What is Shopify Plus, and why are more high-growth businesses turning to it? As your brand matures, basic ecommerce tools might no longer cut it. Shopify has long been the go-to platform for launching online stores, but scaling successfully demands more power, flexibility, and support. That’s where Shopify Plus steps in.
Whether you’re dealing with high traffic, global expansion, or the need for advanced automation, Shopify Plus is purpose-built for businesses ready to level up.
In this article, we’ll explore what is Shopify Plus, discover how it can supercharge your business growth.
What Is Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise-grade solution built for high-growth and high-volume merchants. Unlike standard Shopify plans, which cater to smaller retailers, Shopify Plus is designed for:
- Businesses generating over $1M in annual revenue
- Companies operating in multiple regions or channels
- Brands requiring greater control over customization, automation, and integrations
So what is Shopify Plus exactly? Think of it as a customizable, scalable commerce platform with advanced features and premium support—engineered to support businesses that are already successful and want to grow even faster.
Some of the industries that frequently use Shopify Plus include:
- Fashion and apparel (e.g., Gymshark, Allbirds)
- Beauty and cosmetics
- Food and beverage brands
- Electronics and gadgets
- Wholesale and B2B suppliers
Whether you’re looking to expand globally, manage B2B and B2C from one backend, or supercharge your site’s performance during Black Friday, Shopify Plus provides the infrastructure to support those needs.
Shopify Plus vs Shopify: What’s the Real Difference?
We explored what is Shopify Plus above. Now, you need to know what’s different between it and Shopify Standard. In short, Shopify Plus offers infrastructure and flexibility suited for brands already reaching large customer bases—and needing room to grow further.
Shopify Plus features
Shopify Plus is an enterprise-level ecommerce solution that builds upon all the capabilities of the Advanced Shopify plan and adds a suite of powerful features designed for scaling global brands. These enhancements cover security, automation, multi-currency sales, customizable checkout, API access, and fulfillment flexibility.
- Priority 24/7 Phone Support
Shopify Plus users receive round-the-clock phone support, ensuring immediate assistance for critical operations or technical issues—something not available on standard Shopify plans. - Up to 200 POS Pro Locations
Plus accounts include support for up to 200 Shopify POS Pro locations, a major upgrade from the 20-location limit in previous versions. POS Pro provides advanced features like:- Smart inventory tracking
- Role-based staff management
- Omnichannel sales analytics
- Headless Commerce with Hydrogen
Shopify Plus supports headless commerce, allowing businesses to decouple the front-end user experience from the Shopify backend. With Shopify’s React-based Hydrogen framework, brands can build high-performance, fully customized storefronts that support advanced SEO techniques like structured snippets for enhanced search visibility.
- Localized Global Selling (50 Markets)
Shopify Plus enables selling in up to 50 international markets with localized settings for pricing, currency, and language—optimizing customer experiences and improving conversion rates worldwide.
- Scalability for Large Teams and Operations
Shopify Plus includes unlimited staff accounts and supports up to 200 inventory locations, giving growing businesses the flexibility and infrastructure needed to operate efficiently at scale.
6 Reasons Why Shopify Plus Helps Scale Faster
Custom Checkout Experience
With checkout.liquid access, you can customize checkout with upsells, messages, and logic—boosting conversions and brand experience.
Automation with Shopify Flow
Shopify Flow allows you to automate everything from inventory alerts to personalized workflows. You can also integrate workflows with third-party tools for SEO automation in Shopify like SearchPie, SEO Booster,…
With this tools, you can automate these tasks:
- Automatically tag high-value customers
- Trigger loyalty emails after specific purchase patterns
- Streamline order routing between warehouses
This eliminates repetitive tasks and frees your team to focus on strategy and customer experience.
Scalability for High Traffic and Integrations
With higher API call limits, Shopify Plus supports heavy integration demands. Whether it’s connecting your ERP (like NetSuite or SAP), CRM (like HubSpot or Salesforce), or 3PL logistics provider, Shopify Plus handles it efficiently.
Dedicated Launch Engineer & Priority Support
You’ll get a Launch Engineer to help with setup, integrations, and store structure during onboarding. After launch, a Merchant Success Manager will support you with strategy and ongoing issues.
Multi-store Management for Global Brands
Manage multiple brands, regions, or languages from one account. Shopify Plus supports up to 10 stores under one organization, making it easier to localize content, currencies, and promotions.
This is especially useful for:
- Regional storefronts (e.g., US, UK, Asia)
- Separate wholesale portals
- Brand house setups with different labels
Built-In B2B & Wholesale Features
Instead of relying on third-party apps, Shopify Plus gives you native B2B features:
- Custom price lists per customer
- Net payment terms
- Draft orders for wholesale
- Company profiles with multiple buyers
This streamlines B2B operations and simplifies customer segmentation for bulk purchases.
Case Study: Scaling With Shopify Plus
Gymshark’s Global Growth with Shopify Plus 
Gymshark, a UK-based fitness apparel brand, began as a small screen-printing operation in a garage. As its global customer base and product demand surged, the company needed a more scalable and flexible ecommerce solution to support its growth.
The Shift to Shopify Plus In 2015, Gymshark migrated to Shopify Plus to solve issues related to traffic surges, international storefronts, and complex operational needs.
Key Results After Switching to Shopify Plus:
- 99.9% uptime during Black Friday, supporting over 200,000 concurrent users
- Handled over 1.25 million orders in a single Black Friday weekend
- Improved page speed and mobile responsiveness, contributing to higher conversion rates
- Launched multiple international storefronts to serve customers across the US, UK, Australia, and more
Why Shopify Plus Was Critical:
- Allowed Gymshark to scale infrastructure without downtime during major sales events
- Enabled region-specific content and payment processing
- Integrated easily with ERP and third-party logistics systems to streamline fulfillment
Should You Switch to Shopify Plus?
You should consider upgrading if:
- Your business generates over $1 million/year in sales
- You’re expanding into multiple markets or regions
- You need backend automation and API flexibility
- You’re serving both B2C and B2B clients
- Your current platform is limiting your growth
You might wait if:
- You’re still validating your business model
- Your store has simple, limited automation needs
- You don’t yet require wholesale functionality or advanced reporting
That said, even if you’re not ready now, planning for a future transition to Shopify Plus helps lay the groundwork for long-term scalability.
Conclusion: Built for Growth
What is Shopify Plus? It’s more than a feature-rich platform—it’s a growth partner. With enterprise-level capabilities, global infrastructure, and expert support, it empowers ambitious brands to scale smarter and faster.
Whether you’re looking to reduce manual work, enter new markets, or create unique customer journeys, Shopify Plus equips you with the tools to do so efficiently.
As your business grows, your platform should grow with you. And when the time comes, Shopify Plus will be ready to unlock your next level.