Shopify Starter Plan: Best Plan for Beginners?

Are you looking for a way to launch an online store fast, easy, and for as little money as possible? This Shopify starter plan review is the right place to be. Because in this article, we’ll talk about Shopify’s cheapest offering for those who are looking for a basic solution to sell online – the Starter Plan.

Not everyone who wants to sell online wants to create a full online store. Some people are just looking for the essential features of an online store – product listing, payment gateway, and shipping – no more, no less.

That’s the reason why people list their products on multi-vendor marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon. However, in these platforms, you go up against tens or probably hundreds of competitors fighting over the same group of audience.

To avoid that, you need your own online store so you have your audience’s full attention. This is where the Starter plan comes in handy. It’s a fast and easy solution if you want to launch fast.

Let’s get started with this review.

Shopify Starter Plan Review - Getting Started

To start off this Shopify plan review, let’s talk about its few albeit important Shopify features:

Launch A Store In Minutes

As the name suggests, the Shopify Starter plan is a beginner-friendly subscription tier designed for those new to eCommerce. With this plan, you can create a fully functioning store within a few clicks and within minutes. The Starter plan is focused on creating a simple store for merchants who wish to sell through social media or messaging apps.

You only need images of your products and relevant product descriptions to get started. Sounds easy, right?

Moreover, one of the best parts of this plan is that since you are creating a fairly simplified store, there's no worry about coding or advanced tech needs. You can sell on Instagram, WhatsApp, or any other app and even leverage Shopify checkout for quick and easy transaction processing and order placement.

Easy Social Media Integration

As the Shopify Starter plan is not designed to create a standalone store, it can only be used if you have existing sales channels such as social media and messaging apps. And in terms of social media integration, doing it is just a breeze using Linkpop.

You can create a Linkpop page in minutes, and drive visitors to your best selling products, and other content. The link can be added to your brand's social media bio for easy access.

Perfect For Starters

Because the Shopify starter plan only features the essentials of an online store, it is perfect for starters such as:

• Social media influencers, creators, artists, and solopreneurs.
• Businesses looking to sell directly to customers through social media, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps without wanting to build a full-fledged online store.
• Entrepreneurs who are selling a few products or a small number of inventory while focusing on growing their social media accounts. Be that as it may, the Starter plan can handle a large number of SKUs.

Because of its simplicity, it is worth noting that the Shopify Starter plan doesn’t have the features of other Shopify plans that are designed for standalone online stores.

Here are some of the limitations of the Shopify Starter plan:

• Starter Shopify stores can only be managed by one person
• No tools to create discount codes, gift cards, etc.
• No in-depth reporting and analytics tools unlike higher plans. Be that as it may, you get the necessary reports to monitor your store.

Start An Online Store For Only $5

Five dollars may seem like a very small amount. But with that amount of money, you’ll be able to launch an online store that you can use to sell to your customers.

The good thing about Shopify is that you can subscribe to any plan for only $1 for your first month! So if you’re still hesitant to try the starter plan, perhaps this very low offer is enough to convince you.

The Shopify Starter plan can be considered very cheap. Thus, resulting to low monthly operating costs. However, there’s a catch that’s worth considering:

• The transaction fees for the Starter plan are considerably high compared to the other Shopify pricing plans, with a 5% plus 30¢ charge per transaction.

Everything You Need To Sell Is Included

As mentioned, the Shopify Starter plan is Shopify’s most basic solution for an online store. Basic as it may seem, it is far from lackluster. Because it has everything that you need to start selling.

Included in the Starter plan are:

• The Spotlight theme allows for limited customization for branding and color schemes.
• Merchants can set up various marketing campaigns and automation, create unlimited product pages, and process manual orders.
• Analytics and reports provide insights into sales performance, while discount code creation stimulates sales growth.
• Additionally, the plan offers unlimited bandwidth and 24/7 merchant support.

Since we’re now talking about the specific features, let’s go a little deeper about it in the next sections.

Shopify Starter Plan Features: The Essentials

To provide a more complete analysis, we reviewed several Shopify reviews alongside our Shopify starter plan review to better understand the features that make the Starter plan a great starting point for budding entrepreneurs.

Unlimited Product Listings

Source: Shirtbox

One of the standout features of the Starter Plan is the ability to create unlimited product listings. Whether you're selling a handful of products or building a comprehensive inventory, this feature allows you to showcase your entire product range without limitations and sell them effortlessly via social media. This flexibility enables you to cater to varying customer preferences and expand your product offerings as your business grows.

Access to Shopify Fulfillment Network

You must be already familiar with the business model of Amazon FBA, right? Well, with the Starter plan, you can utilize a similar business model. The Starter plan allows merchants to send their products to a Shopify warehouse for fulfillment, shipping, and returns management.

This feature is particularly beneficial for content creators venturing into eCommerce, as it alleviates the burden of managing order fulfillment independently. Do note that the Starter Plan offers only one fulfillment option. Yet, you get access to the network, allowing you to streamline your store operations, making it a valuable inclusion in the plan.

Customizable Contact Page

Source: Shopify

Building trust and establishing a direct line of communication with customers is essential for eCommerce success. With the Starter Plan, you have the ability to create a customizable contact page, providing customers with easy access to support and inquiries. This personalized touch is essential to create a positive customer experience and encourages engagement, ultimately leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Basic Analytics and Reporting Tools

The Starter plan offers basic analytics and reporting tools that provide valuable insights into sales patterns, popular products, and customer behavior. You can even track metrics such as sales revenue, conversion rates, and customer demographics. Merchants can also identify trends, pinpoint areas for improvement, and optimize their marketing strategies for maximum impact.

Shopify Starter plan is indeed the whole package for you to start selling products online. And since it integrates with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other similar applications, you can communicate with your customers right from your phone. Plus, it offers a simplified dashboard for new merchants, resembling Shopify's standard interface. Though lacking advanced inventory features, it provides basic order processing.

Shopify Starter Plan Vs. Basic: Which Shopify Plan Is Best For Beginners?

Considering that this is the first time you’re looking for an ecommerce solution from Shopify, you might ask, which Shopify plan is best for beginners?

And as there seem to be two possible answers: the Shopify Starter plan and the Shopify Basic plan.

Let’s take a look at this Shopify Starter Plan vs. Basic Shopify comparison.

Let's break this down further and analyze both plans.

Shopify Basic plan is Ideal for:

• Established businesses with a growing product range.
• Businesses wanting a professional and branded online presence.
• Businesses planning to use marketing and discount strategies.
• Businesses with a higher sales volume (saves money on transaction fees).
• Businesses needing advanced features like abandoned cart recovery and SEO tools.

Upgrading to the Basic plan is beneficial when:

• For branding, you require a full-fledged online store with a custom domain name.
• You want more control over the look and feel of your store through extensive theme customization.
• You need to add staff accounts to manage your growing store.
• You want to offer discounts and promotions to attract customers.
• You plan to leverage apps to extend functionalities (marketing tools, shipping integrations).
• You anticipate a higher volume of transactions, where the lower transaction fee of the Basic plan can save you money in the long run.

Additional considerations:

• The Starter plan is very affordable but has limitations. The Basic plan unlocks essential features for a successful online store.
• Transaction fees impact profits. Consider your sales volume when choosing a plan.
• The Basic plan offers more technical flexibility but may require some learning for full customization.

So, Which Plan Should You Choose?

After having read the comparison, let’s answer which Shopify plan is best for beginners.

Honestly, we think that the Starter plan is the better choice if you are just getting your feet wet in online selling. It requires the least amount of time, knowledge, and effort to set it up. As such, it results to a faster launch.

Of course, when you use the Starter plan, you need to understand that you pay higher transaction fees which will definitely eat into your profits. Nonetheless, this can be compensated by how you price your products.

Additionally, using the Starter plan allows you to understand how does Shopify work, providing a hands-on approach with minimal financial risk.

So, when should you use the Basic plan?

In our recommendation, you can use the Basic Shopify plan if your starter store is successful. That means that it is profitable and you’re hitting your target sales.

At that point, you’re ready to upgrade to a higher plan which would allow you to create a standalone store and to execute your branding ideas.

How to Start Selling on Shopify Starter Plan?

To build a Shopify store and start selling through the Starter plan, here's what you need to do:

Sign Up for an Account

First, head on to https://www.shopify.com/starter and click the Start free trial.

Fill in Business Details

The next step is to fill in the necessary business details. The questions would include whether you are starting new or have prior experience selling online or offline, the type of products you want to sell, where you want to sell, etc. You can answer them one by one and move forward. You also have the option to skip this altogether and set it up later. Choose your business location, and you are done.

Login Using Your Email

At this point, you will be asked to create an account and sign in using your email address, or if you already have an account with Shopify and are on a free trial, you can simply log in. Once you have logged in, you can start adding products to your store.

 If you use any POD services, you can explore their relevant sourcing apps.

Customize The Store Design

By default, the theme will be Spotlight. You can customize it according to your liking and add a social sharing image, title, and description to showcase your online store on social media and search listings. You can also install relevant social channels at this point.

Build your Linkpop landing page directly from Shopify admin page after signing up on Linkpop webpage. Edit profile details, add social media links, then connect your product listings for easy social selling.

Configure Payment And Shipping Options

Don't forget to change your name store. Configure payment methods (transaction fees apply) and choose shipping options (manual setup needed) as well. You can also set up Shopify payments.

And that's it! You are all ready to launch your store and start selling online.

Shopify Starter Plan Examples

Shopify Starter Plan Examples

The Shopify Starter plan is a stepping store for entrepreneurs who want to sell their products online. As such, most of them don’t stay in the Starter plan for long. As soon as they get the traction they need, they upgrade to a standalone Shopify store.

Thus, these Shopify starter plan examples below might be on a higher Shopify plan sooner or later.

Mikami

Source: @mikami.india

The first one in our list of Shopify starter examples is Mikami.

Mikami is an Indian brand that sells essential oils made from natural ingredients. Their main sales channel is Instagram and their starter store is linked in their bio.

Their products mainly focus on hair care oil shampoos for children. In addition to natural shampoos, they also sell wooden combs in their starter store.

Zen In A Jar

Source: @zeninajar

The second one in Shopify starter examples is Zen In A Jar.

Similar to Mikami, this brand capitalizes on its social media following to generate sales. They mainly focus on body care products such as mosquito repellent and body honey which claims to have superior skin moisturizing effects.

Suga Babe Bracelets

Source: @sugababebracelets

And the last one in our list of Shopify starter plan examples is Suga Babe bracelets. Their starter store is undeniably the most colorful one in our list. And they also have the most products.

Moreover, this starter store seems to have the most complete details amongst our examples, thus making it a great example that you can create a large product listing for just $5 per month in the Shopify starter plan.

Suga Babe Bracelets mainly sells handmade bracelets for those who want to add a colorful touch to their arms.

Conclusion

The Shopify Starter Plan offers a cost-effective entry point for eCommerce beginners. At just $5 per month, it allows you to test product viability and manage basic sales through social media integration. While it lacks a full storefront, its user-friendly interface makes creating product listings and processing payments seamless.

Because of its basic and straightforward features for a low price, the Start plan is a low-risk investment to those who are just testing out their product ideas. It is also a great starting point for those who want to make it in ecommerce.

After carefully analyzing its features and providing some Shopify starter examples, have you figured out if this Shopify plan is for you? If yes, then the only thing remaining is for you to act and sign up for a free trial.

As the famous saying goes, “Great things come from small beginnings.” And your Shopify starter store is that small beginning waiting to be unleashed into something great.

We hope that this Shopify Starter plan review helped you decide.