Shopify PLUS

What is Shopify Plus?

The Shopify standard service provides a superb solution for sole traders and small businesses seeking to sell online. However, a more customized experience may be desired should you be a business with multi-million-dollar sales. This is where Shopify Plus – a more advanced Shopify, to put it briefly – comes in.

Shopify Plus provides the identical dashboard and functionalities as Shopify, just with access to new features, integrations, your store code, customized support options and more.

In plain language, Shopify is for anyone aiming to set up a small to medium-sized business, while Shopify Plus is for enterprise-level operations. Think Nestle, Hawkers, Kylie Jenner, Budweiser, etc.

What are the benefits of Shopify Plus?

•   The cost of hosting your store is predictable – you are unlikely to have to expect unpleasant surprises every month, as you can calculate for yourself what the amount will come out to be for a monthly Shopify Plus use.
•   The platform is user-friendly – with Shopify Plus, you do not waste time correcting any errors. You simply use the platform and sell. You gain and you do not waste time solving technical problems.
•   You can always be among your customers – Shopify is available on social media and other major marketplaces, among others, so you can interact with your customers wherever they are. Multi-channel functionality facilitates sales and communication, so you can effectively enhance brand awareness and sell your products and services.
•   It features scaled subscription hosting, providing you with greater flexibility and efficiency. Shopify Plus does not charge transaction fees and offers unlimited bandwidth. Even if your store grows to substantial proportions, you can always stick to Shopify Plus and avoid the stress of learning how to use another sales platform.
•   Shopify Plus can always be tailored to your needs as there are a variety of apps, tools and integrations available as part of the purchased package. Reporting and deleting customers is simple and intuitive with SDKs and APIs. Apps from external partners ensure that convenience is also provided, creating an unusual ecosystem for your business.
•   Shopify Plus allows the creation of a customized website that holistically displays your services and products. There are many apps you can use, such as for inventory management, analytical calculations, mailing list management or administrative work. This may give you the impression that you have an extra team of staff to perform all the crucial tasks for you.
•   Shopify Plus is completely safe and secure as it operates in compliance with PCI DSS Level 1 ensuring security for your business anytime, anywhere. You can benefit from fraud detection features, as well as those that deter multiple hacking attacks.
•   Shopify Plus support works virtually instantly. You can contact the service practically any day and at any time by phone or email.
•   You can run the platform on a range of devices including Android, Windows, Mac, iPad and many others. You have many languages to choose from.
•   You have an account manager on Shopify Plus to help you make decisions about features that can support your business. With unlimited bandwidth, you can perform up to 500,000 tasks per minute.
•   The platform is widely used by a number of very large customers including Dodocase, Death Wish Coffee Co and Endy proving to you that Shopify Plus is worth using.

How much does Shopify Plus cost? 

The Shopify platform unveils a number of appealing packages:

•   Lite – cost of $9. It is intended for users who sell several products and want to promote them via social media or a website without having to set up an online store
•   Basic – it costs $29 + sales commission. The package is the best solution for anyone running a store with a small assortment or for those who want to evaluate the platform first. Provides the option to set up two accounts for staff.
•   Shopify – cost of $79 + sales commission. Designed for larger stores that are growing their sales and have a specific development plan. Here you can set up 5 accounts for staff.
•   Advanced – cost of $299 + sales commission. For large stores with higher conversions that require an eCommerce engine that is user-friendly and effective. Allows setting up 15 staff accounts. The Carrier Service API is included in this plan, allowing, among other things, extra shipping methods to be added at the Shopify Checkout stage. 
•   Plus – cost of $2000. The most common option for very large, well-established businesses that need custom solutions and want to expand internationally. The charge for this package is priced individually.

 Each of the above plans offers features, such as:

•   Option to sell on social media channels.
•   On-line store.
•   Gift cards, coupons, and discounts.
•   Integrated marketing platform.
•   Access to API.
•   24h/7 Support.

Shopify vs Shopify Plus comparison

1. A dedicated account manager (Launch Manager/Engineer)

Shopify provides support to its users via phone, email and live chat. If things get tricky, you can hire Shopify Experts.

Shopify Plus provides customized and dedicated support for your store. It assigns a Launch Engineer to your website to assist you through the entire shop configuration/migration process. Be it integrating with other businesses or finding affiliates to collaborate in projects specifically for your business, the Shopify Launch Engineer is there to support you.

2. More theme customization with access to Liquid

The standard Shopify plans offer you the option to customize Shopify theme templates with the editor, but you will find it difficult to switch to a completely new theme.

The Shopify Plus plan offers a high level of customization by providing you with access to Shopify’s theme language, Liquid. Having Liquid in your tool bag, you will be in a position to make alterations to the backend at the code level for enhanced control.

3. Unlimited staff accounts

The other feature you will want to keep in mind when weighing up Shopify vs Shopify Plus is staff accounts. Shopify’s basic plan only allows for a few limited staff accounts.

Shopify Plus supports the addition of an unlimited number of staff accounts and provides extra authorization settings.

By doing so there will be the option to grant access to any number of your team members to work on your online store. In addition to this, you will also have greater control over the actions of your staff in store administration.

4. More control over the checkout

Being a store owner it comes naturally that you will want to pay special attention to high spending customers and what they do on the checkout page.

Shopify Plus allows you to customize the checkout experience based on cart value or other conditions.

In addition, users have the option to work with Shopify Scripts. The Script Editor gives you more control and you can customize shipping methods, customer fields and payment options.

5. More API integrations

Across any website, it is actually the APIs that simplify integration with third-party applications.

To help users get the most out of third-party apps, Shopify Plus features extended API resources such as GiftCard, User and Multipass.

GiftCard is an alternative payment method. Multipass login smoothly redirects the website viewer to the Shopify store (without separate login details and without the need to synchronize any customer database). The user can add, delete, edit and download employee account information.

Beyond that, Shopify Plus allows you to integrate with custom apps and even create your own private apps.

6. Exclusive apps

Shopify Plus users also gain access to some Shopify exclusive apps through the app store, not available to regular Shopify users:

• Wholesale channel to support users with a high B2B sales volume.
• Shopify Flow, an eCommerce automation platform. By working with a straightforward visual designer, it assists in automating many customer-facing tasks and office processes within your store and via your apps. It stores and performs the triggers, conditions and operations you specify to perform many actions – such as tagging loyal customers, sending reorder requests and much more. All this without any coding on your part.
• Launchpad is useful for planning and automating instant sales, product launches or sales campaigns. Once an event is closed, you can instantly undo all modifications.
• Script Editor allows creating customized experiences at the cart/ checkout stage. Small snippets of code help in applying discounts or customizing shipping and payment options for customers. This assists in reducing the number of abandoned carts.
• Transporter app for importing customer, product and order records into your Shopify shop. This facilitates the transfer of customer records between stores.
• Bulk Account Inviter app for inviting customers imported from another platform or store to activate their accounts in your online business. This app is handy once you have imported customer accounts from another platform or store.

7. Integrations with existing platforms

Although the number of apps you can plug into your Shopify store is unlimited, for fast-growing and complex businesses, integrating with existing platforms can sometimes make more sense. This is facilitated by Shopify’s API. The examples cover platforms for:

– Product Information Management (PIM)
– Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
– Inventory and order management (IMS and OMS)
– Customer relationship management (CRM)
– Third-party logistics (3PL)
– Warehouse management software (WMS)
– Global order fulfilment partners

8. Wholesale channels

Another highlight in this Shopify vs Shopify Plus comparison is the wholesale channel.

As you expand, there are inevitably going to be customers who want to buy wholesale from you. And it is reasonable to expect that an enterprise-level platform is expected to support wholesale.

The wholesale channel provides the option to create a separate, password-protected storefront that is based on your online store. Essentially, this means you are able to offer the same products at exclusive prices to wholesale buyers or exclusive wholesale products only.

In fact, you can also offer customized price lists or discount codes. All in all, Shopify Plus merchants have the ability to send invoices, track orders, use existing product data and integrations and manage their B2C and B2B business from one location.

9. Merchant Success Program

Shopify Plus features a Merchant Success Program to help users get the most out of the platform. It is ready to support you with third-party integrations, products and platforms, as well as training to ensure you reach your full potential. You will be working with a Merchant Success Manager to help you with anything you may need.

In addition to 24/7 support, the team is available to support you in finding approved Shopify Plus Partners to help you stay on top of industry trends and assist with events such as sell-outs.

10. Exclusive access to other resources

The Merchant Success Program is certainly not the sole resource available for Shopify Plus users. Other resources available are:

• Facebook Community, providing a community where you can share your experiences with other Shopify Plus users.
• Partner directory granting access to technology partners, agencies and solutions.
• Access to exclusive beta programs.
• Access to the Shopify Plus Academy providing guidance on how to use the Shopify Plus platform.

11. A unified dashboard to manage multiple stores

Shopify Plus now provides users with a new dashboard for managing all stores, analytics, staff accounts, user authorizations and automation tools (such as Shopify Flow), in one location.

The dashboard provides a complete overview of your business, fosters teamwork and enhances automation. Especially more so if you manage multiple stores or locations.

12. More in-depth analytics options

Shopify provides a detailed analytics dashboard where you can check statistics, such as sales, top products, landing pages or referrers, returning customer rate and much more. You can generate professional reports with this tool, and you will be able to track information about your store in real time. For most businesses this may be sufficient, but Shopify Plus collaborates with leading analytics providers so you will stay updated on the latest trends in your store.

In conclusion, Shopify and Shopify Plus share the same key features when it comes to dashboard and standard eCommerce functionality. The core distinction is that Shopify Plus provides you with much more flexibility, more support options and greater access to your store’s basic code.

The Shopify Plus platform is the go-to place for medium to large players looking to achieve their sales targets in an informed, straightforward and measurable way. Shopify Plus provides everything you need to create a solid market presence with multiple social media channels, an online store or even a brick-and-mortar shop. Shopify Plus virtually performs all of the work for a customer, realizing sales growth and return on investment on a monthly basis. So if you are an entrepreneur who is thinking about selling internationally without barriers and restrictions, then Shopify Plus is tailor-made for you!