The Shopware booth
Princess Goes Hollywood faced a dilemma.
Despite a large financial outlay in maintaining the Shopware shop and a costly update from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6, the status of the Shopware shop was unfortunately not satisfactory in addition to stagnating sales .
Originally, necessary SEO measures were to be applied in Shopware, but the changes could not be implemented on a large scale or the implementation took a very long time and was also costly.
The biggest problem with Shopware 6
Not only did the search engine optimization need to be adjusted, but the biggest problem after switching from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6 was that the returns processing was virtually non-existent.
This meant that no credit notes were created in the event of a return. The additional workload on the accounting side was difficult to account for.
In addition, a customer account was required in the checkout and returns process, which significantly affected the conversion rate.
What to do? Stay with Shopware or not?
After realizing that it was no longer possible to continue working with the previous agency, we spoke to various other Shopware agencies and freelancers.
After the discussions, it became clear that a fresh start on another platform would be the best choice. Here, Shopify was the clear choice.
Why Shopify was chosen as a shop system
The main advantage was that Shopify did not require any additional server-related know-how.
Even though Shopware always advertises its "open system", it does not mean that the "open system" can or should be used in Shopware at all. An open system also means that even more points have to be monitored and, in particular, developed. This additional effort is only necessary in exceptional cases.
Even though Shopify is a "closed system", it means that many more components of the online shop can be represented without development effort and therefore without costs. In addition, you have to remember that the Shopify App Store offers almost all options for further editing the online shop, usually without external help.
The drag-and-drop approach in Shopify allows the online shop provider to easily edit and customize without external help, because in the long term it is not productive for all parties if adjustments can be requested instead of carried out by the customer.
Shopware to Shopify Migration
1. Data migration
A third-party partner was able to transfer all previous data on customers, orders, products, categories, blog articles and more. This ensured that continuity of information was maintained and no information was lost.
This makes it possible to compare sales even if the sales from Shopware do not include returns. Unfortunately, this means that the data basis cannot be compared in the long term.
2. SEO Migration
During the relaunch, particular emphasis was placed on maintaining continuity in the SEO process . This can be seen in the screenshot. The change took place on January 10, 2024 and after about 4 days there was a short dip, which was, however, quickly made up for.
This is often the biggest mistake when moving a shop , if the existing pages are not properly transferred to the new shop system. This problem could of course be avoided with a professional migration .
3rd design update
The new design was primarily intended to increase conversion and keep customers on the website longer. In particular, the increase in conversion was increased by 32% in a very short space of time and even after further adjustments, it was increased by a further 42%. The communication of shipping costs in particular had a decisive influence.
SEO 2 months after migration
With the migration, the focus was also re-set, particularly on new keywords. This is already evident. Since the change, 20% more traffic has been achieved than the average year-on-year in 2023. The focus on a clear content strategy and a good category system will hopefully double the share of organic traffic in the long term.
Conclusion
If you are dissatisfied with your current Shopware 5 or Shopware 6, you may be able to find an ecommerce shop system with Shopify that solves problems and offers new possibilities.
Is it suitable for every application? No.
However, many problems that may have previously existed in the Shopware shop can be fixed in Shopify.
For Princess Goes Hollywood, migrating from Shopware was definitely the right choice.
Sources: