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Shopify→Plus is technically an in-place upgrade. Practically, it's a 30-day project once you factor in Scripts→Functions, B2B activation, and the apps that change pricing model on Plus. Here's the cutover plan.
Who this is forBrands at $250K-1M/mo revenue who've signed (or are close to signing) a Plus contract and need to plan the upgrade. If you're already on Plus but never finished the migration cleanup, this is also useful.
What you'll need
Step 1
Before scheduling the upgrade, inventory every app, theme customization, custom script, and integration. Some apps change pricing on Plus — confirm impact.
List every installed app: Shopify Admin → Apps. Note: app name, current monthly cost, Plus pricing (check each app's pricing page).
Common Plus-pricing changes: Klaviyo, Yotpo, Recharge, Gorgias — most charge more on Plus accounts (justified by 'enterprise support'). Budget for 20-40% app cost increase post-migration.
Audit theme customizations: pull theme files via Shopify CLI or admin → Themes → Actions → Edit code. Note any: checkout.liquid customizations (must migrate to checkout extensibility), Liquid section files, custom apps, and webhooks.
Audit Shopify Scripts: Apps → Script Editor → list all scripts. Each one needs migration to Shopify Functions post-Plus-upgrade. Tag urgency.
Audit integrations: external systems calling Shopify webhooks/API (ERP, 3PL, CRM). Plus has higher API rate limits but token migration is required if you change app permissions.
Step 2
Don't sign for the published $2,300/mo without negotiating. Plus AEs have flexibility — use it.
Request a quote from Shopify Plus sales (shopify.com/plus → Talk to sales). The AE will run a discovery call.
Negotiate: (1) Ramp pricing for first 12 months if revenue is under $500K/mo, (2) expansion stores beyond default 9, (3) launch credits or migration services, (4) contract length discounts (3-year saves 10-15%).
Ask for it in writing — Plus contracts are amendable but the AE quote is the negotiation baseline. Don't accept verbal commitments.
Confirm the upgrade date in the contract. Shopify schedules the in-place upgrade for a 2-4 hour window, usually overnight. Get yours in writing for a low-traffic window.
Sign. The contract triggers org creation. The store stays on standard Shopify until upgrade day.
Step 3
Plus includes a free sandbox store that mirrors your production store. Use it to test apps, Functions, themes, and integrations before the upgrade.
Organization admin → Stores → Add store → 'Sandbox.' Free, unlimited Plus-feature access. Pre-populate with test products and customers.
Test app installs: install each Plus-tier app, confirm settings carry over and the pricing model matches what the AE quoted.
Test Shopify Functions: deploy 1-2 simple Functions via Shopify CLI to confirm your dev workflow works. (Functions are required to replace Scripts post-migration.)
Test B2B/Wholesale: if you plan to use Companies + price lists, set up a test company on the sandbox and run a test order.
Test theme: clone your production theme to the sandbox. Verify it renders correctly. If you had checkout.liquid customizations, this is where they'll break — note them for the migration.
Test integrations: point a non-prod webhook from your ERP/CRM at the sandbox. Confirm data flows.
Step 4
The in-place upgrade is 2-4 hours. Your store may be in read-only mode briefly. Communicate to ops, CS, and customers.
Confirm the upgrade window with your AE — get it during a low-traffic period (2-5am local time, Sunday or Monday).
Brief internal teams 1 week before: marketing (no campaigns during upgrade), CS (expect 'site issues' tickets, brief response template), ops (no manual orders during upgrade).
Post a status banner on the storefront 24h before: 'Brief maintenance window [DATE] [TIME] [TIMEZONE]. Store will be read-only.' Use Shopify Theme settings or a header app.
Pause paid ad campaigns 2 hours before and resume 1 hour after — wasted impressions during checkout-disabled periods.
Pause email campaigns during the window. Customers clicking through to a broken checkout = trust hit.
Have a rollback plan: in the unlikely event the upgrade fails, Shopify can roll back. Document the rollback contact in your AE Slack channel.
Step 5
During the upgrade window, Shopify flips the store to Plus. URL stays the same. Verify within 30 minutes of completion.
At the start of the window, check email — Shopify sends 'Upgrade started' and 'Upgrade complete' notifications.
Once 'Upgrade complete' arrives, verify in order: (1) admin loads, (2) Plus features are visible (Organization switcher, Launchpad, Flow apps), (3) storefront loads, (4) checkout completes (run a real test purchase).
Check all critical apps: Klaviyo / email tool, ad pixels (Meta, Google, TikTok), reviews app, subscription app. Confirm each shows 'Connected.'
Verify webhooks: trigger a test order from your sandbox or run a low-value test order. Confirm your ERP/CRM/3PL receives the order webhook within 5 minutes.
Verify staff access: have 1-2 team members log in and confirm their role and permissions are intact.
Remove the maintenance banner. Resume paid ads and email.
Step 6
The upgrade is just step one. Now: migrate Scripts to Functions, set up B2B if relevant, provision expansion stores if planned, and configure SSO.
Week 1 post-upgrade: configure SSO + 2FA enforcement via Organization admin → Security. (If you didn't do this during sandbox setup.)
Week 1-2: Migrate Shopify Scripts to Functions. Each Script needs a Function rewrite, tested in sandbox, deployed via Shopify CLI. Budget 1-3 days per non-trivial script. See the dedicated tutorial.
Week 2-4: Set up B2B/Wholesale if planned. Settings → Customers → Companies → enable. Create company profiles, price lists, payment terms.
Week 2-4: Provision expansion stores if your plan calls for them. One at a time — don't bulk-create until each is staffed and stocked.
Week 4: Audit billing. Check that the first Plus invoice matches the contract: $2,300/mo base + variable revenue share if applicable. Dispute discrepancies within 30 days.
Step 7
Write a one-page Plus runbook for the team. Decommission anything that's now superseded by Plus features (e.g., old wholesale apps if you're on B2B).
Document org structure: who is Org Owner, who are Org Admins, what roles exist, how staff are provisioned/deprovisioned. Save in your team wiki.
Document Plus features in use: Launchpad campaigns, Flow workflows, Functions, B2B companies, expansion stores. Include who owns each.
Decommission redundant apps: third-party wholesale apps (now on Plus B2B), third-party scheduling apps (now on Launchpad), third-party automation (now on Flow). Calculate savings.
Update integrations: if you renamed any API tokens or changed app permissions during migration, push the new tokens to integration partners (ERP, 3PL, CRM).
Schedule the quarterly Plus health check: review billing, audit staff roles, audit Flow workflow execution rates, review Functions error logs.
Common mistakes
Treating the upgrade as a one-day event
What goes wrong: The in-place upgrade is one day. The migration project is 30-60 days. Brands that don't plan that timeline ship with broken Scripts, missing Function deployments, and unconfigured B2B for months. Typical hidden cost: $20-50K in unrealized Plus-feature value for the first 6 months.
How to avoid: Treat as a 30-60 day project. Pre-flight, contract, sandbox, cutover, then 30 days of cleanup. Calendar it.
Not testing in a Plus sandbox first
What goes wrong: Going straight from standard Shopify to production Plus means discovering app pricing changes, theme breaks, and Function syntax issues live. One broken Liquid template post-upgrade = checkout offline. Typical recovery: 1-4 hours of paid Plus support + lost revenue.
How to avoid: Always provision a sandbox first. Free with Plus. Test apps, themes, Functions, integrations before live cutover.
Ignoring app pricing changes on Plus
What goes wrong: Most major Shopify apps (Klaviyo, Yotpo, Recharge, Gorgias) charge 20-50% more on Plus accounts. Brands that don't budget this hit a $200-500/mo surprise bill increase in the first invoice.
How to avoid: Pre-flight: audit every app's Plus pricing. Budget the 20-40% increase. Consider switching apps where Plus pricing is unreasonable.
Leaving Shopify Scripts running post-upgrade
What goes wrong: Scripts run until Shopify retires them, but they're deprecated. Future checkout changes may break Script-driven logic silently. Typical failure mode: discount stacking stops working, cart-total adjustments stop firing, custom shipping rates break. Revenue drops 3-8% before someone notices.
How to avoid: Schedule Scripts → Functions migration in the first 30 days post-upgrade. Each Script is a separate Function. Test in sandbox, deploy via CLI.
Skipping SSO + 2FA enforcement
What goes wrong: Plus accounts without SSO + 2FA are top phishing targets. One compromised admin = full customer DB + ability to install malicious apps + access to financial reports. Insurance carriers increasingly require SSO for Plus coverage.
How to avoid: Set up SSO via Google/Okta/Azure AD + enforce 2FA in the first week post-upgrade. 30-minute setup.
Not running a test purchase post-upgrade
What goes wrong: Upgrade completes successfully but a small theme bug or pixel misconfiguration breaks checkout silently. Customers can't complete orders. Real revenue loss: $1-10K/hour of broken checkout depending on traffic.
How to avoid: Run a real test purchase within 30 minutes of upgrade completion. Verify checkout, payment, order email, ad pixel firing, and CRM webhook.
Recap
Done — what's next
How to set up a Shopify Plus account
Read the next tutorial
Hand it off
Plus migrations look tractable and end up biting most brands on Scripts→Functions and B2B setup. A vetted Shopify Plus specialist at $14-16/hr can plan and execute the full migration in 3-4 weeks — typically $1,200-2,400 total for the cutover + cleanup work, far less than the cost of broken pixels or missing Functions.
See specialist rates
Brief downtime (2-4 hours) during which the store may be read-only or checkout temporarily disabled. Shopify schedules this for a low-traffic window. The URL, products, customers, and orders all remain. After the window, you have the same store with Plus features unlocked.
Yes — apps stay installed, themes stay live. But some apps change pricing on Plus (Klaviyo, Yotpo, Recharge, Gorgias often charge 20-50% more). Audit pricing before upgrade. Themes carry over but checkout.liquid customizations may need to migrate to checkout extensibility.
Plan for 30-60 days. The in-place upgrade itself is 2-4 hours. The pre-flight audit (apps, themes, Scripts) is 1-2 weeks. Sandbox testing is 1-2 weeks. Post-upgrade cleanup (Scripts→Functions, B2B, SSO, expansion stores) is 2-4 weeks. Brands that compress this break things.
Scripts keep running but are deprecated. Shopify will sunset them — date unannounced but expect 12-24 months. Plan to migrate each Script to a Shopify Function in the first 30-60 days post-upgrade. Functions are code-deployed (Shopify CLI), so factor in dev time.
Yes — Shopify can roll back within a short window post-upgrade. Contact your Plus AE or Plus Support immediately if you discover a major issue. Rollback isn't free of friction (data created on Plus may not carry back), so document and validate everything within 24 hours.
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