Note: This article covers Color Me Shop (カラーミーショップ), an e-commerce platform available only in Japan. This will not be relevant if you are not evaluating platforms for the Japanese market.
Some merchants are considering moving from Color Me Shop to Shopify for reasons such as more design freedom, a wider range of sales channels, and stronger support for cross-border e-commerce. At the same time, migrating takes effort — rebuilding your theme, signing up for payment services, and more — so depending on how you run your store, it may be better to keep using Color Me Shop.
This article compares the differences between Color Me Shop and Shopify, and organizes the cases where migration makes sense along with the costs to check before migrating. It then walks through, in order, the data you can migrate, how to migrate that data, and the settings you need before and after launching on Shopify.
*The pricing and feature information in this article is current as of September 18, 2026.
For a detailed comparison including pricing and payment processing fees, see the article below.
*This article contains affiliate advertising.
Differences Between Color Me Shop and Shopify
Color Me Shop and Shopify each have their own strengths. The main differences are as follows.
| Item | Color Me Shop | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee (cheapest paid plan) | Regular ¥4,950/month (¥5,940/month starting with the renewal from November 2026) | Basic — ¥3,650/month (annual billing) · ¥4,850/month (monthly billing) |
| Sales commission | ¥0 on all plans | ¥0 when using Shopify Payments. A 2% transaction fee applies on the Basic plan when using an external payment service |
| Credit card processing fee | 3.4% and up (Regular) | 3.55% (Basic, domestically issued cards) |
| Domestic payment methods | Color Me Payment lets you offer PayPay, convenience store payment, deferred payment, cash on delivery, and more all together | PayPay and convenience store payment aren't supported by Shopify Payments, so you'll need to add an external payment service |
| Design | 26 templates, edited with HTML/CSS | 1,200+ themes, edited with drag-and-drop |
| Feature extensions | 350+ built-in features plus apps | 16,000+ apps (paid apps carry a monthly fee) |
| Cross-border e-commerce | The free "overseas sales agency (海外販売代行)" feature adds a link to an overseas purchase form | Multilingual and multi-currency support lets you run the store itself for an overseas audience |
| Support | AI chat and email. Phone support is available on the Regular plan and above | Chat on all plans (24 hours). Email and phone are only on higher-tier plans |
*All prices include tax and are current as of September 18, 2026.
Differences in Pricing and Fees
Comparing the cheapest paid plans on each platform, Shopify's monthly fee (Basic, paid annually) is lower, while Color Me Shop's credit card processing fee (Regular) is set lower.
Image source: Shopify
Image source: Color Me Shop
That said, if you use an external payment service on Shopify, a Shopify transaction fee applies in addition to that payment service's own fee. Also, if you use an app to cover a feature that was a standard feature on Color Me Shop, the app's monthly fee is added on top. When comparing, add up not just the monthly fee but also the payment processing fee, transaction fee, and app costs.
Note that, starting with contract renewals on or after November 1, 2026, Color Me Shop is changing its pricing: the Regular plan will go from ¥4,950/month to ¥5,940/month, and the Large plan will go from ¥9,595/month to ¥11,000/month (tax included). If this price change is what's prompting you to consider migrating, it's a good idea to base your decision on comparing the post-change monthly fee against Shopify's total cost.
For details on Color Me Shop's pricing plans and payment processing fees, see the article below.
Differences in Payment Methods
On Color Me Shop, Color Me Payment lets you set up credit cards, Amazon Pay, Rakuten Pay, PayPay, convenience store payment, deferred payment, cash on delivery, and more all together (the payment methods available vary by plan).
Shopify Payments, Shopify's standard payment method, doesn't support PayPay, convenience store payment, or carrier billing in Japan. If you want to offer these, you'll need to sign up for an external payment service separately. Check which payment methods your current customers use, and look into beforehand whether you can offer the same payment methods after migrating.
Differences in Design
Color Me Shop offers 26 templates in total, both free and paid, and you can edit the HTML/CSS to customize every detail.
Shopify offers 24 free themes and 1,200+ paid themes, so you can choose one that fits your industry or brand. Because you can adjust the layout with drag-and-drop, it's well suited if you want to change your design without writing code.
Image source: Shopify
Note that Color Me Shop's templates and customizations can't be carried over to Shopify as-is, so if you migrate, you'll need to rebuild your design from scratch.
Differences in Feature Extensions (Apps)
Color Me Shop offers 350+ built-in features, so you can use commonly needed store-management features — such as subscriptions, points, and membership features — as standard features (some vary by plan). You can also add features through its app store, but the selection is limited compared with Shopify.
Shopify has 16,000+ apps, letting you pick and add exactly the features you need, such as pre-orders and order limits. On the other hand, most paid apps charge a monthly fee, so keep in mind that running costs increase as you add more apps.
Image source: Shopify
Differences in Sales Channels
Color Me Shop mainly supports integrations with domestic social media and inventory-sync services. Shopify's strength is the broader range it can connect to through apps and sales channels, including overseas social media and marketplaces.
| Item | Color Me Shop | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Social media integration | Instagram Shopping is free with manual sync; automatic sync requires a paid app | Can connect with sales channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok |
| Marketplace integration | Can connect using external services such as Next Engine. The Amazon integration app ends service on September 30, 2026 | Can connect with Amazon, eBay, and more using Shopify Marketplace Connect and other tools |
| Advertising channels | Google Shopping ads and social media ads require adding an app | Can connect directly with Google Shopping and TikTok Ads |
| Physical store integration | Smaregi inventory sync lets you manage inventory across your physical store in one place | Shopify POS lets you manage your physical store and online store in one place |
Differences in Cross-Border E-Commerce Support
When you try to start selling overseas from a platform built for the Japanese market, the effort and cost of things like language support, currency display, and shipping settings tend to become major barriers.
Shopify offers the features needed for cross-border e-commerce, as follows.
- Multilingual support: You can translate product pages and more with Shopify's official free app, Translate & Adapt, and set which language displays for each country or region (automatic translation is free for up to 2 languages)
- Multi-currency support: Displaying prices in local currency is a standard feature, and using Shopify Payments also lets you automatically calculate exchange rates
- Shipping and duty calculation: By adding an app, you can also create shipping labels and calculate accurate shipping costs and duties for each destination. Pricing structures vary by app.
Image source: Shopify
Color Me Shop also made its "overseas sales agency (海外販売代行)" feature free on all plans starting in July 2025, letting you add a link to an overseas purchase form that supports 19 languages. There's also a paid, multilingual-store-type app, "WorldShopping BIZ for Color Me Shop" (¥5,500/month).
If you just want an easy way to accept orders from overseas, Color Me Shop's overseas sales agency (海外販売代行) feature may be enough. If you want to run the store itself in multiple languages and currencies and sell overseas in earnest, Shopify will likely be the easier option.
Differences in Support
In addition to AI chat and email, Color Me Shop offers weekday phone support on the Regular plan and above. On the Premium plan, you can also get support from a dedicated e-commerce advisor.
Shopify is centered on 24-hour chat support available on all plans, while email and phone support are limited to higher-tier plans such as Shopify Plus. If you want to run your store while consulting by phone, check this difference as well.
Cases Where Migrating to Shopify Makes Sense vs. Cases Where You Should Keep Using Color Me Shop
Compare these against how you currently run your store to see which one applies to you.
Cases Where Migrating to Shopify Makes Sense
- You want to build out a design that matches your brand's world view
- You want to run the store itself in multiple languages and currencies for an overseas audience
- You want to expand your sales channels, such as overseas social media and marketplaces
- You want the flexibility to add features that aren't in the standard feature set, using apps
Cases Where You Should Keep Using Color Me Shop
- You're not having trouble running your store with your current features, and design is your only real complaint (this may be solvable by customizing a template or hiring a design agency)
- You want to keep using domestic payment methods such as PayPay, convenience store payment, and cash on delivery all together
- You value support you can consult with by phone
- You want to run your store within the standard feature set, without adding to your monthly app costs
- You just want an easy way to accept orders from overseas (the free overseas sales agency (海外販売代行) feature may be enough)
It's a good idea to decide whether to migrate based on two points: "can your current challenges only be solved by migrating" and "the total of your monthly fee, processing fees, and app costs after migrating."
Color Me Shop's features and its pros and cons are covered in detail in the article below.
Costs and Effort to Check Before Migrating
Before deciding to migrate to Shopify, plan for the following costs and effort as well.
| Item | Details | What to check in advance |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of running both in parallel | Your Color Me Shop contract continues while you build and test, so you'll temporarily pay both monthly fees | How long the build will take, and your Color Me Shop contract renewal date |
| Rebuilding the design | Templates and customizations can't be carried over; you rebuild the design using a Shopify theme | Whether to build it in-house or hire a design agency (and, if outsourcing, the production cost) |
| App costs | A feature that was a standard Color Me Shop feature may need to be covered by an app instead | A list of the features you currently use, and the monthly cost of the apps you'll need on Shopify |
| Signing up for payment services | PayPay, convenience store payment, and similar methods require signing up for and being screened by an external payment service | The payment methods your current customers use |
| Impact on search rankings | Because URLs change, even with redirects set up, search rankings and traffic may fluctuate temporarily | Your highest-traffic pages and their old URLs |
| Switching operations | The screens and steps for order processing and inventory management change | How long it will take staff to get used to the new Shopify admin |
Steps to Migrate from Color Me Shop to Shopify
Migrating from Color Me Shop to Shopify proceeds in three steps: "checking which data you can migrate," "migrating the data," and "settings before and after launching on Shopify."
From here, we'll walk through the specific steps for a smooth migration in an easy-to-follow way.
1. Data You Can Migrate from Color Me Shop to Shopify
The main data you can migrate, along with the migration methods and things to note, are as follows.
| Data item | Migration method | Things to note |
|---|---|---|
| Product data | CSV file, app | Needs to be adjusted to Shopify's format |
| Customer data | CSV file, app | Passwords can't be migrated |
| Order data | App, API | Not supported by Shopify's standard CSV import |
| Content (blogs, static pages, etc.) | App, API, manual copy | Manual migration is also possible if the volume of data is small |
| Points data | Points-management app | Need to check whether the app you use supports importing points data |
Encrypted information, such as customer account passwords and credit card details, can't be migrated. However, if you use Shopify's new customer accounts (the only option available for new stores), customers log in with a one-time code sent to their email address, so they don't need to reset a password.
Also, when migrating blogs and static pages, pay attention to the images within the body text as well. If you leave them referencing the old site's image URLs, the images may stop displaying once you close your Color Me Shop store, so upload any images you need to Shopify.
2. How to Migrate Your Data
How you migrate data from Color Me Shop to Shopify depends on the type of data. You can use Shopify's standard CSV import for product data and customer data, but past order data isn't supported by the standard CSV import, so you'll use a migration app or the API instead.
With Matrixify, you can import pages, blogs, redirects, and more, in addition to product data, customer information, and order data. If you have a large volume of data, or want to migrate everything together including order history, it's worth considering using an app.
Matrixify is covered in detail in the blog below, so be sure to check it out.
From here, we'll walk through how to migrate using CSV data.
Step 1: Download Data from Color Me Shop
First, download as CSV the product data and customer data you want to migrate from Color Me Shop. If you're also carrying over data that Shopify's standard CSV import can't migrate, such as order data, prepare the data you need according to the specifications of the migration app you're using.
Image source: Color Me Shop
Step 2: Download Shopify's Sample CSV
Download the sample CSV from Shopify's product management page or customer management page. You'll then format this sample CSV for migrating your Color Me Shop data.
Image source: Shopify
Step 3: Format the CSV Data
Edit the Color Me Shop CSV data to match Shopify's format. If the column names in English make things hard to follow, refer to the official guide below.
Step 4: Import the CSV into Shopify
In the Shopify admin, click "Import" and upload your edited CSV data. After reviewing the contents on the preview screen, complete the import.
Image source: Shopify
If you're also migrating past orders using an app, import in the order "products → customers → past orders." Registering products and customers first lets past orders be linked correctly.
Also, if you keep selling on Color Me Shop while you migrate, new orders and customers may come in after your first data migration. Migrate that difference data again right before you launch Shopify, and check that nothing has been missed.
3. Settings Before and After Launching on Shopify
Once the data migration is complete, make the necessary settings and run checks in preparation for launching Shopify.
Set Up Shipping, Tax, and Payment Methods, and Place a Test Order
Set up the shipping methods, shipping rates, tax, and payment services you'll use on Shopify. You may not be able to offer the same payment methods as Color Me Shop, so check which payment services you'll need before migrating.
Once your settings are complete, place a test order before launching. Add a product to your cart and go through checkout, and check that shipping rates, tax, payment, order notification emails, inventory counts, and more all work as expected.
Set Up Your Custom Domain
If you want to keep using the custom domain you used on Color Me Shop, connect or transfer it to Shopify. Because some pages have a different URL structure on Shopify than on your old site, creating a mapping of old URLs to new URLs before switching your domain makes it easier to avoid missing any redirect settings. Also, if you use email addresses on the same domain, check beforehand that switching your DNS settings won't affect sending and receiving email.
Set Up Redirects
To prevent your search rankings from dropping or users from getting lost, use Shopify's URL redirect feature to set up redirects from your old URLs to their corresponding new URLs.
List the old URLs for your product pages, category pages, blog posts, static pages, and more, and set the corresponding URL on the Shopify side for each. By forwarding old URLs to the right page, you can guide users who arrive via search results or links left on other sites to the new page.
Reset Your Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
Depending on your migration method, the page titles and meta descriptions you set on Color Me Shop may not carry over. Reset them using the "SEO title" and "SEO description" columns in your product CSV, or the "Search engine listing" edit field on each page.
- Page title: Put important keywords near the beginning so the content still comes across even if it's cut off partway through in search results
- Meta description: Write a summary that conveys the page's content. Shopify's official blog suggests around 90–120 full-width characters on desktop as a guideline
Announce Your New Site
After migrating, announce your site renewal and the completion of your move to Shopify to customers via social media and email. If you changed your domain, be sure to also share your new store URL. Combining this with a campaign or coupon makes it easier to drive traffic after migrating.
Summary: Check Your Total Costs and Goals Before Deciding Whether to Migrate
Migrating to Shopify expands your design freedom and the range of sales channels and cross-border e-commerce support available to you. At the same time, Color Me Shop has its own strengths — zero sales commission, a bundled set of domestic payment methods, phone support, and more — and migrating takes effort, such as rebuilding your design and signing up for payment services.
Start by working out whether your current challenges can only be solved by migrating, then compare the totals of your monthly fee, payment processing fees, and app costs. If you decide to migrate, proceed through the three steps — "checking which data you can migrate," "migrating the data," and "settings before and after launching on Shopify" — and it's especially reassuring to prepare your order-data migration method and redirect settings in advance.
