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WooCommerce → Shopify
Move a UAE store from WooCommerce to Shopify with products, customers, orders and reviews intact, every old URL redirected, and Tabby, Tamara and VAT-inclusive AED pricing set up properly.
Migration
Changing ecommerce platforms without losing URLs, orders or rankings
For UAE stores on WooCommerce or Shopify that are moving to Shopify, Medusa or BigCommerce. The platforms differ most on what matters here: card payments, Tabby and Tamara, VAT-inclusive AED prices, Arabic checkout and where your data is hosted. Compare them below, then pick a route.
UAE paymentsRedirect mappingEN/AR
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Platform fit for UAE stores
Nine things that decide a UAE store move, from payments and VAT to Arabic, URLs and hosting. Each platform wins some of them.
| Criterion | Shopify | BigCommerce | Medusa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native card payments | Shopify Payments on Advanced and Plus only | Checkout.com native gateway | Stripe, the official provider |
| Tabby, Tamara and local gateways | Apps for Tabby, Tamara and local gateways | No Tabby integration | Custom providers, which we build |
| Fee on third-party gateways | 2% on Basic down to 0.2% on Plus | Confirmed per project | None |
| VAT-inclusive AED prices | Set up manually after adding your TRN | Confirmed per project | Set per region or currency |
| Arabic and RTL | RTL themes; you supply Arabic checkout text | Multi-language; no RTL documentation | Your storefront controls it fully |
| Existing URLs | Fixed paths, so URLs change and need 301s | Confirmed per project | Kept exactly |
| Custom checkout logic | Functions on Plus only; Scripts ended | Confirmed per project | Full code ownership |
| Hosting region | SaaS | SaaS | Self-host in the UAE, or Cloud |
| Platform cost | Advanced $299/mo; Plus from $2,300/mo | Confirmed per project | MIT licence; Cloud $29–$299/mo or self-host |
Vendor facts as published, checked October 2026; fees and prices are each vendor's own. Shopify Payments in the UAE is online-only and needs an AED bank account. On BigCommerce we found no Telr, PayTabs or N-Genius plugin. Medusa Cloud runs in the US, EU and Singapore; self-hosting can use AWS's UAE region. “Confirmed per project” means we check it against your store before recommending a route.
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Which route fits you
The short version, route by route.
Package
Best for
Not for
WooCommerce → Shopify
Best for
Teams that want SaaS with a standard catalogue, and can live with Shopify's fixed URL paths and the plan needed for native payments.
Not for
Stores that need custom checkout or pricing logic below Plus, or that must keep every existing URL.
WooCommerce → BigCommerce
Best for
B2B stores and large catalogues that want SaaS without Shopify's app sprawl.
Not for
Stores that depend on Tabby, which has no BigCommerce integration.
WooCommerce → Medusa
Best for
Stores that need custom logic, want to own their data and hosting, or want to keep every URL and leave plugin upkeep behind.
Not for
Teams that want a platform they never touch, with no developer support after launch.
Shopify → Medusa
Best for
Stores paying Shopify's fee on every Tabby or Tamara order, or needing checkout logic that Functions would lock to Plus.
Not for
Stores happy with Shopify's standard checkout and apps, where the fees stay small.
Still unsure? Start with payments: list the gateways you use today and check what each platform charges on them.
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Migration routes
One page per route.
/02
Shopify → Medusa
Leave Shopify's plan gating and per-order gateway fees for Medusa: open-source commerce you own, a Next.js storefront, and your UAE payment providers built in. Every product URL stays where it is.
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WooCommerce → Medusa
Replace WooCommerce and its plugin stack with Medusa v2 and a Next.js storefront. Every URL kept, catalogue, customers and orders moved, and your UAE payment providers built in.
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WooCommerce → BigCommerce
Move a UAE store from WooCommerce to BigCommerce. BigCommerce's free app moves the store data; we handle the content, the redirects, the Arabic storefront and the UAE payments it doesn't.
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Ecommerce migration — FAQs
Which platform should we move to?
It comes down to three things: the payment providers you need, how much custom checkout or pricing logic you run, and who maintains the store after launch. Shopify suits teams that want SaaS and a standard catalogue. Medusa suits stores that need custom logic or want to own their code and hosting. BigCommerce suits B2B and large catalogues, but Tabby has no BigCommerce integration. If you run a content site rather than a store, see our WordPress migration page instead.
Will we lose rankings?
The main risk is old URLs that stop working. Shopify uses fixed /products/ and /collections/ paths, so every WooCommerce product and category URL changes and needs a 301 redirect in place at launch. Medusa's storefront controls its own routing, so existing URLs can be kept exactly. Either way, we build the redirect map early and test it against your highest-traffic pages before cutover.
How long does it take?
It depends on the store more than the platform. The size of your catalogue and order history, the plugins or apps that need replacing, your payment providers, any custom checkout logic, and how much Arabic content and checkout text needs writing all move the timeline. We fix the scope and timeline after an audit of your current store.
Can we keep Tabby and Tamara?
On Shopify, yes: apps exist for Tabby, Tamara, Telr, N-Genius, PayTabs and Amazon Payment Services. By Shopify's published pricing, it adds a fee on orders through third-party gateways, from 2% on Basic to 0.2% on Plus. On Medusa, the community plugins are old or unmaintained, so we build Tabby, Tamara and other local gateways as custom payment providers, with no platform fee on top. On BigCommerce, Tabby has no integration, so we confirm a buy-now-pay-later option per project.
What happens to customer passwords?
They can't be carried across as they are. On Shopify, new stores use customer accounts that sign in with a one-time email code, so customers don't need a new password. On Medusa we can set up code sign-in, or, for WooCommerce stores, build a sign-in that checks the old password once and re-saves it where the old format allows. Otherwise we plan a reset email for launch day.
Can both stores run during cutover?
Yes. The new store is built and tested on staging while the old one keeps trading. Before launch we sync the latest orders, customers and stock, hold a short freeze on catalogue edits, then switch the domain. On Medusa the two can run side by side for longer if you prefer a gradual move.