Shopify Vs. Shopify Plus: 10 Key Differences You Should Know

Are you ready to take your online store to the next level? If so, you might wonder whether Shopify or Shopify Plus is the right choice.Shopify is a fantastic platform for anyone who wants to start selling online. It's easy to use, affordable, and packed with features. But what if you're not just anyone? What if you're a big brand with big ambitions? That's where Shopify Plus comes in. You get everything you love about Shopify, plus more power, flexibility, customization, and support. It's like Shopify on steroids. Shopify Plus is designed for enterprise-level businesses that need a scalable and reliable solution. Think of some of the biggest names in e-commerce, like Nestle, Hawkers, Kylie Jenner, Budweiser, and more. They all use Shopify Plus to run their online stores. So how do you decide between Shopify and Shopify Plus? It depends on your goals, your budget, and your needs. This article will help you evaluate the key differences between Shopify vs. Shopify Plus and decide which suits you better.

Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: What's the difference?

You already know what Shopify can do for your online store. But what about Shopify Plus? It's like Shopify with a boost. In this guide, we'll compare Shopify and Shopify Plus by showing you the new features and benefits that you get with Shopify Plus. Here are 13 new features/enhancements that you get with Shopify Plus.

1. A personal guide for your store (Launch Manager/Engineer)

Shopify has a reliable and responsive support team you can contact by phone, email, or live chat. They can assist you with any technical issues or questions about your store. However, if you need more in-depth or specialized help, you can hire Shopify Experts for a fee. Shopify Experts are certified professionals who can help you with various aspects of your store, such as design, development, marketing, etc. Shopify Plus offers a superior level of support that is tailored to your specific needs and goals. With Shopify Plus, you get a personal and dedicated support partner who will ensure that your store runs smoothly and successfully. You get assigned a Launch Engineer to guide you through setting up or migrating your store. They will also help you with any third-party integrations or partners you require for your business. For example, they can help you integrate with ERP systems, CRM platforms, payment gateways, etc. They will also provide best practices and recommendations to optimize your store's performance and security.

2. Create a stunning theme with Liquid

Shopify has an editor that lets you easily customize your theme templates, but if you want to change your theme entirely, you might face some challenges. With Shopify Plus, you get access to Shopify's theme language, Liquid, which lets you modify the code behind your theme. With Liquid, you can edit every aspect of your theme and make it stand out from the crowd. Shopify Plus gives you more control and creativity over your theme design.

3. Unlimited staff accounts

One of the factors that you should consider when comparing Shopify vs. Shopify Plus is the number and scope of staff accounts you can create. The basic Shopify plan only allows you to have a limited number of staff accounts, which can restrict your ability to delegate tasks and collaborate with your team.On the other hand, Shopify Plus gives you the option to create unlimited staff accounts and provides more granular permission settings. You can add as many staff members as you need to manage your online store and assign them different roles and access levels. You can also monitor and control your staff members' actions in your store admin, such as editing products, processing orders, viewing reports, etc. This way, you can ensure that your store operations are secure and efficient.

4. More control over the checkout

As a store owner, you know how important it is to provide a tailored and seamless checkout experience for your high-value customers and optimize your conversion rate. You want to have full control over the look and feel of your checkout page and its functionality and logic. Shopify Plus enables you to do that by giving you access to the checkout. Liquid file lets you modify your checkout page's HTML and CSS code. You can also use Shopify Scripts to create custom conditions and logic for your checkout based on various factors, such as cart value, customer tags, product attributes, etc. Shopify Scripts are Ruby-based code snippets that run on Shopify's servers and can affect the behavior of your online store. With Shopify Scripts, you can customize various aspects of your checkout, such as shipping methods, customer fields, payment options, discounts, line-item properties, etc. You can also create and test different scenarios before applying them to your live store. You can use the Script Editor app to create and manage your scripts. Shopify does not offer this level of checkout customization and optimization. You must rely on third-party apps or external services to achieve similar results.

5. More API integrations

APIs are the interfaces that enable integrations with third-party apps and services. Shopify Plus provides you with more API resources and capabilities than Shopify, such as Gift Card, User and Multipass. GiftCard is an API resource that allows you to create, update, and delete gift cards as a payment method. You can also use it to query the balance and expiry date of a gift card. Multipass is an API resource that allows you to create single sign-on (SSO) functionality for your customers. You can use it to redirect customers from your website to your Shopify store without requiring them to log in again or create a separate account. You can also use it to sync customer data between your website and your Shopify store. User is an API resource that allows you to manage staff accounts for your store. You can use it to add, remove, edit and retrieve information about staff accounts, such as their email, name, role, permissions, etc. Shopify Plus also allows you to integrate with custom apps or even build your private apps using the Shopify API. You can use custom apps or private apps to extend the functionality of your store or automate tasks. Custom apps are built specifically for your store and not listed on the Shopify App Store. Private apps are built by you or a developer for your own use and are not shared with anyone else.

6. Wholesale Channels

Another difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus is the wholesale channel. As your business expands, you might encounter customers who want to order from you in bulk. And you want an enterprise-level platform that can support wholesale sales. The wholesale channel allows you to create a separate, password-protected storefront that is based on your online store. This means you can offer special prices or products to your wholesale buyers. You can also offer customized price lists or discount codes. In short, Shopify Plus merchants can send invoices, track orders, and manage B2C and B2B businesses using the same product data and integrations, all from one place.

7. Merchant Success Program

Shopify Plus provides a Merchant Success Program that helps users optimize their platform use. They offer guidance, assistance with third-party integrations, products, and platforms, and training to help you leverage your full potential. You'll collaborate with a Merchant Success Manager who'll support you with any issues or requests you might have. In addition to 24/7 support, the team is ready to help you find approved Shopify Plus Partners who can help you stay updated with industry trends and prepare for events such as flash sales.

8. A unified dashboard to manage multiple stores

With Shopify Plus, users can now access a unified dashboard that integrates all the features and functions needed to manage multiple stores effectively. The dashboard provides a comprehensive view of your business performance, analytics, staff accounts, user permissions, and automation tools (such as Shopify Flow) in one centralized location. This dashboard enables you to monitor and optimize your business operations, facilitate collaboration and communication among your team members, and leverage automation capabilities to streamline your workflows. This is especially beneficial when you operate multiple stores or locations across different markets or regions.

9. More in-depth analytics options

Shopify offers a robust analytics dashboard that enables you to monitor various indicators of your store performance and customer behavior, such as sales volume, top-selling products, landing pages or referrers, returning customer rate, and more. You can create professional reports using this tool and you'll be able to view up-to-date information about your store. However, for businesses that require more sophisticated analytics capabilities, Shopify Plus collaborates with leading analytics companies to help you access more granular and actionable data about your store performance and customer behavior.

10. Shopify Plus pricing – higher prices (that vary based on sales)

One of the key differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus is the pricing structure. Shopify has fixed pricing plans that do not depend on your sales volume: Shopify Plus, on the other hand, has variable pricing based on your sales volume or a minimum fee, whichever is higher. The minimum fee for Shopify Plus is around $2,000 per month or 0.25% of your monthly sales volume (with a maximum of $40,000). For instance, if your store makes $2 million in monthly sales, you'd pay $5,000. If your store makes $100,000 monthly, you will pay the minimum fee of $2,000 rather than 0.25% of your sales.

Final thoughts on Shopify vs. Shopify Plus

In summary, Shopify and Shopify Plus offer the same basic features and functions when it comes to the dashboard and eCommerce capabilities. The main advantage of Shopify Plus is that it gives you more control, support options, and access to your store's underlying code. However, that comes at a high price, with a minimum monthly fee of $2,000. Unless your store is already making millions in sales, you might want to stick with the core Shopify platform unless you need the features that Shopify Plus provides and think they will pay off. If you need help with your Shopify needs, Whizzbridge is here to assist you. We are a team of experts who can help you set up, optimize, and grow your Shopify store. Contact us today to find out how we can help you achieve your eCommerce goals.

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