Are you a high-volume merchant seeking to expand your business online? If so, then Shopify Plus might just be the heavyweight champion you've been looking for. Shopify Plus is a powerful platform, designed with high-growth businesses in mind, that offers a range of high-end features to help you build a robust, scalable, and feature-rich store online. This article will unravel the multifaceted powerhouse that is Shopify Plus, shedding light on its key features and how it can revolutionize your e-commerce business.
Shopify Plus is not your ordinary e-commerce platform. It's a complete solution that offers a plethora of features specifically designed to help high-volume merchants manage their online businesses more efficiently. With features such as unlimited staff accounts, customizable checkout, expansion stores, and access to the Shopify Plus Academy, it's no wonder why it has become the platform of choice for many high-growth businesses.
But, how can these features help you grow your business? How can you leverage them to create a more efficient and profitable online store? This article will address these questions and more as we delve into the powerhouse that is Shopify Plus. Whether you're a small boutique owner looking to expand online or a large enterprise seeking to streamline your e-commerce operations, you'll find valuable insights here to help you unlock the full potential of Shopify Plus. Stay tuned as we unveil the power of Shopify Plus.
Understanding Shopify Plus: What Makes it Different?
You might be wondering, what exactly sets Shopify Plus apart? Let's delve into a comparison of Shopify vs Shopify Plus, and the key requirements for the latter.
Shopify Plus vs Shopify: Key Differences
Shopify Plus and Shopify cater to different business sizes and needs. While Shopify is a fantastic platform for small and medium-sized businesses, Shopify Plus is a step up, designed for enterprise-level operations. Some of the world's biggest brands, such as Nestle, Kylie Jenner, and Budweiser, rely on Shopify Plus for their e-commerce needs.
One standout feature of Shopify Plus is the level of support offered. Unlike standard Shopify users who rely on phone, email, and live chat for support, Shopify Plus users are assigned a dedicated Launch Engineer. This professional guides you through every step of the store setup or migration process, helping you find partners for specific projects and assisting with third-party integrations.
Another major difference is in customization. Shopify Plus users have access to Liquid, Shopify's theme language, allowing them to make backend changes at the code level. This grants you much more control over your store's look and feel compared to standard Shopify plans.
Shopify Plus also allows for unlimited staff accounts, with additional permission settings for better control of staff actions in your store admin. This is a significant upgrade from the basic Shopify plan, which only permits a limited number of staff accounts.
Shopify Plus Requirements: What You Need to Know
Moving to Shopify Plus is a significant decision, and it's crucial to understand the requirements before making the leap.
Firstly, your business should be generating a substantial amount of sales. Shopify Plus is designed for businesses that are doing multiple millions in sales annually and need a more customizable, scalable solution than what Shopify offers.
Moreover, you should be prepared to leverage the advanced features of Shopify Plus. This includes using the Liquid theme language for backend customization, integrating with third-party apps using enhanced API resources, and utilizing exclusive Shopify apps that are only available to Shopify Plus users.
Finally, remember that with greater power comes greater responsibility. Managing a Shopify Plus store requires a higher level of technical knowledge and understanding of e-commerce operations.
In summary, if your business is scaling rapidly and you need more control and customization, then Shopify Plus could be the perfect solution for you. But if you're running a smaller business or just starting out, the core Shopify service might be a more suitable choice.
Exploring the Key Features of Shopify Plus
As we delve deeper into the world of Shopify Plus, it's time to explore the key features that have been instrumental in its popularity among high-volume merchants. From unlimited staff accounts to integrations, let's embark on this comprehensive tour of Shopify Plus features.
Unlimited Staff Accounts and Additional Permission Settings
The backbone of any successful online business lies in its team. Shopify Plus understands this and offers unlimited staff accounts, allowing businesses to expand their personnel without incurring additional costs. Moreover, Shopify Plus steps up game with additional permission settings, providing merchants with enhanced control over the actions their staff can take in the Shopify admin. These include separate report export permissions and permissions to specific apps, ensuring a secure and well-managed e-commerce operation.
Customizable Checkout and API Resources
The checkout experience is a crucial touchpoint in the customer journey. Shopify Plus offers a customizable checkout feature through the checkout.liquid file that provides more control over your store's branding. However, this will be deprecated for Information, Shipping, and Payment pages on August 13, 2024. Instead, Shopify Plus merchants can now use checkout extensibility to customize these pages.
For businesses looking to integrate custom apps, Shopify Plus supports additional API resources. It allows you to request increased API rate limits, offering resources like GiftCard, Multipass, and User for REST API, and publishablePublish, publishableUnpublish for GraphQL API.
Expansion Stores and Development Stores
One of the unique features of Shopify Plus is its support for expansion stores. It allows merchants to host up to nine expansion stores for internationalization, separate physical locations, or other related purposes. Additionally, Shopify Plus provides support for unlimited development stores, giving businesses the flexibility to experiment and innovate without disrupting their live store.
Shopify Plus Partner Program and Themes
The Shopify Plus Partner Program is a network of service partners curated for their technical expertise in providing solutions that support high-growth businesses. It's an invaluable resource for businesses looking for expert assistance in design and development projects. Also, Shopify Plus allows you to add up to 100 themes to your Shopify account, empowering you to experiment with new themes, keep seasonal versions of your published theme, or test changes to a copy of your published theme.
Shopify POS Pro and Integrations
Shopify Plus also includes the first 20 POS Pro locations in all its plans, enabling business owners to manage their physical stores efficiently. Plus, it supports some exclusive integrations, such as Tax services with Avalara AvaTax, providing merchants with seamless tax compliance.
Access to Shopify Plus Academy
To further enhance your business growth, Shopify Plus offers access to the Shopify Plus Academy. This platform provides self-guided training on key topics related to growing your business, empowering you to make the most of Shopify's powerful features.
In the next section, we'll delve deeper into the benefits of these features and why businesses should consider upgrading to Shopify Plus.
The Benefits of Shopify Plus: Why Upgrade?
Unleashing the full potential of your online store requires more than just a mere platform. Shopify Plus is a gateway to numerous high-level features that are designed to optimize your operations and give you an edge in the competitive e-commerce landscape. Let's explore the key benefits of upgrading to Shopify Plus.
Enhanced Design Flexibility and Customization
One of the primary benefits of Shopify Plus lies in its enhanced design flexibility and customization. Unlike standard Shopify, Shopify Plus gives you full control over your store's design, allowing you to tailor your site to match your brand's aesthetics and to meet your customers' expectations.
Moreover, with access to the script editor and API integration, you can incorporate advanced functionalities and integrate your store with your existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. This customization extends to the checkout process, offering a fully customizable, mobile-first design that is primed for speed and conversion.
Cross-Platform Selling and Optimized Traffic Processing
In today's digital age, having a presence on multiple platforms is crucial. Shopify Plus supports cross-platform selling, enabling you to sell your products on over 20 online social channels across 175 countries. This feature not only broadens your reach but also significantly increases your chances of making a sale.
Moreover, Shopify Plus is designed to handle high traffic volumes, ensuring that your site remains stable and responsive even during peak shopping times. This optimized traffic processing capability is particularly beneficial for high-volume merchants who need a robust platform that can withstand a surge in site visits.
Workflow Automation with Shopify Flow
Repetitive tasks can be a drain on your resources, hindering your ability to focus on more strategic aspects of your business. Shopify Plus offers a solution through Shopify Flow, a powerful tool that automates various operational tasks. From tagging loyal customers to sending reorder requests, Shopify Flow can handle a wide range of tasks without any coding on your part, providing you with more time to concentrate on growing your business.
Improved Wholesale Management
Last but not least, Shopify Plus excels in wholesale management. The platform features a wholesale channel that helps you manage high-volume B2B sales efficiently. This dedicated channel enables you to create a separate, password-protected storefront for your wholesale buyers, offering them exclusive prices or wholesale-only products. Moreover, you can easily track orders, send invoices, and manage both B2C and B2B operations from a single place.
In conclusion, the benefits of Shopify Plus extend beyond just improved functionality. It's about equipping your business with the tools it needs to grow, scale, and achieve success in the challenging world of e-commerce. In the next section, we'll look at some real-world examples of businesses leveraging these benefits to drive their growth.
Shopify Plus in Action: Real-World Examples
Let's peek behind the curtains and see how some of the leading businesses are leveraging the robust features of Shopify Plus to turbocharge their growth and create unparalleled customer experiences.
GymShark: Leveraging Shopify Plus for Growth
GymShark, a fitness apparel and accessories brand, is a prime example of a business that has harnessed the power of Shopify Plus to scale to new heights. As a growing brand in the competitive fitness industry, GymShark needed a platform that could handle high-volume traffic, provide seamless customer experiences, and support global growth.
Shopify Plus proved to be the perfect fit for their needs. With its robust infrastructure, GymShark was able to manage their high-volume traffic, especially during peak sale periods. The brand used the customizable checkout feature to create a smooth and quick checkout process, thus increasing conversions and reducing cart abandonment rates. Moreover, the unlimited staff accounts feature of Shopify Plus allowed GymShark to manage their expanding team efficiently.
The brand also used the expansion stores feature to target different geographical markets with tailored offerings, thus boosting their global reach. GymShark's success story is a testament to how well Shopify Plus can cater to high-growth, high-volume businesses.
BuzzFeed News: Utilizing Shopify Plus for Ecommerce
BuzzFeed News, a renowned news organization, ventured into e-commerce using the power of Shopify Plus. Given the unique requirements of a news organization branching out into e-commerce, BuzzFeed News needed a platform that was flexible and could be tailored to their specific needs.
Shopify Plus, with its customizable features and API resources, provided BuzzFeed News with the flexibility they needed. They were able to integrate their news platform with their e-commerce store, creating a seamless user experience for their audience.
Moreover, BuzzFeed News utilized the Shopify Plus Partner Program to create a network of experts who could help them navigate the e-commerce landscape. They also leveraged the Shopify POS Pro feature to sell their merchandise at events, thereby creating an omnichannel retail experience.
These real-world examples demonstrate the versatility and robustness of Shopify Plus, revealing its capability to support a wide range of businesses, from fitness brands to news organizations. Whether you're looking to scale your business, improve customer experiences, or explore new markets, Shopify Plus has the features and capabilities you need to succeed.
How First Pier Can Help You Unlock the Power of Shopify Plus
With the dynamic features and capabilities of Shopify Plus unveiled, the next step is implementing these tools to elevate your business. This is where the expertise of First Pier comes into play. As a full-service e-commerce agency specializing in Shopify development and optimization, First Pier partners with brands like yours to build high-performance online businesses.
Expertise in Shopify Development and Optimization
First Pier has a team of Shopify experts with collective decades of experience in ecommerce. They excel at bringing creative visions to life, creating strategic, high-converting, SEO-optimized ecommerce sites on the stable and feature-rich Shopify Plus platform. Whether you are just starting your ecommerce journey or looking to migrate your current platform to Shopify Plus, First Pier provides comprehensive platform migration services with an eye for detail, handling everything from product descriptions to customer histories and URL redirects swiftly and carefully.
Building High-Performance Online Businesses with Shopify Plus
Beyond mere development and migration, First Pier focuses on building growth for their partners. They understand that growth comes from many factors and are dedicated to kicking ass at all of them. This involves everything online retail requires - from performance marketing to full website builds, from email systems and execution to product photography and copy.
For instance, they assist in implementing Shopify Plus features such as unlimited staff accounts, customizable checkout, and API resources. They also help you leverage the benefits of expansion stores, development stores, the Shopify Plus Partner Program, Themes, Shopify POS Pro, and integrations. Through such services, First Pier enables you to maximize the powerhouse that is Shopify Plus.
Moreover, First Pier takes pride in the longevity of their relationships, a testament to the growth they're able to realize year after year for their partners. They are easy and open communicators, detailed, and flexible—always striving to do the next right thing to enable their partners to realize their hopes and dreams.
In conclusion, First Pier’s expertise in Shopify development and optimization combined with their commitment to building high-performance online businesses make them your ideal partner in unlocking the power of Shopify Plus.
Conclusion: Is Shopify Plus Right for Your Business?
In the world of eCommerce, one size certainly does not fit all. What works for one business may not work for another. That's why platforms like Shopify Plus are revolutionizing the way high-volume merchants conduct business online, providing a tailored solution that meets their unique needs.
If you're a high-volume merchant considering an upgrade to Shopify Plus, ponder on the following questions: are you seeking to scale your business globally? Are you looking to provide an ideal customer experience that aligns with your brand's identity? Do you have a robust growth plan that requires a platform capable of handling large volumes of data?
Shopify Plus offers a host of features designed to meet these needs and more. With unlimited staff accounts, additional permission settings, advanced customization options, and efficient workflow automation, this platform is packed full of features to help you scale and manage your business effectively.
Moreover, Shopify Plus's lower credit card processing fees and wholesale functionality can prove to be a game-changer for businesses with high transaction volumes. With the added benefit of expansion stores, you can test new markets without diluting your brand's image.
However, the choice to upgrade should always be based on your specific business requirements and growth plans. For businesses bringing in over $5 million annually, Shopify Plus can potentially provide not only a better, but also a cheaper solution. But even if you're not quite above the $5 million mark, Shopify Plus's advanced features can be worth the investment for the long-term growth and scalability of your business.
Remember, transitioning to a new eCommerce platform is a strategic decision that should align with your business goals. With First Pier's expertise in Shopify development and optimization, you can not only make an informed decision but also unlock the full potential of Shopify Plus for your business.
In short, Shopify Plus is a powerhouse—capable of transforming your online store into a high-performance, customer-centric, and globally scalable business. So, are you ready to unlock this powerhouse?
