Every eCommerce store needs a way to back up its files in case something goes wrong. We all like to think that we will be the exception and not make a serious error causing us to lose data. Yet, people make mistakes. Anytime you’re updating or adjusting your data, there’s the risk of you making an error. Should you accidentally delete the wrong products or orders, you’ll want the ability to undo a mistake instead of losing hours of work.

Some apps can delete or unintentionally edit items in your store as well. It’s not likely, however there’s been cases where an app integration deleted all a store’s prices, inventory count, and more in seconds. When items are deleted in your store, they’re gone forever.

So, what is one to do?

Manual Backups

There is no automated backup functionality built into Shopify that will let you quickly restore data and files if you mistakenly hit the delete button. However, it’s possible to manually back up certain types of data as well as the theme. What you cannot back up manually are custom pages or the home page’s content.

The process of manually backing up entails exporting (downloading) data files to respective csv files, which are essentially like excel spreadsheets. This can be done for Products, Customer lists, Orders, Gift card products, Discount codes, and Finance reports. You’ll have to do this for each respective type of file just listed.

Automatic Backups

Automatically backing up your files has a two-fold advantage in that not only do you not have to trouble yourself with the work, but backups will get done in a timely manner. Since Shopify doesn’t create full backups for you, there are third party apps that will perform the backup and restore function.

Shopify backup apps will capture and store the data of your entire store automatically without needing any user interaction. You can set your system to create backups daily, weekly, or monthly.

The Shopify App Store has a number of apps that will backup and restore your data. The most popular and well regarded of these is Rewind Backups, which starts at a mere $3 per month. Other options include: Backup, Automatic Backups, and others. And if disaster strikes, you can use the app to restore information quickly.

Don’t overlook the importance of good backups. Make sure that you take the time to either manually download files on a regular basis or use an automated backup app for a small monthly fee. Think of it as the insurance plan for your Shopify store, you may never need it, but you’ll sleep better knowing that your store is protected. It can be a real lifesaver when you least expect it.