Last updated - August 22, 2022
There are many reasons why you would want to move your store from Wix to WooCommerce. Maybe you’re not happy with the features offered by Wix, or you’re looking for a more flexible platform that will allow you to grow your business.
Whatever your reasons, migrating your store from Wix to WooCommerce is not an easy decision. It is a big project that will take some time and effort. But if you’re willing to put in the work, it can be a very rewarding experience.
This article will give you a step-by-step guide on how to move your store from Wix to WooCommerce. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of the process, and you’ll be ready to start planning your migration.
Step One: Prepare Your WooCommerce Store
Buy A Domain Name
First, you need to purchase a domain name. This is the address that people will use to access your store. You can buy a domain name from a variety of providers. Ensure the provider you choose offers good customer support and security features.
Buy Hosting
The hosting is the server that stores all the files and data for your website. When someone enters your domain name into their browser, they are directed to your hosting server, which then serves up the content of your website.
We highly recommend that you get managed WooCommerce hosting. This type of hosting is specifically designed for WordPress sites and offers great features, such as security and performance enhancements, that you won’t find with a regular web host.
Install WordPress
WordPress is the content management system (CMS) that powers WooCommerce. It’s what you’ll use to create and manage your store’s content, products, orders, and customers.
Installing WordPress is easy. Depending on your web host, you may be able to do it with just a few clicks. Simply log in to your CPanel, find the WordPress icon, and follow the prompts.
Select A Theme and Customize
A theme controls the look and feels of your WooCommerce store. It determines the layout, colors, fonts, and overall design. Themes make building WordPress sites fast and easy.
There are thousands of themes to choose from, including both free and paid options. Choose a theme based on the style you want for your store and your budget.
When customizing it, ensure the design correlates with the one on your Wix store. This will promote continuity by ensuring customers won’t feel like they are in a completely different store.
Activate WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin. It’s what turns your WordPress site into a fully-functioning online store. Once you’ve installed WordPress, activating WooCommerce is easy by following these steps:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard
- Click Plugins > Add New
- Search for WooCommerce
- Click Install Now
- Once the installation is complete, click Activate
Step Two: Import Your Wix Blog Posts to WordPress
Now that your WooCommerce store is set up, it’s time to import your Wix blog posts. Unfortunately, there is no built-in way to do this. You’ll need to download your Wix RSS feed and then import it to your WordPress site.
To do this, go to your browser and type yoursite/blog-feed.xml or /feed.xml. This will take you to a page full of code. Right-click anywhere within the code and click save as. This will save an XML file to your computer.
The next step is to import this file into WordPress. To do this:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard
- Click Tools > Import.
- From the list of options, select RSS and click Install Now.
- Once the installation is complete, click Run Importer.
- Select the Choose File button on the import page and navigate to the XML file you saved on your computer.
- Click Upload File and Import.
- You’ll be asked to map the authors from your Wix blog to users on your WordPress site. Select an existing WordPress user for each author or create a new one.
- When you’re done mapping the authors, click Submit.
- The next screen allows you to import attachments from your Wix blog posts, such as images. Select the Download and import file attachments checkbox if you want to import them. Then click Submit.
Give it some time, and all your Wix blog posts will be imported into WordPress!
To check the posts, click Posts > All Posts from your WordPress dashboard. You should see all your blog posts there, complete with images!
Import Wix Pages to WordPress
Wix doesn’t provide an easy way to export your pages. So, you’ll need to recreate them manually in WordPress.
Creating pages in WordPress is similar to creating blog posts. To create a page:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard
- Click Pages > Add New
- Enter the page title and content
- Publish the page when you’re done
You can add as many pages as you want, including an “About” page, a “Contact” page, etc. It’s a good idea to create a menu to help visitors navigate your website.
To add a menu:
- Go to Appearance > Menus
- Select the Create a New Menu button and enter a name for your menu.
- Click Create Menu.
- Check the boxes next to the pages you want to add to your menu and click Add to Menu.
- Click Save Menu when you’re done.
Step Three: Export Your Products
Now it’s time to move your products from Wix to WooCommerce. Again, there is no built-in way to do this, so you’ll need to export your product information from Wix and import it into WooCommerce.
To export your products from Wix:
- Log into your Wix account
- Click the Store tab
- Click Manage Orders
- From the Export drop-down menu, select Products
- This will download a CSV file with all your product information.
Remember, you can only export a maximum of 5,000 products on Wix. Also, digital products, such as eBooks and audio files, can’t be exported.
Step Four: Import Your Products to WooCommerce
Now that you have your product information exported from Wix, it’s time to import it into WooCommerce. Luckily, WooCommerce has a built-in CSV importer that makes it easy to import products. To use it:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard
- Click Products > CSV Import Suite
- Run the Importer
- Choose the CSV file you exported from Wix and click Continue
- On the next menu, map the columns in your CSV file to product fields in WooCommerce. For example, you’ll need to map the “Title” column to the “Name” field.
- Click Continue.
- Select Update Existing Products and on the next screen click Import.
This process may take some time depending on the number of products you have and your internet speed. Be patient!
Note: Images must be pre-loaded into the WordPress media library before you run the import.
Step Five: Test Your New WooCommerce Store
Now that you’ve imported your products, it’s time to test your new WooCommerce store. Create a WooCommerce staging environment, which is a copy of your live site. This will allow you to test changes without affecting your live site.
Before you go live, make sure you::
- Test the checkout process and your preferred payment methods
- Ensure all your products are displaying correctly
- Verify that shipping and tax calculations are working properly
If everything looks good, congratulations! You’ve successfully moved your store from Wix to WooCommerce.
