The verdict in three sentences
For a Berlin furniture maker selling EUR 900,000 a year on a PrestaShop 1.6 that has not been updated since 2019, staying put is no longer an option: known vulnerabilities, obsolete PHP, abandoned modules. A move to Shopify or Shopware costs EUR 25,000 to 50,000, a custom build EUR 50,000 to 80,000, and the choice depends mostly on how complex your product configurator and B2B flows are. Either way, the item that protects revenue is the redirect plan, because 10 to 30% of organic traffic can vanish if it is rushed.
Shopify, Shopware or custom: costs compared
Berlin agency day rates run EUR 800 to 1,200, which puts German projects above French ones. Shopware, popular in the DACH market, is a credible alternative to Shopify.
| Option | Project cost (EUR, excl. VAT) | Annual recurring cost | Timeline | Best if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PrestaShop 8 (upgrade) | 25,000 to 40,000 | 3,000 to 6,000 | 3 to 4 months | In-house PHP team, little custom code |
| Shopify (Advanced plan) | 25,000 to 40,000 | 4,500 to 9,000 + 0.5 to 0.6% with third-party payments | 2 to 3 months | Standard catalogue, little B2B |
| Shopware 6 (Community or Rise) | 30,000 to 50,000 | 5,000 to 25,000 depending on edition | 3 to 5 months | DACH market, B2B, German-speaking partners |
| Custom build (Next.js + back office) | 50,000 to 80,000 | 6,000 to 12,000 | 4 to 6 months | Configurator, B2B quotes, trade pricing |
| Headless Shopify + custom front end | 55,000 to 85,000 | 10,000 to 15,000 | 4 to 5 months | Performance and brand image priorities |
For a furniture maker, two factors tip the balance: the configurator (dimensions, finishes, fabrics, variable lead times) and trade sales (architects, hotels, volume pricing). Shopify handles combination-based pricing poorly without paid apps. Beyond 3 or 4 critical apps, Shopware or custom becomes more coherent over 3 years.
What must be migrated and what a failure costs
Replatforming is won or lost on data and SEO, not on design.
| Item to migrate | Typical volume | Indicative cost (EUR) | Risk if neglected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customers and accounts | 25,000 records | 2,000 to 4,000 | Passwords not carried over, mass resets |
| Order history | 40,000 orders | 2,500 to 5,000 | Blind after-sales, missing invoices |
| Products, variants, images | 600 products, 8,000 variants | 4,000 to 7,000 | Incomplete pages, lost variants |
| 301 redirects | 2,000 URLs | 3,000 to 6,000 | 10 to 30% organic traffic lost |
| Content and SEO metadata | 150 pages, blog | 2,000 to 4,000 | Ranking drops on editorial queries |
| Customer reviews | 3,000 reviews | 800 to 2,000 | Lost social proof and Google stars |
On EUR 900,000 of revenue with 45% from SEO, losing 20% of organic traffic for 4 months means about EUR 27,000 in lost revenue, often more than the migration budget itself. Insist on URL-by-URL mapping, a crawl before and after cutover, and daily Search Console monitoring for 6 weeks.
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Jonas, head of e-commerce at a furniture maker in Berlin, compares two scenarios over 3 years.
- Shopware Rise: EUR 42,000 project, licence and hosting about EUR 9,000 a year, so 42,000 + 27,000 = EUR 69,000.
- Custom build: EUR 68,000 project, EUR 9,000 a year hosting and maintenance, so 68,000 + 27,000 = EUR 95,000.
- Custom includes online trade quotes. Assumption: EUR 120,000 extra B2B revenue a year at 35% margin, or EUR 42,000 a year.
If B2B truly matters, custom pays back the EUR 26,000 gap in under a year. Otherwise, Shopware remains the rational choice. Order of magnitude for 2026, to be checked against your own numbers.
FAQ
Can customer passwords be kept when moving to Shopify? No, Shopify does not import PrestaShop hashes. Plan an account reactivation campaign, typically 40 to 60% reactivation within 3 months.
How long does the cutover itself take? Go-live happens overnight with a 2 to 6 hour order freeze. Schedule it off-season, ideally January or late August for furniture.
Should we redesign at the same time? It is not required. A premium theme costs EUR 300 to 400 and is enough for a fast migration, but good UX work often lifts conversion by 10 to 20%.
What happens to SEO during migration? With clean redirects, the dip usually stays around 5% for 4 to 8 weeks. Without a plan, it can reach 30% and last over 6 months.
Can we migrate in stages? Yes, starting with catalogue and storefront, then B2B. It spreads the budget but adds 2 to 3 months.
Let's scope your project. Send us your store URL and volumes (products, customers, orders), and we will price Shopify, Shopware and custom side by side with a cutover 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.
