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Written by: Benjamin Paine
Managing Director at Digital Nomads HQ
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Shopify Pricing Australia: How to Choose the Right Plan for 2024
Setting up an online store in Australia should be straightforward when it comes to pricing. Many business owners find it difficult to understand Shopify’s pricing options in Australia and choose plans that don’t suit their requirements.
Our team has invested significant time to analyse Shopify’s fees, having worked with the platform in developing websites for our clients across Australia for many years. We are here to compare different plans available in Australia.
This detailed piece covers everything from simple Shopify costs to advanced features in Australia.
You will learn about the monthly expenses your business can expect in 2024 and going into 2025.
The content breaks down each pricing tier and reveals hidden costs. You will get practical explanations that help you pick the right Shopify plan for your business goals and budget.
Understanding Shopify’s 2024 Pricing Structure
Let’s take a closer look at Shopify’s pricing structure for Australian businesses in 2024. Our analysis will help you understand your exact costs.
Complete breakdown of current plan tiers
Shopify provides five distinct pricing tiers for Australian businesses. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
***Hidden costs and additional fees***
The base subscription isn’t your only expense. Here are other costs you should think over:
Payment Processing Fees:
Basic Plan: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
Shopify Plan: 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction
Advanced Plan: 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction
App Expenses: Premium apps can add substantial monthly costs though many apps come free.
Theme Investment: Premium themes cost between AUD 150 to AUD 350 as a one-time purchase.
Annual vs monthly pricing comparison
You can save 25% on your Shopify subscription with annual billing. Here’s what this means:
The Basic plan costs AUD 504 annually instead of AUD 672 with monthly billing. This saves you AUD 168 each year.
The Shopify plan costs AUD 1,341 annually instead of AUD 1,788 with monthly billing, saving AUD 447 per year.
The Advanced plan costs AUD 5,175 annually instead of AUD 6,900 with monthly billing, saving AUD 1,725 per year.
Higher-tier plans offer even bigger savings, making annual billing an attractive option for businesses.
Shopify Payments users can avoid extra transaction fees completely, whatever their billing cycle.
This leads to substantial savings, especially for high-volume stores.
Analysing Your Business Requirements
The right Shopify plan selection for our Australian business needs a careful analysis of our requirements. This is a vital step in our business strategy.
Let’s see how we can make this decision work best.
Key metrics to think about before choosing a plan
Your business metrics are the foundations of selecting the right Shopify plan. These metrics deserve your attention:
Average Order Value (AOV): Shows transaction fee effects
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Shows if higher-tier plans are worth it
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Shapes marketing budget decisions
Return Customer Rate: Points to advanced customer feature needs
Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate: Reveals checkout optimisation needs
Transaction volume assessment
Transaction volume plays a significant role in picking the most affordable Shopify plan. Australian businesses should look at both current and future sales volumes.
Monthly sales patterns tell an important story.
Businesses processing more than 50 orders monthly often find that upgrading from the Basic plan pays off through lower transaction fees.
To name just one example, a move from Basic to Shopify plan saves 0.3% per transaction – the savings add up quickly for high-volume stores.
Growth projection analysis
A complete growth projection analysis looks at several key factors. Internal and external growth indicators paint the full picture:
Internal Growth Factors:
Planned marketing budget increases
New product launches
Upcoming sales campaigns
Brand partnerships
External Growth Factors:
Market trends
Seasonal fluctuations
Competitive landscape changes
The ideal plan should handle at least 12 months of projected growth. Rapid expansion plans might make the Shopify or Advanced plan a smart choice from day one. These plans offer strong features and lower transaction fees that become more valuable as your business grows.
Note that plan upgrades are always possible later. The right features should be in place before rapid growth happens to avoid operational issues. Performance problems, missing essential features, or steady sales increases usually signal the need for a higher-tier plan.
Calculating Total Cost of Ownership
The total cost of ownership (TCO) for our Shopify store involves more than monthly subscription fees. Our data analysis will help you make smart decisions about your e-commerce investment in Australia.
Transaction fees affect
Our analysis shows transaction fees eat up 1.3% to 3.5% of total purchase amounts. These fees change based on our chosen plan:
Plan Type | Shopify Payments Rate | Third-Party Payment Rate |
|---|---|---|
Basic | 2.9% + 30¢ | +2.0% |
Shopify | 2.6% + 30¢ | +1.0% |
Advanced | 2.4% + 30¢ | +0.5% |
These fees multiply with sales volume. To cite an instance, processing AUD 50,000 monthly in sales with a 0.3% difference in transaction fees can save you AUD 150 each month.
Payment gateway choices
Our payment gateway choice affects our profits directly. Shopify Payments eliminates additional transaction fees completely. Using third-party payment service providers (PSPs) requires us to think about:
Settlement timeframes (typically 2 business days in Australia)
Integration capabilities with existing systems
Additional platform fees (0.5% for Advanced, 0.15% for Plus)
Shopify Payments rates might exceed some PSPs, but removing additional platform fees makes it the affordable choice for Australian merchants.
Add-on and app expenses
App ecosystem costs need careful evaluation. They come in several forms:
Subscription Charges: Regular Shopify bills include these recurring costs that range from a few dollars to hundreds per month, depending on app selection.
Usage-Based Charges: App usage determines these variable costs, such as customer service interactions or marketing campaign volumes.
One-Time Purchases: Data migration or special features fall into this category that needs a single payment.
Setting app spending limits and regular usage audits helps optimise TCO. Many merchants overlook these costs that can reach 15-20% of their total platform expenses.
Research shows Shopify’s TCO is 33% lower than competing platforms. Australian businesses benefit from lower platform fees, reduced operational costs, and faster implementation processes.
Comparing Features Across Plans
We’ve really looked at the features of all Shopify plans in Australia, and we’re excited to share our detailed comparison that helps you make an informed choice.
Essential features by plan tier
Our analysis shows that Shopify plans in Australia share powerful core features. Whatever plan you choose, you’ll get:
Core Feature | Description |
|---|---|
Unlimited Products | Sell as many items as you want |
SSL Certificate | Secure shopping experience |
Abandoned Cart Recovery | Automated customer follow-up |
Analytics Dashboard | Simple performance tracking |
24/7 Support | Chat-based customer service |
Advanced functionality comparison
Moving up the pricing tiers shows most important improvements in functionality. The Shopify and Advanced plans offer sophisticated features that streamline processes:
Enhanced Reporting Capabilities
Standard Shopify: Professional reports with sales trends
Advanced Shopify: Custom report builder and advanced analytics
Plus: Enterprise-level analytics with API access
Staff Account Management
Basic: 2 staff accounts
Shopify: 5 staff accounts
Advanced: 15 staff accounts
Plus: Unlimited staff accounts
Plan-specific limitations
Several vital limitations vary by plan tier. Learning about these constraints helps you pick the right choice for your Shopify store in Australia:
Basic Plan Limitations:
No staff accounts beyond two users
Limited reporting capabilities
No third-party calculated shipping rates
Standard Shopify Constraints:
Maximum of five staff accounts
Simple API access only
Limited international selling features
Advanced Plan Considerations:
Single store limitation
Premium app costs still apply
Limited checkout customisation
The Plus plan stands out with its ability to handle multiple stores from a single dashboard. This feature proves exceptional for businesses operating in different regions of Australia. Plus merchants also get exclusive features like Shopify Flow for automation and Launchpad for coordinated store changes.
The standard Shopify plan offers the best mix of features for most growing businesses in Australia. The Advanced plan’s reduced transaction fees and improved features justify the higher monthly cost if you process over AUD 22,115 monthly.
Scaling Considerations
Smart decisions about scaling our Shopify store in Australia need a good look at growth indicators and future needs. Let’s see how we can make informed choices about upgrading and scaling our e-commerce presence.
When to upgrade your plan
Our analysis shows clear signs that tell us when it’s time to upgrade our Shopify plan.
Sales reaching AUD 176,923 (USD 115,000) monthly mark the biggest threshold.
The decision goes beyond just revenue numbers. Here’s our complete upgrade assessment matrix:
Transaction Volume | Recommended Plan | Monthly Revenue Threshold |
|---|---|---|
33 transactions | Basic Plan | < AUD 22,115 |
94 transactions | Shopify Plan | AUD 22,115 – 88,462 |
374 transactions | Advanced Plan | AUD 88,462 – 176,923 |
2,949+ transactions | Plus Plan | > AUD 176,923 |
Future-proofing your selection
Building a foundation for sustainable growth matters more than just picking the right plan. These key strategies can help:
Automation Implementation
Use Shopify’s built-in automation tools
Cut down manual tasks
Set up smart merchandising solutions
Community Integration
Join the Shopify Plus Community for networking
Take part in Shopify Plus Academy
Share resources with other high-growth brands
Technology Optimisation
Use checkout optimisation features
Set up multi-channel selling capabilities
Add advanced analytics tools
Successful scaling creates seamless experiences across all channels. Automation and Shopify’s technology stack help our team focus on strategic growth by reducing manual work.
Businesses that invest in future-proofing their e-commerce operations get better results in the long term. Regular reviews of our store’s performance metrics help us stay current with new Shopify features and capabilities.
Scaling our Shopify store needs ongoing optimisation and adaptation. A close eye on business needs and full use of available tools ensure our e-commerce platform grows with our business.
Maximising ROI on Your Chosen Plan
Getting the best returns from a Shopify store needs more than picking the right plan. Success comes from using every feature and tool available. Australian merchants who get better ROI follow specific strategies to optimise their stores.
Using plan-specific features
Many Australian merchants don’t use their plan’s features fully. Here’s a proven way to optimise different Shopify plans:
Feature Category | Optimisation Strategy | Expected ROI Impact |
|---|---|---|
Checkout Process | Custom scripts implementation | +15% conversion |
Inventory Management | Automated reordering setup | -20% holding costs |
Marketing Tools | Abandoned cart automation | +25% recovery rate |
Analytics | Custom report automation | +30% insight accuracy |
Smart investing starts with the right decisions at the right moment. Australian merchants who use their plan’s features see 23% higher returns than those who don’t.
Cost optimisation strategies
Good cost optimisation does more than cut expenses. Australian Shopify stores succeed with these strategies:
Price Optimisation Implementation
Use dynamic pricing based on market conditions
Set up automated bulk pricing rules
Create customer-specific pricing strategies
Operational Efficiency
Automate inventory management processes
Streamline order fulfillment procedures
Add third-party apps strategically
Price alone can boost profit margins by 12-15%. Successful merchants balance cost reduction with growth initiatives.
Performance monitoring tools
Regular monitoring helps improve ROI. These tools give the best results:
Real-Time Analytics Dashboard
Live View tracking for quick insights
Customer behavior monitoring
Sales funnel analysis
Geographic performance tracking
ShopifyQL Notebooks gives detailed cross-domain reporting capabilities. This tool lets us:
Track key performance indicators:
Customer acquisition costs
Average order value
Customer lifetime value
Conversion rates
Monitor website performance:
Page load times
Checkout completion rates
Mobile responsiveness
Server response times
Merchants who use these monitoring tools see their conversion rates improve by 28%. Successful Australian stores check their metrics weekly and adjust their strategies based on evidence.
A three-tier monitoring approach works best for ROI:
Daily Monitoring
Track sales performance
Monitor inventory levels
Review customer feedback
Weekly Analysis
Check marketing campaign results
Assess conversion rates
Review shipping performance
Monthly Review
Look at long-term trends
Check app performance and costs
Review pricing strategies
Shopify’s built-in reporting and analytics help make faster decisions. The platform offers 60 pre-built dashboards to spot trends and grab opportunities quickly. Live View proves valuable during busy times like Black Friday Cyber Monday. It shows immediate results from marketing efforts and promotions.
Australian merchants who use detailed monitoring systems see their store performance improve by 35% in three months. Better inventory management, effective marketing campaigns, and improved customer service based on current data drive this improvement.
Conclusion
Selecting the right Shopify plan for our Australian business depends on several key factors. Transaction volumes, hidden costs, growth projections, and feature requirements all play crucial roles. Successful merchants look beyond the monthly subscription fees. They evaluate the total cost of ownership, which includes payment processing fees, app expenses, and potential scaling needs.
A smart plan selection begins with a clear picture of current business metrics and future growth plans. The Basic plan suits new stores that process under 33 monthly transactions. Businesses that handle over 374 transactions can benefit from the Advanced plan’s lower fees and improved features. Your business’s key performance indicators will signal the right time to upgrade.
Your store’s ROI improves significantly when you use your chosen plan’s features fully. Merchants who set up detailed monitoring systems and use built-in tools like ShopifyQL Notebooks see a 35% boost in store performance within three months. Your store’s metrics need regular review to adjust strategies based on actual data. This approach ensures your e-commerce platform supports your business’s growth effectively.
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