What is Shopify Plus and do I need it?

One of the questions we get asked by our clients often is, ‘do I need Shopify Plus?’ and the answer is that it depends (sorry). 

Shopify is the leading worldwide e-commerce platform, offering a self-hosted e-commerce solution for any type of business, with everything a shop would need to handle all aspects of their digital retail business including website, shipping, inventory management and finances.  

Most of our eCommerce clients are using Shopify to host their ecommerce website and for the most part, we think it does the job well.  Shopify offers different price points for growing businesses all the way up to their biggest package for high-volume retailers, Shopify Plus.

Shopify Plus is the name for Shopify’s most enhanced subscription package, aimed at ‘complex businesses’ or high-volume retainers. Unlike previous packages, upgrading to Shopify plus offers enhanced customisation and scalability options which we are going to explore here in more detail.

Access to exclusive apps

All apps on the Shopify app market go through rigorous testing to ensure they are safe and valuable for customers.  Shopify Plus apps go through an even more rigorous 100-point checklist to ensure they are fit for large retailers, and are fit to solve the type of complex problems faced by larger stores.  Shopify Plus apps are built by approved Shopify partners and offer 24/7 support, offering merchants peace of mind and support whenever they need it. 

The Plus exclusive apps can give customers added reassurance around data protection, security, performance and customer support. 

Ability to customise the checkout 

With the new checkout extensibility exclusive to Shopify Plus customers, stores can now customise their checkout with just about anything via apps.  Stores can add post-purchase upsells, loyalty point redemption, free gifts, custom messages, trust logos and gift messages.  Stores can also customise their shipping and payment options for different customer groups.  This can be the area which really sets Shopify and Plus customers apart, increasing conversion rates and average order value at checkout. 

We wrote a blog about the features and benefits of checkout extensibility here. 

Early access to new features

Probably to be expected on any premium subscription package, Shopify Plus members are the first to receive new updates from Shopify, which can help to put them at a competitive advantage.

Customisable theme development

This feature is one of the main benefits of upgrading. Shopify is a SaaS, which means the software is pretty much locked down and unable to be customised outside of the themes.  This is actually a good thing when compared with open source software as it means much tighter security and data protection, less risk of hacks and less risk of dodgy apps or bugs caused by third party software.  However, for larger brands this can be a real inhibitor to growth! 

Shopify Plus allows you to completely customise your website code, allowing you to break out of the standard page templates. One of the key features of Shopify Plus is having access to Shopify scripts.  Scripts allow merchants to set up complex pricing structures, product bundles, tag-specific pricing, customised shipping options and complex discount code systems. 

With the ability to customise the code with Shopify Plus, merchants can really set themselves apart with unique branding, advanced wholesale operations and integrated bespoke features. 

Unlimited staff accounts

This sounds like a bit of a boring feature but the standard Shopify staff account limit of 5 people is actually very irritating and frustrating even for small Shopify customers.  With Shopify Plus, they have removed this limit so you can add all of your staff, developers, marketing department, customer service team and more. 

Up to 100 theme versions

On Shopify Plus, you can have up to 100 theme versions stored in your account compared with only 20 on lower plans.  To be honest, we haven’t come across many businesses who need to keep 100 theme versions in active rotational use, but it can be very useful if you are running multiple campaigns or want to test out new features quickly.  

Truthfully, this is probably the main barrier to upgrading for many merchants.  If turnover can justify the high monthly subscription cost, then you may be ready to benefit from Shopify Plus features.  

Prices start at $2300 per month, a pretty huge jump from the Advanced Shopify plan at $259 per month.

As mentioned before, the price point is probably the main barrier to upgrading so if a brand can justify the cost with turnover figures then you may be ready to upgrade.  More generally, Shopify Plus is aimed at merchants who:

• Have high volume sales
• Are scaling rapidly (Plus offers unlimited bandwidth and storage)
• Has more complex needs (such as handling many international currencies, shipping & languages)
• Want a custom checkout (unique branding)

No, hourly development costs for Shopify or Shopify Plus are exactly the same.  The key difference is that the developers will have much greater freedom within the theme, API’s and with apps! 

Hourly development costs themselves remain the same, but the size of your feature backlog might dramatically increase as you start to discover all of the customisation options available in Shopify Plus

If you are already a shopify customer, all you have to do is upgrade your package.  As a Shopify Plus partner, we can handle this for you.  Once you are upgraded, nothing on your website will change until you start making use of the advanced features now available to you so you can upgrade whenever you are ready. 

Get in touch to learn more or to get help upgrading your store.