migration clients typically see full ROI within 3-4 months.
Get your free migration assessment →