If you're paying for Shopify but only using a fraction of it — catalog, checkout, maybe delivery — moving to WhatsMenu takes an afternoon, not a weekend. This guide walks you through the whole migration: what to export from Shopify, how to import into WhatsMenu, and what to double-check before you flip the switch.
You don't need a developer. You don't need to pause sales. Your Shopify store keeps running until you're ready to cancel.
Before you start
Give yourself an hour for a small catalog (under 100 products), half a day for a larger one (up to a few thousand). Have ready:
- Your Shopify admin login.
- Your logo file and any brand colors.
- The list of payment gateways you use (Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Billplz, and so on — WhatsMenu supports the major ones directly).
- Your delivery zones, if you ship locally.
- Optional: a spreadsheet of any customer data you want to keep.
Two ways to import your products
Path A — CSV export (available today). Works for any Shopify plan and any WhatsMenu plan. Shopify exports your catalog as a spreadsheet; WhatsMenu imports it. No Shopify app required. This is the recommended path while the WhatsMenu Shopify app completes its Shopify App Store review.
Path B — One-click Shopify app. When the WhatsMenu Shopify app is live on the App Store, you'll be able to connect your Shopify store and pull products in one click, with incremental re-sync. For today, use Path A.
The rest of this guide covers Path A.
Step 1: Export your catalog from Shopify
- In your Shopify admin, open Products.
- Click Export at the top of the page.
- Choose All products (or filter first if you only want some).
- Select CSV for Excel, Numbers, or other spreadsheet programs.
- Click Export products. Shopify emails you a download link, usually within a few minutes.
Open the CSV in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets. You'll see one row per product variant, with columns for Title, Body HTML, Vendor, Price, Option1 Name, Option1 Value, Image Src, and more.
Step 2: Prepare the file for WhatsMenu
Most columns map directly. Two things usually need cleanup:
-
HTML in descriptions. Shopify's
Body (HTML)column contains HTML tags (<p>,<strong>,<img>). WhatsMenu stores descriptions as plain text or Markdown. Either paste each description into a text-to-markdown converter (free online tools exist), or strip the tags if you prefer plain text. -
Multiple variants per product. Shopify lists each variant on its own row (e.g. T-shirt Red S, T-shirt Red M, T-shirt Blue S). WhatsMenu expects one row per product with variants as sub-options. If your catalog uses variants heavily, grouping rows by
Handle(the column Shopify uses to tie variants together) is the cleanest approach.
Save the cleaned file as a new CSV or XLSX.
Step 3: Set up your WhatsMenu account
- Sign up at whatsmenu.page/new (you get a 7-day trial).
- In the dashboard, go to Settings and fill in your company name, contact details, address, and working hours.
- Upload your logo in Settings → Logo.
- Set your language, currency, and time zone in Settings → Localization — do this before importing, so prices render correctly.
- Connect your payment gateway in Settings → Payment (Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Billplz, Chip, and more are supported).
Step 4: Import your catalog
- In the sidebar, open your catalog.
- Create at least one category (e.g. "Shop", "Menu", or however you group products). Items need a category to live in.
- Click Import and upload the CSV or XLSX file you prepared.
- Map the columns — WhatsMenu shows a preview so you can match the Shopify columns (Title, Price, Image Src, etc.) to WhatsMenu fields (Name, Price, Image).
- Run the import. A summary shows how many items were created, updated, or skipped.
Review a handful of items on your storefront to make sure names, prices, and images look right. Fix anything off before moving on.
Step 5: Rebuild what CSV doesn't carry
A product CSV exports your catalog, not your store. The pieces you rebuild in WhatsMenu:
- Collections / categories — create them in WhatsMenu and assign items.
- Discount codes — WhatsMenu has built-in coupons; recreate your active codes.
- Shipping zones — set up delivery and pickup in Settings → Ordering.
-
Customer accounts — Shopify lets you export a
customers.csv. WhatsMenu doesn't require customer accounts for checkout, so you typically don't need to migrate these. If you use loyalty, set up the loyalty module and let points accrue from the first order. - Theme / branding — WhatsMenu uses a clean default template that's mobile-first out of the box. Upload your logo, pick a color, and you're done.
Step 6: Point your customers to your new store
Every WhatsMenu account gets a storefront at https://your-name.whatsmenu.page/. You can:
- Share that link on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, flyers, or a QR code.
- Connect your existing custom domain (e.g.
shop.yourbusiness.com) in Settings. - Post a short announcement on your Shopify storefront telling customers where to find you next.
Keep Shopify live for a week or two while you get comfortable, then cancel once you're confident.
What you gain
- Lower monthly cost — no transaction fees on top of your subscription. WhatsMenu doesn't sit between you and your payment gateway.
- Modular — turn on only what you use (coupons, loyalty, pop-ups, POS, delivery, and more). The rest stay out of your way.
- Built for any industry — retail, food, services, clinics, auto, real estate, digital business cards. The same platform covers all of them.
- WhatsApp order notifications — every order can ping you on WhatsApp, so you don't need to keep refreshing a dashboard.
-
Your own subdomain — your storefront is at
yourbrand.whatsmenu.page, not a marketplace page shared with competitors.
What you lose
Being honest: Shopify has the broadest third-party app ecosystem in e-commerce. If your business depends on a specific Shopify app (e.g. a niche accounting connector, a complex loyalty integration), check that WhatsMenu covers it before committing. For most merchants running catalog + checkout + marketing, WhatsMenu covers the core — and the list of integrations keeps growing.
FAQ
Can I run both stores at the same time?
Yes. Many merchants keep Shopify live while they test WhatsMenu, then cancel Shopify once they're ready. There's no technical conflict.
Will my customers lose their accounts?
No — their WhatsApp number, email, and delivery address travel with them when they place their first order in WhatsMenu. There's no separate customer login to migrate.
Do I lose my order history?
Past Shopify orders stay in Shopify. New orders go to WhatsMenu. Export your Shopify order history for your records before cancelling Shopify — Orders → Export.
What about my SEO?
If you use a custom domain (e.g. shop.yourbusiness.com) and keep the same domain when you switch, your SEO transfers cleanly. If your domain is your-name.myshopify.com, you'll lose that URL when you cancel — plan for a redirect if possible.
How long does the migration take?
Small catalog (under 100 products): under an hour. Mid-size (up to 1,000): half a day. Large (thousands): a full day, mostly spent cleaning the CSV.
Can I get help with the migration?
Yes. If you have a larger catalog or a complex setup, contact us before you start and we'll help you plan the move. Reach out at contact@whatsmenu.my.
What about the Shopify App Store app?
The WhatsMenu Shopify app is in review with Shopify. Once live, you'll be able to connect your Shopify store with one click and re-sync incrementally. For now, the CSV route above is the fastest path and works with any Shopify plan.