Squarespace ➜ Shopify: EXO ALIEN Fashion Store Migration

When Los-Angeles–based designer Ariana Voutsakis outgrew the limitations of her Squarespace store, she turned to Brandywine Web Services for a seamless migration to Shopify—without sacrificing brand aesthetic or search-engine equity. Her relaunched storefront now lives at shopexoalien.com.

Why Migrate?

Squarespace served Ariana well early on, but the platform’s limited app ecosystem and rigid checkout flow led her to explore other options. Shopify offered:

• Scalable inventory management for 600 + SKUs
• Robust integrations—Klaviyo, ShipStation, and Shop Pay
• Developer freedom to craft a pixel-perfect experience

Our Migration Process

1. Project Kick-off & Theme Selection
   • Chose a clean, fashion-forward Shopify theme as a base.
   • Gathered Ariana’s design tweaks (custom fonts, lookbook carousel, size-chart modal).

2. Data Export & Transformation
   • Exported products, variants, customers, and orders from Squarespace CSV.
   • Wrote a Node script to map fields (SKU → Handle, Item Description → Body HTML) and split option sets for Shopify.
   • Validated with Shopify’s Transporter tool—zero import errors on first run.

3. Image Optimization
   • Pulled all 1 800 product photos via API.
   • Batch-processed to WebP + AVIF, 2200 px max, < 150 KB each using Sharp.
   • Added descriptive alt text to boost accessibility and SEO.

4. Custom Theme Development
   • Forked the theme in GitHub; implemented Figma specs in Liquid & Tailwind.
   • Integrated Instagram feed, color-swatch selector, and “Shop the Look” bundles.
   • Embedded metafields for fabric care and sustainability badges.

5. Security, Domain & SEO Preservation
   • Updated DNS (GoDaddy) so shopexoalien.com cut over with zero downtime.
   • Created 301 redirects for every legacy Squarespace URL; Google Search Console reported no crawl errors post-launch.

6. Quality Assurance & Launch
   • Cross-browser checks (Chrome, Safari, Edge, mobile).
   • Test orders in Shopify Payments sandbox.
   • Soft launch to VIP customers → full public release 48 hours later.

Challenges Overcome

Hurdle	Solution
Inconsistent product variants between platforms	Custom CSV transform script normalized color/size options.
Large, uncompressed images	Automated Sharp pipeline cut total image payload by 72 %.
Domain propagation across global customers	Planned launch for off-peak hours; TTL reduced 24 h in advance.

Results

• 2× faster page loads (LCP down from 5.6 s to 2.4 s)
• +18 % conversion rate in first month post-launch
• Zero SEO traffic loss thanks to meticulous redirect map

Steven was absolutely amazing to work with! He made the entire process of transferring my Squarespace e-commerce site to Shopify smooth and stress-free. This was something that felt like an extremely daunting task for myself. He imported all of my data and images, updated everything I needed, and helped troubleshoot any website questions I had. He’s extremely responsive, solution-oriented, and genuinely helpful. One thing I really appreciated was the honest feedback he gave me from a user experience perspective—it was incredibly valuable and helped me look at my site in a new way. He also helped me navigate unexpected website security issues and worked thoroughly to get everything resolved quickly. I highly recommend Steven to anyone looking for web consulting and development support, and I’ll definitely be referring him to others. I’m so grateful for all of his help! — Ariana Voutsakis

Takeaways

A well-planned, code-driven migration unlocks Shopify’s advanced ecosystem while preserving brand voice and ranking signals. If you’re feeling boxed in by Squarespace (or any other platform), drop us a line—Brandywine can pave the smoothest path to Shopify success.