If you are engaged in e-commerce, you likely use Shopify or consider adopting it. Shopify holds a 10.32% share of the global e-commerce market, making it in the list of the top 5 most used platforms for e-commerce.
It is also the most searched-for e-commerce solution on Google. Whether you are new to e-commerce and unsure about starting with Shopify, or if you are considering upgrading your current setup, this brief guide will help you understand the key differences between Shopify vs. Shopify Plus.
An Overview of Shopify
Shopify provides a user-friendly platform that allows users to create customized online stores and sell products effortlessly. It offers a variety of professional themes and templates, making it easy to set up a store quickly without the need for coding skills, although there is the option to employ Shopify web development services for more intricate customizations. The platform includes robust core features such as a shopping cart, product listings, a checkout process, various shipping options, multiple payment gateway integrations, an order management dashboard, and comprehensive reporting tools.
Additionally, Shopify has an app store filled with thousands of applications that can enhance functionality in areas like email marketing, accounting, and customer support, which helps users avoid the complexities of custom ecommerce web development. The platform’s scalable cloud-based infrastructure is designed to handle significant traffic without the need for managed hosting. It also supports secure credit card processing, integrates with major shipping carriers, and manages local taxes.
Shopify offers up to an 88% discount on shipping rates, along with optional insurance and the ability to integrate third-party calculated rates for more precise shipping management. It also provides access to custom reports and analytics, helping businesses make data-driven decisions. Users can manage inventory across up to 10 different locations and benefit from enhanced 24/7 chat support. For global sellers, Shopify supports localized sales across three markets, with the option to add additional markets for $59 USD per month. Businesses can assign up to 15 additional staff accounts, making it easier to manage teams. Shopify also significantly boosts checkout capacity, allowing up to 10 times the traffic volume, and includes access to POS Lite for in-person selling options.
Source: Mage Plaza
Pricing starts at $5 per month for the Starter plan, with more advanced options available as businesses grow, making it ideal for smaller merchants beginning to sell online or those generating less than $1 million in annual online revenue.
An Overview of Shopify Plus
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Shopify Plus is designed for enterprise-level businesses, specifically catering to high-volume brands with annual sales exceeding $1 million. It builds on the core features available in standard Shopify, such as themes, payment processing, and add-ons, but offers significantly enhanced scalability to handle spikes in traffic, particularly during high-demand periods like Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Shopify Plus is well-suited for global brands, offering tools for international pricing, taxes, and localized global selling across 50 markets. It supports both wholesale and business-to-business (B2B) operations and provides advanced reporting capabilities, including custom reports and direct data warehouse access.
Clients of Shopify Plus benefit from dedicated support through a Merchant Success Manager who assists with onboarding, optimization, and technical issues. The platform prioritizes high-level security measures and advanced fraud analysis, which not only protects the merchant but can also boost SEO rankings. Shopify Plus offers volume discounts on transactions and shipping, enhancing profit margins without imposing transaction fees, although monthly fees still apply.
Additional exclusive features include third-party calculated rates, the ability to manage up to 200 inventory locations, priority 24/7 phone support, unlimited staff accounts, and a fully customizable checkout that can handle 40 times the capacity of standard options. There are also 200 POS Pro locations available with Shopify Payments and the option to sell wholesale or B2B. Shopify Plus is ideal for established brands with a global presence, looking to manage large-scale operations and significant annual revenue.
Key Differences Between Shopify and Shopify Plus
The key distinctions between Shopify and Shopify Plus revolve around their feature sets, customization options, support services, and scalability to meet diverse business requirements.
1. Dedicated Account Manager:
While both Shopify and Shopify Plus offer customer support through various channels such as live chat, email, and phone, Shopify Plus distinguishes itself by providing a dedicated account manager, or Launch Engineer. This expert not only assists in navigating the platform’s features but also ensures your store is set up for optimal performance.
Their ongoing relationship with your business minimizes the need for repeated explanations of your needs, a benefit not available with standard Shopify plans.
2. API Integrations:
Shopify Plus offers more extensive API access compared to standard Shopify plans, including exclusive APIs for Multipass, GiftCard, and User accounts.
These capabilities enable larger businesses to establish connections with numerous third-party applications and systems or to develop tailored solutions, making Shopify Plus particularly suitable for companies with sophisticated integration requirements.
3. Exclusive Apps and Features:
Users of Shopify Plus gain access to proprietary apps and tools that improve store management and sales efficiency. Key offerings include:
- Shopify Flow: An automation tool that simplifies numerous tasks and processes.
- Launchpad: Facilitates the planning and execution of flash sales, product launches, and marketing campaigns.
- Script Editor: Allows for customizations to the checkout process, including the application of discounts and personalized offers which are based on customer’s cart content.
4. Checkout Customization:
A major benefit of Shopify Plus is the ability to tailor the checkout experience. Unlike the standard checkout provided by Shopify, Shopify Plus enables businesses to fully adapt their checkout processes to align with their brand identity.
Features include the creation of custom fields, adjustments to shipping and payment methods, and the utilization of Shopify Scripts to apply for personalized discounts or promotions, an option not offered in regular Shopify plans.
5. Auto-Set Multi-Currency:
Shopify introduced support for multiple currencies through Shopify Payments in 2019 to cater to international customers. This functionality automatically adjusts the displayed currency to match the customer’s location and enables refunds in the local currency. Supporting numerous currencies, this feature helps simplify the payment process and facilitates global sales for merchants.
On standard Shopify accounts, customers must manually choose their preferred currency. However, Shopify Plus enhances this by automatically detecting and setting the correct currency using the customer’s IP address, which improves the shopping experience.
The primary distinction between Shopify and Shopify Plus lies in this automatic currency adjustment. Shopify Plus also provides other benefits, such as customizable rounding rules after currency conversion and allowing payments with local methods without the need for a new account, which improves customer satisfaction.
6. Enhanced Analytics:
While both Shopify and Shopify Plus offer robust analytics tools, Shopify Plus provides deeper insights with advanced reporting capabilities. Users can customize reports and delve into comprehensive data on sales, customer behavior, and overall business performance.
These enhanced analytics are crucial for larger businesses that rely on precise, data-driven strategies to refine their operations and marketing efforts, ensuring they remain competitive and responsive to market dynamics.
7. Unlimited Staff Accounts:
Shopify Plus stands out by allowing the addition of an unlimited number of staff accounts. This feature is invaluable for businesses with extensive teams or various departments requiring backend store access.
In comparison, standard Shopify plans cap staff accounts, with the Advanced plan allowing up to 15. For enterprises with extensive personnel spread across diverse roles or geographic locations, Shopify Plus is essential, facilitating streamlined operations and enhanced team collaboration.
8. Merchant Success Program:
Shopify Plus enhances user support through its Merchant Success Program, which includes personalized assistance from a dedicated success manager. This program is designed to maximize the platform’s utility, advising on scaling operations, integrating with third-party tools, and connecting with Shopify Plus Partners.
It transcends typical customer support by offering strategic, tailored advice that aligns with your specific business goals and challenges, thereby promoting sustained growth and operational efficiency.
9. Exclusive Access to Resources:
Shopify Plus grants exclusive access to specialized resources, fostering a community among its users. This includes entry to a private Facebook group, opportunities for beta testing new features, and access to the Shopify Plus Academy, which provides specialized training and webinars.
These resources not only offer community engagement but also equip merchants with insider knowledge and advanced tools crucial for navigating the complexities of e-commerce and achieving business success.
10. Multi-Store Management:
Shopify Plus excels in facilitating the management of multiple stores through a single dashboard. This capability is particularly advantageous for enterprises that operate several brands or regional stores, as it centralizes control over staff, automation, and analytics.
By consolidating these functions, Shopify Plus significantly reduces the time and complexity involved in managing multiple storefronts, a feature absent in standard Shopify plans.
11. Wholesale Orders:
Shopify Plus supports comprehensive B2B functionality with a dedicated wholesale channel. This allows businesses to set up a password-protected storefront where they can offer special pricing and products exclusively to wholesale buyers.
Ideal for companies managing both B2C and B2B models, this feature streamlines order, inventory, and customer data management across channels enhancing operational coherence and efficiency in handling diverse market demands.
12. Scalability and Multi-Store Management:
Shopify Plus is engineered for larger, high-volume enterprises and includes advanced functionalities such as multi-store management through a single administrative dashboard. This feature is invaluable for businesses operating across different regions or managing multiple brands, enabling streamlined oversight and coordination.
Conversely, managing each store independently is necessary with regular Shopify plans, posing challenges for expansive business operations.
Pricing Comparison: Shopify vs. Shopify Plus
The primary distinction between Shopify and Shopify Plus is their pricing structure, designed to meet the diverse financial capabilities and requirements of different merchants.
Shopify’s Pricing Options Shopify offers several plans to suit the needs of varying business sizes, from small to midsize businesses (SMBs):
- Starter Plan: $5 per month
- Basic Plan: $29 per month
- Retail Plan: $89 per month
- Shopify Plan: $79 per month
- Advanced Plan: $299 per month
It’s important to note that all standard Shopify plans include additional fees for online and in-store transactions, as well as charges for using non-Shopify payment processors.
Shopify Plus Pricing In contrast, Shopify Plus targets larger enterprise-level businesses, with pricing starting at $2,300 per month, which is customized based on the merchant’s needs. This price also includes a variable fee based on the store’s monthly sales volume. The costs associated with Shopify Plus cover not only the platform usage but also expenses related to online store development, site launch, third-party services, and optional add-ons.
For exact pricing, potential Shopify Plus users need to discuss their specific needs with a Shopify Plus sales representative to get a tailored quote.
Payment Processing Rate Comparison
The card processing rates for Shopify vary depending on the subscription plan, reflecting different fees for online and in-person transactions, as well as for using third-party payment providers. For the basic Shopify plan, the rates are set at 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions and 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions. When using third-party payment providers under this plan, the fee is 2%.
Moving to the Shopify plan, the rates decrease slightly to 2.7% plus 30 cents for online transactions and 2.5% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions, with a 1% fee for third-party payment providers. The Shopify Advanced plan offers even lower fees: 2.5% plus 30 cents for online transactions, 2.4% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions, and a significantly reduced rate of 0.6% for third-party payment providers.
For high-volume merchants using Shopify Plus, the platform offers competitive rates, though specific figures aren’t detailed here, suggesting they may be negotiable or customized based on the merchant’s volume and specific needs. These structured pricing tiers accommodate a range of business sizes and transaction volumes, providing flexibility and financial efficiency for different types of operations.
Shopify Plus vs Shopify: Deciding the Best Fit for Your Business
Having explored both Shopify and Shopify Plus, you might wonder which platform suits your business needs. The choice between Shopify and Shopify Plus should be based on your specific needs, budget, the size of your business, and expected growth.
For those looking for an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface to quickly set up an online store, Shopify’s ecommerce platform is ideal. On the other hand, Shopify Plus may be the better choice if your business demands more advanced features, greater scalability, and customization options.
It’s crucial to thoroughly assess each option to ensure it aligns with your business objectives. Consulting with a professional service that specializes in Shopify development could also provide valuable guidance, helping you make an informed decision and manage the development process effectively.
For additional insights, consider reading our blog post on the Top eCommerce Websites Built on Shopify, which highlights how the platform has helped millions of businesses globally to enhance their online stores.
Conclusion
The choice between Shopify and Shopify Plus largely depends on the scale and specific needs of your business. Shopify offers a comprehensive platform suited for small and mid-sized merchants, providing all the essential tools to set up and manage an online store.
However, for larger enterprises with higher transaction volumes, complex customization needs, and multi-store operations, Shopify Plus offers advanced features, greater flexibility, and dedicated support. Careful evaluation of your business requirements, growth projections, and budget will help you determine which platform is the best fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Shopify and Shopify Plus differ in API and customization capabilities?
Shopify Plus offers more API access and customization, including higher API limits and exclusive APIs like Multipass and GiftCard APIs. It also allows advanced checkout customization with Shopify Scripts, features not available in standard Shopify plans.
What type of support does Shopify Plus offer that standard Shopify does not?
Shopify Plus users get dedicated support with a Launch Manager for setup and a Merchant Success Manager for ongoing help. This personalized support focuses on strategy and scaling, which is not available in standard Shopify plans.
How do Shopify and Shopify Plus handle omnichannel and multi-store management?
Shopify Plus enables selling across over 100 channels and allows managing up to 10 expansion stores from one dashboard, ideal for multi-location businesses. Standard Shopify plans do not offer this level of multi-store management.