As technology and engineering teams look to move faster and innovate, Shopify is emerging as the platform of choice for brands that prioritize speed, scalability, and total cost of ownership.
The State of Replatforming: What's Driving the Change?
Over the last 12–18 months, we've seen a noticeable uptick in enterprise teams actively evaluating, or already in the process of, migrating off BigCommerce. Why?
Here’s what we’re hearing most often:
- Mounting Technical Debt: Customizations and workarounds are starting to break down at scale.
- Upgrade Fatigue: Teams are exhausted by recurring patches and infrastructure limitations.
- Slow Time-to-Market: Every product release, promotion, or checkout update takes longer than it should.
- Developer Constraints: Dev teams are limited by rigid frameworks and lack of backend access.
- Tariff Impacts on Revenue: For brands reliant on imports, significant cost-saving calculations are part of future-forward planning
In short, what once worked well for mid-market growth is now holding back enterprise agility.
From Friction to Flexibility: Why Shopify Is the Platform to Scale With
Shopify is evolving rapidly to help brands stay ahead, introducing robust B2B features, headless flexibility, and infrastructure designed to scale with the world’s fastest-growing brands. Here's where it pulls ahead for enterprise teams:
- Managed InfrastructureShopify handles scaling, security, and uptime. Your team focuses on building, not patching.
- Faster Dev VelocityWith prebuilt tools and modular architecture, Shopify lets teams build, test, and ship faster.
- Built-in ScalabilityHigh-traffic events, global storefronts, or rapid SKU expansion? Shopify auto-scales out of the box.
- Lower Total Cost of OwnershipFewer workarounds. Fewer third-party apps. More control over ROI.
The Migration Window: What to Expect
One of the most common questions we hear: “How long will it take to replatform from BigCommerce to Shopify?”
Based on hundreds of migrations, here’s what the timeline generally looks like:
| Complexity Tier | Typical Profile | Estimated Shopify Migration* |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 – Standard | <10k SKUs, basic integrations | 16–20 weeks |
| Tier 2 – Advanced | 10k–50k SKUs, B2B light | 20–30 weeks |
| Tier 3 – Enterprise | 50k+ SKUs, complex B2B, custom apps | ~39 weeks |
*Timelines depend on catalog complexity and other factors, and will be determined on case-by-case basis.With a clear migration plan and an experienced partner, most enterprise brands are seeing measurable value on Shopify in under a year.
Misconceptions about migrating to Shopify, Debunked
Despite its rapid innovation, some myths about Shopify still linger in the enterprise space:
- “Shopify can’t do B2B.”It can, and does, with native B2B tools and custom apps tailored for wholesale workflows.
- “Shopify isn’t flexible enough.” With Shopify Functions, headless capabilities, and an 8,000+ app ecosystem, it’s more flexible than most legacy stacks.
- “It’s only for small brands.” Shopify Plus powers multi-billion-dollar global brands. Size is not a barrier.
The Path Forward: Planning a Successful Migration
Migrating platforms isn’t just a tech project—it’s a business-critical initiative. Whether you're exploring a move or already mid-flight, here’s what success looks like:
- Discovery: Understand the gaps, risks, and business drivers.
- Planning: Build a cross-functional roadmap and secure internal alignment.
- Execution: Work with a partner who’s done this before, at scale.
- Post-Migration: Measure impact across performance, cost savings, and customer experience.
Need a Guide? We’ve Done This Before.
As a Platinum Shopify Engineering Partner, Domaine has led replatforming efforts for some of the most complex builds in ecommerce. From 10k SKU product catalogs to multi-brand, multi-store rollouts, we’ve seen it all, and we can help you move with confidence.
If your current platform is slowing your team down, it’s time to reassess. Replatforming to Shopify isn’t just a tech upgrade, it’s a strategic move toward speed, scale, and sustainable growth.
Ready to explore what a replatforming journey could look like for your brand?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are enterprise brands migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify?
Enterprise brands often move to Shopify due to technical debt, upgrade fatigue, slow development, and developer constraints on BigCommerce. Shopify offers managed infrastructure, faster development, built-in scalability, and lower total cost of ownership.
Can Shopify handle B2B commerce for enterprise brands?
Yes, Shopify has robust B2B capabilities, including native tools, custom apps for wholesale, company profiles, custom catalogs, and flexible payment terms, suitable for enterprise B2B needs.
Is Shopify flexible enough for complex enterprise requirements?
Shopify offers extensive flexibility through Shopify Functions for custom logic, headless commerce options for custom frontends, a vast app ecosystem (8,000+ apps), and flexible data structures with metafields.
Is Shopify only for small brands?
No. Shopify Plus is specifically designed for high-growth and enterprise-level brands. It powers multi-billion-dollar global businesses, offering advanced features and scalability for large-volume commerce.
Will migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify affect my SEO?
Any platform migration can impact SEO if not managed carefully. A well-planned migration includes comprehensive 301 redirects, proper URL mapping, and content optimization to minimize negative effects.
What kind of support does Shopify offer for enterprise brands?
Shopify provides dedicated 24/7 priority support, access to more apps, enhanced API limits for custom apps, and advanced reporting tools for in-depth data analysis.
