Two tools to move item data out of Shopify

By Martin Bay

I am regularly surprised by how difficult it is to extract data from the different webshop platforms. This doesn't just apply to Shopify, but to pretty much every e-commerce system I've looked into.

Simple options like CSV extraction or product feeds should be part of any CMS if you ask me. It's just good service.

Yes, I understand that it's a pain in the arse to spend resources on helping a customer (potentially) move away. But consider this:

If the merchant wants to move, will they change their mind because data extraction is made difficult or expensive?
Will the merchant recommend the platform in question afterwards if the move is made unnecessarily frustrating?

(We have always had free CSV extraction and product feed tools in all packages. So maybe I'm coloured :-)

Anyoo, to the solutions

We are moving a number of webshops from e.g. Shopify over to our platform. And it will obviously be a lot easier if you can make an item extraction on the old webshop. Therefore, I have done some research and found/made two tools to extract product data from a Shopify webshop (even though they try to make it difficult).

1. Product feed

Kenneth Bon from puretime.dk has been kind enough to share his solution for a product feed. You can find the guide and script here.

2. CSV

Based on Kenneth's guide, I have built a script that creates CSV data. You can save this data as a spreadsheet and use it as you wish.

The advantage of the CSV method is that you can include data that is not part of the Google product feed specification. For example, variants, stock numbers, etc. (you can add this extra information to the product feed extract, just note that most import tools will not accept it)

The format of the CSV file is made to match our own product import. Depending on your needs, you can customise the script yourself.

Go to "Online Store > Themes" in the left menu
On the white "Actions" button, select "Edit code"
Under "Templates", add a new template of type "Collection" and type liquid
Add the code from this script
Go to "Products > Collections", create a new collection. Select conditions so that all products are selected, Theme template select the collection that has just been created (screenshot)
Press "View" to get the extract