As your business grows, you may find that your needs have outgrown the platform you started on.
Moving a store between platforms is mostly a data problem: your products, your customers, and your order history all have to arrive intact, and your shoppers should not notice anything except a better storefront. This guide covers how to move your store from Zid to Salla without losing data along the way. In this guide, you'll learn what to prepare before you start, the five stages of the move, and a full checklist to work through before you launch.
Moving a store from Zid to Salla is a manual process: you export your products, customers and order history from Zid, reformat the files to match Salla's import template, then import them. Verify your store on Salla first, test with a trial order, and switch the domain last.
📌 Article overview
- What to watch out for
- Steps to move your store from Zid to Salla
- Practical tips to speed up the move and reduce mistakes
- Checklist for moving a store from Zid to Salla
🚧 What to watch out for
- The move is manual. You export from Zid, then import into Salla, so review every file carefully before you upload it.
- If you have a very large catalog, you may want technical support or a specialist to speed the process up.
- Keep a backup of your data so you can go back to it if you need to.
- Before you start any migration step, make sure your store verification on Salla is complete.
👣 Steps to move your store from Zid to Salla
Step 1: Collect your data from Zid
- Download the products file and check the product price excluding tax.
- Export your customer data: names, emails, and phone numbers.
- Keep the order history as an internal archive you can refer back to.
📝 Important note: in the customer data file, each customer's mobile number must start with the country code, for example +966.
Step 2: Set up the store in Salla
- Import your data into Salla
From the Salla dashboard, upload the products file once you have adjusted it to match the import template.
Add your customers either by import, or manually if there are only a few.
Upload the product images again if they did not carry over automatically.
For more details:
- Importing and updating products
- Adding product images and videos
Step 3: Configure your store settings in Salla
- Connect the domain to your new store
A professional domain gives your store its own digital identity. Read the guide for every step of managing, registering and connecting your store domain.
- Turn on the payment methods you need (Mada, STC Pay, Apple Pay, bank transfer).
A smooth, secure checkout builds trust in your store. Read the guide to see every available payment option and how to activate it.
- Set up your shipping options using shipping routes, so you cover every region your customers order from.
Shipping routes make delivery more flexible. Read the guide to learn how to control delivery options and avoid losing orders.
Step 4: Design and customize your store
- Choose a Salla theme and customize it to match your brand.
You can create several theme versions and schedule them, so your store stays current through seasons and campaigns. Read the guide for all the customization options.
- Add the apps you rely on for marketing, accounting, customer management, and more.
The Salla app store brings the tools you need into one place. Read the guide for installation, activation and management steps.
Step 5: Test, then launch
1. Place a test order to confirm the cart, payment and shipping all work smoothly.
2. Move the domain from Zid to a service provider, or connect it to Salla.
3. Tell your customers that your store has moved to a new platform.
4. Once everything checks out, deactivate the Zid store or move the domain to Salla.
🧭 After moving your store to Salla, you can:
- Keep your products and customers without losing any data.
- Improve the customer experience with a flexible design and advanced shipping and payment settings.
- Use integrated marketing and accounting tools to support your growth.
💡 Practical tips to speed up the move and reduce mistakes
1️⃣ Standardize your file formats before importing
Make sure the column names in your CSV match Salla's format, so the import is not rejected.
2️⃣ Split a large catalog
If you have more than 3,000 products, split the file into batches to make the import easier and reduce errors. [Verify: the checklist further down this article gives the batching threshold as more than 500 products. Confirm the correct figure with the content owner.]
3️⃣ Test your customer data before uploading all of it
Import a small sample first and check that emails and phone numbers appear correctly.
4️⃣ Check your images and media
Confirm that every product image is present and clear before you launch, so products display properly.
5️⃣ Use Salla support
Contact customer service if you run into any problem during the import.
6️⃣ Keep a backup
Keep a copy of all the original files so you can go back to them at any point.
✅ Checklist for moving a store from Zid to Salla
1. Collect your data from Zid
◯ Export the products file (CSV or Excel).
◯ Export customer data (names, emails, phone numbers).
◯ Save the order history as an internal archive.
◯ Save the original product images.
2. Prepare the data for upload to Salla
◯ Adjust the columns to match Salla's import template.
◯ Check that the data is free of duplicates and errors.
◯ Compress the images and name the files clearly.
◯ Split products into batches if the catalog is large (more than 500 products).
Helpful tools:
- Excel or Google Sheets for formatting the files.
- Image compression tools such as TinyPNG or ImageOptim.
3. Import the data into Salla
◯ Upload the products file in the dashboard.
◯ Upload the customers file.
◯ Check that images and products appear correctly.
◯ Create your sections and categories if they did not transfer automatically.
Helpful tools:
- Salla technical support when you need it.
4. Configure your store settings
◯ Connect the domain to the new store.
◯ Activate payment gateways (Mada, STC Pay, Apple Pay, bank transfer).
◯ Set up shipping options using shipping routes.
◯ Configure tax settings, if they apply to you.
Helpful tools:
- The Salla dashboard.
- Shipping companies integrated with Salla.
5. Design and customize the store
◯ Choose a suitable theme.
◯ Set your visual identity (logo, colors, fonts).
◯ Add the supporting apps you need:
◯ Email marketing.
◯ Accounting and inventory.
◯ Customer management (CRM).
◯ Test the store design across different devices and browsers.
6. Test before launch
◯ Place a test order to confirm the cart, payment and shipping work.
◯ Check that your data and products display correctly.
◯ Try the contact links and the apps you added.
Helpful tools:
- The test order in your store.
- Monitoring tools such as Google Analytics, or Salla's own performance tracking tools.
7. Launch and follow up
◯ Move the domain from Zid to Salla, or deactivate the old store.
◯ Notify your customers about the new store.
◯ Follow up on any technical issues or customer questions.
◯ Keep backups of all your data.
Helpful tools:
- Salla customer service.
- Customer communication tools (WhatsApp, email, SMS).
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is the move from Zid to Salla automatic?
No. It is manual: you export your data from Zid and import it into Salla, adjusting the files to match Salla's import template.
What do I need to do before I start?
Complete your store verification on Salla. Do that before any other migration step.
How should customer phone numbers be formatted?
Each mobile number in the customer file must start with the country code, for example +966.
Does my order history transfer?
No. Save your Zid order history as an internal archive so you can refer back to it when you need it.
What if I have thousands of products?
Split the file into batches before importing, and consider technical support to speed the process up.
Work through the steps in order and the move stays predictable: data first, settings second, design third, and the domain last, after a test order has proven that checkout works.