Guides

What happens to your reviews, customers and order history when you move to Shopify

By Glen Gallarde · Last updated 6 November 2026

Short answer

All three can come with you. Product reviews are imported into a Shopify reviews app such as Judge.me and show on the same products with their stars. Customers are imported with their names, emails and addresses, and can sign in on Shopify with their email and a one-time code. Past orders are moved with a migration app so customers and you can still see their history. Passwords and saved cards are the two things that don't carry over.

Losing years of reviews or customer history is one of the biggest worries owners have about switching. It shouldn't be, as long as each piece is moved the right way.

Product reviews

Reviews on WooCommerce live either in WooCommerce itself or in a reviews plugin. They're exported to a spreadsheet and imported into a Shopify reviews app. Judge.me, for example, imports reviews using its CSV template and emails you how many were imported. The key is matching each review to the right product on Shopify, so they're imported after the products are in place.

Done properly, each product keeps its star rating and review count, and most reviews apps can add the star rating to your Google results through structured data.

Customers

Customer names, emails, phone numbers, addresses and marketing consent move to Shopify. Shopify recommends importing customers after products and before past orders.

Passwords don't move. WooCommerce passwords are stored in a way Shopify can't read, which is normal and safer. With Shopify's customer accounts, customers enter their email and receive a one-time 6-digit code, so there's no password to set at all. What happens to customer passwords covers the options and what to tell customers.

Past orders

Historical orders can't be imported with Shopify's CSV files. They move with a migration app or Shopify's API, which is how they appear under each customer and in your reports. Moving them matters for repeat customers checking past purchases, for your sales history, and for email tools that segment by what people bought.

Old orders arrive as completed records. A migration set up correctly doesn't re-charge anyone or send new order emails, and that's worth checking with a test import first.

What doesn't carry over

  • Passwords: customers sign in with a one-time code or set a new password.
  • Saved payment cards: card details stay with your old payment provider for security reasons, so customers enter them again on their next order.
  • Active subscriptions: these need a subscriptions app and a careful plan, see moving WooCommerce Subscriptions to Shopify.

What to tell your customers

A short "we've moved" email on launch day goes a long way: the store looks a little different, their order history is still there, and they sign in with their email and a code. My Full migration moves reviews, customers and orders, and includes that email drafted for you, from $1,495.

Questions

Will I lose my product reviews if I move to Shopify?

No. Reviews are exported and imported into a Shopify reviews app such as Judge.me, matched to the same products, with their stars.

Do my customers need to create new accounts?

No. Their accounts are imported. They sign in with their email and a one-time code, or set a new password.

Can I move my order history to Shopify?

Yes, with a migration app or Shopify's API. CSV files can't import past orders.

Will moving orders send emails to customers?

It shouldn't. Imported orders are historical records, and a correctly set up migration doesn't trigger order emails or charges. A test import confirms it.

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