Medical supplies and healthcare product stores range from professional clinical equipment distributors to consumer wellness retailers. All face heightened regulatory requirements for product data accuracy, claims compliance, and payment processing. Here's how to navigate this migration carefully.

Healthcare ecommerce categories (and complexity level)

Mobility aids: Wheelchairs, walking frames, crutches, ramps — CE marking, NHS supply code, HCPCS codes
Diagnostic equipment: Blood pressure monitors, glucometers, pulse oximeters — CE/FDA Class II
Wound care: Dressings, bandages — medical device classification varies
Continence products: Catheter, ostomy — often VAT-zero rated in UK; prescription items in some markets
Orthotics and supports: Knee braces, back supports — Class I medical devices in EU/UK
Clinical consumables: Gloves, gowns, syringes — PPE regulation post-COVID
Optical: Reading glasses (OTC) vs prescription — very different regulatory handling
Wellness/OTC: Pain relief, first aid, vitamins — consumer products, lowest regulatory barrier
Prescription products: Only via licensed pharmacy — NOT standard ecommerce; requires regulatory approval to sell online

Regulatory compliance metafields

EU/UK medical device classification

product.metafields.medical.device_class (single_line_text) — "Class I", "Class IIa", "Class IIb", "Class III" (EU MDR 2017/745)
product.metafields.medical.ce_marking (boolean) — CE marked (EU) or UKCA marked (UK post-Brexit)
product.metafields.medical.ukca_marking (boolean)
product.metafields.medical.notified_body (single_line_text) — Notified Body number for Class IIa+ devices
product.metafields.medical.registration_number (single_line_text) — MHRA UK or EUDAMED registration
product.metafields.medical.manufacturer (single_line_text) — Legal manufacturer name (may differ from brand)
product.metafields.medical.country_of_origin (single_line_text)

US FDA classification

product.metafields.medical.fda_class (single_line_text) — "Class I", "Class II", "Class III"
product.metafields.medical.fda_510k (single_line_text) — 510(k) clearance number for Class II devices
product.metafields.medical.fda_pma (single_line_text) — PMA approval number for Class III

Product identification codes

product.metafields.medical.hcpcs_code (single_line_text) — US: Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code (for insurance reimbursement)
product.metafields.medical.nhs_supply_code (single_line_text) — UK NHS Supply Chain code
product.metafields.medical.emdn_code (single_line_text) — EU EMDN nomenclature code
product.metafields.medical.gmdn_code (single_line_text) — Global Medical Device Nomenclature code
product.metafields.medical.latex_free (boolean) — critical for allergy-sensitive products
product.metafields.medical.sterile (boolean)
product.metafields.medical.single_use (boolean)

VAT and tax classification (UK/EU)

product.metafields.medical.vat_zero_rated (boolean) — UK: many aids for disabled people are zero-rated VAT
Shopify tax overrides: configure zero-rate tax for eligible product types in Shopify Admin → Settings → Taxes → Tax overrides
UK examples: incontinence products, mobility aids, prosthetics — zero-rated under VAT Act 1994 Schedule 8 Group 12

Prescription vs over-the-counter products

This is a critical distinction that affects what you can legally sell online:

Over-the-counter (OTC): standard ecommerce

Pain relief (paracetamol, ibuprofen): standard retail, legal to sell online without pharmacy registration in most quantities
Reading glasses: no prescription required for pre-made readers
Diagnostic devices: blood pressure monitors, thermometers — OTC is fine

Prescription products: NOT standard ecommerce

In the UK: prescription-only medicines require GPhC-registered online pharmacy
In EU/US: similar pharmacy licensing requirements
Prescription products on WooCommerce without pharmacy registration = regulatory risk. Migration is not the only issue — the WooCommerce store may already be operating illegally.
If your WooCommerce store sold Rx products: consult regulatory counsel before migrating to Shopify
Shopify cannot provide pharmacy compliance — this is a legal/regulatory matter, not a platform matter

Shopify Payments eligibility for medical products

Healthcare and medical products have specific Shopify Payments restrictions:

Accepted: Mobility aids, wound care, OTC health products, first aid, medical consumables (non-pharmaceutical)
Restricted / requires review: Dietary supplements with health claims, some Class II medical devices
Prohibited: Prescription drugs, controlled substances, grey-market medical devices, unregistered medical devices making health claims
Review Shopify Payments' prohibited business types list before migration
If in doubt: Stripe (also has healthcare restrictions), PayPal, or specialist healthcare payment processors (Worldpay, Elavon)

Professional customer pricing (B2B healthcare)

Many medical supply companies serve both retail consumers and healthcare professionals at different prices:

Healthcare professionals (NHS trusts, GP practices, nursing homes, care homes) at trade prices
Consumer retail at higher prices (or consumer vs professional product variants)
Customer tags: "healthcare-professional", "nhs-trust", "care-home", "pharmacy"
Professional account application form: verify professional credentials before applying trade pricing
Wholesale Club / Wholesale Gorilla for tag-based professional pricing
Shopify Plus B2B for larger NHS trust or care home group contracts

Compliance content on product pages

Medical product pages legally require specific content:

CE/UKCA marking visible on product images or as badge on product page
"Consult your healthcare professional before use" — display for medical devices
Instructions for use (IFU): PDF download link required for all medical devices in EU MDR
Declaration of Conformity (DoC): some retailers link to the DoC document on product page
Contraindications: who should NOT use this product — important for Class IIa+ devices
Metafield: product.metafields.medical.ifu_url (url) — Instructions for Use PDF
Metafield: product.metafields.medical.doc_url (url) — Declaration of Conformity PDF

Delivery restrictions for medical products

Temperature-sensitive products (some diagnostics, eye drops): require temperature-controlled shipping. Shopify can flag via metafield and shipping rules.
International shipping: many medical devices require import licenses in target countries. Restrict to approved markets via Shopify Markets.
Large mobility aids: bulky items (wheelchairs, hospital beds) require freight delivery. Use carrier-calculated shipping for accurate freight rates.

Medical store migration checklist

Audit all products: classify OTC vs prescription. Remove or fence off any prescription products requiring pharmacy registration.
Create medical regulatory metafields: device class, CE/UKCA, registration numbers, HCPCS/NHS codes
Export VAT classification data from WooCommerce — identify all zero-rated products
Configure Shopify tax overrides for zero-rated medical products
Verify Shopify Payments eligibility for all product categories before migrating payment setup
Set up professional pricing tier via customer tags + wholesale pricing app
Upload IFU and DoC PDFs to Shopify Files; link via metafields
Add CE/UKCA compliance badges to product page template (triggered by metafield boolean)
Configure international market restrictions for markets where devices aren't registered
Add "consult healthcare professional" disclaimer to Class II+ product template
Test zero-rated VAT on checkout for eligible products

Healthcare ecommerce is one of the few categories where the migration itself should trigger a regulatory review, not just a technical review. If your WooCommerce store accumulated medical claims content over years of blog posts and product descriptions, migrating is the opportunity to audit those claims against current UK/EU/US advertising standards. MHRA's enforcement of medical device advertising has increased significantly — product description text that made it past WooCommerce without issue may attract regulatory attention on a freshly-relaunched, higher-visibility Shopify storefront.

Migrating a medical & healthcare supplies store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)