Unveiling Shopify Pricing for Singaporean Sellers: Basic Plans vs. Shopify Plus

Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform that allows businesses to set up an online store and sell their products or services. It offers various pricing plans to cater to the needs of different types of businesses.

In this article, we will be focusing on Shopify’s pricing plans for sellers in Singapore. We will discuss the plans available as well as the advanced option known as Shopify Plus. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the pricing options and which one is best suited for your business.

Summary

1. Understanding Shopify’s Pricing Basics in Singapore
2. Transaction Fees: A Singaporean Seller’s Concern
3. Shopify Plus: The Enterprise-Level Solution for Singaporean Growth
4. Choosing the Right Shopify Plan for Your Singaporean Store
5. Additional Tips for Singaporean Shopify Sellers

Understanding Shopify’s Pricing Basics in Singapore

In order to start selling on Shopify, you will need to choose one of its four plans. These plans are suitable for small and medium-sized businesses with different levels of features and benefits. Let’s take a closer look at each plan:

Basic Shopify

Basic Shopify is the best option for solo entrepreneurs and is also the most popular plan among small business owners. Priced at $29 SGD per month when billed annually, the Basic Shopify plan provides excellent value for those who are just starting out in the e-commerce space.

Detailed Pricing Overview:

• Monthly Cost: $29 SGD/month (billed once yearly)

• Card Rates:

  • Online: Starting at 3.2% + $0.50 SGD per transaction

  • In-person: 3% + $0.50 SGD per transaction

  • Third-party Payment Providers: 2% fee

Key Features:

• 10 Inventory Locations: Manage up to ten different inventory locations efficiently within your dashboard.

• 24/7 Chat Support: Access round-the-clock support to help resolve any issues that might arise while running your store.

• Localised Global Selling: Sell globally with ease, as the plan includes support for up to three distinct markets with localised features.

• POS Lite: Utilise Shopify’s Point of Sale Lite, perfect for those who want to sell in-person at events or popup shops.

Overall, Basic Shopify offers a robust set of features tailored to support solo entrepreneurs, making it an ideal and affordable choice for those looking to establish or grow their online presence.

Shopify

Shopify is perfect for small teams that require more advanced features and support. Priced at $99 SGD per month when billed annually, this plan offers greater flexibility and resource allocation for growing businesses.

Detailed Pricing Overview:

• Monthly Cost: $99 SGD/month (billed once yearly)

• Card Rates:

  • Online: Starting at 3.1% + $0.50 SGD per transaction

  • In-person: Starting at 2.9% + $0.50 SGD per transaction

  • Third-party Payment Providers: 1% fee

Key Features:

• 10 Inventory Locations: Efficiently manage up to ten inventory locations.

• 24/7 Chat Support: Round-the-clock support to assist with any operational challenges.

• Localised Global Selling: Support for up to three distinct markets with localization features.

• 5 Additional Staff Accounts: Add up to five staff accounts to manage your store operations more effectively.

• POS Lite: Use Shopify’s Point of Sale Lite for selling in-person at various events and popup shops.

This Shopify plan accommodates up to five staff accounts and five locations. It offers social media integration, comprehensive marketing and sales features, and supports an unlimited number of products.

Advanced Shopify

Advanced Shopify is the ideal solution as your business scales, offering sophisticated tools and resources. Priced at $399 SGD per month when billed annually, it provides exceptional value for expanding businesses with more complex needs.

Detailed Pricing Overview:

• Monthly Cost: $399 SGD/month (billed once yearly)

• Card Rates:

  • Online: Starting at 3% + $0.50 SGD per transaction

  • In-person: Starting at 2.75% + $0.50 SGD per transaction

  • Third-party Payment Providers: 0.6% fee

Key Features:

• Custom Reports and Analytics: Generate detailed reports and analytics to gain valuable insights into your business performance.

• 10 Inventory Locations: Manage up to ten inventory locations efficiently.

• Enhanced 24/7 Chat Support: Access round-the-clock support for any operational challenges.

• Localised Global Selling: Support for up to three distinct markets with the option to add more markets at $59 USD per month each.

• 15 Additional Staff Accounts: Add up to fifteen staff accounts to manage your store operations more effectively.

• 10x Checkout Capacity: Handle increased checkout traffic to support your growing business.

• POS Lite: Utilise Shopify’s Point of Sale Lite for seamless in-person sales at events and popup shops.

Shopify’s advanced plan supports up to 15 staff accounts and eight locations. It also offers a range of marketing, sales, SEO, and other features designed to help businesses maximise their eCommerce stores’ potential.

Shopify Plus

For more complex businesses, Shopify Plus offers a robust solution starting at $2,300 USD per month on a 3-year term, catering to the needs of high-volume merchants with competitive card rates.

Detailed Pricing Overview:

• Monthly Cost: $2,300 USD/month (over a three-year period)

Card Rates:

• Attractive rates for high-volume merchants

Key Features:

• Custom Reports and Analytics: Generate in-depth analytics and custom reports for advanced business insights.

• 200 Inventory Locations: Efficiently manage inventory across up to 200 locations.

• Priority 24/7 Phone Support: Receive priority support at any time with dedicated phone assistance.

• Localised Global Selling: Facilitate sales in up to 50 distinct markets.

• Unlimited Staff Accounts: Add an unlimited number of staff accounts to handle extensive operations.

• Fully Customizable Checkout: Customise your checkout experience with a capacity 40 times greater than standard plans.

• 200 POS Pro Locations: Take advantage of Shopify Payments with POS Pro at up to 200 locations for seamless retail operations.

• Sell Wholesale/B2B: Support for wholesale and B2B transactions, enabling business expansion into new markets.

With Shopify Plus, businesses gain access to all the features of lower-tier plans as well as additional tools and support to meet their growing needs. From custom reporting and localised global selling capabilities to priority support and wholesale/B2B functionality, Shopify Plus offers an all-in-one solution for complex businesses looking to scale and expand their operations.

Transaction Fees: A Singaporean Seller’s Concern

As a Shopify merchant, you might feel concerned about transaction fees when selling to customers in Singapore. But you don’t really have to be worried as Shopify offers competitive transaction rates depending on your plan.

Shopify Payments

Shopify Payments is the recommended payment gateway for merchants selling in Singapore. It offers competitive transaction rates and no additional fees, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. With Shopify Payments, you can accept all major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.

One of the main advantages of using Shopify Payments is the simplified Shopify pricing structure. Unlike other payment gateways, there are no setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden charges. You only pay a transaction fee per sale, and this fee decreases as you upgrade to higher-tier plans. While other payment gateways may charge additional fees for international transactions, Shopify Payments offers the same rates regardless of where your customers are located.

Third-party Payment Processors

Unlike Shopify Payments, third-party payment processors charge additional fees for every transaction. This means that on top of the Shopify transaction fee, you will also need to pay a fee to your chosen payment processor. Some popular options in Singapore include PayPal, Stripe, and Worldpay.

When choosing a third-party payment processor, make sure to check their fees thoroughly as they can vary significantly depending on the provider. Some may offer lower transaction rates but have higher setup or monthly fees, while others may offer no setup fees but charge higher transaction rates. It’s important to compare and consider all factors to determine which payment processor is the best fit for your business.

Additionally, it’s important to note that not all third-party payment processors are available in every country. Before selecting a payment processor, make sure to check if they support transactions in Singapore.

Shopify Plus: The Enterprise-Level Solution for Singaporean Growth

As briefly mentioned earlier, Shopify Plus is the enterprise-level solution offered by Shopify. It provides advanced features and tools specifically designed for high-volume merchants, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to scale and grow in Singapore.

Some key features of Shopify Plus include:

Dedicated Account Manager

This feature provides merchants with a dedicated point of contact at Shopify who can provide personalised assistance and guidance. You can utilise this service for technical support, account management, and strategic planning. It’s also an added benefit for businesses with multiple stores, as your account manager can help streamline and manage all of your accounts.

Lower Transaction Fees

Compared to other pricing plans offered by Shopify, the transaction fees for Shopify Plus are significantly lower. This is a huge benefit for high-volume merchants in Singapore who process a large number of transactions each month. If you are currently using a third-party payment processor with high fees, switching to Shopify Plus can result in significant cost savings.

Advanced Features

There are some advanced features in Shopify Plus that are not available in other plans. These include:

1. Organisation settings: This feature manages all the stores in your organisation from a single location with the tools available in Organization Settings. These management tools are exclusively for Shopify Plus merchants only:

   A. Billing: Here, you can view charges for all stores within your organisation for the current billing cycle. Additionally, you can review previous bills for these stores and update your billing profile.

   B. Stores: This feature allows you to create a new store, view and edit your organisation’s name, review a list of your stores, and check their status.

   C. Users: In the Users section, you can add, suspend, or remove staff members. Additionally, you can create and assign user roles, modify specific stores, implement organisation-wide changes affecting all stores, and adjust security requirements for the entire organisation.

   D. Analytics: To access organisation-level analytics, users must possess at least one organisation permission. These analytics can be viewed on the Analytics page within the Shopify admin of any store you have access to.

2. Custom checkout: Shopify Plus merchants have access to Shopify Scripts, which can be used to customise the checkout experience for their customers. This feature allows you to create custom discounts and promotions, offer personalised messaging during the checkout process, and implement complex pricing rules.

3. Specialised apps and channels: Shopify Plus merchants benefit from exclusive access to advanced Shopify apps tailored for high-growth businesses. This includes apps for multi-currency and multi-language support, as well as channels for selling on popular platforms such as Amazon and Instagram.

4. Unlimited staff: Shopify Plus offers unlimited staff accounts, allowing you to expand your team without incurring extra costs.

5. Permissions: Shopify Plus provides enhanced permission settings, giving you greater control over your staff’s actions within the Shopify admin. This includes distinct permissions for report exports and specific app access.

Scalability

Lastly, one of the most significant advantages of Shopify Plus is its scalability. As your business grows, so do your needs and requirements. With Shopify Plus, you can rest assured that the platform can handle high volumes of traffic and orders without any issues.

Shopify Plus offers auto-scaling to ensure that your website can handle a sudden increase in traffic or sales. This feature automatically allocates additional resources to your website when needed, allowing for a seamless shopping experience for your customers. This is a crucial factor for high-growth businesses that need to be able to handle sudden spikes in demand.

Furthermore, Shopify Plus also offers unlimited bandwidth and storage, ensuring that your website can accommodate an ever-growing product catalogue and media content without any limitations. It’s certainly a relief for merchants who are constantly expanding their offerings and need a platform that can keep up with their growth.

Choosing the Right Shopify Plan for Your Singaporean Store

Despite the numerous advantages of Shopify Plus, this plan may not be suitable or necessary for all businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Shopify Plus is designed for high-volume, enterprise-level businesses with considerable resources and complex needs.

So how do you choose the right Shopify plan for your Singaporean store? Here are a few factors to consider:

• Business size and growth potential: As mentioned, Shopify Plus is best suited for large businesses with high sales volumes. If you’re just starting or have a small to medium-sized business, it may be more cost-effective to opt for one of the lower-tier plans and upgrade as your business grows.

• Budget: Shopify Plus comes with a hefty price tag, making it more suitable for businesses with higher budgets. If you’re on a tight budget, it may be more practical to choose one of the lower-tier plans and invest the saved funds in other areas of your business such as marketing or product development.

• Features and functionality: Each Shopify plan offers different features and capabilities. Consider what your store needs in terms of design, sales channels, payment options, analytic tools, and customer support. You may find that one of the lower-tier plans has everything you need at a fraction of the cost.

• Technical expertise: Shopify Plus offers more customization options and access to APIs for developers. This requires technical knowledge and resources in order to fully utilise the platform’s capabilities. For smaller businesses with limited technical expertise, a lower-tier plan may be more user-friendly and manageable.

• Integrations: The Shopify App Store offers thousands of integrations with various apps and tools to enhance your store’s functionality. However, not all apps are available for every plan. If you have specific integrations in mind, be sure to check which plans they are compatible with.

• International sales: If you’re looking to expand your business globally and sell to customers outside of Singapore, consider the international sales capabilities offered by each plan. Shopify Plus offers more features for international sales, such as multiple currencies and custom language translations.

• Customer support: Shopify Plus offers 24/7 priority customer support, while lower-tier plans have limited hours or require additional fees for priority support. Consider the level of customer support you may need and factor that into your decision.

Additional Tips for Singaporean Shopify Sellers

To ensure that you are getting the most out of your Shopify plan and maximising your store’s potential, here are some additional tips for Singaporean sellers:

Free Trial

Utilise the free trial offerings to fully explore and test out the features of each plan. This will give you a better understanding of which plan best fits your business needs. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial for all plans, so take advantage of this to make an informed decision. Plans such as Basic, Shopify, and Advanced can also be purchased at $1 for the first month so you can try out the features for an extended period.

App Store

The Shopify App Store offers a wide range of apps and integrations to enhance your store’s functionality. Make sure to explore the different options available for your plan and consider which ones will benefit your business the most. Keep in mind that some apps may have additional fees or may only be compatible with certain plans.

Localization

You can localise your Shopify store by setting a default currency, language, and time zone for Singapore. This will help create a seamless shopping experience for your customers and build trust with local shoppers. By customising your store to fit the Singaporean market, you can also increase your chances of reaching a wider audience.

Choose the Right Shopify Plan with Verz Design Expertise

Choosing the right Shopify plan can be challenging especially for a new seller. Verz Design, a top-rated web design and development company in Singapore, can help you navigate through the different plans and make an informed decision based on your business goals and needs.

Our team of experts can also assist you in setting up your store, optimising it for SEO, and providing ongoing support to ensure the success of your online business. Call us today and let us be your partner in growing your Shopify store in Singapore.