Importing legacy orders to maintain accurate customer order counts

Last updated: November 5, 2025

If you've migrated to Shopify from another platform and need to maintain accurate customer order counts for reporting purposes, you can import your legacy orders as zero-value orders in Shopify.

How it works

When you import legacy orders with $0 value:

  • The orders will be imported along with their associated customer data

  • Customer order counts will reflect their complete purchase history

  • When customers make their next purchase on Shopify, they'll correctly be identified as repeat customers

  • Revenue reporting won't be impacted since the imported orders have zero value

Important considerations

Before importing legacy orders, consider the following:

  • Third-party integrations: If you use integrations like DynamicsNav or other financial systems, test how they handle zero-value orders to ensure they don't cause issues with your financial reporting

  • Data consistency: The system mirrors Shopify's logic to ensure data consistency, so customer-level order count modifications through custom metafields aren't supported

Recommended testing approach

Before doing a full import, we recommend testing with a small sample:

  1. Import a few legacy orders from customers who have since made purchases on Shopify

  2. Import a few legacy orders from customers who haven't made any Shopify purchases yet

  3. Verify how the data appears in your reporting and any connected systems

  4. Check that revenue reporting remains accurate

This approach allows you to validate the process before committing to importing your complete legacy order history.