Rebuilding clients Shopify website

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Main issue: How to rebuild a client’s Shopify store—upgrade to a 2.0 theme, fix product data errors, and restructure navigation/collections—without disrupting the live site. Additional questions: whether to use a development store, impacts on sales/analytics/reports, and what happens to URL/ownership on transfer.

Suggested approach: Clone the current published theme or build a new theme, develop on that copy, and use theme preview to test layout and styling privately. Publishing the new theme replaces the live theme when ready, avoiding changes to the current live theme during development.

Coverage gaps: The advice focuses on theme workflow only. It does not address rebuilding products/data migration, effects on analytics/reports, the role of development stores, or how URL/ownership behaves on transfer.

Status: No concrete decision or comprehensive plan established. One practical theme-level workflow was proposed; consultation services were offered. Key questions about backend data, analytics, and store transfer remain open.

Summarized with AI on February 1. AI used: gpt-5.
1

What is the best work flow for rebuild a clients Shopify store? My current client has a live Shopify store but wants to change the following:

  1. Theme update to new 2.0 theme and all changes needed for it to operate

  2. Products need rebuilding due to a mass of errors when first set up

  3. Re-structure navigation and collections

How is this possible without effecting the live store? Development store? if so, how does that effect backend details such as sales, analytics/reports. When the ownership is transferred what happens to the live site? same or different URL?

I’m hoping someone with some experience in this can help or offer consultation services?

2

Hi @mattgilbey
In this case, I think you only need to build a new theme or clone the current publish theme and development them on it.
Then you can check the layout and style of new theme by preview theme, it will not affect on the current publish theme.
When everything is good, you can publish new theme to use for your store.
You can contact with us if you want to build new theme or update fix bug the current theme.