Shopify can do amazing things to sell online – but not all ecommerce players have the same needs. To better accommodate the requirements of ecommerce stores using the platform, Shopify is divided up by 2 distinct options: Shopify vs Shopify Plus.
If you’re reading this post, you’re probably wondering whether Shopify Plus is right for you.
While the basic Shopify platform is designed to provide merchants with everything they need to get up and running quickly and easily, Shopify Plus is designed to meet the evolving needs of larger businesses with more specialised requirements.
In this post, we want to explain the added Shopify Plus features compared to Shopify (standard) – and which variant would be ideal for your e-commerce needs of today and tomorrow.
Let’s get into it.
The Difference Between Shopify and Shopify Plus: The Added Features
Shopify and Shopify Plus offer a plethora of features, such as 24/7 live support via email, phone, chat, and flexible contract requirements. Since everything that’s included in Shopify is also offered in Shopify Plus, let’s take a look at the additional Shopify Plus features.
If you need any of these additional benefits, it might be worth considering Shopify Plus.
Dedicated Support
Shopify Plus offers personalised support for your store, including a Launch Engineer to help you with the entire store setup/migration process. Shopify experts will advise on everything from building the eCommerce store to custom app integrations, data migration, and third-party tech recommendations.
This personalised assistance also includes help with setting up custom domains for your Shopify store, configuring payment processors, and troubleshooting any technical issues encountered during the setup process.
A dedicated launch engineer will ensure that your store is set up correctly from the beginning, saving you time and preventing issues down the road. After the launch, Shopify’s Merchant Success Team will help you grow and scale your online store for long-term success.
Additional Theme Customisation – Customizable & Faster Checkouts
The core Shopify services offer the usual theme customisation options and access to the Liquid theme files. However, Shopify Plus allows much more control and you are able to fully customise the checkout via checkout.liquid – This is a key advantage for larger retailers that want a unique look and feel as well as being able to optimise your checkout experience for speed and conversion.
Even More Shopify Checkout & Cart Control
Another standout feature and huge differentiator for Shopify Plus users is the Script Editor app – it allows you to create a personlised checkout & cart experience for your customers. Scripts are flexible and can be used to create unique and powerful discounts. For example, you can create scripts that change the prices and properties of line items in your store’s cart based on the items that a customer adds to it.
With this feature, you can:
● Change the prices of items in the cart and offer discounts for customer retention.
● Alter or offer discounts on shipping and shipping methods.
● Rename, hide, or reorder payment gateways.
It’s worthwhile looking at some of the example scripts provided by Shopify to get an idea of the possibilities and how you can get them to work best for your store. You write scripts using Ruby so it’s best to have a developer make any changes you require.
At Digital Fresh we’ve built many customised Ruby scripts for our clients so we’d be happy to help!
Update: Shopify Scripts and the Editor app will be deprecated in August 2024, you can continue to edit & create new ones up until then. The good news is that Shopify is replacing scripts with something new called Shopify Functions.
What is Shopify Functions? It’s a new way for developers to be able to create custom ecommerce experiences – the big difference being it will be installed as part of an app and is much more powerful
There are 2 options as a Plus store owner:
– Look for a public available app with the functionality you need to replace Scripts.
– A benefit of being on a Plus Plan, you can create a private custom app that uses Shopify Functions.
If you are a Plus store owner and are looking for advice on how you can replace Scripts, or simply looking how you can start utilising the power of Shopify Functions send an email to [email protected]
Unlimited Staff Accounts
With the standard Shopify store plans, the number of staff accounts you can create is limited, depending on your chosen package. This can be a problem for larger businesses that need to manage and give access to multiple departments or teams.
Shopify Plus allows you to create unlimited staff accounts, which can improve the workflow for larger businesses and make it easier to manage the store. You can also set up different permission levels and control what each staff member can access and edit in the store.
Expanded Integrations for Enterprise-Level & B2B Businesses
Shopify Plus offers a broader range of apps & integrations beyond the 8,000+ available on the standard Shopify store plans.
Wholesale channel
In addition to some of the added extras mentioned before, Shopify Plus users have the option to use a Wholesale channel – designed for merchants with a high volume of B2B online sales or many wholesale customers.
It’s essentially an extension of your online storefront but is loaded with all the features you need to offer a more catered experience for wholesale buyers. Things like customised price lists, wholesale only-products, and advanced order processing make Plus an attractive option if your business is B2B.
Shopify Flow
Shopify Flow is a powerful automation tool that allows you to create custom workflows for your online store. With Shopify Flow, businesses can create workflows that trigger specific actions when certain events occur. For example, you could create a workflow that sends an email to a customer when a certain product is back in stock, or automatically tags high-value customers for special promotions.
One of the key benefits of Shopify Flow is that it helps you streamline your operations, saving you time and reducing errors.
ShopifyQL Notebooks
ShopifyQL Notebooks is a powerful app that allows you to visualise, analyse, and present different business and customer data within your Shopify organisation admin. With this app, you can quickly generate reports and dashboards that help you make informed decisions and optimise your store’s performance – this will help you streamline your operations and make smarter decisions.
Providing you with a centralised view of all your Shopify data, this means that you no longer need to switch between different tools and platforms to access important information about your store’s sales, inventory, customers, and more.
Enterprise-level
Shopify Plus supports additional API calls that let you integrate seamlessly with enterprise-level systems such as ERPs, CRMs, and PIMS. This enables businesses to create a more personalised customer experience, optimise their product catalogue, and manage inventory, orders, and financials.
Enhanced Store Management
With Shopify Plus, users can manage all their stores from one central dashboard, making it easier to manage their online business portfolio. This is a great Shopify Plus feature for businesses that operate several different brands or have multiple stores for certain regions or product lines.
Data-Driven Decision-Making with ShopifyQL
ShopifyQL is a data querying language created by Shopify exclusively for Shopify Plus store owners.
It allows non-technical users to easily retrieve and analyse commerce data, such as year-over-year analyses, referencing commerce date ranges, visualising data in charts or graphs, and building detailed analytics sets that explore all aspects of the commerce spectrum – from products and orders to customer profiles and trends.
Shopify vs Shopify Plus Pricing
Standard Shopify account plans have three pricing tiers:
- Basic: $39/month – includes everything you need to set up your eCommerce store, ship products, and process payments.
- Shopify: $105/month – provides more advanced reporting and added Shopify admin accounts.
- Advanced: $399/month – includes customised reporting and lowered transaction fees.
Shopify Plus pricing starts at $2,000/month – and has variable fees for businesses with higher volumes.
Not sure which Shopify plan is best for you? Talk to a Shopify expert from Digital Fresh today.
The Bottom Line
Shopify Vs. Shopify Plus has more than several clear differentiating factors.
For most smaller retailers or new ecommerce businesses the basic Shopify plans are an excellent fit – if you’re under €1 million in annual revenue it’s unlikely you’ll want to make the jump because of the higher costs.
On the other hand, if you’re doing over €1 million Shopify Plus is something you should really be considering. The additional control and features you have on your store on Plus make this a no brainer for serious retailers that want to grow & scale with no limits.
Are you looking to take the jump to Shopify Plus?
The Digital Fresh team of Shopify experts are here to help – we are happy to have a chat to see if this is the right path for you and can build you a roadmap for success.
Contact us today. Let’s grow and thrive together!
Whether it’s custom Shopify theme development, e-commerce strategy, CRO services, or managed Shopify support, we’ve got you covered.
