E-commerce

Shopify vs Shopify Plus – What are the Key Differences?

Shopify vs Shopify Plus – What are the Key Differences?

The recent pandemic has given e-commerce an exorbitant boost. I am sure everyone has been hearing of ‘Shopify’ when it comes to e-commerce. It is a hosted solution that helps entrepreneurs gain success without technical expertise. The best part? It handles both; the e-commerce as well as the point of sales department for a business.

This growth can also be seen through shopify stats. They made over $1.5 billion in sales during Black Friday. This meant 10,978 orders per minute and peak sales volume per minute of $870,000 (source: shopifyandyou.com). 

Since Shopify is the second largest e-commerce platform in the US, business owners are choosing it more than any other platform. Currently, 427,676 websites use Shopify, while 5,300+ businesses use Shopify Plus (hostingtribunal.com). 

Shopify also has a Shopify Plus subscription. It offers more customization options for your online store, and helps manage the store more efficiently through its features. It should also be cleared at this point that Shopify Plus functions exactly like core Shopify does.

Of course, with a couple of added interesting features. Shopify Plus is used by some huge brands globally i.e Allbirds, Heinz, Tesla Motors, Amnesty International, and Kylie Cosmetics. Its personalized and premium features are definitely one of the reasons behind the immeasurable success of these big names. 

Shopify vs Shopify Plus

Trying to choose between Shopify and Shopify Plus? Keep scrolling! This blog will profess 5 key differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus to help users make a smart decision. Let’s dive in.

Shopify Plus offers more API integrations

In today’s world, API integrations are crucial to all organizations. It is responsible for integrations between organizations and third party applications. Shopify API integration refers to the process of tying any SaaS application with this shopping platform. Standard Shopify plans also allow for multiple channel integration (through Facebook and Instagram), however, they are basic as compared to Shopify Plus integrations.

Shopify Plus offers enhanced API sources so its users can gain full advantage of third party applications. These sources include Gift Card (alternative payment method), User (lets you add/subtract/retrieve information) and Multipass (redirects website visitors to the Shopify store). Not only this, but Shopify Plus also allows users to integrate with custom apps or even build their own private apps.

Shopify Plus has a Unified Dashboard to Manage Multiple Stores

Standard shopify has a basic dedicated analytics dashboard. This gives an insight of your online store’s sales and custom reports. No surprise, Shopify Plus has an added feature that offers a new dashboard to manage an organization’s analytics, stores, staff accounts, automation tools, and user permissions.

All of these features will be managed in one collective dashboard. While standard shopify gives great insight, Shopify Plus gives further detailed data and insights. This will allow businesses to have a greater element of control, as well as a complete overview of their business. An integrated and unified dashboard will also improve automation and team work. This is ideal for businesses that are operating their stores at multiple locations since it will be easier for them to have everything compiled in one place.

Shopify Plus offers a Merchant Success Program

The merchant success program on Shopify Plus helps users make most out of the platform.  Shopify Plus consultants will help you decide if they are a good fit for your business. They will be readily available to help organizations with third-party integrations, products, and platforms, as well as training to help them utilize their full potential.

This refers to the Launch Manager, who will get businesses ready within 90 days or less. This support helps organizations keep up with speedy industry trends, and have maximized flashed sales. Moreover, it will also equip businesses with go-live strategies for better propulsion. Hence, Shopify Plus beats Shopify again with its hands-on, personalized support.

Shopify Plus offers Exclusive Applications

Shopify Plus offers access to some exclusive applications that are not available for core shopify users. Standard shopify offers applications like the abandoned cart recovery, multi channel integration, and multi currency selling. However, Shopify Plus wins the game by offering a couple of extra exclusive applications for their users.

These applications allow for greater usability and adoption as compared to regular applications available on shopify. A few of these applications are; Wholesale channel to help users with an increase in B2B sales, Shopify Flow an automated e-commerce platform to help users with automation and execution, Script Editor that allows customized checkout experiences, and Transport App to import several records to shopify stores.

Shopify Plus allows for Greater Theme Customization

Standard shopify offers over 60 (10 free and 50+ paid) themes to work with. All you require is a basic understanding of Liquid coding to get your editing going in full-swing! It allows users to edit their shopify store themes to some extent, but, it does not allow them to opt for a completely new theme. However, Shopify Plus has an added feature of the Launch Manager that is in charge of writing code and making custom edits happen.

This dedicated launch manager will help corporations save time and dollars. Moreover, Shopify Plus allows a high degree of customization. Moreover, Another difference between the two is the ability to edit the checkout page. Standard shopify doesn’t allow users to customize their checkout page, whereas Shopify Plus gives them this option.

Conclusion

To sum up, it can be said that Shopify and Shopify Plus have the same core offering when it comes to the basic eCommerce functionality. However, the main underlying difference is that Shopify Plus gives users an increased element of customization and flexibility. If you are a small business with a small network, standard shopify may work just right for you.

However, if your organization has a large network with multiple channels, switching to Shopify Plus will be your best bet as it works better for enterprise level businesses. There are currently 5300+ businesses on Shopify Plus (shopifyandyou.com). There are 10,149 peak orders per minute, and there is a 126% year-over-year average growth for Shopify Plus merchants.

Moreover, these merchants generate from $1M and to $500M+ in sales annually (shopify.com). Shopify or Shopify Plus, they are both user friendly ecommerce platforms. They have a number of affordable packages to choose from based on your budget and usage. If your old platform has grown unstable under peak traffic conditions, choosing Shopify is probably for the best. We can help you develop a fully equipped shopify store along with 24/7 support. You can now get your business upgraded to a seamless online store without the need for any technical expertise. All you need to do is find a good software development outsourcing company that knows their work, and they will get it done for you!

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