BigCommerce Customer Password Migration to Shopify

Last updated August 2026

A technical guide to handling customer password migration when migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify. This covers what transfers, what does not, the specific risks for BigCommerce stores, and the recommended approach.

BigCommerce-specific considerations

When migrating customer password migration from BigCommerce, the following platform-specific aspects must be considered:

Data model implications

BigCommerce's data model stores this information differently than Shopify. In BigCommerce: Order with line items, shipments, payments, refunds, taxes.

Can Shopify's Store Migration app handle customer password migration?

What transfers

• Customer names, email addresses
• Customer addresses (billing and shipping)
• Customer phone numbers
• Customer tags and notes
• Marketing subscription status

What does NOT transfer

• Password hashes (different algorithms per platform)
• Login history and session data
• Two-factor authentication settings
• Saved payment methods (tokenized, PCI compliance issue)

Specific risks for BigCommerce stores

• Customers cannot log in after migration without password reset
• High volume of password reset emails triggers spam filters
• Customers may abandon if password reset experience is poor
• Account-less checkout customers may lose their purchase history
• Customer groups/tiers may lose their association

Recommended approach

Migrate customer data without passwords. Send a branded account activation email after migration inviting customers to set a new password. Consider a migration notice period to set expectations. For Shopify Plus, use the Multipass feature to allow customers to log in with their existing credentials via a custom authentication bridge.

Exporting customer password migration data from BigCommerce

• BigCommerce data export (CSV)
• BigCommerce REST API
• BigCommerce GraphQL API
• Third-party migration tools

Technical notes

• WordPress/WooCommerce uses phpass/BCrypt with unique salts
• Magento 2 uses SHA-256 with a 32-character salt
• Shopify uses BCrypt for password storage
• Cannot migrate password hashes directly; algorithms are incompatible
• Shopify's Customer API: POST /admin/api/2026-07/graphql.json
• Customers must accept account invite via email after import
• Shopify Plus Multipass allows external authentication
• Consider SSO/OAuth bridge for enterprise migrations

Other BigCommerce migration issues

References

• Shopify Customer API — Shopify
• Shopify Multipass — Shopify