11 Ways a Shopify Plus Agency Can Help You Scale

You have a solid idea and a lot of drive, but your small business just isn't taking off. Maybe it's time to try something new – expand your shopify store and turn it into a full fledged e-commerce operation with the help of an expert Shopify Plus agency. This is one of the most effective ways to grow your business, lead by example in the emerging digital economy, and even make some profit along the way.

While selling your products online is one of the most profitable things you can do with Shopify, there are still plenty of things you need to know before going all out in this direction. For instance, you'll need to get your website design right, optimize your products for ecommerce and make sure the checkout process is smooth. And we're here to help.

The Shopify Plus agency landscape is exploding, and you can now find one in almost every region of the world. But how does it work? Who can help you? What are their qualifications, their track records and the experience they can bring to your side?

We've been working with the Shopify Plus platform for years. And while our goal with this article isn't to sell our services, here are all the ways a Shopify Plus agency-like us, can help you scale your business.

What is Shopify Plus?

To understand Shopify Plus, you have to understand the core of Shopify. The platform is built around the ability to run online stores that sell physical and digital goods, manage orders and inventory, promote products and deliver them to a customer within a specific timeframe.

Shopify Plus' key feature is the ability for any business owner to take their online shop from basic to advanced levels. This includes designing custom store pages and selling products that are associated with affiliate or lifestyle marketing strategies, which is usually what most e-commerce shops engage in.

Another key feature is the ability for store owners to conduct online marketing through paid advertising campaigns, in addition to blog posts and other inbound channels.

Shopify Plus started out as a premium version of the Shopify platform. It remains the same today, with two key differences – the first one being that it no longer costs a fortune. You can have a ready-to-go e-commerce solution at a fraction of the cost you'd pay otherwise. And the second difference is that Shopify Plus allows store owners to improve their store's overall appearance.

If you have to choose between Shopify Plus and a regular Shopify account, go for the former. It will give your business a head start, and the extra investment will pay off in the long run.

How a Shopify Plus Agency Can Help You Scale Your Business

Shopify Plus partners are on a whole different level compared to regular Shopify agencies. The services they offer take your business from a good idea to an e-commerce hit. These agencies have the necessary know-how, real-world experience and the qualifications to help you grow your business, help you remain competitive and even add some extra profit.

1. Take Your Website Design to the Next Level

A well-designed Shopify store is something that can attract plenty of inbound business, especially if it's decided to target a specific niche. And the key to any well-designed website is its ability to deliver a clear user experience from start to finish.

Shopify Plus agencies have worked with too many e-commerce sites over the years, so they know exactly how to improve your business. For instance, they will make sure your store can handle a high volume of traffic, make it easy for customers to place an order and stay in touch with you via email.

They will also make sure other people can recommend your store on social media and review pages, and that these reviews are positive enough to generate customer trust.

2. Use Shopify Plus’s Marketing Tools To Run an Effective Campaign

If you're looking for a way to generate inbound leads for your e-commerce site, then you can turn to paid advertising. Once people find the business through a Google search, they'll want to know more about it. And if they like what they see and discover that it's an e-commerce store that sells something they need, they'll buy from it.

Shopify Plus agencies understand this better than anyone else. They will turn your e-commerce business into a marketing machine by running paid advertising campaigns. They'll also propose the best types of promotions to meet a wide range of customer needs.

3. Establishing a Mobile-first Approach

If you haven't been paying attention, then you've missed the rise of mobile. We now live in a world where more than half of the entire internet traffic comes from mobile devices, and it's only heading in one direction. A couple of years ago, most companies (and e-commerce businesses are no exception) didn't have any mobile strategy in place.

What's more, most of them still don't have a clear approach to mobile marketing. If you don't have a mobile-first approach in place, then you're going to lose out on opportunities to tap into a new audience and unleash the full potential of your brand.

Shopify Plus agencies know how to establish a mobile-first approach for any business, including your e-commerce shop. Once done, they can help you create and implement a solid strategy for reaching out to your current customers, and attracting new ones.

4. Streamlining Inventory Management for Your Business

If you're selling physical items, and the whole of your inventory is available online, then you know that product returns are an everyday event. What's more, if you have a large selection of products, then one single return can affect your sales numbers.

When it comes to handling all the returns, you have to optimize your inventory management process. Shopify Plus agencies can help you do this by going through every product page and coming up with a best-practices solution for each one. This way, you'll be able to handle all the returns and product demands with a clear mind.

5. Positioning and Promoting Your Business

If you're just starting out on Shopify Plus, then it's easy to get lost in the mix of thousands of e-commerce stores that compete for your traffic. Your options are to try and get them to take notice of you by improving your store page or turning it into an affiliate marketing site, or just go for pure organic positioning (a paid advertising campaign).

This is where Shopify Plus agencies come into play. In most cases, they will propose a different approach – one that starts out with positioning your store according to its strengths and weaknesses. Once this is done, they'll make sure you're using the best marketing tactics to lure in traffic and generate sales.

6. Making Sure Your Website Is Equipped To Handle a High Traffic Volume and Spikes in Sales

According to Braden Kelley, the head of Shopify Plus Partners , there are two types of e-commerce websites – high-traffic and high-volume. If you want your business to grow and remain competitive, then you have to choose the latter and make sure it's equipped to handle a steady stream of traffic.

What's more, if you have a seasonal product line or experience sudden peaks in interest around specific products, then you're going to need scalable infrastructure that can easily handle that increase in traffic. This will give you the extra headroom to meet the expected sales.

7. Creating a High-quality Customer Experience Through Enhanced Marketing Tools

If you're new to Shopify Plus and the online e-commerce industry, then your website may need some work before it can attract customers and generate a good amount of sales (or leads) from them. That's why you need an agency that specializes in Shopify Plus, as it'll walk you through every step of this process.

In fact, many Shopify Plus agencies will offer top-of-the-line customer experience tools, such as an enhanced marketing dashboard, email and SMS campaigns that work 24/7/365, and social media management. Their expert systems will also help them reach out to your customers' current needs and wants in a way that you'll never have the time or resources to do.

8. Gaining Access to an Expanded Network for Your Business

Another reason why e-commerce stores benefit from working with Shopify Plus agencies is that they have access to an expanded network of professionals in the industry. What's more, these professionals can provide you with additional services that will make all the difference in your company's growth, from helping you with website development and maintenance, to handling payments and stock management.

For example, when we recently contacted a Shopify Plus agency, they introduced us to a digital marketing agency that specializes in search engine optimization and paid advertising.

9. Helping You Build, Grow and Manage Your Customer Base

A customer base is an essential part of every e-commerce business. This is why you have to work hard on building up your list of current customers. You also have to keep in touch with them through various communication channels and make sure they remain loyal to your brand.

As we mentioned above, the Shopify Plus agencies have access to an expanded network of professionals that can help you manage your customer base (and generate sales from it). What's more, they'll do so by making sure you're getting the biggest ROI out of every single customer. In other words, they'll help you boost your overall sales volume and make sure your e-commerce business is more profitable than ever before.

10. Turning Your Shopify Store Into a Full-fledged E-commerce Store

While many e-commerce stores are just a series of pages on an already established website, some have managed to create an overarching business and a niche product catalog. There's no doubt that these types of businesses are much more enticing to customers, that's why there's a high demand for an agency that can handle them.

However, you don't have to look far if you're ready to start your own e-commerce business. Shopify Plus agencies are ready to help you with everything from your e-commerce website design, through payments and stock management, to integrating your other online stores.

11. Identifying Gaps in Your Business and Addressing Them

As you already know, Shopify Plus agencies have a large amount of experience in e-commerce management. That's why when you choose to work with one, you'll go through a series of assessments and performance reviews. This way, they'll be able to identify any gaps in your business and come up with solutions to address them.

For example, if you have a limited or outdated product selection, then they'll show you how to optimize it so that it generates more sales and leads.

How To Choose the Best Shopify Plus Agency

As you can see, Shopify Plus agencies are set apart from the rest of their competition due to their unique selling proposition. They provide a full range of services, which means that they can offer specific solutions to your business problems. If you want to select one for your business, then there are certain things that you should consider before doing so.

1. Agency Locations and Reach

Choosing an agency based on their location doesn't make much sense because most agencies have offices around the world. This means that you can get in touch with your preferred agency via Skype, phone or video call, so you can be sure that they're available when you need them.

Think of it this way, if you have a problem, then the best person for the job would be available to help you at all times. This means that you should choose an agency that is close to your location, especially if you're a small business owner who doesn't have much time to travel.

2. How Experienced the Team Is

We've mentioned that an e-commerce agency should be experienced in e-commerce management, and this includes their staff as well. The more experience a team has, the higher the quality of their services will be. In other words, they'll be able to take advantage of the many attributes that great Shopify Plus agencies have and apply them to your business objectives.

That's why it's important to select an agency with a team that has enough experience in e-commerce management and has proven track records of creating successful businesses. The best way to get this information is by looking at the number of clients they have.

3. Services and Products

As we mentioned above, a Shopify Plus agency can help you with all parts of your e-commerce business. That's why it's vital that you choose an agency that provides the full spectrum of services and products, from e-commerce website designs, to payments handling and stock management.

This way, you'll be sure that they can handle multiple aspects of your business. Keep in mind that you'll be dealing with a team of experts and professionals, so there's no telling how much they're able to accomplish.

4. Is There a Guaranteed ROI?

Due to the high demand for Shopify Plus agencies, many of them offer an unconditional guarantee for their clientele. This is an excellent way to make sure that you'll get the most from your relationship with them and reach a certain level of success.

That's because you'll have the option to request a refund if they don't deliver on their promises or if they aren't able to help you grow your business.

5. Online Reviews

Finally, it's vital that you take a look at the online reviews of your prospective agencies. This will give you an idea of what others are saying about them and how satisfied their clients are with the services they offer. In other words, Shopify Plus agencies are visible and transparent, which means that they're an excellent choice for your business.

Shopify Plus agency FAQs

Below, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about Shopify Plus agencies to give you a better overall understanding of them:

1. Do I need to hire a Shopify Plus agency?

There's no rule that says you have to hire a Shopify Plus agency, because it all comes down to the services that they offer. If the agency can help you improve your e-commerce business, then they're worth hiring. You should definitely consider using one to help you optimize your online store and build out an effective e-commerce strategy.

2. What's the difference between a Shopify Plus Agency and a dedicated team?

As you can imagine, any company that handles e-commerce management will have to have future plans in place. This means that they have to have a digital marketing strategy and maybe even other online marketing services. Therefore, it makes sense to hire someone who is capable of handling your entire digital marketing plan, so you don't have to worry about it anymore.

3. How do Shopify Plus agencies benefit me?

The main advantage of using Shopify Plus agencies is that they offer an extensive range of services. Therefore, they can handle a number of problems that you might have with your existing e-commerce website and business.

On top of this, the fact that they're experts in the field means that they'll be able to come up with solutions to technical problems through their experience and knowledge as expert freelance front-end developers.

The Takeaway

The right Shopify Plus agency can help you build a successful e-commerce business, so it's definitely worth it to hire them. If you take your time and carefully select the right agency, then you'll benefit from their services and start receiving excellent results at the same time.

If you're looking for a Shopify Plus agency to work with, then reach out to us today to get a free consultation!