The direct answer
Most established NZ businesses launching on Shopify for the first time should start on the standard Shopify plan. Shopify Basic suits smaller operations with lower sales volumes. Shopify Advanced is worth the cost when a business needs better reporting or third-party calculated shipping rates. Shopify Plus is for high-volume retailers with specific enterprise requirements. Here is how to tell which applies.
Shopify Basic
Shopify Basic covers the core ecommerce requirements: product listings, a checkout, Shopify Payments, a blog and basic analytics. The transaction fee is the highest of the standard plans. Two staff accounts are included. For a small retail business testing the platform, Basic is the right entry point. For an established business with real sales volume, it is usually worth stepping up.
Standard Shopify
The standard Shopify plan lowers the transaction fee, includes five staff accounts and adds professional reports. For most established NZ retailers, this is the plan that makes sense from day one. The lower fee typically offsets the higher monthly cost once sales volume reaches a reasonable level. Professional reporting covers the dashboards a retail business uses day-to-day.
Shopify Advanced
Advanced lowers the transaction fee further, includes fifteen staff accounts and adds two features that matter to specific businesses: advanced reporting and third-party calculated shipping rates at checkout. If the business uses a courier or freight provider requiring real-time rate calculations, Advanced is often necessary. For businesses where detailed reporting is a priority, the additional data at this tier justifies the cost.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is an enterprise tier with a significantly higher monthly cost. It includes unlimited staff accounts, customisable checkout logic, B2B wholesale functionality, multiple storefronts on one account and a dedicated account manager. Transaction fees are lower again. Shopify's own guidance points to roughly USD 800,000 in annual ecommerce revenue as the level where Plus becomes economically sensible, though B2B and multi-storefront requirements can justify it earlier.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus adds a customisable checkout, wholesale and B2B tools, multi-storefront capability, higher API rate limits, dedicated support and lower transaction fees. The monthly cost is significantly higher. For most growing retail businesses, standard Shopify covers requirements until sales volume and complexity make Plus the more economical choice.
Can I change Shopify plans?
Yes. Shopify allows plan changes at any time. Upgrading takes effect immediately. Downgrading takes effect at the next billing cycle. Check that any features the business relies on are available at the lower tier before downgrading.
Does my Shopify plan affect my website design?
No. The Shopify plan does not affect what a custom-built store can look like. Plan choice affects backend features, staff accounts, reporting and transaction fees. The design and build of the site is separate from the plan tier.
Are Shopify transaction fees on top of payment processing fees?
Yes, if using a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments. Shopify charges a transaction fee per sale in addition to whatever the payment gateway charges. Using Shopify Payments eliminates the Shopify transaction fee, leaving only the standard payment processing fee.
