The Shopify e-commerce platform offers the perfect ecosystem for vendors wishing to create their own online store in the easiest way possible. Easy access, intuitive use, template and page customisation, functionalities suited to digital sales, etc. There are lots of advantages common to both Shopify and Shopify Plus. So what differentiates them?
The Shopify Plus programme stems from the platform’s desire to attract bigger e-commerce customers, and keep those whose needs step outside the bounds of the functionalities offered by the standard Shopify. This is why the main differences between the two versions revolve around what they offer and what needs are expressed by customers.
Overview:
Target. Shopify was designed for companies just starting off in online sales, who need a simple platform that is not too technical. Shopify Plus is aimed at large e-commerce stakeholders, whose sales volumes are higher and who need to count on a tool perfectly-suited to their requirements.
Functionalities. Shopify and Shopify Plus offer the same standard features, but the latter boasts more possibilities in terms of customisation, user experience and scalability. A few examples: handling up to 10,000 payments per minute, availability of standardised APIs allowing for easier integration of third-party tools and advertising campaigns, access to a development kit for native mobile applications, templates well-suited to m-commerce, etc. In a nutshell, tailored solutions for large companies.
Price. Whereas Shopify offers fixed monthly subscriptions in line with the service level wanted (ranging from 29 dollars/month for the Basic offer to 299 dollars/month for the Advanced pack), Shopify Plus prices are more variable as they mostly depend on the functionalities chosen. Monthly subscriptions start at 2,000 dollars.
This price is because Shopify Plus offers substantial advantages to major e-commerce groups: efficient management of large sales volumes, optimised customer experience, better order management, etc. In addition, Shopify Plus offers a fully dedicated ecosystem, including during the payment phase (whereas the standard Shopify sends customers to a third-party payment site). Lastly, there are no transaction fees with Shopify Plus - whereas they amount to 2% with the Shopify Basic offer, 1% with Shopify and 0.5% with the Advanced offer.
It is up to you to choose which version of Shopify best suits your needs!
