‍As Shopify is discontinuing its product review app, you must be looking forward to migrating to another review app.

You can lose all the existing reviews if you do not follow a proper process.

Solution?

‍Keeping a Shopify Product Reviews app migration checklist can keep all your data safe.

‍Let’s have a detailed look at the migration checklist and how to follow the process appropriately.
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Why Do You Need to Keep a Migration Checklist While Switching to an Alternative Review App?

When Shopify announced it was sunsetting its product review app and it would not be available, many users installed a new app and uninstalled the Shopify review app.

As a result, they lost all the existing reviews and also regretted installing an app that was not performing well.

You need to keep a migration checklist if you want to avoid these mistakes.

Keeping a Shopify product reviews app migration checklist will protect your existing reviews. Plus, it will ensure a smooth migration process and the right selection of a new product review app.

Shopify Product Reviews App Migration Checklist

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Here is the checklist for migrating to another review app from Shopify Product Review app:

1. Select a new Shopify product review app
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First, you need to find a new Shopify product review app that comes with all the latest features. The Shopify Product Review app was quite simple and had fewer features. But you need more advanced features if you want to increase sales.

You can read our article on Best Shopify Product Reviews app alternatives to find out which reviews app you can use.

To summarize that article, ReviewXpo is the best Shopify Product Reviews app alternative for its unique features such as automated AI replies to reviews, customer review requests, personalized discount codes, photo & video reviews, and more.
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2. Install a new product review app
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When you have decided which review app you want to use, you can directly go to the Shopify app store and install the app.

One of the best things about ReviewXpo is that you can install and use it for free. After installing the app, do basic settings such as language preferences and theme selection. Then, you can start using it to collect & display product reviews. 

3. Export product reviews app from Shopify review app

No, the next step is not uninstalling the Shopify Product review app. Instead, you need to export the existing reviews.

Here are the steps to export product reviews from the Shopify Product Reviews app:

Step 1: Go to your Shopify admin page and click on Settings > Apps and sales channels.

‍Step 2: Click on Product Reviews from the Apps and Sales Channels page.

‍Step 3: Click Open app from the product reviews page 

‍Step 4: From here, go to Settings and click on Export.

‍Step 5: If you have less than 100 reviews, then a CSV file will automatically be downloaded to the browser. But if you have more, then you will receive an email with a download link. Download the file and unzip it to get the CSV file.

4. Import product reviews to the new app
Once you finish exporting the reviews, it’s time to import them into the new product review app. The process of importing can vary from app to app.

Here we are showing the process to import product reviews to ReviewXpo:

Step 1: Click on ReviewXpo under the apps section from the left panel on your Shopify store.
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‍Step 2: Go to Import & Export and click on CSV Import.
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‍Step 3: Drag and drop the CSV file onto the upload section or click on browse to select the file from your device.

‍Step 4: After uploading the file, mark Additional Notifications to get the update on your email and click on Import Now to open the CSV Mapping window.

‍Step 5: Modify the CSV Mapping section as per your requirements and click Import. Once the importing is finished, you will receive an email.

5. Uninstall the Shopify Product Reviews app

After importing the reviews into your new app, you can uninstall the Shopify Product Reviews app without any worries.

Go to Settings > Apps and Sales Channels and click on Uninstall from the Shopify Product Reviews app row.

However, do not delete the CSV file you downloaded earlier. You may need that later.

6. Customization

The main part of the migration process is complete. Now, you can customize the review section to have better sales.

From ReviewXpo on your Shopify store, click on Review Widgets from the menu. Then, you can modify how reviews will appear on the product review page.

You can choose different layouts, colors, summary styles, and more. Modifying these options to match your store’s theme style can create a better social proof to boost sales.

7. Testing & validation

After doing everything, let the app do its work and monitor its performance. If you find the app is performing well, you can continue using it. Besides, try to get the premium version to utilize the app properly to get maximum sales.

How Long Does the Migration Process Typically Take?

The Shopify Product Reviews app migration process can take an hour to a few hours. It depends on the number of reviews you have and the complexity of importing the reviews into the new app.

If you have a larger volume of reviews, then the size of the CSV file will also be heavy, making the migration process longer.

The installation, setup, and import review are quite simple in the ReviewXpo app. Hence, it will not take much of your time.

But if you select a different app with a complex installation and importing process, then it can take a long time to finish the migration process.