Migrating from Akinon to Shopify: Step-By-Step Technical Guide

Moving from Akinon to Shopify is the process of moving from Turkey's leading enterprise e-commerce infrastructure to a globally scalable platform. This transition involves transferring the product catalog, customer data, order history, and SEO authority to the new platform with protection. A migration without proper planning leads to both data loss and organic traffic decline.

What is Akinon and Who Uses It?

Akinon is a corporate e-commerce platform with headless architecture established in Turkey in 2013. Serves large retailers with OMS (Order Management System), PIM (Product Information Management) and omnichannel sales management features. Brands such as LC Waikiki, Migros, Marks & Spencer Turkey and Boyner are among the names that use the Akinon infrastructure.

The platform is designed to manage large operations and multi-channel (physical store + online) sales center. But for brands that are below a certain volume, Akinon's setup and maintenance costs can start to weigh heavy, at which point it's worth migrating to a more flexible platform like Shopify.

Why Switch from Akinon to Shopify?

The main differences between the two platforms are evident, and the following dynamics usually trigger the decision to switch:

The triggers of the transition decision are:

• Target to expand to international markets: Shopify's multi-language, multi-currency, and tax infrastructure works much better than Akinon's.
• Greater application needs: Global SaaS integrations such as Klaviyo, Yotpo, Gorgias, ReCharge are installed in minutes via the Shopify App Store.
• Cost optimization: For mid-sized brands, Akinon's enterprise license cost can be well above Shopify Advanced or Plus.
• Developer independence: Shopify's vast global developer ecosystem eliminates the problem of sourcing.

Important Note: Akinon is still a powerful platform for large omnichannel operations. For brands that process 10,000+ orders per day, with a large number of physical stores, it is necessary to do a full cost-benefit analysis of the transition before leaving Akinon.

What Moves to Move from Akinon to Shopify?

Clearly defining the scope of migration determines the success of the project. Data to migrate from Akinon to Shopify is collected in five main categories:

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1. Product Catalog

• Product titles, descriptions, SKUs
• Variants (color, size, material)
• Images (main image+additional images)
• Price information (list price, discounted price)
• Stock quantities
• Meta headings and meta descriptions (critical for SEO)
• Collection/category relationships

2. Customer Data

• First name, last name, email, phone
• Registered address information
• Account creation dates
• KVKK compliance: get legal advice before moving customer data

3. Order History

• Completed orders (date, amount, products)
• Returns records
• Note: Shopify doesn't import old orders natively; third-party tools or APIs are required

4. Content and Blog Posts

• Blog articles (if applicable)
• Static pages (About Us, Contact, Policies)

5. SEO Assets

• Existing URL structure
• Meta headings and descriptions
• Canonical URLs
• 301 redirect map (most critical step)

Migrating from Akinon to Shopify: Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Document the Existing Akinon Structure

Before starting the transition, make a complete record of the current situation:

• List of all active URLs (via site crawl: Screaming Frog or Sitebulb)
• List of pages that get organic traffic from Google Search Console
• Rankings available (SEMrush or Ahrefs export)
• Number of products, number of categories, number of customers
• List of active integrations (payment, cargo, accounting, ERP)

This document forms the basis of the post-transition checklist. Switching from documentation makes it impossible to see what is lost.

Step 2: Prepare the Shopify Store

Set up the basic structure of the Shopify store before you start data migration:

• Choose Shopify plan (Advanced or Plus for midsize brands)
• Connect domain name or prepare DNS settings
• Choose and customize the theme (reference Akinon's design logic)
• Set up payment integration (Iyzico or PayTR)
• Create shipping profiles

Step 3: Move Product Catalog

Product data from Akinon is usually exported in two ways:

Method A: CSV Export Export products in CSV format from Akinon admin panel. Organize columns based on Shopify's product import template. Basic columns: Handle, Title, Body (HTML), Vendor, Type, Tags, Published, Option1 Name, Option1 Value, Variant SKU, Variant Price, Image Src.

Method B: API Integration You can import product data through Akinon's REST API and write it into the Shopify Admin API. In large catalogs (10,000+ products) this method is more reliable and maintains visual links.

Technical Notice: Shopify can have up to 100 variants of a product. In Akinon, this limit is higher. If you have products with 100+ variants, you may need to rearrange the product structure.

Step 4: Protect SEO — 301 Redirect Map

The most common mistake when migrating from Akinon to Shopify is changing the URL structure. Organic traffic crashes within weeks when old URLs that Google indexes return to 404.

The URL structure usually varies as follows:

Define 301 redirects in Shopify for each legacy URL. In Shopify, you can do this from the Navigation > URL Redirects menu or with bulk CSV import. For 1,000+ redirects, Shopify Plus' Bulk Redirects feature or third-party apps (Easy Redirects) are more practical.

301 redirect checklist:

• All product pages
• All collection/category pages
• Blog posts
• Static pages
• Home page (if required)

Step 5: Reinstall Integrations

Determine Shopify equivalents for integrations running on Akinon:

Step 6: Verify in Test Environment

Before you go live, keep the Shopify store password-protected and perform these tests:

• Check at least 10 product pages from each category
• Complete a test order from start to finish
• Test the mobile experience on different devices and browsers
• Verify that 301 redirects are working with tools (Screaming Frog)
• Measure page loading speed with Google PageSpeed Insights

Step 7: Make the Transition and Watch SEO

The best time to go live: low traffic period (at night 02:00 — 06:00 or off-season). Direct the domain to Shopify, submit a new sitemap to Google Search Console, and monitor these metrics daily for the first 30 days:

• Organic traffic (GSC > Performance)
• Crawl errors (GSC > Coverage)
• 404 pages (GSC > Not Found)
• Core Web Vitals Score

Common Mistakes When Migrating from Akinon to Shopify

Error 1: Passing without 301 redirects The most frequent and most destructive mistake. Without redirection, all old URLs return to 404; Google begins to unindex these pages.

Mistake 2: Not re-optimizing product images Images from Akinon are usually large file sizes. Convert to WebP when importing to Shopify and compress to a maximum width of 2048px.

Mistake 3: Trying to move customer passwords Shopify doesn't import hashed passwords for security reasons. You have to send post-migration password reset email to customers.

Mistake 4: Immediately closing the old Akinon store after the transition Keep the old store accessible for at least 30 days. It serves as a reference point when missing redirects or data losses are noticed.

FAQ: Migrating from Akinon to Shopify

How long does it take to migrate from Akinon to Shopify? It depends on the size of the catalog and the number of integrations. A store with 500 six products can be transported in 2—4 weeks. Projects that require 5,000+ products, active ERP integration, and a large number of 301 leads can stretch to 2—4 months. Parallel work (old store is open, new store is in the testing phase) is recommended for seamless switching.

Do customer reviews accumulated on Akinon move to Shopify? Akinon's built-in commenting system is not directly compatible with Shopify. Comments can be exported as CSV and imported into applications such as Judge.me or Yotpo. However, genuine source verification may be lost; this should be considered for trust.

Is it possible to maintain SEO rankings? A correct migration largely preserves organic traffic. The complete establishment of 301 redirects, the transfer of metadata, and the reporting of the sitemap to Google are critical steps. Still, small ranking fluctuations are normal for 4—8 weeks post-transition.

Do custom enhancements in Akinon move to Shopify? Custom components written for Akinon don't work directly in Shopify. These need to be redeveloped with Shopify's Liquid template language and API. Make a list of these customizations and prioritize which ones are really needed.

How to migrate from Akinon to Shopify The transition from Akinon to Shopify consists of four main stages: documenting the existing structure, transferring product and customer data, identifying 301 redirects to protect SEO, and reinstalling integrations. The most critical step is URL redirection; without this, organic traffic drops severely within weeks.

Akinon or Shopify: which platform is better? Akinon is designed for corporate brands with a strong omnichannel retail structure and high order volume. Shopify is advantageous for brands that want to scale globally, need a broad ecosystem of apps, and are looking for a more flexible cost structure. The two platforms cater to different needs; the right choice depends on brand size, growth target and technical capacity.

Is there a loss of SEO when switching from Akinon to Shopify? With a correct migration, there is no permanent SEO loss. Organic traffic is largely preserved, provided that 301 redirects are fully identified, metadata is transferred, and the new sitemap is reported to Search Console. A small fluctuation of 4—8 weeks post-transition is normal and will improve once Google's indexing of the new structure is complete.

Expert Support for Migrating from Akinon to Shopify

Moving from Akinon to Shopify is a strategic decision that requires technical expertise. A planned approach is essential to maintaining data integrity, transferring SEO authority, and minimizing integration interruptions.

As Nodus Works, we manage end-to-end migration projects for brands moving from Turkey to Shopify. If you want to plan your move from Akinon to Shopify Check out our migration service and contact us for a free preliminary evaluation.