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Ready to elevate your ecommerce brand?Get in touch with us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@underwaterpistol.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">info@underwaterpistol.com</a>or call&nbsp;<a href="tel:+442034677614" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">+44 203 467 7614</a>.<h4> </h4>

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Charlie Semmence

There’s a growing trend in today’s ecommerce landscape: fast-growing UK brands are leaving Magento behind and turning to <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/shopify-plus-agency" target="_blank">Shopify</a>. We see it time and time again. But why? What’s behind this shift? In this blog post, we’ll look at the key reasons, with insights from some of the biggest brands that have made the switch. Let’s go.
 
<h2>Internationalisation and scalability</h2>
 Shopify is set up for <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/shopify-plus-agency/shopify-migration" target="_blank">scaling internationally</a>. And for ambitious brands with global aspirations, that’s a significant factor driving a migration. <a href="https://www.neverfullydressed.com/" target="_blank">Never Fully Dressed</a> made the <a href="https://www.shopify.com/uk/case-studies/never-fully-dressed" target="_blank">switch to Shopify</a> to support their internationalisation efforts, after Magento made it difficult to process international sales. The iconic womenswear brand now sells seamlessly across the globe, with Shopify supporting cross-border payments in local currencies, and the customisation of international storefronts. They’ve also set up an international B2B site, allowing retailers to browse, order, and checkout as easily as a consumer. The result? Orders from leading boutiques and a serious bump in revenue. "The ease of internationalisation is a big part of why we migrated to Shopify Plus. Providing international service is so easy now and our B2B site allows for such a seamless experience." <meta charset="utf-8">— Lucy Aylen, Founder, Never Fully Dressed
 
<h2>Shopify’s high-converting checkout</h2>
 Shopify is well-known for its streamlined checkout experience, with <a href="https://www.shopify.com/uk/shop-pay" target="_blank">Shop Pay</a> delivering as much as 50% better conversion compared to guest checkout. For brands that want to reduce friction and improve conversion rates, Shopify’s reliable, top-performance checkout is a game-changer. Before <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/shopify-plus-agency/shopify-migration" target="_blank">migrating to Shopify</a>, <a href="https://brewdog.com/" target="_blank">BrewDog</a>’s highly-customised checkout on their Magento store was both glitchy and expensive to maintain. By moving to Shopify, they gained access to a checkout experience that’s smooth, reliable, and supports their wider goal of enhancing their site’s user experience.
<div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/BrewDog_Craft_Beer_Gift_Pack_with_free_glass_1920x750_454331cc-d316-4fd1-adb1-21d058812520_1024x1024.jpg?v=1726149621" alt="" style="float: none;"></div>
 
<h2>Unified omnichannel support</h2>
 For brands that operate both online and in physical stores, omnichannel support is essential. Fragmented customer data makes for disjointed experiences and missed opportunities for personalisation. Shopify provides a unified view of customer behaviour across all channels, allowing businesses like contemporary jewellery brand <a href="https://www.astridandmiyu.com/" target="_blank">Astrid &amp; Miyu</a> to deliver a more personalised customer journey. For <a href="https://www.shopify.com/uk/case-studies/astrid-and-miyu" target="_blank">Astrid &amp; Miyu</a>, having full customer oversight is essential for their direct-to-consumer strategy. After moving on from Magento, Shopify’s unified commerce capabilities gave them a single, clear view of their customers' journeys across both online and in-store touchpoints. This enabled them to grow both their ecommerce and physical store presence. "We can see everything about the customer in terms of their search behaviour, what they're buying, what they're looking at… Whether they're going into one of our stores or buying online, we have everything in one place." — Molly Allen, Senior Ecommerce Manager, Astrid &amp; Miyu 
<h2>Reliability, even during high-traffic periods</h2>
 Big brands get big traffic, and one of Shopify’s greatest strengths is its ability to handle high-traffic periods without a hitch. With a <a href="https://www.shopify.com/uk/plus" target="_blank">99.99% uptime</a> (even during the year’s biggest sale events) and unlimited bandwidth, Shopify ensures your site stays up, no matter how many customers are checking out at the same time. <a href="https://uk.gymshark.com/" target="_blank">Gymshark</a>’s Magento store failed them at the worst possible time. The site crashed on Black Friday, costing the business an estimated £100,000 in lost sales over eight hours of downtime. “[Black Friday] was supposed to be a huge day for us but we let our customers down. It didn’t matter that it was [Magento’s] fault, it’s our brand and customers blamed us which really hurt.” <meta charset="utf-8">— Ben Francis, Founder, Gymshark Since switching to Shopify, Gymshark have enjoyed peace of mind knowing their site can handle any spikes in traffic, and that Shopify Plus can scale with them at their (rapid) pace.
 
<h2>Lower total cost of ownership</h2>
 Total cost of ownership is a crucial metric for brands when it comes to choosing the right ecommerce platform. Compared to Magento, Shopify often offers a more cost-effective solution. Shopify is, on average, <a href="https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise/blog/ecommerce-total-cost-of-ownership" target="_blank">29% cheaper than Magento</a>, and its all-inclusive pricing frees up resources that would otherwise be spent on maintenance. This allows brands to focus on innovation and customer experience, rather than technical upkeep. BrewDog found themselves pouring money into just keeping their Magento site running, with little left over for updates or improvements. Since moving to Shopify, they’ve been able to focus on growth and customer experience, leaving the expensive maintenance costs behind. 
<h2>Why the biggest UK brands are waving goodbye to Magento</h2>
 Fast-growing UK brands are switching to Shopify because the platform provides the tools they need to thrive in an uber-competitive ecommerce market. Whether it’s international growth, omnichannel support, unwavering reliability, or a more seamless customer experience, Shopify delivers where Magento falls short. Simple. Want to find out more? <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/contact" target="_blank">Get in touch</a> to chat about how we can help you craft a roadmap for success on Shopify.

Why the UK's biggest brands are waving goodbye to Magento