Platform Migration Payback Calculator

Moving a store to a different platform can reduce fees or unlock features, but it carries real one-time costs: exporting and cleaning product and customer data, rebuilding the theme, setting up redirects so search rankings survive, testing checkout, retraining staff and paying for two systems during the overlap. This calculator checks whether the savings justify the effort.

Enter the total one-time cost of migrating, the savings you expect in the first year, the percentage those savings may grow each year if sales grow, and the number of years to evaluate. To estimate savings, take your last twelve months of platform, app and processing costs and subtract what the same sales would have cost on the new platform.

Worked example (illustrative). If migration costs $4,000 and saves $3,600 in year one, payback is about 13 months. With savings growing 4% a year over three years, the total is about $3,600 + $3,744 + $3,894 = $11,238, so net of the migration cost you keep roughly $7,238.

Limits. The estimate assumes stable volume and ignores risk, such as a temporary traffic dip after switching or payment holds with a new processor. It also leaves out non-financial benefits like better reporting or inventory tools. Use real quotes for both platforms before deciding.