Lighting and home decor are visually-driven categories where the migration challenge is as much about preserving the atmospheric product photography as it is about technical specifications. Lighting stores also carry detailed electrical and physical specs that need to be accessible. Here's how to migrate this visually and technically demanding category.

Product categories in lighting and home decor

Ceiling lights: Pendants, chandeliers, flush mount, semi-flush — room dimension recommendations important
Wall lights: Sconces, picture lights, bedside reading lights
Floor and table lamps: Sold as shades + bases separately, or as complete units
Outdoor lighting: IP ratings, weather resistance, security vs decorative
Decorative objects: Vases, sculptures, candle holders, mirrors
Soft furnishings: Cushions, throws, rugs — often sold alongside lighting in interiors stores
Furniture (occasional): Side tables, console tables, occasional chairs — heavy freight required

Technical lighting specifications as metafields

Lighting products require specific electrical and physical data for buyers and specifiers:

Electrical specifications

product.metafields.lighting.wattage (number_integer) — maximum wattage
product.metafields.lighting.voltage (single_line_text) — "220–240V", "110–120V", "12V"
product.metafields.lighting.bulb_type (single_line_text) — E27, B22, GU10, E14, integrated LED
product.metafields.lighting.bulb_included (boolean)
product.metafields.lighting.bulbs_required (number_integer) — e.g., 6 for a chandelier
product.metafields.lighting.lumens (number_integer) — light output
product.metafields.lighting.colour_temperature_k (number_integer) — 2700K warm white, 4000K cool white
product.metafields.lighting.cri (number_integer) — Colour Rendering Index (80–100)
product.metafields.lighting.dimmable (boolean)
product.metafields.lighting.ip_rating (single_line_text) — "IP44", "IP65" for wet/outdoor areas
product.metafields.lighting.energy_class (single_line_text) — EU energy label: A, B, C, D, E, F, G

Physical dimensions

product.metafields.lighting.height_cm (number_decimal)
product.metafields.lighting.width_cm (number_decimal)
product.metafields.lighting.depth_cm (number_decimal)
product.metafields.lighting.shade_diameter_cm (number_decimal) — for pendants and chandeliers
product.metafields.lighting.cable_length_cm (number_integer) — suspension cable length
product.metafields.lighting.cable_adjustable (boolean)
product.metafields.lighting.ceiling_rose_included (boolean)
product.metafields.lighting.room_size_m2_min (number_integer) — recommended room size
product.metafields.lighting.room_size_m2_max (number_integer)

Material and finish

product.metafields.lighting.shade_material (single_line_text) — Linen, Glass, Rattan, Metal, Paper
product.metafields.lighting.base_material (single_line_text) — Brass, Chrome, Matt Black, Ceramic
product.metafields.lighting.finish (list.single_line_text) — "Antique Brass", "Polished Chrome", "Matt Black"
product.metafields.lighting.style (list.single_line_text) — "Industrial", "Scandi", "Art Deco", "Contemporary"

Finish and material variants

Lighting products commonly come in multiple finish options with different prices and images. This creates a variant structure:

Variant 1: Pendant Light — Antique Brass (option: Finish: Antique Brass)
Variant 2: Pendant Light — Polished Chrome (option: Finish: Polished Chrome)
Variant 3: Pendant Light — Matt Black (option: Finish: Matt Black)
Each variant needs its own image set — meticulously assign variant images in Shopify Admin or via API
If a product also comes in different size options: 2 option dimensions (Finish × Size)

Lamp shade + base combinations: some stores sell shades and bases separately (mix-and-match). In Shopify: use a separate "shade" product and "base" product, with product recommendations linking compatible pairs. Or create a product with shade as a separate line item property (not variant).

Interior styling collections

Home decor discovery is heavily driven by room and style. Build collections that match how interior buyers think:

By room: Living Room Lighting, Bedroom Lighting, Kitchen Lighting, Bathroom (IP44+), Outdoor
By style: Scandi, Industrial, Traditional, Art Deco, Maximalist, Minimalist
By finish: Brass Collection, Matt Black Collection, Rattan Collection
By use: Reading Lights, Ambient Lighting, Task Lighting, Accent Lighting
Editorial: "The Dark Academia Edit", "Warm Neutrals", "Spring Refresh"

Use automated collections with metafield conditions: product.metafields.lighting.style contains Industrial and product.metafields.lighting.room contains Kitchen. These are more maintainable than manual collection assignment as catalog grows.

Interior photography and media

Lifestyle/room-set photography drives conversion in decor more than any other variable:

Preserve all product images during migration — ensure CDN URLs don't break. Re-upload from WooCommerce if needed.
Alt text: descriptive alt text for all images. "Antique brass pendant light above kitchen island in marble kitchen." SEO + accessibility.
Image order: room-set photography as first image (conversion driver), white background product shot second (Google Shopping required), detail/texture shots third
3D models: Shopify supports 3D model (.glb) file uploads on product media. High-value for decor — AR room preview ("View in your room" feature via Safari on iOS)
Video: embed styling video showing scale in a room. Product page video blocks in Dawn and most premium themes.

Trade customer and interior designer pricing

Most lighting and interiors stores serve both retail consumers and interior designers/architects at different prices:

Trade accounts: 10–30% off retail. Apply via customer tag "trade" or "interior-designer"
Trade application: a form page for designers to apply for trade account. Tag-based approval triggers email with trade access confirmation
Apps: Wholesale Club or Wholesale Gorilla for tag-based trade pricing
Net terms: interior designers often expect 30-day invoice. Shopify Plus B2B handles this natively; otherwise use Mondu or Pay Later via Klarna.
Trade pricing exclusion: some products (exclusive launches, already-discounted clearance) excluded from trade discount — product-level trade override metafield

Electrical installation information

UK/EU regulations require electrical installation warnings on ceiling and wall light product pages:

Display: "Installation by a qualified electrician is recommended" for hardwired fittings
UK: Part P Building Regulations for hardwired bathroom lights (IP44+)
Provide installation guide PDF download via metafield: product.metafields.lighting.installation_guide_url
Display CE/UKCA marks for product compliance. Badge component in product template.

Shopify theme recommendations for lighting and home decor

Theme	Best for
Prestige	Premium lighting brands — cinematic product imagery, editorial feel
Cascade	Story-driven interiors — editorial sections, full-width imagery
Crave	Minimal contemporary decor — clean white space, photography-first
Broadcast	Bold visual collections, strong hero banners
Dawn (free)	Works for simpler catalogs; lacks editorial sections

Lighting and home decor migration checklist

Create lighting metafields: electrical specs (wattage, bulb type, IP rating, dimmable), dimensions, finish, style, room
Export all product images from WooCommerce — do not rely on URL preservation
Re-upload images to Shopify, maintaining correct variant-image associations
Configure finish/material variants with separate image sets per variant
Build room and style collections (automated via metafield conditions where possible)
Set up trade pricing via customer tag + wholesale pricing app
Create trade account application page and approval flow (Shopify Flow to apply trade tag)
Add electrical installation disclaimer to hardwired product page template (via product type metafield)
Link installation guide PDFs via metafield
Configure Google Shopping: product_type for lighting, energy_efficiency_class attribute
Select editorial theme with full-width photography capability
Plan for 3D model uploads on hero products post-launch (AR feature drives conversion in decor)

The single biggest conversion driver in home decor migration is image quality. If your WooCommerce store had lifestyle photography embedded in WordPress with various compression and resizing plugins applied, migrating to Shopify gives you an opportunity to re-optimize at full resolution. Shopify's CDN (Fastly) serves images with on-demand resizing — upload at original full resolution and let Shopify handle compression. Stores that re-upload optimized images during migration consistently see higher conversion rates post-launch than stores that simply re-link existing compressed URLs.

Migrating a lighting & home decor store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)