Shopify vs. Shopify Plus—What’s the difference?

What is Shopify? 

Forall new-comers to the online retail world, Shopify is one of the earliest and largest global eCommerce platforms (think website builder plus shopping cart)that allows small and medium-sized businesses to sell their products online. 

Shopify Has empowered over one million eCommerce businesses in over 175 countries to transact more than $183B (B for Billion) in online sales since their humble beginnings as a Canadian snowboard shop back in 2004 (from Wikipedia). 

Asan early-to-market player, Shopify combines website design and development with backend eCommerce tools to help small businesses make the crucial transition from physical brick-and-mortar stores to online e-tailers, selling their products in a global marketplace. Nowadays there are several options available for online retailers, but Shopify still maintains a lion (or tiger) share of the current ecosystem and boasts an impressive client list including severalbig-name brands like Tesla, Nike, Redbull, Hasbro, and The Economist.

Shopify Vs Shopify Plus? 

Maybe you already know, use and love Shopify. Or perhaps you’re getting ready to make a change because business is booming and you’ve heard great things about theplatform. Knowing and evaluating the differences between the standard and premium platform options is essential to understanding what’s best suits youre Commerce business. And since growth and scalability are the two key metrics in modern eCommerce, knowing where you’re at today and how to plan for scale iskey. 

Think Of the standard levels of Shopify (basic and advanced) for small andmedium-sized businesses, whereas Shopify Plus is the regular platform on steroids for larger eCommerce companies. The Plus version is primarily focused on fast-growing retailers that are close to one million dollars in sales and need the bandwidth to continue to support their rapid expansion. 
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WhyShopify Plus?
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Built for global brands.  

ShopifyPlus users can mirror or ‘clone’ their stores nine times to better serve customers in different global regions and in different languages and currencies, all with localized marketing. 

CustomerService

Both versions offer 24/7 customer support but with Plus, you get a dedicated merchant success manager along with a launch engineering to help migrate from your current platform and to customize your integration for scale.

Multi-Channel

Connectwith your customers wherever they are. Plus users can sell across Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest and have access to customizable API and ERP integration for selling on Amazon, Ebay and Etsy. 

B2B Wholesale Store

ShopifyPlus allows wholesalers to create a separate, password-protected web channel that can offer bulk sales discounts, specific shipping rules and both tiered and custom pricing. 

Performance& Reliability

ShopifyPlus boasts uptimes of 99.9% and can handle more than 10,000 transactions per minute, even during large online shopping days like Black Friday and CyberMonday

Automation

ThePlus or premium version can also automate various workflows and tasks with exclusive access to Shopify Flow and Shopify launchpad. With Shopify Flow,you can automate many processes in your retail operation; like order management, inventory control, marketing and customer support. With Launchpad,you can increase product visibility and customization around flash sales,promotions or discounted holiday events.

Price

• Shopify     Standard goes for $29 or $79/mo with a monthly transaction fee of 0.25% of     total sales in USD.
• Shopify     Plus doesn’t put pricing on the website. All quotes are given individually     on a per-client basis but experts tell us that the premium version usually     starts at $2,000/mo with monthly transaction fees dropping to 0.15% of     sales. This can be a big cost-saver for big brands doing higher volumes of     sales.

How to Choose? 

Takestock of where you’re at now—how big are you and how quickly do you expect to grow? Lower transaction fees can be a big money saver, especially at scale.Shopify Plus can also help save you time with streamlined processes and automation.

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