When migrating from Magento Enterprise (Adobe Commerce) to Shopify, businesses often focus on platform capabilities, integrations, and operational efficiency. However, analytics strategy is one of successful migration's most critical yet overlooked aspects.
Without a well-executed analytics plan, companies risk losing valuable data, breaking tracking mechanisms, and making decisions without a clear understanding of user behavior, conversion trends, and business performance.
Every e-commerce migration is an opportunity to not only preserve key analytics but also optimize and upgrade tracking frameworks to ensure long-term growth.
Auditing Your Existing Analytics Stack Before Migration
Every business has a unique analytics ecosystem, often consisting of multiple tracking and reporting tools. Before migrating to Shopify, conducting a comprehensive analytics audit is essential to understand what’s currently in place and what needs to be transitioned.
Key considerations include:
- Which analytics platforms are currently in use? (Google Analytics 4, Adobe Analytics, Heap, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or others)
- What custom tracking scripts are embedded in Magento? (JavaScript-based event tracking, GTM configurations, or hardcoded scripts)
- Which KPIs and reports are most critical to your business? (Revenue by source, conversion funnel analysis, customer lifetime value, etc.)
- What historical data needs to be retained and how will it be accessed post-migration?
This audit phase ensures that no key tracking mechanisms are lost in the transition while also identifying opportunities for refinement and consolidation to improve efficiency.
Rebuilding Tracking in Shopify: Best Practices
Once the existing analytics landscape is mapped out, the next step is implementing tracking within Shopify to ensure continuity and accuracy. Shopify has built-in reporting features, but most enterprises rely on third-party analytics platforms for deeper insights.
Choosing the Right Analytics Platform for Your Business
Since Shopify does not natively support Adobe Analytics or other third-party tracking solutions out of the box, businesses migrating from Magento must decide whether to:
- Rebuild tracking in the same platform (e.g., reconfiguring Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, or Amplitude within Shopify).
- Transition to a new platform (e.g., switching from Adobe Analytics to GA4).
- Implement a hybrid approach that combines Shopify’s built-in analytics with external data platforms.
Each option requires careful planning to ensure consistency in tracking methodology, KPI definitions, and historical comparability.
Implementing Event-Based Tracking
Regardless of the analytics platform, businesses must rebuild key tracking events in Shopify. This includes:
- User behavior tracking (page views, product interactions, add-to-cart events, checkout steps).
- Conversion funnel tracking to monitor drop-off points.
- Attribution tracking for traffic sources, marketing campaigns, and UTM parameters.
- Cross-domain tracking if multiple storefronts, marketplaces, or apps are involved.
For teams that previously relied on Adobe Analytics, this step often involves transitioning from server-side tracking via Adobe Launch to an event-driven data model in Shopify.
Integrating Analytics with Shopify Data
Shopify does not directly integrate with Adobe Analytics or Mixpanel but allows for tracking implementation via:
- Google Tag Manager (GTM) for event tracking across platforms.
- Shopify's Web Pixel API for custom tracking needs.
- Server-side tracking solutions for first-party data collection.
Deploi works closely with teams to map existing tracking setups to Shopify’s ecosystem, ensuring that key business metrics remain intact post-migration.
Handling Historical Order Data in a Magento to Shopify Migration
When migrating from Magento to Shopify, one key consideration is managing historical order data. While Shopify natively stores and manages all new orders placed post-migration, it does not support the direct import of historical orders into its native order management system.
This means businesses need an alternative strategy for retaining and accessing past order history. Common approaches include:
- Selective Migration: Using third-party apps or custom scripts to retrieve key historical order records, allowing for reference within Shopify.
- External Storage: Maintaining a separate database, data warehouse, or analytics tool to retain full historical records.
- Custom Integrations: Building a tailored solution that surfaces historical order data within Shopify’s admin panel for seamless access.
At Deploi, we help businesses assess the best approach based on operational needs. Whether integrating historical data into a custom dashboard, syncing with an existing ERP, or ensuring customer service teams have easy access to past order details, we ensure a smooth transition without losing critical business insights.
Advanced Analytics & Reporting in Shopify
Migrating to Shopify allows you to optimize your analytics stack and introduce more advanced reporting capabilities.
Leveraging Shopify’s Built-in Reports
Shopify provides a range of reports for merchants, including:
- Sales performance & trends
- Product analytics
- Customer retention reports
- Funnel & checkout behavior tracking
However, most enterprise businesses require deeper insights, which is where custom analytics solutions come in.
Integrating Shopify Data with BI & Data Warehouses
Many businesses integrate Shopify’s data with business intelligence (BI) tools such as:
- Google Looker Studio
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Snowflake & BigQuery
This allows custom reporting, predictive analytics, and machine learning applications to optimize customer insights and business decisions.
Ensuring Analytics Continuity Post-Migration
The final step in a successful Magento to Shopify migration is validating all analytics and ensuring continuity.
Cross-checking Data Accuracy
After the migration, businesses should compare Shopify data with historical Magento data to confirm:
- Order tracking consistency
- Traffic source accuracy
- Checkout behavior tracking
Ongoing Monitoring & Optimization
Deploi provides post-migration analytics support, helping businesses:
- Identify data discrepancies & resolve tracking issues
- Optimize data pipelines & reporting structures
- Adapt tracking frameworks to evolving business needs
Training & Knowledge Transfer
Finally, teams must be trained on new analytics workflows to ensure internal stakeholders can confidently navigate the updated system and effectively leverage insights.
A Stronger Analytics Foundation for Growth
Migrating from Magento Enterprise to Shopify is not just about moving platforms—it’s an opportunity to elevate your analytics capabilities.
By carefully auditing existing tracking systems, rebuilding measurement frameworks, and implementing advanced analytics solutions, businesses can:
- Ensure no critical data is lost during migration
- Enhance marketing attribution & customer journey insights
- Leverage predictive analytics for data-driven growth
At Deploi, we specialize in seamless Shopify migrations beyond just platform switching. We ensure that your analytics strategy is optimized for long-term success so you can make smarter, data-driven decisions post-migration.