Shopify vs Shopify Plus – Decoding Features & Differences

Plus may inadvertently mean an advanced version. But, let’s find what this PLUS – An Advanced version of Shopify brings to us.

For emerging online businesses, there exist numerous store development platforms. However, among the various eCommerce store software, the Shopify platform is well known as one of the best in the industry. And, undoubtedly, it is widely used by most of the new-age online entrepreneurs. 

Statistically, it supports millions of businesses to build their online stores and generate sales in billions. Luckily, the Shopify platform has helped offline businesses to jump on the online market to carry on their businesses in the unprecedented period of COVID-19.

Trustworthily, this platform has helped businesses to sustain and grow in tough times. And, more importantly, looking at its wide acceptance, and demand for more advanced features, Shopify Plus has been launched. 

Primarily, the Shopify eCommerce platform has been built for small and medium-sized businesses. 

And now we have Shopify Plus, substantially an upgraded version of Shopify, specially designed and developed for large enterprise businesses.

So, let’s find here which Shopify platform works best for your business? 

Firstly, it is crucial to unveil the major features of both versions – Shopify and Shopify Plus

Major Features of Shopify

• Easy to set up
• Easy to Manage
• Simple Store Management Features
• SEO and Marketing tools to boost sales
• Exceptional Security Setup
• Top-notch support

Major Features of Shopify Plus

• Fast servers
• Unlimited bandwidth
• 97% uptime
• Level 1 PCI compliance
• Exclusive APIs
• 7000+ CPU cores
• 200 TB storage
• 70+ payment gateways
• 1000+ professionally built apps
• Seamless integrations

Shopify offers most of the features, however, the latest version has a few specialties to make a difference for your business. It is well seen that for higher-level enterprises, the demand for exclusive features is always more. 

Let us not just limit ourselves to the features. Digging deeper why not find out what are the crucial differences between these two Shopify versions that have set them apart. 

Key Differences Between to two versions of Shopify eCommerce Platform

Shopify 

• Round the clock support across the continents via email, call or live chat.
• Provides over 60 themes for Shopify designers to choose from
• Includes Primary features
• No exclusive apps
• Not loaded with any wholesale channel
• Offers overview dashboard for business insights and analytics

Shopify Plus

• Dedicated personalized support called as Launch manager
• Offers themes same as Shopify that is 60, but also helps you to custom design your theme
• Includes both primary as well as exclusive features adding more power
• Extensive apps for growing sales
• Does include wholesale channel
• Partnerships with leading analytic companies to bring in all the latest, expert insights and data 

Three Major Differences of Shopify and Shopify+ to Decode 

Themes and Design Flexibility

Whether it is Shopify or Shopify Plus, both offer design customization as well as 73 themes to design your eCommerce store. A creative Shopify web designer can help easily pick the most accurate one for your store. However, there is an added advantage of 10 free themes along with the rest ones priced at the best rates. 

Shopify with its theme pad enables you to customize the theme easily. Moreover, the themes on Shopify are available in various languages. So, if you want to build a country-specific web store to target audiences, you can easily set it up in their native language such as French, German, Spanish, Hindi, etc. No doubt, a Shopify expert in India can help to create your language-specific store. 

On the other hand, Shopify Plus embedded with advanced features offer you a customized theme especially for your store, providing the support of your Launch Manager. Additionally, an Expert Shopify developer India helps you write code lines to get running with your Shopify custom theme. 

Importantly, a dedicated Launch Manager will help save you a lot of bucks as a great deal of time. Also, Shopify Plus will allow you to customize your checkout page with the help of Script Editor, which is not available on Shopify.

Analytics

For any business, Analytics is important as it helps to answer the business queries using gathered data. The insights and reports help to improve your business. 

An overview dashboard with business insights with the help of analytics is provided in both the e-commerce Shopify versions. Statistics of sales, products, landing pages, returning customer rate and referrals, profit reports and more are available. Additionally, with Shopify advanced plans more reports with details can be drawn out. 

However, Shopify Plus takes the analytics to the next level offering more in-depth business analysis and detailed data. Partnering with the leading analytics companies like Looker and Glew, Shopify Plus offers a touch of expertise and excellence. 

Hence, the huge data collection and gathered information turns out to be a game-changer, which helps you to make big business decisions in a mini second. Also, Shopify development agency can help to customize your business reports according to your business specific requirements.

eCommerce Features

Exclusive eCommerce features are what separates Shopify and Shopify Plus. The major features of eCommerce that are available on both platforms are 

Multi-Channel Integration: Both of them help you sell your products directly to marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. 

Abandoned Cart Recovery: Shopify and Shopify Plus offers an abandoned cart recovery process. It helps send your customers an automated email as a reminder to shop for the products in the abandoned cart. 

Multi-Currency Application: Shopify payment plugins help your online store to adjust the currency for your products automatically based on your customer’s location. You can get this plugin installed in your store leveraging efficient Shopify development service for seamless integration. 

The above-mentioned eCommerce features are available in both Shopify and Shopify Plus. However, the below features are the extensive features that are only available in Shopify Plus. 

Shopify Plus Exclusive eCommerce Features

Shopify Flow: This add-on aids you track your customer’s purchases and customize the homepage to match the products they may be looking for. 

Script Editor: Script Editor has a lot more uses besides customizing the checkout page or the landing page for your customers. In addition, Shopify Plus provides you with greater control over shipping, along with creating scripts for the items and payment methods. 

LaunchPad: Shopify Plus additionally offers an automation tool – LaunchPad that enables you to handle thousands of tasks to launch your business online for generating sales.

To put it simply, the differences between two platforms can be clearly seen. However, Shopify Plus does carry added features to offer the privilege to your online store. Based on your business and target audience requirements, you can definitely take a call between both these eCommerce Shopify versions. 

Moreover, both the platforms have their varied advantages and disadvantages. So, why not check on Shopify and Shopify Plus pros and cons to understand which can most precisely suit your online business. 

Shopify

Advantages

• Helps to sell across various platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Amazon
• Excellent inventory system
• Extraordinary eCommerce store features that any other website builder can provide
• Helps to integrate discount codes

Disadvantages

• Missing a league of specialist integrations
• Transaction fees are imposed if a store is not integrated with Shopify Payments
• Not possible to change themes easily without realigning the site content
• Can create only limited staff accounts 

Shopify Plus

Advantages

• Limitless staff accounts
• Enables to carry on over 10000 transactions per minute
• Excellent personalized and dedicated support
• Helps to create custom discounts and flash sales

Disadvantages

• Not possible to customize the backend
• Works only if you are an enterprise-level business
• Requires your dedicated time for your eCommerce website
• No fix price for a monthly quote

Wrapping Up

Decoding the varied features and understanding the differences, it is clear that Shopify and Shopify Plus are equally effective. They are both loaded with varied and unique features and functionalities applicable efficiently for different businesses. Shopify is good for medium size ecommerce stores helping them to sustain in the digital market.  

Supporting small and medium sized ecommerce businesses, Shopify is a powerful tool that helps to expand business online as well as attract a huge customer base. 

On the flip side, Shopify Plus helps giant businesses to carry on additional functionalities and is largely suitable for enterprise-level businesses with a huge customer base. It not only supports multiple stores to manage a large scale of your products but also helps to boost your business. 

Well, you can easily embark on your digital world journey with eCommerce Shopify and later with the help of a leading Shopify development company India, you can easily upgrade to Shopify Plus for added advantage.