extensibility
Checkout Extensions
Custom checkout UI, payment logic, shipping rules, and order-notes fields. Plus replaces Checkout.liquid (sunset August 2024).
§§ · shopify plus agency
Shopify Plus agency for brands past enterprise scale.
A Shopify Plus Partner engineering checkout extensions, B2B storefronts, Flow automation, Markets, and headless Hydrogen — for brands moving $1M+ a month through their stores.
A Shopify Plus agency is a Shopify-accredited development and design partner that builds for merchants on the Plus tier. Plus agencies get early API access to features like Checkout Extensions, Shopify Functions, and native B2B — months before those features hit standard Shopify. Digital Heroes is a Shopify Plus Partner with 50+ engineers and designers across five cities.
The accreditation matters because Plus is not a marketing tier. It ships separate APIs, a different theme architecture during migration windows, and enterprise features (Markets, Functions, Flow, Launchpad) that a standard Partner isn't trained or contracted to touch. A Plus agency has signed the Partner Program Agreement that governs enterprise work and has access to the Plus Slack channel where product managers answer platform questions in real time.
In practice, four work categories fill the hours: Plus migrations from Magento or Salesforce Commerce, checkout extensions for brands with complex discount logic, custom apps that tie Shopify to ERP or CDP systems, and B2B builds for wholesale or trade-tier revenue. The rest is design, content, and performance — but those four carry the weight.
tl;dr
- A Shopify Plus agency is a Shopify-accredited partner with early access to Checkout Extensions, Functions, and native B2B.
- Plus pricing starts at $2,300/month (or 0.25% of revenue), with 20 req/s API limits and up to 9 expansion stores.
- Four work categories fill our hours: Plus migrations, checkout extensions, custom apps, and B2B builds.
- Migrations from Magento, Salesforce Commerce, or BigCommerce run 8 weeks; full Plus custom builds run 10-14 weeks.
- Engagement pricing: $25K-$85K migration, $35K-$120K custom build, $8,500/month retainer for 40 senior hours.
When you've outgrown standard Shopify.
Six signals push merchants to Plus: GMV past $1M/month, B2B Company Accounts and net-30 terms, checkout customizations beyond the standard surface, custom discount logic via Shopify Functions, multi-country expansion via Markets, or hitting the 4 req/s API throttle. If three or more apply, you're ready for Plus.
- 01
You're doing $1M+ in monthly GMV
At that volume, Shopify Plus's flat $2,300/mo (billed annually) or 0.25% of revenue fee is cheaper than Advanced Shopify's percentage-based transaction fees. The math breaks even around $800K/mo.
- 02
You need custom checkout logic
Checkout Extensions are Plus-only. If your brand needs a gift-with-purchase rule, a tiered shipping calculator, or a custom field in the checkout flow, standard Shopify has no supported path.
- 03
You're opening a B2B or wholesale tier
Native B2B is Plus-only: company accounts, catalog-per-customer pricing, net-terms payment, and quote-to-order. Before B2B on Plus, brands ran a second store or paid for Trade B2B, Brandwise, or a custom app.
- 04
You're going multi-country with different pricing
Markets on Plus handles regional pricing, currency, payment methods, domains, and language switching. Standard Shopify's Markets works for currency and language only — not per-region pricing strategies.
- 05
You want expansion stores under one contract
Plus includes up to nine expansion stores at no extra merchant fee. For brand portfolios (DTC + wholesale + retail, or US + UK + AU), expansion stores are a significant cost saving over nine separate Shopify plans.
- 06
Your automation needs exceed native Shopify Flow
Flow on Plus has advanced triggers (order risk, fulfillment holds, inventory transfers), custom connectors, and the ability to call out to external APIs. Used right, it cuts 10–20 hours of manual ops work per week for a mid-market merchant.
§ 03 · the stack
Every Plus feature we engineer.
Twelve Plus surfaces engineered in-house: Checkout Extensions, Shopify Functions, Flow, Launchpad, B2B, Markets, expansion stores, Hydrogen + Oxygen, POS Pro, Admin API webhooks, OS 2.0 metaobjects, and Core Web Vitals tuning per web.dev vitals. One team, each shipped a dozen times.
logic
Shopify Functions
Custom discount, delivery, and payment method rules written in Rust or JS. Replaces Script Editor (deprecated Aug 2025).
automation
Shopify Flow
Order tagging, inventory transfers, fraud review, cross-store sync. 500+ pre-built connectors plus custom HTTP triggers.
events
Launchpad
Scheduled theme swaps, discount activation, and product publishing. Used for drops, flash sales, and seasonal campaigns.
b2b
B2B on Shopify
Company accounts, net-terms, catalog-per-customer pricing, quantity rules, quote-to-order.
international
Shopify Markets
Multi-country, multi-currency, multi-language with regional domains, pricing strategies, and tax handling.
portfolio
Expansion stores
Up to 9 additional stores under one Plus contract. Used for regions, brands, verticals, wholesale vs. DTC.
headless
Hydrogen + Oxygen
Remix-based React storefront on Shopify's Oxygen edge hosting. Storefront API, server components, streaming.
retail
POS Pro
Omnichannel inventory, retail checkout, staff roles, store-level reporting. Native on Plus.
integrations
Admin API + webhooks
Custom integrations into NetSuite, SAP, Klaviyo, Recharge, Yotpo. GraphQL-first. Webhook-driven event model.
theme
OS 2.0 + metaobjects
Custom sections, metafields, metaobjects, section groups, app blocks, JSON templates. See Shopify theme customization.
performance
Core Web Vitals tuning
LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1. Benchmarked pre-Build, re-measured at Launch, and monitored post-live.
Shopify vs. Shopify Plus.
Plus fees jump from $399/month to $2,300/month (or 0.25% of revenue) at the Plus tier. In exchange you unlock Checkout Extensions, full Shopify Functions, native B2B, 9 expansion stores, Launchpad, advanced Flow, 20 req/s API limits, and a named Shopify launch engineer.
| Feature | Shopify Advanced | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $399 | $2,300 (or 0.25% of rev) |
| Checkout Extensions | No | Yes |
| Shopify Functions | Limited | Full (incl. discounts, shipping, payments) |
| Native B2B | No | Yes |
| Expansion stores | None | Up to 9 |
| Shopify Flow | Basic | Advanced (HTTP, custom connectors) |
| Launchpad | No | Yes |
| API call limit | 4 req/s | 20 req/s |
| Staff accounts | 15 | Unlimited |
| Launch engineer (Shopify) | No | Yes, named |
Figures accurate as of 2026. Shopify pricing reviewed quarterly. See shopify.com/plus for current merchant fees.
Case study: Emani — $0 to $2M MRR on Plus.
Emani Cosmetics scaled from zero to $2M MRR on Shopify Plus in twelve months. The build combined a headless Hydrogen storefront, Plus Checkout Extensions for bundled gifts, subscription-only pricing through Functions, and Markets multi-currency for US and EU expansion. Read the full Emani case study for the numbers and the build log.
mrr
$2M+
growth
+520%
timeline
14mo
the problem
Emani was on Shopify Advanced, outgrowing theme customization windows, and had a checkout flow that couldn't support the subscription-plus-one-time-purchase bundling the brand had built into its marketing.
the plus features we used
- ●Checkout Extensions for the subscription + one-time bundle flow
- ●Shopify Functions for tiered volume pricing on gift sets
- ●Markets for US / UK / AU pricing differentiation
- ●Flow for subscriber-tag automation and fraud review hold logic
- ●Headless Hydrogen for the editorial story pages on the marketing site
the outcome
Fourteen months post-migration, revenue was up 520%, subscription take-rate tripled (from 7% to 22% of first orders), and the average order value climbed from $42 to $67. The finance team got five hours a week back from Flow automation alone.
§ 06 · the migration
Migrating to Shopify Plus.
Eight weeks, week-by-week, the same playbook for every source platform. We've replatformed brands from Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and legacy Shopify using the migration paths in Shopify's migration manual. Audit, design, build, data, staging, launch, optimise. See Shopify migration services for non-Plus migrations.
- week 1 · audit
Source-system audit + data dictionary
Catalog size, customer count, order history scope, app surface area, custom-attribute inventory, checkout customizations, SEO footprint (top 100 URLs + current rankings).
- week 2 · design
Theme architecture + content mapping
OS 2.0 theme selection or custom build decision, metafield/metaobject schema, PDP/PLP/cart/checkout component library, redirect map for every URL that changes.
- week 3–4 · build
Theme build + Plus feature wiring
Liquid + OS 2.0 sections, Checkout Extensions, Functions for custom rules, Flow automations, B2B (if applicable), Markets (if applicable), app integrations.
- week 5 · data
Data migration + QA matrix
Products, variants, collections, customers, order history, subscriptions, loyalty balances, gift cards, reviews. Test-order matrix across US, UK, AU with Stripe/PayPal/Shop Pay.
- week 6 · staging
Staging sign-off + performance tuning
Core Web Vitals pass (LCP, INP, CLS), Lighthouse audit, accessibility check, SEO technical pass (sitemap, robots, canonical, hreflang), stakeholder sign-off.
- week 7 · launch
DNS cutover + go-live
301 redirect map applied, Google Search Console address change, CDN cache primed, live test-order sequence, 48-hour war-room monitoring.
- week 8+ · optimize
Post-launch monitoring + iteration
Ranking recovery tracked daily, conversion-rate benchmarked vs. pre-migration, Flow automations tuned against real order volume, checkout extension A/B tests queued.
Three ways to engage.
Three engagement shapes with published pricing: $25K-$85K Plus migration over 8 weeks, $35K-$120K Plus custom build, or $8,500/month retainer for 40 senior Shopify Partner-certified hours. Senior delivery, clear scopes. Compare with standard Shopify development if you're under $1M/mo.
migration
Plus migration
$25K–$85K
8-week replatform from Magento, BigCommerce, Salesforce, or legacy Shopify. Data, theme, apps, SEO, and checkout — all in.
Migrate to Shopify Plusflagship
full build
Plus custom build
$35K–$120K
Ground-up Shopify Plus with Checkout Extensions, Functions, B2B, Markets, and optional headless Hydrogen front.
Start a Plus buildretainer
Plus retainer
$8,500/mo
40 senior Plus-certified hours. Checkout extensions, Functions, Flow, B2B, migration support, ongoing optimization.
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UN Global Tier 1Shopify Plus FAQ.
Direct answers on Plus agency selection, pricing, migration timelines, Checkout Extensions, and B2B Company Accounts. For the canonical reference, see Shopify's merchant manual.
What is a Shopify Plus agency?
A Shopify Plus agency is an accredited development and design partner certified by Shopify to build for Plus merchants. Plus agencies get early access to features like Checkout Extensions, Shopify Functions, and B2B. Digital Heroes is a Shopify Plus Partner with 50+ engineers and designers across five cities.
Do I need Shopify Plus or is standard Shopify enough?
Plus becomes the right call around $1M+ monthly GMV, or earlier if you need: (1) custom checkout logic, (2) B2B company accounts and net-terms, (3) Shopify Functions for custom discounts or shipping, (4) Markets for multi-country pricing, or (5) expansion stores. Below those, standard Shopify Advanced handles most DTC workloads.
How long does a Shopify Plus migration take?
Eight to twelve weeks for a standard Plus migration from Magento, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, or legacy Shopify. Catalog size, app surface area, B2B requirements, and custom checkout logic are the variables. We publish a week-by-week plan before contract sign.
How much does a Shopify Plus agency cost?
Plus migrations run $25,000–$85,000. Plus retainers start at $8,500/mo for 40 senior hours. Full custom Plus builds with checkout extensions, B2B, and headless Hydrogen land between $35,000 and $120,000 depending on scope.
What are Shopify Functions and when do you use them?
Shopify Functions replace the Script Editor (deprecated August 2025). Functions run custom logic for discounts, shipping, payment methods, and cart operations — written in Rust or JavaScript. We use Functions when merchants need behavior that isn't reachable from the Plus admin.
Can you build B2B on Shopify Plus?
Yes. Shopify's native B2B on Plus supports company accounts, multiple buyers per company, net-terms payment, catalog-per-customer pricing, quantity rules, and quote-to-order workflows. We've built B2B storefronts for wholesale apparel, industrial supply, and DTC brands adding a trade tier.
Do you build headless Shopify with Hydrogen?
Yes. We build on Hydrogen (Shopify's Remix-based React framework) deployed via Oxygen, using the Storefront API. Headless makes sense when editorial demands, personalization requirements, or performance budgets exceed what Online Store 2.0 themes can deliver. For most brands, OS 2.0 is still the right answer.
§ 11 · Shopify Plus in 2026
What changed for Plus brands.
Three structural shifts redefined Shopify Plus in 2026: the platform moved to a variable-rate pricing model that ties fees to GMV, B2B Company Accounts and Combined Listings became first-class instead of beta, and Shop Pay Installments plus BNPL flows made checkout finance a checkbox rather than an integration project.
The B2B feature set is the biggest argument for Plus in 2026. Shopify's B2B documentation covers Company Accounts, catalog-per-customer pricing, draft orders, and net-30 payment terms inside the same admin as DTC, which lets a brand run wholesale and retail off one storefront instead of bolting on a separate platform. Shopify Plus's published feature set documents Markets, Functions, Flow, and Combined Listings limits a brand can plan around without a sales call.
On the Big Game Sports Plus migration the B2B Company Accounts feature collapsed two separate ERPs into one Shopify admin; the wholesale rep team picked up the new admin in a half-day of training. Shopify's Checkout UI Extensions reference documents the new Checkout Extensibility surfaces that replaced checkout.liquid for Plus. The Emani build proved the inverse case: pure DTC at sub-$2M ARR rarely needs Plus's full feature set; the right call was Plus only for Checkout Extensions and Markets, not the wholesale stack.
What this means for your project: in 2026 the Plus decision is no longer "are you big enough"; it is "do you need B2B Company Accounts, Markets, Checkout Extensions, or Functions in the next twelve months." If two of those four answers are yes, Plus is a paying upgrade. If none are, stay on the standard plan and bank the difference.
Related reading + work: See our how to choose a Shopify Plus agency framework, the when to hire a Shopify Plus agency piece, the Big Game Sports Plus migration, the Emani Plus rebuild, and our Shopify development page for adjacent work.
ready for enterprise
Brief us. Plus scope in 24 hours.
One business day. A senior Plus-certified developer reviews the brief, writes the plan, sends it back. If we're not the right fit for the Plus engagement, we say so.
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UX Researcher · UK · London · 3 posts on the site
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