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Shopify Plus may claim to offer merchants more flexibility and the ability to grow your business, but what are the specifics that go into achieving this?
Shopify has so many interesting and useful features that allow our clients to automate and customise many of their processes, adding real value to their efficiency and engagement as a business. Here’s a collection of the most useful Shopify features and a deep dive into how you could benefit from them as an eCommerce business.
We'll start with a freebie. Shopify Flow is an eCommerce automation platform designed to streamline tasks and processes within your store and connected apps. Available on all shopify plans, including the Free plan, it operates as an event-based tool, allowing you to craft automated workflows. Flow monitors your store for specific events and triggers a sequence of automated actions in response. To set up these automations, you construct a workflow using elements like triggers, conditions, and actions - no coding required.
To streamline the time it takes you to create and implement a workflow, Shopify recently announced Shopify Flow templates. These templates take the guesswork out of which workflow you should use, meaning you can browse a library of over 120 pre-made workflow templates and implement them in just a few seconds.
Shopify's Launchpad feature offers a simple way to automate and schedule a sales campaign, product releases, and flash sales. Additionally, the feature gives eCommerce store owners the ability to automate theme switching during important events providing your customers with better shopping experience and making your brand stand out.
Unfortunately, Shopify Launchpad is limited to stores on Shopify's enterprise platform, Shopify Plus, but to merchants with access to it, it's an invaluable tool
Shopify Scripts is another Shopify app that's restricted to merchants on the Shopify Plus plan, but again one that offers a ton of potential to those with access.
Shopify Scripts are essentially small pieces of code that enable you to customise shopping experiences by running advanced promotions. These promotions, when implemented effectively, are proven to increase your average order value and drive more frequent purchases, as well as reduce basket abandonment rates. Scripts can also be used to create custom price lists for your trade and B2B clients, or to personalise the checkout experience depending on shopping cart values for each customer. For example, if a customer has a larger than average order value, you may want to reduce the friction in the checkout as much as possible to ensure that they fulfil their order quickly and don't abandon the cart. But if it's significantly below average, introducing a few upsell options on the way to them completing their purchase might be the best route.
Heres a top tip for merchants with access to scripts - enable code stacking: Code stacking will combine promotional codes based on certain conditions. For example, if a customer is new to your store, they may automatically get 10% off; if they select an item from the ”Sale” collection, they automatically get 30% off that item; and if they spend above EUR100, they also get free shipping activated, etc. A customer will expect to get all three of these discounts at the same time, and will likely be frustrated if they have to choose between one of the three.
1 - A Custom Checkout:
Delivering a consistent brand experience throughout the entire purchase process by fully customizing your checkout with access to the checkout.liquid template should be a no-brainer to brands with access to do so. Customising both the look and feel of the checkout, as well as adding customer fields, trust badges, reviews, shipping, payment options, can create a faster flow to the checkout, provide deeper analytics, and increase consistency in the end-to-end brand experience.
2 - Exclusive API Access
As a Plus Merchant, you can build complex integrations with the Plus-only Gift Card, Users, and Multipass/Single Sign On APIs. You also have the ability to increase the API call limits for private apps too.
You can test out a bunch of new ideas or concepts in a safe environment with a development store at no extra cost, which will give yourself, or your staff, the confidence to explore the admin in their own sandbox store.
3 - Globalization and Multi-channel:
The wholesale channel lets you easily expand your business into B2B and wholesale by creating a separate, password-protected storefront that’s an extension of your online store. Using prices lists you can create discounts for your products and individual customers.
In addition to your main store, Shopify Plus subscription includes 9 clone store credits (at no additional cost). These can be used to serve other regions, like North America or other European countries - just be ready to take on a bunch of new considerations on shipping across borders - or serve new customer segments like Influencers, and B2B. You can use Shopify shop-cloning tools to create new instances of your store to limit setup time, but don't try and cheat the sytem, as expansion stores must operate under the same brand and logo, you can't just make an all new eCommerce store to save on a second Plus subscription.
Priority 24/7 Strategic Support:
Shopify Plus merchants are fully supported throughout their entire lifetime on the platform, on both a strategic and technical level. Merchants will have access to a team of knowledgeable Shopify Plus specific experts to provide feedback, best practices and strategic advice regarding eCommerce & how to’s.
In addition to in-person support, Shopify also grants you access to Shopify Plus Academy, which enables you to expand your knowledge not only on Plus exclusive features but also any area of digital marketing and eCommerce, which may help you grow your business even further. There are more than 50 self-guided resources available, including courses and videos.
The topics discussed in the Shopify Plus academy vary from marketing acquisition strategies to business operations, technology solutions, international expansion, B2B and more. You can also watch tutorials, and Q&As with business owners - all at your own pace and in your own time.
Shopify's Merchant Growth Model
The Shopify Merchant Growth Model (MGM) is a framework for growth and will help you take a holistic look at your business; assess how your brand is performing across the six key business areas and create an action plan. You will have support along the way with resources and actionable tactics for each area of the model, which includes: Acquisition, Conversion, Retention, Brand Strategy, Technology Solutions and Business Operations & Management.
Financial help
Shopify Plus opens merchants up to using Avalara. Avalara is a tax automation software that automates tax calculations and the tax filing process. It's a paid service available for Shopify Plus plans only but can massively speed up your business automations.
Multi-store management:
Shopify Plus simplifies the management of your entire organization with Shopify Plus Admin. You can manage users, quickly create new stores populated with data, update workflows, and get a high-level overview of key business metrics across all stores in your organisation.
As an added bonus, Shopify Plus members also enjoy:
Early Access to Beta Programs
Access to Plus Certified Apps
Access to the Shopify Plus Facebook group to network with other Shopify plus merchants.
Upgrading to Shopify Plus likely means your business is doing a substantial amount in revenue - likely more than £1 million in a year. If you need help launching your business into the stratosphere of the eCommerce world, talk to us and let's see how we can help.
Chris has been at the forefront of eCommerce and a pioneer of online retailing since the early 00s. A 5-time Drapers Award winner, Chris has extensive experience in developing fashion brands online.
Chris founded Cake in 2016. Based in Birmingham, with offices nationwide, Cake specialises in helping fashion brands understand their market online and then helps to develop appropriate strategical direction to achieve their plan, all backed by his 20 years of operating in the retail market.
