How to Migrate from Adobe Experience Manager to Shopify Plus
Step-by-Step
Replatforming from Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) to Shopify Plus is a growing trend among enterprise ecommerce brands. While AEM offers deep CMS and DAM capabilities, Shopify Plus delivers faster time to market, lower total cost of ownership, and seamless scalability. In this guide, Power Commerce outlines every step of the AEM-to-Shopify migration process—preserving SEO, performance, and brand integrity.
Why Brands Are Migrating from AEM to Shopify Plus
- Lower cost of ownership: Shopify Plus offers a managed SaaS model with no server costs or update burdens.
- Faster deployments: Go live in weeks instead of months using pre-built integrations and app ecosystems.
- Global ecommerce readiness: Native multi-currency, Shopify Markets, and mobile-first themes simplify cross-border scaling.
- Composable flexibility: Use Shopify as a headless frontend with APIs or integrate with external CMS if needed.
Migration Planning: What to Audit Before You Move
Successful migrations start with clarity. Begin with a technical and business audit:
- Catalog structure and product types
- Content types and editorial workflow dependencies
- Asset repositories and licensing rules
- SEO footprint (URLs, sitemaps, backlinks)
- Custom functionality (forms, personalization, internal search)
Power Commerce helps clients evaluate what to migrate, transform, or eliminate—streamlining complexity.
Step 1: Define Your Content and Commerce Scope
- List all microsites, locales, or domains supported in AEM
- Determine which content pages (FAQs, About, blog) will move to Shopify CMS
- Map current ecommerce capabilities (B2C, B2B, subscription, etc.)
We recommend consolidating platforms where possible for better agility and performance.
Step 2: Map Data Models and URLs
- Convert AEM component-based structures into Shopify-compatible sections and templates
- Create a URL redirect plan for every product, collection, and content page
- Preserve structured metadata (JSON-LD, Open Graph, meta tags)
Step 3: Extract and Refactor Content & Assets
- Export HTML content blocks and rich media from AEM
- Transform DAM files into Shopify-supported formats (JPG, WebP, MP4)
- Import content into Shopify CMS or headless content tools like Sanity or Contentful
Step 4: Build Shopify Plus Architecture
- Create themes or use Hydrogen/Storefront APIs for custom frontend
- Configure Shopify Markets, tax rules, shipping zones, and multi-language settings
- Set up product types, collections, metafields, and inventory sync
Step 5: Set Up SEO Redirects and Meta Tags
- Implement 301 redirects for legacy AEM URLs
- Validate canonical tags, hreflang, and schema markup
- Submit updated XML sitemaps to Google Search Console
Step 6: Integrate Apps and APIs
Replace or replicate AEM integrations with Shopify-native or headless-compatible solutions:
- ERP and inventory systems (NetSuite, Brightpearl, SAP)
- Marketing tools (Klaviyo, Yotpo, Meta & Google Ads)
- Search and personalization (Algolia, Nosto, Shopify Functions)
Step 7: QA, Testing, and Pre-Launch Checklist
- Device testing for all breakpoints and screen sizes
- Speed test (Lighthouse) and Core Web Vitals review
- Test order flows, checkout, and customer accounts
- Verify analytics, pixels, and event tracking
Step 8: Go Live and Monitor Performance
- Point DNS to Shopify infrastructure
- Enable uptime monitors and error logs
- Review site performance post-launch and adjust caching/CDN as needed
Power Commerce also provides launch support to resolve issues in real time during your go-live window.
Conclusion: Why Power Commerce Leads AEM-to-Shopify Migrations
Replatforming from Adobe Experience Manager to Shopify Plus is a strategic shift toward agility, lower costs, and performance. At Power Commerce, we’ve guided global brands through enterprise-scale migrations—without sacrificing branding, SEO, or operations.
Whether you’re ready to start your migration or still evaluating the fit, we’re here to help you make the smartest move for your growth.
