How to Install Shop2woo Import products via JSON URL and Get Your Store Ready for Migration

Migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce can feel intimidating—especially if you’re not a developer.

 The good news is that the installation part of Shop2woo is actually very simple. In this guide, we’ll walk step‑by‑step through everything you need to prepare, install, and verify before you run your first import.

1. What you need before installing Shop2woo #

Think of Shop2woo as a bridge. One side is Shopify, the other is WooCommerce, and Shop2woo sits in the middle to move your products across. For the bridge to be stable, both sides need to be set up correctly.

You’ll need:

1. A WordPress site with WooCommerce installed
   • WordPress 5.0 or higher.
   • WooCommerce 3.0 or higher (ideally the latest stable version).
   • You can use a fresh WordPress install or an existing site where you’re already running WooCommerce.
2. PHP 7.0 or higher
   • Most modern hosts already use PHP 7.4 or 8.x.
   • If you’re not sure, ask your host or check under Tools → Site Health → Info in your WordPress dashboard.
3. Server resources
   • Memory limit: at least 128MB (256MB+ recommended if you have thousands of products).
   • The following PHP functions should be enabled: file_get_contents, file_put_contents, mkdir, json_decode. These are standard on almost all hosts.
   • Your server must be allowed to make outbound HTTP requests. This is how WordPress fetches data from https://yourstore.myshopify.com/products.json.
4. Your Shopify store URL
   • You don’t need API keys or private apps.
   • You do need the public products JSON endpoint, which looks like this:
     https://yourstore.myshopify.com/products.json?limit=250&page=1

Don’t worry if some of this sounds technical. In most shared hosting environments (SiteGround, Bluehost, etc.) it all just works. The System Status tab in Shop2woo will later help you confirm everything is OK.

2. Downloading the plugin #

After purchasing Shop2woo (from your site or CodeCanyon), you’ll receive a ZIP file. This file contains the plugin code.

• Do not unzip it yet if you plan to install via the WordPress dashboard.
• Keep it somewhere you can easily find it (e.g., your Downloads folder).

If you ever lose this file, you can re‑download it from your account area.

3. Installing Shop2woo via the WordPress Dashboard #

This is the easiest and most common way to install.

1. Log into your WordPress admin panel.
2. Go to Plugins → Add New.
3. At the top, click the Upload Plugin button.
4. Click Choose File and select the Shop2woo ZIP you downloaded.
5. Click Install Now.
6. Once WordPress finishes uploading and unpacking the plugin, click Activate.

If the activation is successful, you’ll see a new menu item in the left sidebar called Shop2Woo.

What if you see an error?

• “The link you followed has expired” – usually means the file size exceeds your host’s upload limit. In that case, use the FTP method below.
• “Destination folder already exists” – usually means the plugin folder is already present. Maybe you tried to install it before. Delete the existing folder via FTP or deactivate & delete the old plugin from the Plugins screen, then try again.

4. Installing Shop2woo via FTP (manual method) #

If your host is strict about upload limits or you’re more comfortable with FTP, you can install manually.

1. Unzip the Shop2woo ZIP on your computer.
   You should now have a folder, usually named Shop2Wo.
2. Connect to your website using an FTP client (FileZilla, Cyberduck, etc.) or your hosting file manager.
3. Navigate to: /wp-content/plugins/
4. Upload the entire Shop2Wo folder into /plugins/.
5. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
6. Find Shop2woo – Import Shopify to WooCommerce Via Shopify URL and click Activate.
   

That’s it. The result is the same as the dashboard method.

5. Verifying WooCommerce and system status #

After activation:

1. If WooCommerce is not active, you’ll see a message:
   
   “Shop2Woo requires WooCommerce to be installed and active.”
   
   In that case, go to Plugins → Add New, search for WooCommerce, install & activate it, then come back to Shop2woo.
2. Once WooCommerce is active, go to Shop2Woo → Settings → System Status.
   • Check that:
     • Required functions like file_get_contents are “✔ Enabled”.
     • Log directory is “✔ Writable”.
     • PHP memory and time limits look reasonable (if they’re very low, consider increasing via your host).

If everything looks green and there are no errors, your environment is ready for migration.

6. What’s next? #

With installation done, your next steps are:

• Get your Shopify products JSON URL.
• Learn how to perform your first test import.
• Configure settings to match your use case (e.g., draft status while you review data).

We’ll cover all of that in the next article.