A Developer's Pitch on Upgrading to Shopify Plus: Everything Else Shopify Plus Has To Offer!
Wednesday, May 31, 2017Lauren Macdonald
Shopify Flow
Although minimal information has been released at this point, Shopify is planning a beta in June 2017 for a new 'automation platform' that they're calling Flow. The promise is that it will allow merchants to customize unique backend 'workflows' without the need for programming, making the lives of a developer that much easier. Some of the key workflows that will be capable within Flow include:
· The ability to customize the way Shopify works so merchants can automate the repetitive tasks that occur within their business on a regular basis
· Allows for logic customizations to trigger actions after certain events and conditions are met, automating and streamlining administrative and monitoring tasks to create greater efficiency in existing and new business processes
· Customizations are created visually with a common language and logic and do not require coding knowledge
· Enabling customization and change will allow the platform to adapt and grow alongside the varied, unique and complex businesses on Shopify Plus
· Allows for discovery and experimentation by combining different sets of events, actions, and conditions
Additional Resources
·
Shopify Flow Product Announcement
Mobile Store Builder
Another feature that's slated for release soon, but still with minimal information available, is Shopify's new Mobile Store Builder. The Mobile Store Builder will allow merchants to build a native mobile app without any technical expertise or coding. Some of the main features include:
· The ability to quickly create native iOS and Android apps
· Beautiful, immersive themes that can be styled to match your brand
· Navigate through collections, products, cart, and customer accounts
· Reduce checkout friction with simpler payment options (Apple Pay and Android Pay)
· Publish to both the Apple App Store and Google Play
Additional Resources
· Mobile Store Builder Product Announcement
Theme
Shopify already provides an incredible amount of flexibility in designing and developing custom themes for your store using their theming language, Liquid. As a Shopify Plus merchant, you'll have even more flexibility as you gain access to customize the checkout portion of your store.
Checkout.liquid and Checkout.scss.liquid
The checkout process for standard Shopify merchants has a limited number of brand elements and styling properties that can be customized within your store's settings. Shopify Plus merchants have the opportunity to expand beyond these basic settings using the Checkout.liquid layout and the Checkout.scss.liquid template. Between these two files, merchants can add custom styling, JavaScript and HTML elements that would otherwise be prohibited. There are still some baseline requirements such as including the {{ content_for_layout }} object to ensure the usual expected fields are output within your checkout process. Beyond that, however, developers have the opportunity to create a much improved checkout experience for users.
Additional Resources
· Checkout.liquid Documentation
· Checkout.scss.liquid Documentation
As you can see above, there are a number of reasons to consider upgrading to Shopify Plus that would excite any developer managing your website. Beyond these APIs, apps and theme features lie a number of other benefits that any e-commerce executive would find just as enticing. These include a built-in integration with Avalara to handle global tax management, 9 additional 'clone stores' to help meet the demands of growing an international e-commerce business and a dedicated account manager directly within Shopify to help prioritize support requests, answer platform questions and provide early-access to Shopify's product roadmap. If you're a growing an e-commerce enterprise that needs a robust platform to manage your sales and operations, consider getting in touch with Shopify Plus to discuss how an upgrade or migration could help take your business to the next level.
About Growth Spark
Growth Spark is an award-winning, nationwide team that helps e-commerce companies grow by building unique web experiences that convert visitors into customers. We are proud to be an official Shopify Plus Expert, and can help you grow your e-commerce business. If you’re interested in learning more give us a shout!
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