WE'RE SHOPIFY PLUS EXPERTS

Depending on what needs to be designed, developed or migrated to Shopify from a previous store, a basic Shopify store can be finished in just a few days or for more complex stores that have customized 3rd party plugins or more detailed integrations with outside software, it can take weeks or months. The time it takes you to complete your website look and feel can be affected by your decision to create your own website designs from scratch vs. use a pre-made theme that you purchased vs. the need to create unique design assets or do product shoots for your website's imagery. Once your design and development requirements are complete, you will have a stage of quality assurance testing to find and fix any bugs and then you can release your storefront to the public.

Another factor you may want to consider in the length of time it takes to develop and release a Shopify storefront that is not always well understood is how important it is to spend some time before you release the store to optimize the website for performance and search engine optimization (SEO). It's hard to predict how long this can take since it can sometimes feel like an ongoing task but this can include tasks like optimizing your product/website images, implementing the proper metatags and descriptions on your different pages, and making sure that the website structure is easily crawlable by search engines. Doing this proper optimization upfront can have a large impact on the website's overall success and its ability to explain to search engine crawlers what your site is about so you can attract and retain customers.

Customizing Shopify themes to make them uniquely yours is a breeze and can be done by yourself or with the help of a Shopify engineer. Shopify does offer a wide variety of themes that you can modify to fit your personal style and needs or you can purchase a theme from a 3rd party developer. Whether you want to change the look and feel of your storefront or add some extended functionality, store owners can make it happen. By using Liquid (Shopify's user-friendly templating language) or by performing some changes to your store's CSS and HTML, you can create a storefront that matches your brand's look and feel. And if you need a little extra assistance or functionality, there are plenty of custom plugins and third-party apps available to add even more features to your site. If you aren't able to do it on your own, one of our Shopify experts can always offer some guidance on the best way to do something or jump right in and customize it for you.

Shopify and Shopify Plus are both eCommerce platforms offered by Shopify, but there are some key differences between them. At a high level, Shopify Plus plans are better suited for larger businesses and enterprises seeking a robust and more advanced eCommerce solution that integrates with international shipping fulfillment and omnichannel sales and marketing tracking. Standard Shopify plans are appropriate for smaller eCommerce businesses with less operational complexity and lower volumes.

Consider these three points when making a decision:

Shopify Plus offers more advanced features and extended functionality that are not available to stores in the standard Shopify plan, including items like higher transaction limits, custom checkout, and a dedicated launch manager.

Shopify Plus is designed for larger, high-volume stores that require more customization and scalability. Shopify, on the other hand, is more suited for smaller and medium-sized businesses.

Shopify Plus is more expensive than Shopify and is typically priced based on a merchant's monthly sales volume. The cost of Shopify Plus also includes additional support and services not included in the standard Shopify plan, including a dedicated success manager, 24/7 support, and priority access to the Shopify Plus expert network.

Most businesses choose to upgrade to Shopify Plus once their online sales reach more than $80,000 USD each month or $1 million USD annually. If you need help working out whether it’s a good time to make the transition from Shopify to Shopify Plus, contact our Shopify Plus experts today to get their personal advice on your unique business situation.

When using Shopify Plus for enterprise eCommerce stores, businesses can easily monitor orders, stock, and buyer data for all channels to get a sense of how customers are interacting with their brand. By using Shopify Plus, store owners have access to custom integrations, their store’s source code, advanced features, specialized support, and lots more to help scale their business effectively.

Shopify app development involves crafting bespoke applications that seamlessly integrate with Shopify storefronts, allowing you to steamline and optimize unique workflows. A Shopify engineer can build new types of functionality and improve performance for any eCommerce stores by installing custom connectors and extensions through the power of Shopify applications. When you build a custom Shopify app, you can empower your business to break new ground and enhance your online presence, attaining a distinct competitive advantage in the digital marketplace.

Unless you have a preference for a developer or a team that offers Shopify development services and is physically based in your office, you can research online and choose the best Shopify teams that are based all over the world. When assessing Shopify developers and shortlisting them, consider these three points:

1. Their online portfolio and previous Shopify experience: Look for an experienced developer who has a proven track record of creating high-quality, successful Shopify stores. Bonus points if they have relevant industry experience as well. Review their portfolio to see if their style and approach align with your vision and needs. They must be willing to let you talk to their customer references.
2. Assess their communication and collaboration skills: Choose a Shopify developer who is proactive with recommendations, transparent about their work process, and open to getting feedback from you. Good communication and collaboration are key to ensuring a successful project outcome and managing expectations of all sides.
3. Technical expertise and problem-solving skills: It's so important to select a Shopify developer, who has the technical skills and expertise necessary to tackle any challenges that may arise during the development process even if it is something that is outside of the Shopify ecosystem. Even better if they are a part of a larger team that they can fall back to when looking for additional advice. Look for a developer who is proactive in their approach to problem-solving and has a deep understanding of the Shopify platform, its capabilities and the 3rd party app ecosystem.

Every store is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach, so make sure you speak to a team that truly understands your business and objectives. Our Shopify experts at Spiral Scout are always here to help you, whether you want to create apps for the Shopify App Store, upgrade your store, or are searching for strategies to increase your user base.

Are you trying to rebuild a legacy eCommerce website that demanded a lot of manual work from customer service, sales, and web developers? Or perhaps struggling to sync data between your ERP and Shopify Plus storefront?

Whether you’re looking to build custom Shopify solutions into your existing store or bring your brick-and-mortar store online, our Shopify experts can guide you with care and clarity.

As a Shopify Partner and award-winning Shopify development company, we understand the unique Shopify Plus nuances that are required for stores to succeed. For over a decade, we have built profitable, lightning-fast solutions for large Shopify Plus, Magento, BigCommerce, and custom stores. There’s not much we haven’t seen in eCommerce.