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Shopify Plus Development Store & Expansion Store: 5 Reasons Why You Need Them

5 minutes

Shopify Plus is a leading e-commerce platform that large-scale sites use to build local and international stores.

But just how big is Shopify Plus? Check out these figures:

• Shopify Plus has over 7,000 merchants using the platform.

• In 2021, Shopify Plus merchants collectively generated over $22 billion in sales.

• The average revenue per merchant on Shopify Plus is $1.7 million per year.

• Shopify Plus powers some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Nestle, Red Bull, and Allbirds.

• The platform has seen a 126% increase in merchants using Shopify Plus in the past year.

• Shopify Plus has over 1,000 apps and integrations to help merchants scale their businesses.

• Shopify Plus offers a 99.99% uptime guarantee and the ability to handle over 8,000 orders per minute.

• Merchants on Shopify Plus experience an average conversion rate of 2.6%, which is higher than the industry average of 2.0%.

• Shopify Plus merchants see an average growth rate of 126% year-over-year.

Shopify Plus has quickly become the go-to option for leading brands worldwide. But what happens when a Shopify Plus merchant wants to expand and scale? That is why this article will discuss why your e-commerce site needs a Shopify Plus development and expansion store. We’re going to talk about how you can get the most from a Shopify Plus development and expansion store to build a killer e-commerce site.

So, don’t touch that dial! There is plenty more to come.

What Is a Shopify Plus Development Store?

A Shopify Plus development store is a testing environment provided by Shopify for Shopify Plus merchants. It allows Shopify Plus merchants to experiment with and build new features, apps, and themes without affecting their live store.

Shopify Plus development Store has all the features of Shopify Plus, and they are available to merchants free of charge for a limited period. Merchants can use Development Stores to test new integrations, customizations, and other changes to their store without the risk of breaking anything on their live store.

Once the development work is complete, merchants can deploy the changes to their live store confidently, knowing that they have been thoroughly tested on their Development Store.

It’s important to note that Shopify Plus store development sites have some limitations and restrictions compared to regular Shopify Plus stores. For example, they have limited staff accounts, product variants, and orders. Additionally, the development store cannot be used to process payments or fulfill orders.

On the whole, a Shopify Plus Development Store is a valuable tool for Shopify Plus merchants looking to experiment and innovate with their store without risking their live store’s stability or performance.

What Are the Benefits of a Shopify Plus Development Store?

A Shopify Plus development store offers several key benefits you can’t afford to miss. That is why it is worth checking them out. The following benefits highlight why a Shopify Plus development store is a great option for your e-commerce site:

#1: Testing & Experimentation

A Shopify Plus development store allows merchants to experiment with new features, integrations, and customizations without affecting their live store. This feature enables merchants to test new ideas and determine what works best for their business before deploying changes to their live store.

#2: Risk-free Development

Developing new features and customizations on a live store can be risky. With a Shopify Plus development store, merchants can develop new features and customizations without worrying about damaging their live store’s performance or customer experience.

#3: Cost Effective

Shopify Plus development stores are provided by Shopify free of charge to Shopify Plus merchants. This situation means merchants can save money on development costs and use the savings to invest in other business areas.

#4: Improved Performance

A Shopify Plus development store can help merchants optimize their store’s performance by testing and fine-tuning new features and customizations. This feature can help improve the store’s speed, user experience, and conversion rates.

#5: Time Saving

Utilizing Shopify Plus development stores can save merchants time by enabling them to quickly build and test new features and customizations. This feature can help businesses stay ahead of the competition by quickly implementing new ideas and innovations.

A Shopify Plus development store is a valuable tool for businesses looking to innovate and optimize their online store without affecting their live store’s stability or performance. It enables businesses to test and experiment with new ideas and features before deploying them to their live store, saving time and money.

What Is a Shopify Plus Expansion Store?

A Shopify Plus expansion store is an additional Shopify store created by a Shopify Plus merchant to expand its online presence. An expansion store is designed to help businesses sell in multiple countries, test new markets, or target new customer segments.

Shopify Plus expansion stores are managed from the same Shopify Plus account as the primary store and have a discounted subscription fee. An expansion store has all the features of a regular Shopify Plus store, including advanced e-commerce functionality, customizable checkout, and integrations with third-party apps.

Expanding to multiple stores allows merchants to target specific markets with tailored content, products, and pricing. This function enables businesses to serve customers better, increase sales, and grow their business.

It’s important to note that Shopify Plus expansion stores have some limitations compared to regular Shopify Plus stores. For example, they cannot process payments or fulfill orders. Instead, they are designed to drive traffic and sales to the primary store responsible for payment processing and order fulfillment.

As you can see, a Shopify Plus expansion store is a valuable tool for businesses looking to expand their online presence and reach new customers. It allows merchants to target specific markets with tailored content, products, and pricing. It can help businesses increase sales and grow their business.

What Are the Benefits of a Shopify Plus Expansion Store?

Shopify Plus expansion stores offer plenty of benefits to Shopify Plus users looking to expand. In particular, e-commerce sites looking to expand aggressively will find Shopify Plus expansion stores offer several key benefits, such as:

#1: International Expansion

A Shopify Plus expansion store allows merchants to expand their online presence and sell in multiple countries. This feature enables businesses to reach new markets and customers, increase sales, and grow their business.

#2: Targeted Marketing

Shopify Plus expansion stores allow merchants to create tailored content, products, and pricing for specific markets or customer segments. This situation enables businesses to serve better their customers’ needs and preferences, which can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.

#3: Cost Effective

Shopify Plus expansion stores come with a discounted subscription fee, making them a cost-effective way to expand a business’s online presence. This condition allows businesses to invest more resources into marketing, product development, and other business areas.

#4: Centralized Management

Also, Shopify Plus expansion stores are managed from the same Shopify Plus account as the primary store, making it easy to manage inventory, orders, and customer data across multiple stores. This function enables businesses to streamline their operations and improve efficiency.

#5: Improved SEO

Utilizing a Shopify Plus expansion store can help businesses improve their search engine optimization (SEO) by targeting specific keywords and optimizing content for specific markets. This feature can lead to increased traffic and sales from organic search results.

A Shopify Plus expansion store is valuable for businesses looking to expand their online presence and reach new markets. It allows businesses to target specific markets with tailored content, products, and pricing, which can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty. Additionally, it is a cost-effective way to expand a business’s online presence. It can help improve SEO and streamline operations.

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Why Do You Need a Shopify Plus Development and Expansion Store?

While both Shopify Plus development and expansion stores offer several benefits, there are five key reasons why your e-commerce site needs a Shopify Plus development and expansion store:

#1: Test new features and customizations

A development store allows you to experiment with new features, integrations, and customizations without affecting your live store. This characteristic enables you to try out new ideas and find out what works best for your business before deploying changes to your live store.

#2: Optimize your store's performance

You can test and optimize your store’s performance and user experience with a development store. This function includes testing page load times, optimizing checkout, and improving site navigation. Doing this can improve your store’s conversion rate and customer satisfaction.

#3: Expand into new markets

An expansion store allows you to expand your online presence and reach new markets. This condition enables you to target specific markets with tailored content, products, and pricing, which can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty. Expanding into new markets can grow your business and increase revenue.

#4: Reduce risks and costs

Using a development store can reduce the risks and costs associated with making changes to your live store. This function allows you to experiment with new ideas and innovations without the risk of breaking anything on your live store. Additionally, an expansion store comes with a discounted subscription fee, making it a cost-effective way to expand your online presence.

#5: Improve SEO and marketing efforts

An expansion store allows you to target specific markets with optimized SEO and marketing efforts. This situation can help drive traffic and sales to your store, leading to increased revenue and business growth. You can increase your store’s visibility and reach a wider audience by improving your SEO and marketing efforts.

So, what happens if you don’t use a Shopify Plus development or expansion store? In short, lacking a development store means testing changes, upgrades, and improvements on your real store. This situation poses a serious issue since any features that don’t work as intended can negatively impact your customers’ shopping experience. Additionally, you will need to shut down your Shopify store for some time while making changes, leading to missed sales and opportunities.

Lacking a Shopify Plus expansion store means you will likely need to build an entirely new e-commerce site, typically from scratch, to cater to international markets. This situation means an additional time, money, and effort cost. You can simplify the entire expansion process by utilizing a Shopify Plus expansion store to leverage your current e-commerce site’s branding and value proposition.

At this point, the big question is, “How can I create a Shopify Plus development and expansion store?” The answer is much simpler than you might imagine.

How to Create Shopify Plus Development and Expansion Store

Creating a Shopify Plus development and expansion store is much more straightforward than you might have thought. You can follow these steps to get started:

Step #1) Sign up for Shopify Plus. If you don’t already have a Shopify Plus account, you’ll need to sign up for one. Shopify Plus is a premium version of Shopify that provides additional features and capabilities for large-scale businesses.

Step #2) Create a Shopify Plus development store. Once you have a Shopify Plus account, you can create a Shopify Plus development store. This store is the separate one that you can use to test new features, integrations, and customizations without affecting your live store. You can create a Shopify Plus development and expansion store from your Shopify Plus account dashboard.

Step #3) Install necessary apps and integrations. Depending on your business needs, you may need to install apps and integrations on the development store. These apps can include payment gateways, shipping providers, marketing tools, and more. You can find and install apps and integrations from the Shopify App Store.

Step #4) Build and customize your Shopify Plus development store. With your development store set up, you can start building and customizing it to meet your business needs. This process can include designing your store’s layout, creating product pages, optimizing the checkout process, and more.

Step #5) Create a Shopify Plus expansion store. Once you’re ready to expand into new markets or target specific customer segments, you can create an expansion store. This store is an additional one that you can use to sell to specific markets or customer segments. You can create an expansion store from your Shopify Plus account dashboard, which will be linked to your primary store.

Step #6) Tailor content, products, and pricing for specific markets. With your Shopify Plus expansion store, you can start tailoring your content, products, and pricing for specific markets or customer segments. This feature can include translating your content into different languages, offering localized pricing, and more.

While this process seems straightforward, it does require time and effort, as well as being tech-savvy. As a result, Shopify Plus store owners may need a helping hand with specific integrations and customizations, among other features. That is why enlisting the services of a Shopify Plus development agency can greatly facilitate the entire development and expansion process.

Why Do You Need a Shopify Plus Development Company?

Shopify Plus development experts are specialized firms offering Shopify Plus store owners a wide range of services to create Shopify Plus development and expansion stores. Utilizing Shopify Plus development services saves store owners time and effort while ensuring they get the features and capabilities needed to run a killer e-commerce site. In particular, focusing on international expansion may require several specific features that a local Shopify Plus development services agency can provide, such as localization, language support, and customer targeting.

The following reasons underscore how your e-commerce can benefit from hiring a Shopify Plus development company:

#1: Expertise and Experience

Shopify Plus is a powerful and complex platform that requires a high level of expertise to use effectively. A Shopify Plus development company has the experience and knowledge to build and customize your store to meet your business needs.

#2: Customization and Functionality

A Shopify Plus development company can help you customize and add functionality to your store that may not be available out of the box. This function can include custom themes, integrations with third-party systems, and unique features that differentiate your store from competitors.

#3: Scalability and Performance

Shopify Plus is designed to handle large-scale businesses with high traffic and sales volumes. A Shopify Plus development company can help you optimize your store’s performance, scalability, and stability to ensure it can handle your business needs.

#4: Time and Cost Savings

Building and customizing a Shopify Plus store can be time-consuming and expensive, especially if you don’t have the necessary expertise and experience. A Shopify Plus development company can save time and money by building and customizing your store quickly and efficiently.

#5: Support and Maintenance

A Shopify Plus development company can provide ongoing support and maintenance for your store, ensuring it remains up-to-date, secure, and optimized for performance. This feature can help you avoid technical issues and downtime that can harm your business.

As you can see, the potential benefits from enlisting the services of a Shopify Plus development agency make this investment worthwhile. The most important thing to keep in mind is finding the right partner that fits your e-commerce site’s needs and customers. Taking the time to find the right one ensures you get the right partner for your Shopify Plus store.

Conclusion for Development & Expansion Stores

Creating a Shopify Plus development and expansion store is something your e-commerce can greatly benefit from as it expands and scales. Utilizing these two store types can greatly reduce the risk associated with testing features on your live site while offering your customers a great shopping experience.

A Shopify Plus expansion store is the answer to expanding without breaking the bank on a brand-new e-commerce site. On the whole, a Shopify Plus expansion store allows your brand to reach thousands of other customers without a substantial upfront investment.

Above all, check out how a Shopify Plus development company can help your e-commerce site reach the next level. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how a Shopify Plus development company can make the transition much smoother.