Claire Matthews Published on 25 July 2024
How Much Does Shopify Cost In Australia?
When you’re launching an ecommerce store, one of the big decisions to make is which platform to use for your store. The ideal platform is one that’s easy to use, offers all the functionality that you require, and doesn’t cost too much.
Shopify is a hugely popular solution, with over 7.4 million active live stores. It offers a wide range of features to help you create a professional-looking online store. This platform is perfect for ecommerce business owners, as it saves you considerable time and effort compared to building an online store from scratch.
Now, you’re probably wondering how much it will cost to build, launch and run an ecommerce store on Shopify in Australia. In this article, we’re sharing a breakdown of Shopify plans, Shopify fees and other costs. Then we’ll explore some ways you can save money on your Shopify costs to maximise profit for your business.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is one of the biggest ecommerce platforms around. It allows you to build your own online store to promote, sell and ship products. With Shopify, you can sell both online through your website and offline using a point-of-sale app. This is especially useful for businesses with both online and physical stores.
Through offering a wide range of templates and design features, Shopify enables you to customise your store to suit your own aesthetics and branding. Together with its in-built marketing features, secure payment solutions and security system, Shopify allows you to create a functional ecommerce store with ease.
Why use Shopify?
Shopify offers numerous benefits for ecommerce store owners. Some of the top reasons to use Shopify for your store include:
Low Startup Costs
Shopify offers low startup costs, making it an attractive option for entrepreneurs looking to launch their online stores without a hefty initial investment. This affordability extends beyond just the platform fees, as the easy-to-use interface reduces the need for extensive technical knowledge or hiring expensive developers.
Easily Customisable Design
The platform provides easily customisable design themes and templates, allowing users to create visually appealing and unique storefronts. With a wide array of options, even those without design expertise can build professional-looking websites that reflect their brand identity.
Safe & Reliable
Shopify is known for being safe and reliable, ensuring that your online store operates smoothly and securely. This reliability is crucial for maintaining customer trust and protecting your business from potential disruptions or cyber threats.
Secure Payment System
A secure payment system is built into Shopify, offering peace of mind to both merchants and customers. With support for multiple payment gateways and compliance with security standards, transactions are processed safely and efficiently, reducing the risk of fraud.
Inbuilt Marketing Tools
Inbuilt marketing tools, including email marketing, social media integration, and Search Engine Optimisation features, help businesses reach their target audiences effectively. These tools simplify the process of promoting products and driving traffic to your store, ultimately boosting sales and growth.
Inbuilt Analytics Tools
Shopify also includes inbuilt analytics tools that provide valuable insights into your store's performance. From tracking sales to understanding customer behaviour, these analytics enable data-driven decisions to optimise your business strategies.
App Integration
Integration with a wide range of apps allows Shopify users to extend the functionality of their stores. Whether you need advanced inventory management, customer service solutions, or additional marketing tools, there's an app for almost every need, making it easy to tailor your store to your specific requirements.
Great for Dropshipping
The platform is great for dropshipping, offering seamless integration with dropshipping services. This feature is ideal for entrepreneurs looking to sell products without maintaining inventory, as it simplifies order fulfilment and inventory management.
Mobile-Friendly
Shopify is mobile-friendly, ensuring that your store looks great and functions well on all devices. With more consumers shopping on their smartphones and tablets, having a mobile-optimised store is essential for capturing this growing market segment.
Scalable
Scalability is another significant benefit of Shopify, as the platform can grow with your business. Whether you're just starting out or experiencing rapid expansion, Shopify can accommodate your needs without requiring a major overhaul or migration to a different platform.
Customer Service
Lastly, excellent customer support is available to Shopify users, providing assistance whenever needed. With 24/7 support via chat, email, or phone, help is always on hand to resolve any issues and keep your store running smoothly.
Shopify Pricing Australia
Now let’s take a look at the Shopify pricing plans available in Australia. Keep in mind that even in Australia, you’ll need to make Shopify payments in US dollars. It’s also important to note that transaction fees and GST will be added to your final credit card total.
Starter Plan
The most basic option is Shopify’s starter plan, for AUD $7 per month. This is best for if you don’t require a standalone online store and are happy to just start selling through your existing website or through social media. It gives you a ‘buy now’ button that customers can click to purchase your products.
Basic Plan
The basic plan is for startups and new small businesses. It’s the cheapest option that allows you to set up your own store, for AUD $42 per month. You can create your store using Shopify's drag-and-drop website builder and gain access to Shopify’s ecommerce platform. This means you can display your products, take payments, and manage order fulfilment and shipping.
Shopify Plan
The next plan, simply called Shopify, is perfect for established small businesses. It includes all the features from the cheaper plans, including an ecommerce website with social media integration so you can sell across multiple platforms. The main new feature is ecommerce automations, allowing you to build workflows and save time on manual tasks. This option costs around AUD $114 per month.
Advanced Plan
The advanced plan is aimed at medium to large businesses, who are looking to sell in multiple countries. Costing around AUD $433 per month, this plan is significantly more expensive than the previous options. It includes new features such as country-specific pricing, third-party shipping rates, and the option to charge duties and import taxes.
Shopify Plus
This is the most expensive option, aimed at enterprise businesses with large-scale ecommerce stores. Prices start at AUD $2000 per month. It offers all the features available in the Advanced plan, plus more. Additional features include security, automation, checkout optimisation, multi-currency support, third-party software integration and more.
Additional Costs
Beyond the basic website plan, there are some other expenses that will affect your Shopify cost. These are extra add-ons or charges that are required to get your website off the ground. These can include:
Custom Domain Name
Since Shopify includes domain names as part of its plan, you won’t need one to host your own domain. However, if you would like a custom domain name, that doesn’t include ‘Shopify’ in the name, then you’ll have to purchase this yourself.
Premium Themes, Apps & Plugins
There are thousands of free themes, apps and plugins available on the Shopify store. But, if you would like to further enhance your store, then you can purchase premium apps. Whether you want to optimise your checkout process, target abandoned cart users, or customise the look of your store, there’s an app for that.
Fees
Some additional fees you may need to pay can include:
- Credit and debit card fees
- Mandatory taxes such as GST
- Third-party transaction fees of 2%, 1% or 0.5% with the Basic Shopify, Shopify and Advanced Shopify plans
- Currency conversion fees of 2%
- Duties and import taxes rates of 1.5%
Email Hosting
With Shopify’s inbuilt email software, you can manage your email campaigns directly within your store. For free, you can send up to 10,000 emails per month. After that, you’ll need to pay a fee of $1 for each additional 1000 emails.
How to Save Money on your Shopify Plan
The good news is that there are some simple ways you can save on your Shopify costs. We’ve listed some of these below.
Long-Term Plan
One way to save is to purchase a yearly Shopify plan upfront. This will take 25% off your payment. This is a good option if you’re ready to commit to your ecommerce store for at least a year. If you’re not sure, then a monthly option may be better.
Free Themes & Templates
Another way to save on your Shopify costs is to use free themes and templates. Although they are simpler than paid options, they are still highly impressive. There are many free templates available, so you can be sure to find one that suits your design style.
Use Shopify Payments
Shopify Payment is a safe payment service provider that enables you to accept payments. It’s free of charge and comes as an integrated tool with your Shopify subscription. The advantage of using this payment platform is that no transaction fees are charged, compared to the fees that apply for each sale made using third party payment gateways.
Final Thoughts
Shopify is an invaluable platform for launching and running your ecommerce store. Through choosing the right pricing plan, you can access the features that you need for your store without breaking the bank.
Whether you’re looking to launch a new ecommerce store, or need help optimising your current store, we can help. At Margin Media, we are your ecommerce marketing agency. We will ensure your store is set up to attract visitors, convert customers, and encourage repeat purchases.
Talk to us to boost sales and drive revenue for your ecommerce store.
Book your FREE Discovery Call.
