Have you been invited to try Shopify Plus?

Great sign: Shopify has identified that your e-commerce business has a growth profile and the potential to scale.

But be aware: Contrary to what it may seem, the Shopify Plus trial is not just a temporary courtesy . It's a strategic moment that can directly influence the course of your next big business decision.

As one of the first Shopify Plus Partner agencies in Latin America, with experience in complex and large-scale projects, we at Alce Rocks have compiled 4 truths that few people tell you about trials — but which make all the difference between a wise choice and a missed opportunity.

And here's a spoiler: what you do now can accelerate or delay your next growth spurt.

In this guide, you will clearly understand:

• What is Shopify Plus and who is it suitable for?
• How does the Shopify Plus trial work?
  
• Why can the trial be counterproductive if activated without direction?
• The 4 most common mistakes people make when testing Plus on their own.

What is Shopify Plus and who is it suitable for?

Shopify Plus is the enterprise tier of Shopify.

It was created to meet the needs of operations that require more than just stability. We're talking about businesses that demand scale, customization, automation, dedicated support, and more robust technical governance.

Is Shopify Plus worth it for my business?

The Shopify Plus plan is especially suitable for brands that fall into at least one of the following scenarios:

• They operate with high sales volume or multiple distribution channels.
• They need a flexible and adaptable checkout process that can be tailored to specific segments, countries, or customer behavior.
• They work with international expansion , B2B models , or multiple brands.
• They face operational bottlenecks and want to automate processes intelligently.

How does the Shopify Plus trial work?

The Shopify Plus trial provides temporary access to the platform's most advanced layer. It's an opportunity to experience firsthand the tools that support and scale complex operations. During this period, your business can explore features such as:

• Shopify Flow , to automate internal processes and create intelligent flows between different apps and store actions.
• Checkout Extensibility , which allows you to securely customize the checkout process, adapting the experience according to the country, segment, or customer behavior.
• Exclusive Plus apps , with features such as custom scripts, multi-store management, refined permission control, and a structure designed for B2B sales.
• Customized administrative panel , which offers a centralized view of the operation, facilitating real-time decision-making.

1. Does the trial have a defined time limit?

Yes. Typically, access to Shopify Plus via trial is granted for a period ranging from 7 to 30 days, depending on the agreement with the Shopify team. However, when the trial is structured with Alce Rocks, it's possible to negotiate more advantageous conditions, including extending the trial period and ensuring technical alignment from the start.

2. Do I need to migrate my current store to test Shopify Plus?

Not necessarily. It's possible to test Plus in a sandbox environment without compromising its current operation. However, more advanced tests may require a minimum infrastructure already integrated.

3. What happens at the end of the trial?

You can choose to permanently migrate to Shopify Plus or revert to your previous plan. It's important to use this period to gather concrete data to support your decision.

4. Is it possible to freely customize the checkout process?

Yes. With Shopify Plus, checkout can be highly customized securely, respecting the rules of each marketplace, purchasing behavior, and even customer type (retail or wholesale).

⚠️ Why the Shopify Plus trial can be dangerous (if done alone)

Reason 1: You enter the trial with the best intentions, but without direction.

The scene is common: you activate the trial thinking you'll find out "if Plus is right for you".
But what happens is that you open a new panel, full of unfamiliar features... and you start clicking.

Exploring without a plan seems productive, but at its core it's just distraction disguised as curiosity .
Without clear objectives, it's easy to leave the trial feeling like "not much has changed" when, in reality, you just didn't look at what really matters .

Reason 2: The value of Plus is in the application — not just in the availability of features.

The Shopify Plus trial grants access to an advanced feature stack.

However, these resources do not generate value on their own. The key difference lies in the ability to identify which tools are relevant to your operating model and how to integrate them into your business architecture .

Without clear technical guidance, trials often boil down to generic exploration without practical validation.