Enterprise commerce
Shopify Plus
Plus is worth its cost at three specific thresholds, and most retailers asking about it have not reached any of them yet. We would rather tell you that than sell you a tier — and where you have reached them, the difference is real and worth building for properly.
Where Plus actually changes things
Checkout you can actually change
The checkout is the real difference between Plus and standard Shopify. Discount logic, shipping rules and payment presentation can follow your business rules instead of the platform defaults. If the reason you are looking at Plus is that a rule you need lives at the checkout and Shopify will not let you reach it, that is the strongest case there is.
B2B and D2C on one platform
Company accounts, customer-specific catalogues, price lists and payment terms, native rather than bolted on with apps. It covers a large share of wholesale businesses. Where it strains is deep account hierarchies and pricing that lives in an ERP and must be honoured in real time — worth testing against your rules before committing, which is the same discipline we bring to commerce integration generally.
Multiple storefronts without multiple builds
Separate regions, brands or B2B and retail as distinct stores, sharing a plan and a codebase rather than being maintained three times. This is usually the threshold that decides it for retailers already running more than one Shopify store on separate plans.
Replatforming to Plus, honestly assessed
Most moves to Plus from a self-hosted platform are about operational cost rather than capability — a platform team you no longer want to staff, or infrastructure work that earns nothing. Where your commerce logic is genuinely non-standard, moving it into a SaaS checkout can cost more than it saves. We say so. The route itself is the same work as any replatform: data mapping, integrations, and a redirect map built from what is actually indexed.
Headless front ends where they earn it
We build headless front ends — Next.js is a large part of what we do — so this is a recommendation we can make against our own experience rather than a brochure. On a single storefront, the standard theme layer is usually the better engineering decision. Headless earns its cost when content serves more than one destination, or the front end must move independently of the platform.
Apps and integrations that survive an upgrade
Custom apps against the Shopify API, ERP and inventory integration, Australian freight and payment gateways, and subscriptions. The failure mode we most often inherit is a store carrying twelve apps that overlap, three of which are load-bearing and none of which are documented.
When Plus is not the answer
Three situations where we would tell you to stay where you are, because the tier will not fix what is actually wrong.
You are hitting a theme limit, not a platform limit
A lot of what gets attributed to "we have outgrown Shopify" is a theme carrying years of edits. Rebuilding the storefront on standard Shopify is dramatically cheaper than moving tier, and it fixes the actual complaint more often than not.
Volume is the only argument
Plenty of high-revenue stores run comfortably on standard Shopify. If nothing in your business rules requires the checkout, B2B accounts or multiple storefronts, revenue alone is not a reason to pay for the tier.
The real problem is upstream of commerce
If product data is inconsistent, or inventory disagrees between systems, a new platform inherits the problem intact. That is usually product information or integration work, and it is worth doing first — a replatform will not clean your catalogue for you.
The proof
Work we have shipped, not a capability deck.
- LOOPAn ethical e-gift card marketplace on Shopify, including the plugin that gives partner brands real-time sales and redemption tracking.Read the case study
- Aelia Duty FreeAdobe Commerce, not Shopify — included because it is the clearest example of the commerce logic that decides a platform choice: duty and tax rules, live inventory across locations, and SAP integration.Read the case study
- MUK HaircareRetail e-commerce for an Australian haircare brand.Read the case study
Commerce work we do
Magento & Adobe Commerce
Builds, replatforms, upgrades and performance rescue — including SAP integration.
Magento upgrades
Version upgrades and extension audits — and when the platform is not what needs the money.
Shopify & Shopify Plus
Storefronts, theme builds, app integration and headless front ends.
E-commerce development
The whole practice: platform selection, build, integrate and run.
Headless commerce
Decoupled storefronts on Shopify and Adobe Commerce — and when a themed build is the better call.
Migration & replatforming
Moving between platforms without losing data, rankings or trading days.
Magento to Shopify
The specific route, and an honest view of when not to take it.
WooCommerce
WordPress commerce where the catalogue and the content live together.
E-commerce & retail
The sector view — what retail platforms are actually asked to do, and where they break.
B2B & wholesale commerce
Company accounts, contract pricing, quotes, credit terms and ERP-held price logic for trade suppliers.
Adelaide commerce
Adobe Commerce for South Australian retailers — including the duty free store trading at Adelaide Airport.
New Zealand commerce
GST, rural freight and trans-Tasman selling — and the duty free stores running across airports in both countries.
More on commerce
Two Thirds of Australian Retail's Page Weight Isn't Theirs
We measured 21 of Australia's largest online retailers. None scored above 44. The median site ships 7MB, and 62% of it is third-party code the retailer didn't write.
What Does a Shopify Plus Build Cost in Australia?
What Shopify Plus actually costs Australian retailers — the platform fee, the transaction economics nobody models, and what drives a build quote up or down.
ERP Integration for E-commerce: What It Actually Costs
Why ERP integration is the line item that blows e-commerce budgets, the four questions that decide the price, and how to tell real-time requirements from imagined ones.
Adobe Commerce vs Shopify Plus for Australian Retailers
Where Adobe Commerce genuinely beats Shopify Plus, where it does not, and the three questions that actually decide it — from a team that builds on both.
Adobe Has Patched StyleSmuggler. Patching Is Not the Whole Job.
Adobe has released APSB26-146 for CVE-2026-75650. Apply it now — but a patch does not clean a store that was already compromised. What to preserve before you patch, what to check after, and the disclosure clock most coverage skips.
Selling Into Australia and New Zealand From One Store
Whether to run one store or two across the Tasman, what actually differs between AU and NZ commerce — GST, freight, currency — and the duplication that costs more than it solves.
Ecommerce practice lead
Maxim Baibakov — Chief Technology Officer - Australia
Adobe Commerce and Shopify work here runs through a dedicated commerce team rather than being picked up by whoever is free.
Common questions
Do we actually need Shopify Plus, or is standard Shopify enough?
Most retailers asking the question do not need it yet. Plus earns its cost at three thresholds: when you need to change the checkout itself rather than the theme around it, when you are running B2B alongside D2C on one platform, or when you are operating enough separate storefronts that managing them individually has become the job. Volume alone is a weak reason — plenty of high-revenue stores run perfectly well on standard Shopify.
What can you customise on Plus that you cannot on Shopify?
The checkout is the real difference. Plus opens checkout extensibility and scripting, so discount logic, shipping rules and payment presentation can follow your business rules rather than the platform defaults. You also get more storefronts under one plan, higher API limits, and access to B2B company accounts and price lists. Everything else — themes, apps, the admin — is the same product.
Can Plus handle our B2B and wholesale pricing?
Native B2B on Plus covers company accounts, customer-specific catalogues, price lists and payment terms, and that is enough for a large share of wholesale businesses. Where it strains is deep account hierarchies, complex kits and bundles, or pricing that lives in an ERP and must be honoured in real time at the moment of checkout. Those are worth testing against your actual rules before you commit to the tier.
How long does a Shopify Plus build take?
Three to five months is typical for a mid-market replatform, and the schedule is usually set by decisions rather than development — product data quality, how many integrations are in scope, and how quickly sign-off happens. A storefront on an existing catalogue with two integrations can move much faster; a B2B and D2C build sharing one platform will not.
Is a headless front end worth it on Plus?
Only when content and commerce serve more than one destination, or the front end must change independently of the platform. Headless costs you the editorial experience and adds moving parts, and small teams feel that hardest. For a single storefront, the standard theme layer is usually the better engineering decision even when headless is technically available.
Can you migrate us from Adobe Commerce to Plus?
Yes, and we will tell you when it is the wrong move. The cases where it is right are usually about operational cost rather than capability — a platform team you no longer want to staff, or infrastructure work that is not earning anything. Where your commerce logic is genuinely non-standard, moving it into a SaaS checkout can cost more than it saves.
Do you work with retailers outside Sydney?
Our head office is in Sydney and we work with clients across Australia — Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and regional NSW included — as well as in New Zealand, where the duty free stores across the major airports have run on a platform we build and support since 2021. Delivery has been remote-first for years, so a project runs the same way whether you are ten minutes away or across the Tasman: scheduled calls, a shared board you can see at any time, and one named point of contact. We are happy to meet in person in Sydney.
Trusted by
“We partnered with Shakewell in 2024 to help improve and maintain our website technology. The team are friendly, diligent and routinely demonstrate a breadth of technical understanding that is hard to find. Their support has put us in a much stronger position to scale and enhance our web presence.”
Aidan Arentz
Digital Product Owner of Merivale
“Hannah and the team have been instrumental in building a strong inbound lead model, nurturing potential clients with timely email communications, and supporting our sales team. This helped us secure over 300 new members—all before opening our doors!
Each social media post has been impactful, and the ads capture the brand’s tone perfectly. I highly recommend Shakewell for high-performance digital marketing focused on brand positioning and strategic growth.”
Briony Fischer
Club Manager, B3 by Social Remedy
Engagement models
How we work
Four straightforward ways to engage us. Pick the one that fits, or mix them as your needs change.
Staff Augmentation
Add experienced Shakewell developers, designers or specialists directly to your own team. Engagements typically run three to twelve months, but can be as short or long as you need — you get the skills without the commitment and cost of hiring full-time.
About staff augmentationFixed-Scope Projects
Have a defined outcome in mind? We scope it, price it and deliver it as a project — a clear timeline, agreed milestones and a single point of accountability from kickoff to handover.
Embedded Delivery Teams
For larger or longer-running work, a cross-functional Shakewell team — development, design and delivery management — plugs in as your delivery arm, working to your priorities and your reporting cadence.
Support & Maintenance
Already live? We keep websites, stores and apps secure, updated and performing through ongoing retainers — business-hours support as standard, with 24/7 coverage available for critical issues.
About support & maintenance