Independent research reveals why the traditional migration paradigm is entirely optional.
Enterprise platform migrations don’t have to be slow and unpredictable. Independent research now proves it.
A leading consulting firm conducted independent research on enterprise commerce platform migrations across the globe, analyzing hundreds of implementations across multiple industries and company sizes to understand what really drives migration success.
The findings are clear: Shopify implementations are 20% faster. 3x more predictable on budget. 23% less expensive. And 66% more likely to launch on time.
Why did Shopify come out on top? Shopify was designed from the ground up to eliminate the friction points that turn migrations into multi-year ordeals.
When you break this data down by platform, Shopify’s unfair advantages become clear—we outperform across every metric that matters:
- vs. Adobe Commerce: 25% faster implementation, 53% better on-time implementation, and 3% lower costs.
- vs. Salesforce Commerce Cloud: 22% faster implementation, 35% lower costs, and 2.5x better on-time implementation.
- vs. BigCommerce: 10% faster implementation, 22% better on-time delivery, and 4.4x more likely on-budget implementation.
- vs. WooCommerce: 10% faster implementation, 5.8x more likely on-budget implementation, and 2.7x more likely on-time implementation.
- vs. commercetools: 10% faster implementation, 29% more likely on-time implementation, and 14x more likely on-budget implementation.
- vs. custom platforms: 56% lower costs, 1.9x more likely on-budget implementation, and 36% faster implementation.
The pattern is undeniable: Shopify transforms migrations from business risk into competitive advantage.
Built for migration speed
Skullcandy experienced this firsthand. They completed a global migration to Shopify in just 90 days.
No shortcuts. No compromises.
That speed comes from deliberate design choices, not marketing promises:
- 8,000+ prebuilt integrations: Known costs, proven timelines. Customize what matters.
- Native functionality: Enterprise features out of the box with the option to customize when you need.
- Transparent pricing: No complex licensing or hidden fees. Accurate forecasting from day one.
- Partner ecosystem: Certified expertise when you want it. Platform simplicity when you don't.
Shopify’s architecture eliminated the customization overhead that turns migrations into multi-year ordeals, freeing Skullcandy to focus on growth instead of technical debt. It’s a fundamental competitive advantage: where other platforms are content to tick feature boxes, we optimize for speed and revenue acceleration.
Fast migrations fuel faster innovation
Migration success is just the beginning. What happens after migration is what determines market leadership.
The research confirms that faster implementations create compound advantages:
- Innovation bandwidth: Teams focus on growth, not maintenance.
- Market responsiveness: Weeks to revenue, not quarters.
- Experimentation capacity: Lower costs power breakthrough innovation.
Kendo Brands proves this. With Fenty Beauty, Ole Henriksen, and Lip Lab in their portfolio, they’re not following trends—they’re creating them. Shopify sparks that first-mover advantage.
When TikTok Shop launched, Kendo moved from idea to implementation in just 60 days. And when Roblox introduced shopping experiences, Shopify was the first platform with integration, and Kendo jumped in fearlessly, leading the market on this new channel.
Sapna Parikh, Kendo’s chief digital officer, said it best: “Shopify has allowed us to get on top of shifting trends in stealth speed and be first.”
This speed advantage scales globally too: 191 countries in just 2 months, proving that the right platform transforms complex expansion into rapid market capture.
That’s the compound effect in action.
Every day spent managing legacy platform complexity is a day not driving growth. Market leaders don’t just migrate faster—they innovate faster, with platforms that accelerate rather than constrain their business capabilities.
The research has settled the debate. Fast, predictable enterprise migration is a proven reality. The only question left is: will you be a first mover or fall behind?
Ready to learn more? Get the full time to value guide for complete research findings, detailed competitive analysis, and enterprise migration best practices.
