A Guide to Shopify Plus.
Shopify Plus is a powerful solution that caters to the needs of high-growth businesses by offering a suite of exclusive features and tools designed to streamline processes, enhance customization, and expand globally. Here’s a comprehensive guide on why upgrading to Shopify Plus is a strategic choice for your business:
Plus Features:
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Plus Specific Features
Combined Listings
Combine Products
Designed for complex products
Semantic Search
AI Powered Search
During our testing, Semantic Search performs on par with leading search solutions, with the one limitation being the limited ability to determine the order of results. Semantic search may mean you can remove a search app when you upgrade to Shopify Plus.
LaunchPad
Theme Scheduler
Retain historical Sale Data
Schedule price changes
Bot Protection
Fraud Prevention
24/7 Plus Support
Support in seconds
Designed for enteprise
Checkout Extensions
Support in seconds
Shopify Functions
Support in seconds
Expansion stores
Internationalisation
Test New Stratergies
ShopifyQL Notebooks
custom reports
custom reports
Gift Cards API
Automate gift card creation
Multipass
Seamless cross platform accounts
Further, it unlocks products like Status which revolutionise the customer account experience.
B2B
Sell B2B
Create Catalogues
Manage everything in one place
Unlimited Staff Accounts
Granular permission
Integrate your internal 2fa provider
API Rate Limits
Improve efficency
100 Theme's per store
Limit increased from 20
Greater flexibility
Granular Permissions
Greater Permission Control
50 Markets Included
47 more than Shopify Advanced
Save $59 per market.
Unlimited Development stores
Avoid bugs
Save on POS PRO
Usually $129 per location
20 free or 200 if using Shopify Payments
up to 200 Locations
Greater Permission Control
Other Considerations
Organisation settings
Manage all your stores, users, billing, and analytics from a centralised dashboard for consistent brand control and efficient store management.
Uptime Guarantee
Shopify Plus typically ensures a 99.99% average uptime, meaning stores remain available even during peak traffic and major promotional events.
33% better total cost of ownership
Shopify Plus offers a 33% improvement in TCO compared to other ecommerce platforms. This figure reflects the reduced costs that result from streamlined implementation, efficient platform management, and optimised operations. By lowering both direct and indirect expenses across various ecommerce processes, Shopify Plus provides merchants with a cost-effective and scalable solution.
19% better operational costs
Shopify Plus reduces operation and maintenance costs by 19% through efficient support structures and automated tools. The platform’s robust infrastructure, combined with its user-friendly setup, reduces the need for extensive manual maintenance, freeing up resources for other strategic initiatives.
Continual innovation
Shopify’s extensive team of thousands of commerce engineers is fully dedicated to improving the ecommerce experience.
Scalability
The infrastructure is designed to scale automatically with high traffic, supporting up to 10,000 checkouts per minute and unlimited bandwidth.
23% better Platform costs
The research shows that Shopify Plus delivers 23% better platform costs, primarily due to lower fees and an ecommerce stack designed to be more cost-effective. This reduction in fees, licensing, and platform-related expenses allows businesses to reinvest those savings into growth opportunities while maintaining a high-quality ecommerce experience.
Flexibility
Shopify Plus provides flexibility and extensibility through customisable features and APIs, allowing merchants to tailor their ecommerce platform to unique business needs.
best-converting checkout
Shopify’s checkout conversion rate surpasses competitors by up to 36%, and when Shop Pay is utilised, this rate can increase to 50%.
Extensive App Ecosystem
Shopify Plus’s extensive app ecosystem offers thousands of apps, enabling merchants to expand their store’s functionality, streamline operations, and customise the customer experience to meet their specific business requirements effortlessly.
Pricing
Shopify Plus costs $2500 USD per month on a 12 month contract, or $2300 USD per month on a 36 month contract. This cost increases when you begin earning over 800k USD monthly.
Upgrading to Shopify Plus
If you are already on Shopify, upgrading to Plus simply requires the signing of a contract, followed by the upgrade occurring within the next 48 hours, whereby all the changes occur in the back ground and the additional features are unlocked.
Payment Processing Costs Via Shopify Payments
Shopify Plus offers the lowest processing fees of any Shopify plan meaning that you will save on fees. In fact, once you reach a certain threshold, these changes in fees mean that the upgrade cost to Plus can be negative.
Knowing When to Upgrade
When should you upgrade to Shopify Plus?
Transitioning to Shopify Plus is akin to switching gears in your e-commerce journey, propelling your business into a higher league of performance and capability. Here’s your comprehensive guide, blending professional insights with an engaging Aussie twist:
Assess Business Growth: Gauge the trajectory of your business's growth. If you find yourself surpassing the $2.5 million mark in turnover and facing complexities beyond the scope of standard Shopify offerings, it’s time to consider Shopify Plus.
Features and Customisation: Delve into the realm of features and customisation options. Shopify Plus offers a treasure trove of tailored functionalities suited for ambitious brands aiming for the top tier of e-commerce excellence. If your brand’s aspirations outstrip standard Shopify provisions, Plus beckons.
Scalability Strategy: Anticipate the future scalability needs of your business. Shopify Plus provides enhanced flexibility to accommodate surges in traffic and spikes in sales volume, ensuring seamless growth without bottlenecks.
Financial Evaluation: Conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis. While Shopify Plus commands a higher price point, its robust suite of features and support infrastructure can deliver substantial returns on investment for businesses poised for expansion.
Support and Maintenance: Prioritise access to top-tier support and maintenance services. Shopify Plus offers round-the-clock assistance, expert guidance, and access to exclusive resources like the Shopify Plus Academy, empowering businesses to navigate challenges with confidence.
Exploit Additional Features: Explore the array of exclusive features available with Shopify Plus. From unlimited staff accounts to custom scripts and wholesale channels, Plus empowers businesses with unparalleled flexibility and functionality.
Global Expansion Planning: Strategise for international growth opportunities. With multi-store capabilities and multi-currency support, Shopify Plus equips businesses with the tools to expand their footprint globally and cater to diverse markets with ease.
Consult with Experts: Leverage the expertise of Shopify Plus specialists and agencies. Their insights and guidance can illuminate the path to a seamless transition, ensuring that your upgrade journey is marked by success and strategic alignment.
By embracing these considerations and seeking counsel from industry experts, you’ll chart a course towards Shopify Plus with confidence and clarity, positioning your business for sustained success and competitiveness in the dynamic e-commerce landscape.
When will you see results?
In our dealings with merchants, we've noticed a striking trend: investing in Shopify Plus typically yields a positive return within the initial month. This swift turnaround is largely thanks to the array of features unlocked by Shopify Plus, which, when utilised effectively, often offset the platform fees from day one. By harnessing the advanced functionalities, enhanced scalability, and tailored support provided by Shopify Plus, businesses can streamline operations, optimise conversions, and enhance the overall customer experience, leading to tangible financial gains in a remarkably short time frame.
Make a Plan
It is important to understand that upgrading to Shopify Plus is investing in additional platform flexibility. In order to see a return you need to ensure you are leveraging the features unlocked whether it be improving product discoverability, understanding your business in a new way, or adding additional checkout customisations.
Megento 2 Commerce Vs Shopify Plus
Build Costs
Winner: Shopify Plus
Magento Commerce build generally cost more than Shopify Plus builds. This is due to a lot more of the platform ground work coming out of the box with Shopify Plus compared with Magento. Estimates for a Magneto project range from $150k to $500k, whereas comparable project could cost around $100k on Shopify Plus. Exact costs on either platform are dependent on the scope of your project.
License Fees
Winner: Shopify Plus
Both platforms offer variable pricing based on revenue. However, the base platform fee on Shopify Plus is lower than the base fee on Magento.
Hosting Costs
Winner: Shopify Plus
The hosting aspect of your e-commerce platform is another differentiating factor between Magento/Adobe Commerce and Shopify. Shopify Plus' $2,000 per month license fee encompasses hosting services, which include security patches, SSL certificates, PCI compliance, and more. In contrast, Magento provides two hosting options. Magento 2 Commerce Cloud offers a hosting package similar to Shopify Plus but at a slightly higher monthly fee. Magento's base cost, including the license and hosting, starts around $3,333.
Maintanance
Winner: Shopify Plus
When it comes to ongoing site maintenance, bug fixes, and updates, Shopify Plus tends to be more cost-effective compared to Magento. The monthly maintenance expenses associated with Shopify Plus are typically lower than those of Magento, making it a more budget-friendly option for businesses seeking hassle-free upkeep of their e-commerce platform.
POint of Sale
Winner: Shopify Plus
Shopify offers a fully integrates Shopify POS system with up to 200 POS Pro locations covered under your Plus contract. This allows for seamless data sharing and stock syncing between the online and the offline. The POS solution by Shopify is also an industry leading solution which is continually evolving with over the air updates.
Staff accounts
Winner: Draw
Shopify offers unlimited staff accounts, whilst magneto offers over 6,000.
Security
Winner: Draw
Both Shopify and Magento/Adobe Commerce prioritise the security of your online business and your customers' sensitive data. Shopify employs secure socket layer (SSL) encryption to safeguard customer information, supplemented by features like two-factor authentication and fraud protection. Similarly, Magento employs SSL encryption and offers two-factor authentication, fraud protection, and PCI compliance measures. Merchants can have peace of mind knowing that both platforms provide advanced levels of security, ensuring a secure environment for conducting online transactions and protecting confidential information from potential threats.
Customisation
Winner: Draw
Customisation options in Shopify and Magento are approached differently. Shopify boasts a robust base platform that handles much of the heavy lifting, safeguarding the underlying engine from direct access. However, to cater to enterprise-level requirements and ensure extensibility, Shopify now allows seamless transitions between processes using its functions. This recent development significantly enhances Shopify's extendability compared to just a year ago unlocking near limitless possibilities for enterprise Shopify Plus customers.
Magento/Adobe Commerce, on the other hand, has always been renowned for its flexibility. This attribute historically attracted larger businesses despite the higher costs involved. However, the landscape is rapidly evolving, with Shopify emerging as equally flexible as Magento in the majority of cases. Merchants can achieve almost everything they need within Shopify at a fraction of the cost compared to Magento.
Moreover, Shopify's approach to customisation offers merchants greater protection, mitigating potential risks. Each platform has its unique drawbacks, but the question has shifted from "is this possible on Shopify?" to "how is this possible on Shopify?" Through interactions with numerous merchants, it has become evident that Shopify can accommodate even the most complex enterprise needs 100% of the time, a testament to its evolution in customisation capabilities.
Shipping and Inventory
Winner: Draw
Efficient shipping and inventory management are crucial for e-commerce success. Shopify provides robust point-of-sale (POS) software with inventory tracking, analytics, and staff management features. Merchants can easily manage inventory levels and access detailed sales reports. While Magento also offers basic inventory management, its strength lies in advanced features, allowing for extensive product customisation and checkout process modifications.
Both platforms offer versatile shipping fee calculation solutions, ensuring accuracy for consumers. Magento stands out with more extensive inventory and order management features.
Provision for discounts and coupons is available across all Magento tiers but not on Shopify's Lite plan, giving Magento a slight advantage in this aspect.
Both platforms offer scalability in inventory management, with Shopify allowing for an unlimited number of products and Magento enabling the sale of an endless array of products.
Shopify's fully managed and hosted solution may offer a more seamless experience for adding a higher volume of products, while Magento's self-hosted nature may impact site performance during peak traffic periods.
Development
Winner: Shopify
Shopify and Magento differ significantly in their approaches to web development and coding. Magento employs PHP, a widely-used server-side language in e-commerce web development, while Shopify utilizes Liquid, its proprietary language written in Ruby. PHP offers flexibility and extensive features, while Liquid facilitates dynamic content loading and customisation within Shopify themes. While Magento demands more coding expertise for store creation, making it suitable for enterprises with access to professional developer teams, Shopify simplifies setup with minimal coding knowledge required. However, for both platforms, hiring expert developers is recommended to ensure a standout online store amidst growing competition and to deliver a truly unique e-commerce experience.
Payment Gateways
Winner: Shopify
Payment gateways and processors are fundamental to e-commerce transactions, enabling merchants to receive and process payments along with transaction information. Shopify boasts integration with over 100 payment gateways, providing flexibility for customers and store owners alike. Recognising that different demographics prefer various payment methods, Shopify's support for multiple gateways offers enhanced convenience and flexibility. Magento supports PayPal, Authorize.net, Braintree, and a few additional third-party providers, albeit fewer than Shopify. Notably, Shopify offers an integrated POS system, a valuable asset for merchants wishing to sell products in physical stores. However, while Shopify offers more gateway options, merchants should consider transaction fees, as third-party gateways often incur charges compared to Shopify's inbuilt mechanism, Shopify Payments, which has no transaction costs.