Shopify Plus: Reasons to choose Shopify's enterprise solution

1. What you need to know

2. What is Shopify Plus?

Shopify Plus is the enhanced premium version of the established e-commerce platform Shopify. Designed specifically for larger brands and enterprises, Shopify Plus offers customized solutions that accommodate higher sales volumes and order volumes. Shopify Plus is also referred to as Shopify's Enterprise solution.

3. What are the differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus?

Shopify and Shopify Plus share the same user interface and core functionality. The key differences between the two platforms lie in their enhanced services. Shopify Plus offers numerous extensions and features that go beyond standard Shopify. These include:

• Reduced transaction costs
• Personal customer service with dedicated contacts
• Increased number of shops (10 expansion stores)
• Extended B2B functionalities
• Shopify POS Pro integration
• Exclusive features and apps for Shopify Plus

In the next section, you'll learn about the benefits this brings for Shopify Plus merchants.

4. Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: The Biggest Advantages of Shopify Plus

a. Reduced transaction costs

Shopify's monthly fees consist of two parts: the fixed amount of your chosen Shopify plan and variable costs. These primarily include transaction fees, which are highly dependent on your sales figures.

Transaction fees decrease with increasing pricing plans. They are lowest with Shopify Plus. If your online store has an exceptional order volume, we recommend switching to Shopify Plus simply because of the lower transaction fees.

b. Personal customer service with dedicated contacts

The standard version of Shopify already provides you with 24/7 customer support, which you can reach anytime via chat or phone. However, upgrading to Shopify Plus gives you a significant additional benefit: a dedicated contact person.

This not only offers individual support with your questions about Shopify, but also provides strategic advice on setting up and expanding your online store.

Shopify Plus also ensures fast, targeted support in the event of technical issues or major disruptions. So you can rest assured that your online store will run smoothly, even during peak times.

c. Increased number of shops

If your brand is growing rapidly or you're already expanding internationally, a single online store is often no longer sufficient. Shopify Plus offers the ideal solution for global brands: You can create up to 10 separate online stores.

These "expansion stores" are perfect for tapping into new markets. The advantages are numerous: The central Shopify backend allows you to easily manage and seamlessly navigate between all your online stores. Yet you retain complete flexibility and can customize each store.

d. Extended B2B functionalities

Shopify has established itself as a proven platform for B2C businesses (selling products to end customers). In fact, B2B features have been somewhat of a secondary focus in the past. However, Shopify has recognized that more and more companies want to sell to other companies and has therefore expanded its initial features.

Shopify Plus includes these B2B functionalities:

• Customer segmentation, e.g. access to the shop only for selected customers
• Set different prices or offers depending on the customer group
• Special registration process for shop access
• Automated verification of B2B-relevant information, e.g. VAT identification number
• special pricing and VAT calculation
• Defining your own payment methods for B2B customers

e. Shopify POS Pro integration

With Shopify POS, Shopify provides a solution that enables an optimal connection between online commerce and physical sales, e.g. for billing in stores or the central management of sales.

Shopify's traditional plans include POS Lite, but this model quickly reaches its limits when it comes to the needs of large, multi-location businesses.

Shopify Plus, on the other hand, integrates the premium version Shopify POS Pro, with the following advantages, among others:

• unlimited number of employee accounts
• extensive retail statistics and customer profiles
• professional reporting (e.g. customer loyalty, demand forecasts)

Exclusive Shopify Plus features and apps

Our experience clearly shows that the biggest selling point for switching to Shopify Plus is the exclusive apps and extensions available exclusively to Premium plan customers. They were specifically designed to unlock Shopify's full potential.

Shopify Plus exclusive features include:

• Shopify Plus Launchpad
• Shopify Functions
• Checkout Extensions
• Bulk Account Inviter

In the following sections, we'll take a detailed look at the unique features of Shopify Plus and analyze whether the upgrade is worth it for your online store.

Shopify Plus is constantly evolving and releasing more and more exclusive features. In this article, we'll only give you an overview of our favorites.

5. What exclusive features does Shopify Plus have?

a. Shopify Plus Launchpad

Merchants with Shopify Plus have access to the exclusive Launchpad app, which enables automated theme launches. This feature is especially useful for marketing campaigns like Black Friday or Christmas.

Here's how it works: You create a copy of your main theme and customize your online store for the respective promotion. Then, you use the Launchpad to specify the publishing time. This allows you to ensure that certain changes are published automatically at the specified time, such as midnight, without requiring manual intervention.

You can also set an end date at which your store will revert to its original theme. Our verdict: There's no more efficient way to plan and automate offers.

b. Shopify Functions (before August 13, 2024: Shopify Scripts)

While the standard Shopify version offers comprehensive product presentation features, it reaches its limits when it comes to particularly complex product sets, bundled offers, or volume discounts (e.g., 2 for the price of 1). Shopify Plus offers a comprehensive solution with Shopify Functions.

With Shopify Functions, you can define your own logic in the Shopify backend to further tailor your store to your specific use case. They can be easily installed as an app without any programming knowledge, but developers can also customize them.

c. Checkout Extensions (before August 13, 2023: Checkout.Liquid)

Shopify is known for allowing only limited customization options for checkout. Exclusive Checkout Extensions give Shopify Plus merchants completely new ways to customize logic and design.

Similar to Shopify Functions, these extensions can be easily installed as apps or developed individually by developers.

This is what our customer XbyX’s custom checkout looks like:

We have not only adapted the checkout to the XbyX design, but also improved the user experience: This includes features such as a progress bar, a tab for packing stations when entering addresses, the display of bundles, and individual icons for USPs and payment methods.

d. Bulk Account Inviter App

The Bulk Account Inviter facilitates a seamless migration from other store systems to Shopify Plus. This exclusive app lets you contact specific customers and invite them to update their contact information for the new store.

This way, you can ensure that as many of your customers as possible continue to use their account and shop with you even if they switch.

6. How much does Shopify Plus cost?

Shopify Plus pricing starts at $2,500 per month. However, the final cost varies depending on your specific needs. For example, Shopify Plus pricing is based on your store's annual revenue, total order volume, and transaction costs.

By speaking directly with the Shopify Plus team, you will receive a customized quote. This is where Shopify Plus differs from traditional Shopify packages, which have a fixed price.

7. Is Shopify Plus the right solution for my business?

We recommend Shopify Plus primarily for larger brands and businesses with high revenue and specific requirements. If you're just starting out or still generating low revenue, we recommend one of the regular Shopify plans.

Shopify Plus is specifically designed for online stores with hundreds of thousands of orders per year. In our experience, these are the most common reasons for switching to Shopify Plus:

• Financial considerations (due to lower transaction fees with high sales and order volumes)
• Specific functionalities (e.g. exclusive technical interfaces, checkout extensions, B2B functionalities)
• Better customer service (direct contact person)
• Prestige and reputation (the solution for the most successful and largest online shops)

8. Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: When is it worth switching? (Checklist)

We recommend switching from Shopify to Shopify Plus if the following applies to you:

• Your online store generates significant revenue, which justifies the advanced features of Shopify Plus.
• Due to the high order volume of your online shop, you benefit from lower transaction fees.
• You need customized solutions and features that go beyond Shopify's standard offering, such as a customized checkout.
• You plan to operate in several countries with different languages and currencies.
• You operate multiple shops (online, physical) and need a centralized platform for management.
• You need advanced inventory and data management tools.
• When implementing complex set logic and volume discounts, you reach your limits with conventional apps.
• You need advanced tools for marketing, sales and customer analysis.
• You plan to expand into the B2B sector.

9. How do I switch to Shopify Plus?

a. To switch from Shopify to Shopify Plus:

Shopify is characterized by its scalability: The store system grows along with your brand, so to speak. Switching between different pricing packages is therefore straightforward.

If you're planning to upgrade from a plan like Shopify Advanced to Shopify Plus, first contact the Shopify sales team. They'll provide you with an exclusive offer and organize the upgrade. Afterward, all the features of Shopify Plus will be available to you.

You can also downgrade your store back to a regular Shopify payment plan. You can discuss this with your personal contact.

b. How to switch from another store system to Shopify Plus:

Are you planning to switch from another e-commerce platform like Magento, Shopware, or OXID to Shopify Plus? A smooth migration can only be ensured with thorough planning and technical analysis. Therefore, we recommend working with specialized experts, such as a Shopify agency.

10. Conclusion

Shopify Plus, as an enterprise solution from Shopify, comes at a high price, but offers comprehensive features and individual customization options, e.g. through exclusive checkout extensions and Shopify functions.

Expanded access capabilities, reduced transaction costs, and Shopify POS Pro are just a few reasons why we recommend Shopify Plus. In our opinion, upgrading to the premium version is worthwhile not only for large companies with high annual revenue, but also for brands that operate multiple stores, want to enter the B2B market, or expand internationally. It's no coincidence that the largest and most successful online stores rely on Shopify Plus.