Rewrite mode
What rewrite mode preserves
Handles, SKUs, lifecycle fields, and untouched columns are preserved unless the selected scope requires a change.
Quick answer
Handles, SKUs, lifecycle fields, and untouched columns are preserved unless the selected scope requires a change.
What this means
Use this when you are one of the Shopify merchants improving an existing product catalog without breaking URLs. The goal is simple: understand what Storeshift changes, what Shopify will import, and what you should review before a real catalog update.
Plain-English rule: do the smallest safe action first, inspect the result, then scale up. That means preview before full run, sample import before full import, and review before publishing.
Before you change a live Shopify catalog, check product titles, body copy, image order, variant options, prices, handles, SKUs, SEO fields, and any warnings shown on the run page.
Simple checklist
- 01Export the current Shopify CSV and keep a backup before uploading it.
- 02Choose the narrowest rewrite scope: titles, body copy, SEO fields, images, or a small mix.
- 03Preserve handles, SKUs, inventory, status, and fulfillment fields unless you mean to change them.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Changing handles during a copy cleanup and accidentally creating new product URLs.
- Letting a rewrite touch inventory, publication status, or fulfillment settings.
- Accepting unsupported claims that were not present in the source product data.