10+ Reasons to Shift from Shopify to Shopify Plus: When & How to Upgrade?
svg messge

You can upgrade from Shopify to Shopify Plus from your Shopify admin by going to Settings > Plan, choosing Select Plus, and completing the billing approval. What you get in return is more than a higher-tier plan. Shopify Plus unlocks advanced checkout customization, Shopify Flow, Launchpad, native B2B tools, expansion stores, and other features built for stores that are ready to scale with more control.

If you are wondering when to upgrade to Shopify Plus, my answer is simple. I recommend it when your store needs deeper checkout control, stronger automation, B2B selling, better launch support, or multi-store scale that standard Shopify cannot handle. 

Shopify Plus adds advanced checkout customization, Flow, native B2B tools, expansion stores, headless support, and lower transaction fees than other plans.

When I help a brand move from Shopify to Shopify Plus, I always check for reasons why they need the upgrade. Not all stores need to move to Plus, but if you want to move, you need to be aware of the benefits.

10+ reasons to upgrade from Shopify to Shopify Plus

1️⃣ Edit checkout on Shopify Plus with real control

This is the biggest reason to upgrade to Shopify Plus. Plus gives you advanced checkout customization, including control over the information, shipping, and payment pages, plus access to the Checkout Branding API. 

That gives me more room to improve trust, delivery clarity, upsells, and conversion without doing workarounds.

App I use to increase revenue from the checkout page

SellMore's Checkout Upsell feature for Plus users

If I want to make the most of Shopify Plus after customizing checkout, I install apps like SellMore Post Purchase Upsell

It helps merchants show one-click upsells, bundles, and AI-powered offers across the checkout, post-purchase, thank you, and order status pages. 

2️⃣ Stronger discount logic

As stores grow, simple discount rules start feeling limited. Shopify Plus supports enhanced discounting with custom shipping, order, and payment discounts, along with more thresholds through discount APIs. 

That matters when you want to offer and manage multiple discount offers without installing apps. 

3️⃣ Shopify Flow saves time

Manual work is expensive in 2026. Shopify Flow is one of my favourite apps that lets you automate tasks across your store and apps using triggers, conditions, and actions. 

Some of the Shopify Flow examples I use are tagging high-value orders, flagging risky orders, sending low-stock alerts, and performing repetitive admin work. 

4️⃣ Launchpad is built for busy sales calendars

If a store runs drops, flash sales, or scheduled campaigns, Launchpad makes life easier. 

It is available only on Shopify Plus and lets you schedule and automate events like promotions, product releases, and inventory restocks while tracking them in real time.

5️⃣ Native B2B becomes a real option

A lot of growing brands I worked with want DTC and B2B on the same platform. Shopify B2B lets you sell wholesale through a single platform. You can run B2B and DTC from one store or from a separate B2B-only store. 

That flexibility is one of the big reasons why a lot of stores move from Shopify to Shopify Plus. 

6️⃣ B2B pricing and payment terms get much better

This feature is when Plus becomes more practical. The Plus plan supports unlimited B2B catalogs, assignment to companies and locations, and advanced payments like deposits, partial payments, and payment requests per fulfillment. 

If going B2B is part of your next phase, this alone can justify the upgrade. 

7️⃣ Expansion stores help you scale cleanly

When a brand grows into new markets or regions, one storefront is not enough. Shopify Plus supports expansion stores under the same organization, with centralized user and billing management. 

You can manage multiple stores in different regions under a single platform. I have worked with many Magento stores that migrated to Shopify Plus when they wanted to expand. 

8️⃣ Lower transaction fees 

Plus gives you the lowest transaction fees of any plan. That does not mean you should upgrade immediately. But once order volume climbs, you need to start saving on fees to increase your ROI. 

9️⃣ Unlimited staff and 24/7 phone support

The Shopify Plus plan supports unlimited staff and priority 24/7 support through phone. That becomes useful when more people need access across merchandising, support, marketing, development, and operations. 

🔟 Staging stores make safer launches possible

A staging site is like a clone of your Shopify store. I rate this feature highly because it lowers risk. Shopify Plus includes unlimited staging stores and feature test drives, which give teams a safer place to test themes, apps, and checkout changes before they touch the live store. 

Bonus reason: The benefits of headless commerce

This is a technical reason, but it still matters. Plus supports up to 25 custom React storefronts with Hydrogen on Oxygen. If the business later needs more frontend freedom, Plus gives you that option without leaving the platform. 

Want to grow with headless commerce? Here’s how headless commerce solutions help Shopify merchants scale their business.
banner image

A step-by-step Shopify to Shopify Plus upgrade process

If a merchant asks me how to get Shopify Plus, I follow a 6-step process. 

1. Audit your current plan

Before you upgrade, check why your current setup is holding growth back.

  • Checkout customization feels limited
  • Manual work is taking more time
  • B2B selling is getting complicated
  • Store launches or flash sales need better planning
  • Multi-store or international growth is becoming harder

2. Change the plan in the Shopify admin

  • Go to Settings > Plan
  • In the section called Plan details, click Change Plan
  • Now there are two options here: Select Plus or Try Plus
  • Click on Try Plus to start the Plus trial. 

Now the Plus trial has started. If you need to upgrade to the Plus plan before the trial ends.

  • Go to Settings > Plan
  • You will see an Upgrade early option in the Plan details.
  • You can go for Plus for 1 or 3 years.
  • Review your payment info, then Subscribe to the Plus plan. 
  • A team member from Shopify will help you with the complete onboarding process within 24 hours. 

After upgrading to Plus, here’s what I do for every Plus user. 

1. Rebuild checkout the right way

  • Set up checkout changes with the checkout and accounts editor
  • Customize the information, shipping, and payment pages
  • Review which checkout apps now make sense for your store

2. Review tracking, apps, and post-purchase pages

Check these before going live

  • Pixels and conversion tracking
  • Thank you page customizations
  • Order status page customizations
  • App compatibility with the new checkout setup

3. Test before launch

Always run a quick QA before you launch your Plus store. Here’s what I look into. 

  • Checkout flow
  • Payment methods
  • Shipping logic
  • Upsell or post-purchase offers
  • Analytics tracking
  • Mobile checkout experience 

Final thoughts: Shopify to Shopify Plus is a good upgrade

My view is straightforward. The Plus upgrade is worth it when your store needs more control. If you are having issues with checkout, automation, B2B, and multi-store growth, Plus is the best option to upgrade.

FAQs

1. When to upgrade to Shopify Plus?

Upgrade to Shopify Plus when your store needs more than basic growth tools, especially around checkout customization, automation, B2B selling, launch management, or multi-store expansion.

2. How to get Shopify Plus?

From your admin, go to Settings > Plan, choose Select Plus, review the billing terms, and subscribe. You will be in contact with the sales team, sign a contract of 1 or 3 years, and work with a Launch Engineer to upgrade to Plus.

3. How to edit checkout on Shopify Plus?

You can edit checkout using the checkout and accounts editor. You can also use apps like SellMore to edit your checkout page.

4. Is there a difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?

Yes. Plus runs on the same platform, but it adds enterprise-level features like advanced checkout customization, Shopify Flow, Launchpad, native B2B tools, expansion stores, unlimited staff, staging stores, and priority support. 

About the author

Vineet Nair

Vineet is an experienced content strategist with expertise in the ecommerce domain and a keen interest in Shopify. He aims to help Shopify merchants thrive in this competitive environment with technical solutions and thoughtfully structured content.