So, you’ve decided that Shopify is the right platform for your online store but you can't decide between ‘Advanced Shopify’ and ‘Shopify Plus’?

Never fear, acidgreen is here! We’ve broken down the TOP 10 features and benefits of Shopify Plus that you will NOT get with Advanced Shopify.

Before we start though let’s break down the platform fee differences:

*Shopify Plus fees go up once you start doing over US$800k p/m (US$9.6M p/a) at a rate of 0.25% of online sales. This means if you’re doing $2.5M p/m ($30M p/a) online, your platform fee will be $6,250 p/m ($75k p/a). So, are the benefits of Shopify Plus worth it?

Let’s find out by looking at the top 10 differences and benefits of shopify plus in comparison to advanced shopify:

1. Internationalisation

One of the many benefits of Shopify Plus is you get 9 additional store clones to grow your business internationally (e.g.  .com, .com.au .co.uk, etc) by delivering an eCommerce experience tailored for different languages, currencies and seasonal trends with localised marketing.

2. Wholesale/B2B functionality

The Plus “Wholesale channel” gives your buyers access to a separate, password-protected business-to-business (B2B) store. You can enable tiered and custom pricing per buyer, bulk discounts, shipping rules, add wholesale-only products and review and edit orders before invoicing.

3. Unlimited staff accounts

More benefits of Shopify Plus include unlimited staff accounts. This allows you (the merchant) to grow your admin team (Advanced Shopify limited to 15 staff).

4. Lower transaction fees

With Advanced Shopify you will be charged 0.5% per transaction and with Shopify Plus only 0.15%. So, if you do $1M p/a in sales the fees will be $2,500 p/a on Advanced and $1,500 p/a on Plus. Let’s say you do $10M p/a… your savings total an amount of $10,000 in annual fees, if you choose to go with Plus. Note: If you use Shopify Payments there is 0% transaction fee on both Advanced and Plus.

5. Custom checkout

We (your friendly and talented agency) are enabled access to customise and improve you on-site checkout experience; these customisations can ensure brand consistency and inevitably, up your online conversion rates. Now, isn’t that what it’s all about? This is definitely up there with one of the more desirable benefits of Shopify Plus. 

What’s more, with Plus we can:

• Add a free product to cart via discount code

• Create extra, custom fields in checkout e.g gift message box

• Utilise social logins via multipass

• Enable address autocomplete

Custom SSL certificates are also exclusive to Plus so if you want a ‘green bar’ aka EV SSL to increase customer trust then Plus is a must.

6. Exclusive and faster API calls

Um... what’s an API?

Put simply an API receives requests and sends responses. So, think of it as a ‘connector’ for integration between systems. With Plus you get access to exclusive APIs, such as:

• Discounts

• Gift cards

• Adjustments

• Multipass/single sign-on and user

Without these you will be limited with what can be integrated from some third party apps and systems. Plus also provides increased API limits (500% more). That means faster API call rates.

7. Smart promotional tools

With Plus, merchants receive exclusive access to Launchpad so you can easily plan and automate all of the activities necessary to executing a successful flash sale, product launch, or sales campaign. Launchpad gives you the power to schedule bulk changes to your store that coincide with the start/end of your desired campaign/event.

As well as this, with Launchpad, you can also monitor and manage campaigns and create invitation-only and limited-release product collections.

8. Advanced discount engine

The Script Editor app lets you create scripts that are run each time a customer adds items to their online cart. It covers line items, shipping and payments. Scripts can have many uses, from discounting products with specific tags to running promotions such as ‘Buy 2, Get 1 Free’.

9. Operations/automation

Flow allows you to construct, import and configure automation processes and business logic. For example, with Flow, retailers can automatically change shipping rates for high-volume customers or provide rule-based discounts, such as offering $20 off to shoppers who have purchased more than three times in the past six months. Flow provides the agility necessary to create backend customisations designed to instantly boost productivity.

Shopify Plus also gives you access to Avalara AvaTax which automatically handles international sales tax calculations from over 12,000 taxing jurisdictions.

10. Service & Support 

As a Shopify Plus merchant, you receive exclusive support to Shopify's priority support, a Launch Manager to assist during the build and migration. You'll also get a Merchant Success Manager to provide ongoing support post-launch.

At acidgreen, we work very closely with Shopify Plus' Launch Managers and Merchant Success Managers to enable new beta features and ensure you're staying up to date with how quickly the platform moves.

This extra service and support really adds a new layer of value around Shopify Plus.

So, Are The Benefits Of Shopify Plus Worth It?

Still not sure if you need Advanced Shopify or Shopify Plus? Contact us today, so we can discuss your specific requirements and personally advise you on the best solution for your business. acidgreen has more than 17 years digital commerce experience and are an official ‘Shopify Expert’ and ‘Shopify Plus Partner’. We look forward to working with you.

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acidgreen is an award winning e-commerce agency  specialising in Magento, Shopify Plus and digital marketing with over 15 years of  industry experience. Our certified developers and digital marketers are highly qualified to create aesthetically pleasing Magento and Shopify Plus websites that generate the highest amount of conversions and provide the best ROI. Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, or give us a call to learn more about our services.