What’s the Difference Between Shopify and Shopify Plus?

Are you a business owner looking to start selling your product online but don’t have much experience with websites? Or, do you have a great product idea but aren’t sure how to distribute it or utilize digital platforms? If a scenario like one of these describes you, then the key to your dilemma lies in this article! Offering a convenient and accessible interface for not just the consumer but the seller as well, Shopify has created an opportunity for nearly anyone to be able to begin an e-commerce business. Through this article, you will learn what Shopify & Shopify Plus are, what they can do for you, and which version is right for your operation.

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What is Shopify?

Shopify is one of the best e-commerce platforms available with high ratings in ease of use, design flexibility, sales & website features, and more. On top of the numerous features the service provides, the base plan they offer is free to start and low in cost overall! Because of the accessibility and usability that Shopify offers, it has quickly become a tool utilized all across the internet.

Easy to Use

The main attraction for Shopify is the fact that it is easy to use and set up. For many people, the idea of setting up a website is a daunting process. There are many technical terms and concepts to be aware of, such as HTML and coding. Shopify is unique because it removes these skill roadblocks, allowing anyone to become a website creator. Creating your shopping site with Shopify and Shopify Plus is as easy as clicking and moving your mouse — literally. Developing and customizing your page is done by dragging and dropping the pre-made options available through the service. Shopify also offers a diverse selection of payment options, languages, themes, and more, making your set up experience less stressful and more inclusive.

Transactions

Beyond setting up your website is managing it and the transactions that take place on it. Luckily, Shopify makes this process easy too! Between calculating charges like shipping and tax based on location and automatically processing refunds, there are options for nearly anything. They even offer built in re-marketing services to help influence consumers to check out when they leave something in their cart. Keep in mind that some of these services may have a cost, depending on your plan and usage of them. One more important factor that makes Shopify even easier to use is its support options for all of its users. The company offers 24/7 assistance as part of their inclusive service, so if you ever get stuck while designing or using the website, help is a call away.

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Automation and Integration

Shopify is the pinnacle of easy-to-use website development services, but the benefits don’t stop there. Reaching consumers and influencing their decision to purchase a product is another plus to their set up. Shopify includes SEO tools for websites created under them. This includes things such as meta tag and description options, all the way to SEO ranking evaluation programs.
Shopify also allows you to sell across many different social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and more. Additionally, they have an advanced inventory system and provide better e-commerce features than their competitors. All of these factors make selling and buying online much more seamless and convenient, overall boosting your customer satisfaction when they shop.
Probably one of the most important aspects of shopping online, security, is another priority for this company. Shopify provides its websites with SSL certificates, a form of protecting and encrypting information on the page. This is great news for both you and your consumers. Shoppers benefit by knowing their information is protected when they use your site. You also benefit from this fact, but also through the fact that SSL certificates help boost SEO. When Google recognizes your link as a secure one, they rank it higher, as it is more trustworthy and suitable for their audience.

Shopify vs Shopify Plus

The largest difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus is not how they work, but what they each can do. The basic plan gives you the tools to create and customize your online store. However, the upgraded version or Shopify Plus takes it even further. With Shopify Plus, you have access to a dedicated account manager, more theme customization, unlimited staff accounts, more control over the checkout, and more.

The Basics

When comparing the basic Shopify plan to the upgraded version, the main benefit you will see is the pricing. Shopify’s base plan is low cost, with some additional services available for slightly more. This is ideal for smaller businesses that are looking to take every opportunity to save some money.
With all of the great features this service offers, there are a few cons of the platform. One main downside to the site is that Shopify enforces a transaction fee if you don’t use Shopify Payments. Also, you cannot switch the theme of your site without having to rearrange your content. While these are valid downsides to Shopify as a whole, they affect both kinds of plans. That being said, the overall negative when comparing Shopify to its upgraded version is the lack of features you are exposed to.

Larger Companies

Because of this, Shopify Plus is suited better for large corporations or popular businesses that are seeing a lot of traffic each day. Since the main differences between the two options comes down to price and features, our time is better spent evaluating more specifically what Shopify Plus can offer over its cheaper counterpart.

Shopify Plus Benefits

Upgrading your Shopify plan is the best way to increase your range of options with this service. However, those additional services come with an additional price tag. Going through and analyzing the benefits to a Shopify Plus plan can help determine whether or not taking the next step up is right for your business.

Customization

Upgrading your plan offers you many new possibilities when customizing the website you are putting together. With the basic Shopify plan, customization is limited and is usually focused around a designated theme. Shopify Plus, however, offers a service called Liquid, which increases your options exponentially.

Analytics

As digital marketers, we are all aware of the importance of analytics and their role in optimizing our sites. Shopify Plus offers a holistic view of all the analytics you will need to improve your website’s efficiency and continue growing from there.

Launch Engineer

While we mentioned earlier that Shopify’s base plan comes with dedicated support whenever you may need it, Shopify Plus takes this benefit higher. A Launch Engineer, only available within the upgraded plan, is an assistant that is always available to help with any issues you may come across. This feature essentially assigns you your own personal customer service representative, making the set-up of your website much easier.

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Staff Accounts

Another reason why Shopify Plus is designed for larger corporations is because of this feature, staff accounts. Shopify’s basic plan only allows a few staff members access to the account, while upgrading your plan will get you unlimited slots. This enables easy team and group work, as well as the option to delegate responsibilities across a network, and so on.

Integration

Whether you are working with associated apps, third party sites, management software like CRMs, and so on, Shopify Plus offers the highest degree of integration. This is possible because of the API (Application Programming Interface) provided through this plan, which is top quality, allowing communication between nearly any other digital destination.

Even Easier Use

Shopify Plus allows you the opportunity to organize all aspects of your different sites in one place. This is unlike the base plan, which only presents one store’s information at a time. Having a home base for all online sale operations is especially beneficial for large corporations, allowing for ease of navigation and organization.

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Which Should I Choose?

Shopify and Shopify Plus work in exactly the same way. The overall layout of your dashboard looks identical and everything Shopify can do, Shopify Plus can do as well. Because of this, it is mainly important to consider your business structure and needs. Do you need to save as much as possible, or are you at a point where you can invest more to push growth? Are you pushing out millions of sales in a short period of time, or are you still building traffic and sales?
Considering points like these can help push you in the right direction and reveal which plan would be best for your situation. As a general rule of thumb, though, Shopify Plus should only be utilized by large businesses and corporations. The base plan is more suitable for a smaller operation, offering the basic resources you will need to get your digital store up and running.

Still Not Sure?

Choosing resources is a vital part of running a business. The right choice, or wrong for that matter, can influence your business no matter how minuscule the decision is. We don’t blame you for being cautious! If you still need help deciding which plan is best for your business, feel free to reach out to our marketing professionals here at SEO Design Chicago.

FAQs

  • What are the benefits of Shopify Plus?
  • Should I use Shopify or Shopify Plus?
  • Is Shopify Plus worth the price?
  • Can you customize Shopify Plus?
  • Is Shopify a good website development service?

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