The verdict in three sentences
An e-commerce replatforming in Dubai is priced between EUR 11,000 and EUR 65,000 in 2026, depending on the number of products, the order history to migrate and the depth of SEO redirects. The real risk is not technical but commercial: a rushed migration can cut organic traffic by 20 to 40 % for months. Success rests on three worksites: reliable data migration, an exhaustive 301 redirect plan, and testing before switchover.
Why a migration costs more than a new site
Building a new site starts from a blank page. Migrating means moving a living system: thousands of product pages, customer accounts, order histories, reviews, indexed URLs and pricing rules. Each element must transfer without loss and without breaking the SEO you have earned, which explains the weight of the data and SEO items.
| Migration worksite | Complexity | 2026 cost (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Audit & URL mapping | Medium | 1,400 - 3,700 |
| Catalogue & media migration | Medium | 2,800 - 8,400 |
| Customer & order migration | High | 3,700 - 11,200 |
| 301 redirect plan | High | 1,900 - 5,600 |
| Theme & UX rebuild | Variable | 4,700 - 18,700 |
| Testing & switchover | High | 2,300 - 7,500 |
Comparing 2026 target platforms
The target platform sets the budget and your future room to maneuver. Here are 2026 orders of magnitude for a mid-sized Dubai merchant.
| Target platform | Migration cost (EUR) | Annual cost | Key points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Plus | 14,000 - 33,000 | 22,000 - 28,000 | Fast, ecosystem, high fee |
| Medusa (headless open-source) | 23,000 - 51,000 | hosting 5,600 | Full freedom, no fee |
| Custom Next.js + Supabase | 28,000 - 65,000 | hosting 4,200 | Differentiation, code control |
| Optimized WooCommerce | 11,000 - 28,000 | hosting 2,800 | Controlled budget, SMEs |
SaaS reassures with its speed but imposes an annual fee that weighs on margin from the first million in revenue. Open-source and custom cost more upfront but remove that recurring rent.
Mini case study
Karim, manager of a fashion brand in Dubai, migrates from a slow legacy PrestaShop to Medusa for EUR 39,000. Before migration, his site converted at 1.4 % on 90,000 visitors a month with a EUR 60 average basket, i.e. EUR 75,600 in monthly sales. Thanks to a rigorous redirect plan, he keeps 97 % of his traffic and gains 0.5 point of conversion on a site three times faster. New figure: about EUR 102,600 a month, i.e. +EUR 27,000 monthly. The migration pays back in under 2 months.
FAQ
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Will I lose my SEO during migration?
With an exhaustive 301 redirect plan and key URLs preserved, the loss is limited to a 5 to 10 % fluctuation over 4 to 8 weeks. Without that plan, the drop can reach 40 % and last months.
How long does a migration take?
Between 2 and 6 months depending on data volume and UX rebuild scope. The switchover itself is prepared over weeks but executed in one night with a rollback plan.
Can we migrate without stopping sales?
Yes. We work on a parallel environment, freeze data for the final switchover (a few hours) and redirect. In-flight orders are migrated and reconciled.
What is the riskiest item?
Migrating customer and order data, and the redirect plan. A mistake here costs far more in revenue than any saving from cutting corners on testing.
Should we redesign everything while migrating?
No, and changing everything at once is discouraged. Migrating first at feature parity secures SEO; you evolve the UX afterward, once traffic is stable.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current platform, your number of references and your monthly traffic: we'll frame the migration and SEO plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
