Sports nutrition stores — protein powders, pre-workout supplements, BCAAs, vitamins, and recovery products — are one of the highest-growth direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce categories. They're also one of the more complex to migrate due to supplement facts panels, flavor/size variant combinations, subscription revenue models, and payment processor considerations. Here's the full migration guide.

Sports nutrition product types

Protein powders: Whey, casein, plant-based. Multiple flavors and sizes (1kg, 2kg, 5kg). Core revenue product.
Pre-workout: Stimulant-based (caffeine, creatine) and stim-free options. Regulatory attention in some markets.
Creatine, BCAAs, EAAs: Unflavored or flavored, often simpler variant structure
Vitamins and minerals: Zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, multivitamins — often regulatory-compliant products
Weight management: Fat burners, meal replacements — higher regulatory scrutiny
Sports bars and snacks: Food products — different regulatory requirements (nutrition label = food label, not supplement facts)
Equipment: Shaker bottles, gym bags, apparel — standard retail products alongside supplements

Supplement facts as Shopify metafields

Sports nutrition products require detailed nutritional information. Create a comprehensive supplement namespace:

product.metafields.supplement.serving_size (single_line_text) — "30g (1 scoop)"
product.metafields.supplement.servings_per_container (number_integer)
product.metafields.supplement.protein_per_serving_g (number_decimal)
product.metafields.supplement.calories_per_serving (number_integer)
product.metafields.supplement.carbs_per_serving_g (number_decimal)
product.metafields.supplement.fat_per_serving_g (number_decimal)
product.metafields.supplement.sugar_per_serving_g (number_decimal)
product.metafields.supplement.key_ingredients (list.single_line_text) — "Whey Protein Isolate", "Leucine", "Creatine Monohydrate"
product.metafields.supplement.allergens (list.single_line_text) — Milk, Soy, Gluten, Tree nuts
product.metafields.supplement.suitable_for_vegetarians (boolean)
product.metafields.supplement.suitable_for_vegans (boolean)
product.metafields.supplement.gluten_free (boolean)
product.metafields.supplement.certifications (list.single_line_text) — NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, Informed Choice, Labdoor
product.metafields.supplement.banned_substance_tested (boolean)
product.metafields.supplement.country_of_manufacture (single_line_text) — UK, USA, Germany

Flavor and size variants

Sports nutrition has two primary variant dimensions that create a large variant matrix:

Flavor variants

Protein powders often have 15–25 flavors. At 100 variant limit with sizes:

Strategy 1: One product per size (1kg Chocolate Whey, 2kg Chocolate Whey), flavors as variants — keeps variant count manageable
Strategy 2: One product per flavor, sizes as variants — more intuitive browsing ("pick your flavor, then size")
Strategy 3: Use Shopify's "Option values" up to 100 — 25 flavors × 4 sizes = 100 (exactly at limit)
Strategy 4: For 25+ flavors with 4 sizes = 100+ variants. Must use a product options app (Infinite Options, Easify) that stores flavor as a line item property rather than a variant.

Size variants for nutrition products

Standard: 250g (starter), 1kg, 2kg, 4kg/5kg (bulk)
Sample/taster: 50–100g packs — often sold as a separate sampler product or very cheap variant
Bundle packs: 3×1kg — typically handled as a bundle product rather than variant

NSF and Informed Sport certifications

Third-party testing certifications are essential trust signals for sports nutrition:

NSF Certified for Sport: Rigorously tested for banned substances. Required by many professional sports leagues.
Informed Sport: UK/global equivalent to NSF. Used by professional athletes.
Labdoor: Independent testing rating (A+ to F) for label accuracy and purity.
HASTA: Australian sports drug testing body certification.
Display certification badges on product pages with links to verification pages
Store certification document URLs: product.metafields.supplement.certification_url

Shopify Payments eligibility for supplements

This is one of the most critical issues for sports nutrition brands:

Shopify Payments classifies some supplement categories as "high risk" or ineligible, especially: weight loss supplements, fat burners, hormone-affecting products, products making medical claims
Standard supplements (protein powder, creatine, vitamins) are generally accepted by Shopify Payments
Before migrating: review Shopify Payments' prohibited and restricted businesses list
If your products are borderline: contact Shopify Support before migration to confirm eligibility
Alternative payment processors for high-risk supplements: NMI, Stripe (also has restrictions), Braintree
On WooCommerce, high-risk supplements may have been accepted by Stripe — the same Stripe account can connect to Shopify if Stripe approves

Subscription revenue model

Sports nutrition has very high subscription potential — customers buy the same flavors on a monthly cycle:

Use Recharge Subscriptions or Seal Subscriptions
Subscription interval: monthly most common. Some brands offer every 6 weeks.
Subscription discount: 10–20% off subscribe-and-save (mirroring Amazon S&S model)
Swap feature: let subscribers swap flavors between deliveries via Recharge customer portal
Subscription bundles: customizable bundles (pick your 3 flavors for a bundle subscription)
If WooCommerce used WooCommerce Subscriptions: all active subscriptions must be handled carefully during migration (see subscription migration guide)

Sports nutrition bundle strategies

Bundles drive AOV in sports nutrition:

Starter stacks: Protein + creatine + shaker at discount. Use Shopify Bundles app or Bundler.
Sample packs: 8–12 individual servings in different flavors — pre-packaged product, not built from variants
Lean bulk stack, cut stack, endurance stack: Goal-based bundles
Club pricing: "Buy 2, save 15%" using Shopify's quantity discount rules

FDA / MHRA regulatory compliance

Sports nutrition products must carry correct disclaimers:

US FDA: "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." — display on all supplement product pages
UK MHRA: Similar requirements for food supplement claims
EU Regulation 1924/2006: Health claim restrictions for EU market
Display disclaimers via a reusable theme section on supplement product pages, triggered by metafield

Sports nutrition migration checklist

Verify Shopify Payments eligibility for your specific products before migration
Create supplement metafields: serving size, macros, ingredients, allergens, certifications
Plan flavor × size variant strategy (check 100-variant limit)
Install product options app if exceeding 100 variants
Migrate subscription customers and active subscriptions via Recharge
Set up subscribe-and-save discount on all core products
Configure bundle products for popular stacks
Display NSF/Informed Sport certification badges on certified products
Add FDA/MHRA disclaimers to supplement product page template
Configure Google Shopping: food supplement product type, nutrition metafields
Enable Shop Pay Installments for high-value bulk orders (5kg tubs at $60+)

Sports nutrition is one of the best categories for Shopify's subscription ecosystem — Recharge's customer portal, swap features, and renewal notifications are more mature than anything WooCommerce Subscriptions provided. The migration to Recharge + Shopify can significantly improve subscriber retention metrics if the portal experience is well-configured. Invest in this setup before launching the new store.

Migrating a sports nutrition & protein store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)