What is Shopify Plus: Does your business need it?

To grasp the purpose and ideal users of Shopify Plus, it’s essential to first understand Shopify itself. Shopify is a comprehensive eCommerce platform that empowers businesses of all scales to launch, expand, and operate their online stores.

Shopify Plus is a platform built by Shopify with features and functionality that are typically required to run larger, more complex businesses. It is suitable for companies that are already well established or that are looking to scale up quickly and create an impressionable brand image with speed. 

What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?

Shopify offers 3 tiers for small businesses to grow and scale; these are Basic Shopify, Shopify and Shopify Advanced. Each option offers various tools to showcase your products and services online; think themes, free and paid apps, access to payment providers, enterprise plans and more. These are great to get your business running and to expand your reach online. 

Shopify Plus was designed for businesses that are already making millions, selling internationally, across channels, with complex supply chains. The dashboard, editor and  support center of standard shopify and Shopify Plus might look the same but the access is wildly different. 

With Plus, you have features like free shipping, or choosing between showing flat rates or live calculated rates  on your storefront. Additionally, it offers its merchants a dedicated Merchant Success Program, Shopify Plus Academy, Shopify organization admin, customizable checkout, advanced apps and more. 

Key differentiators of Shopify Plus

• Design Flexibility

• Ecommerce Features

• Analytics

• Help and Support

• Pricing and Transaction Fees

Design Flexibility

Shopify and Shopify Plus offer more than 60 themes when you are designing your ecommerce store via their Theme Store. There are ten free themes and 59 paid options, ranging between $140 and $180. 

In addition, a number of Shopify theme developers offer premium themes specifically designed for Shopify Plus which are sold via their websites and range between $200 and $500.

For Plus users you get the additional support of a dedicated launch manager, who helps integrate your site into Shopify. The launch manager also helps write code and gets your business up and running with a customised Shopify theme.

Plus users can also edit the checkout page. While standard Shopify users are limited to the standard templates, Plus users have the freedom to design this page in a way that drives more sales.

eCommerce Features

Shopify Flow - exclusive to Shopify Plus

Shopify Flow allows store owners to offload everyday tasks into automated workflows. You can use pre-made workflow templates or build them to specification. Popular workflows include purchase tracking, email sequencing, customer segmentation, and personalized product recommendations. 

With Shopify Flow, Shopify Plus users can tailor the customer experience and maximize their productivity and store performance.

Script Editor - exclusive to Shopify Plus

The script editor doesn’t just offer greater control over shipping costs. You can create scripts for a multitude of store aspects, including line items and payment methods. With experimentation, you can use this tool to customize your store down to the smallest details.

Analytics

The standard Shopify platform has a user-friendly analytics dashboard, where you can get an overview of your sales performance. Shopify Plus takes it to the next level by by partnering with industry-leading analytics companies, including Glew and Looker. With these integrations, Plus users get access to expert insights and in-depth data reports that help them make faster smarter business decisions.

Help and Support

Shopify is known for its fast reliable customer support. You can solve any issue through the 24/7 assistance available on the phone, email, and live chat. Additionally there is a large pool of resources online from community forums to blogs and videos to help you troubleshoot. 

WIth Shopify Plus you can get dedicated, personal support. Not only will you have that launch manager assigned to kick things off, but you’ll also have access to the merchant success program.

This program was designed to equip you with the tools you need to grow a profitable store, from help using the platform to strategic coaching and leveraging industry trends, the MSM is your guide.

Pricing and Transaction Fees

Shopify has a 14-day free trial, which is great for beginners to test the platform. After that, the standard Shopify platform has three pricing plans:

• Basic Shopify - USD $29/month

• Shopify - USD $79/month

• Advanced Shopify - USD $299/month

All three plans include key features like abandoned cart emails and multi-channel integration. However, there are subtle differences in the higher tiers, such as gift cards, reports, and higher sales limits.

The pricing for Shopify Plus is less transparent, as you need to get a custom quote depending on several factors, such as:

• Your business model

• Monthly turnover

• Marketing needs

To give you an estimate , let’s say your monthly sales are somewhere between $0 and $800,000. In this case, the cost of a Shopify Plus plan is about $2,000 per month. Going beyond that, subscription costs will vary, with the ceiling price set at $40,000 per month.   

What about transaction fees?

These fees are similar on both platforms. Shopify sets fixed fees per transaction. With Shopify Plus, transaction fees are negotiable during your quote. However, in either case, it works out between 1-2% + 30¢ per transaction. Overall if you’re a small to midsized business looking to grow and manage your store, out-of-the box options from Shopify are a great option for you. But if you are an emerging brand, looking to expand your operations globally, develop a highly customized store and deliver a unique and memorable brand experience AND you have the resources to do so, Shopify Plus is for you.