Pet products stores on WooCommerce range from pet food direct-to-consumer brands to accessories and prescription/vet-recommended products. Each category has specific data requirements. This guide covers the migration considerations for pet product stores moving from WooCommerce to Shopify.

Pet product categories and their WooCommerce data

Pet food

Ingredients list: Required by regulation on packaging — stored in product description or custom fields
Guaranteed analysis: Protein %, fat %, fiber %, moisture % — nutrition label equivalent for pet food
Calorie content: kcal/kg or kcal/cup
Life stage: Puppy/Kitten, Adult, Senior
Breed size: Small breed, medium, large, giant — often as product attribute
Flavor/protein source: Chicken, beef, salmon, lamb — often as variant
Format: Dry, wet, raw, freeze-dried, treats — variant or product type
Bag/can size: 1kg, 2kg, 5kg, 12kg — variant with price scaling
FEDIAF/AAFCO statement: Nutritional adequacy statement

Pet accessories and equipment

Pet type: Dog, cat, small animal, bird, fish — product category
Size: XS/S/M/L/XL for harnesses, beds, clothing — variant
Weight range: "Fits dogs 5–10kg" — stored as attribute or metafield
Material: Safety certifications for toys (non-toxic, BPA-free)
Breed compatibility: Some products sized for specific breeds

Prescription / vet-recommended products

Vet prescription requirement flag
Active pharmaceutical ingredient
Age/weight/condition eligibility

Migrating pet food data to Shopify metafields

Pet food stores need a comprehensive metafield namespace:

product.metafields.petfood.ingredients (multi_line_text)
product.metafields.petfood.guaranteed_analysis (multi_line_text) — protein/fat/fiber/moisture %
product.metafields.petfood.calorie_content (single_line_text)
product.metafields.petfood.life_stage (single_line_text)
product.metafields.petfood.aafco_statement (multi_line_text)
product.metafields.petfood.feeding_guide (multi_line_text)
product.metafields.petfood.storage (single_line_text)

For accessories:

product.metafields.petprod.weight_range (single_line_text) — "5–10kg"
product.metafields.petprod.compatible_breeds (multi_line_text)
product.metafields.petprod.safety_certifications (list.single_line_text)

Subscription pet food — the critical migration

Pet food has one of the highest subscription rates in ecommerce — regular deliveries of dog/cat food are a primary use case for subscribe-and-save. WooCommerce Subscriptions pet food stores need careful migration:

Recharge Subscriptions: Best for pet food DTC brands. Supports "Subscribe & Save 10%", multiple subscription intervals (weekly, biweekly, monthly, every 6 weeks), subscription management portal, skip/pause, product swap.
Active subscription data migration: Export from WooCommerce Subscriptions → import to Recharge. The Recharge migration team provides assistance for large subscriber lists.
Payment method handling: Coordinate with payment processor for stored card token migration — or design a smooth re-authorization flow for subscribers.

Subscription interval options

Pet food customers want flexible intervals. Common setup in Recharge:

Every 2 weeks (small dogs, cats on wet food)
Every 4 weeks (monthly)
Every 6 weeks
Every 8 weeks (large bags of dry food)

Weight/size variants for harnesses and clothing

Dog harnesses, clothing, and beds often have complex sizing — especially "breed size" that doesn't map to simple S/M/L:

Use a size option with weight ranges: "XS (1–3kg)", "S (3–6kg)", "M (6–12kg)", "L (12–20kg)", "XL (20kg+)"
Include a fit guide for each size in the product description or metafield
Kiwi Size Chart app works well for pet sizing tables

Multi-pack and bundle discounts

Pet food stores commonly offer bulk discounts:

6 cans for the price of 5
Bundle: food + treats + toy
Starter kit: food + bowl + lead

On Shopify, these can be recreated using:

Shopify's native Product Bundles feature
Bundle Bear or Bundler app for mix-and-match bundles
Volume discount apps (VolumeBoost, Quantity Breaks) for bulk pricing

Shopify Sales Channel: Google Shopping for pet food

Pet food in Google Shopping requires compliance with Google's policies on health claims. After migrating to Shopify and reconnecting Google:

Verify product titles don't contain unsubstantiated health claims
Prescription pet food: may require age verification setup in Merchant Center
Google Product Category mapping: ensure pet food products are mapped to correct category in the Google Shopping feed (Animals & Pet Supplies → Pet Food)

Shopify theme recommendations for pet stores

Theme	Best for
Paws (free, by Shopify)	Pet products, pet food DTC
Ride (free, by Shopify)	Active lifestyle, pet accessories
Empire	Large pet catalogs (accessories + food + healthcare)
Impulse	Mid-range pet stores with strong promotional focus

Pet store migration checklist

Define metafields: ingredients, guaranteed analysis, calorie content, feeding guide
Export WooCommerce custom field data (pet food nutrition, guaranteed analysis) for metafield import
Plan size variant strategy: weight-range sizing for accessories and beds
Export active subscription list from WooCommerce Subscriptions
Set up Recharge (or Bold Subscriptions) with subscription interval options
Configure subscribe-and-save discount rules
Set up multi-pack / bundle products
Set up size guide app with pet weight range charts
Reconnect Google Shopping and verify Google Product Category for pet food
Test subscription checkout flow before launch
Send subscriber migration communication email

Pet food and pet product stores have one of the best migration success stories on Shopify — the subscribe-and-save experience via Recharge is significantly better than WooCommerce Subscriptions, subscription churn drops, and the mobile shopping experience is better for impulse purchases. The investment in subscription migration and metafield setup pays off quickly.

Migrating a pet products store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)