Shopify Starter Plan Review 2024: How to Sell on Shopify for Only $5

Shopify Starter Plan offers social selling online without needing a personal website, replacing its previous Shopify Lite Plan. Priced at just $5 per month, it is a great choice for content creators and influencers with an established audience on various platforms. In this article, we will cover its cost, features, and benefits, and guide you on how to set up your Shopify products using Linkpop, Shopify’s link-in-bio tool.

What is Shopify starter plan?

Shopify Starter is a Shopify pricing plan for merchants who want to sell products on social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more.

How Much Does the Shopify Starter Plan Cost?

The Starter Shopify plan costs $5 per month and includes everything you need to start selling your products on social platforms or add a “Buy Button” on their other sites.

In my opinion, although the Starter plan doesn’t provide a full Shopify online store, it helps build my brand identity and serves as a crucial milestone for future expansion and scaling of my online store.

Shopify Starter replaces Shopify Lite to become the cheapest e-commerce Shopify plan. Of course, you can upgrade to higher tiers, including the $39 per month Basic plan, the $105 per month Shopify (Standard) plan, and the $399 per month Advanced plan.

Note: The pricing changes depending on your store location. Make sure to check Shopify pricing in your country here before starting a Shopify store.

Like the other Shopify plans, the Starter plan comes with Shopify Payments, Shopify’s built-in payment system. Once activated, it removes the transaction fee on each sale. However, Shopify applies a credit card fee for every online purchase.

• Credit card rates (online): 5% + 30¢ USD
• Transaction fees: 0% (Shopify Payments) - 5% (other payment processors)

Shopify Starter Plan Features

Shopify Starter offers a good amount of features at a small fee. Here is a quick overview of its features, based on my experience selling products online:

• Simple storefront
• Support for unlimited product pages
• Fast and secure checkout module
• Customize product information
• Customizable contact page
• Shopify order management
• Access to Shopify App Store
• Full access to Linkpop (a Shopify media link tool)
• Support your international growth through Shopify Markets

Now that I have a glimpse of what comes with the Starter Shopify plan, let’s dive deeper.

Linkpop by Shopify

I started my online store with Shopify Starter because it was affordable and easy to set up. Since I focused on selling through social media, the ability to create and share product links was perfect for my needs. And the highlighted feature I was highly impressed with is Linkpop.

Linkpop is a link-in bio tool that’s powered by Shopify and designed for e-commerce purposes.

Since I sold mainly through social media, having a single, clickable URL in my profile was crucial. It led directly to my store or specific product pages. I used calls to action like “Shop Now” or “Exclusive Deals Link in Bio” to encourage clicks.

This feature streamlined the purchasing process and made it easy for potential customers to browse and buy. Additionally, updating the link with new promotions or products kept my audience engaged and drove more traffic and sales.

Although Linkpop is one of the new features in the Starter plan, it offers a good amount of features, including:

• Support for digital wallet
• Media support
• Landing page customization
• Mobile Optimization
• Creating shortened bio links to your social bios
• Creating monetized links to Shopify product pages
• Links to your blogs and podcasts

Effective Selling on Social Media

According to a recent study, in the United States, social buyers reached 106.8 million, and this figure is forecast to grow by almost 10.6 percent, with over 118 million social buyers by 2027. So here is the perfect time to see how the Shopify Starter plan can help with social selling.

And, my Shopify Starter store is a hub of activity! I upload eye-catching photos of my handmade jewelry, craft detailed descriptions highlighting their unique features, and carefully set prices to ensure profitability.

I don’t stop there, though! I share my product pages online on my Instagram and Facebook profiles. I even created a small, organized storefront on each platform, featuring my best-selling pieces and seasonal collections.

When my followers click on those tempting links, they’re seamlessly redirected to my Shopify product pages, where they can explore further, add items to their cart, and easily complete their purchase.

Support for Customer Service

Moreover, the Shopify Starter plan can integrate with WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, allowing me to collect customer questions.

Sales Analytics & Order Management

The Shopify Starter plan offers an excellent tool for inventory management at a low price. Specifically, you can view and manage your orders from the Shopify admin dashboard.

The Starter plan also comes with an analytics page to track your performance and learn about product sales.

What’s Missing from the Shopify Starter Plan?

While the Shopify Starter plan is a great tool for ecommerce newbies, it comes with certain limitations. They are as follows:

Full online store: the Shopify Starter Plan does not include a full online store.

Blogging: The Starter Shopify plan does not include blogging functionality which is essential for generating traffic via inbound marketing.

However, I appreciated that the plan helped me build my page effectively. To build it, access to Shopify dashboard > Settings > Brand to set up:

• Logo and brand colors (primary and secondary)
• A cover image showing off your brand in profile pages and apps
• Slogan or brand statement (up to 80 characters)
• A business’s short description used in bios and listings (up to 150 characters)
• Social links include Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, and Youtube

Especially, in my Shopify Starter experience, I was limited to using the Spotlight theme. While it provided a clean and mobile-friendly layout, I couldn’t customize it beyond adding my branding elements, like my logo and color scheme.

My online store was accessible through a Shopify subdomain, a bit like “mystore.myshopify.com.” Visitors who clicked on my product links or typed in the URL directly were greeted with my storefront, a simple yet effective showcase of my products.

How to Sell on Social Media with the Shopify Starter Plan?

To start selling on social media, you need to create a Linkpop landing page. To do it, go to Linkpop.com and sign in with your Shopify account details.

Step 1: Set up your profile

Once you are in, hit the Create Page button to get started. From the Page info page,

• Enter the URL for your profile page, which can be Linkpop.com/yourstorename. This URL cannot be edited once it’s been created.
• Enter the profile name for your landing page, which could be your store name.
• Enter a description for your profile.
• Once done, hit the Create Profile button.

Step 2: Link your Linkpop account to your Shopify account

To create shoppable links on your landing page, you need to connect Linkpop to your current Shopify account and set it as a sales channel.

1. Click Add Shoppable link from the Linkpop admin page.
2. On the next window, click Take me to my store.
3. From the Log in to your Shopify store window, enter your Shopify store domain and click Log in.
4. On the next page, click Add sales channel > Go to Linkpop.

Step 3: Create shoppable links

You can now create shoppable links for your Linkpop landing page. Here is how to do it.

1. Click Add Shoppable link from the Linkpop admin page.
2. Click Browse products and choose the product you want to create a link for, and click Select.

Step 4: Customize your profile

In the Profile tab, you can customize how your Linkpop landing page looks, such as changing the font color, background color, and font. You can also add a logo for your profile and then fill in a bio.

Step 5: Add your social channels

In the Social media tab, you can link to your social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok.

Start my Starter plan

Shopify Starter Plan vs Basic Plan: Should You Upgrade?

If you are considering an upgrade to the Shopify Basic plan, check out the comparison chart below.

Features	Shopify Starter	Shopify Basic
Customer profiles
Order & inventory management
Mobile POS and hardware support
Store locations
QR code support
Different payment methods support
Gift cards support
Sales button in other
Access to Shopify’s dashboard
Personalized customer support
Online store
Multiple sales channels
Free SSL certificates
Support of up to 10 store locations
Staff Account
Duties and import taxes
60+ Reports
3 markets for additional regional customization

So, consider upgrading to the Shopify Basic plan, which offers several compelling benefits that can significantly enhance your online store’s functionality and growth potential.

• Create a fully customizable online store with your own domain, providing a professional appearance and enhancing brand credibility. This plan supports unlimited products and offers a variety of essential ecommerce tools that go beyond the Starter plan’s capabilities​.
• Access to advanced sales and marketing tools, including abandoned cart recovery, discount codes, and gift cards, which help drive promotions and recover lost sales.
• Benefit from 24/7 customer support, ensuring you can get help whenever needed, which is especially useful for resolving issues and managing my store.
• Receive detailed analytics and reporting to track your store’s performance, understand customer behavior, and make informed decisions.
• Enjoy lower transaction fees than the Starter plan, which can lead to significant savings as my sales volume increases.
• Integrate a broader range of Shopify apps, adding various functionalities to your store for better inventory management and marketing automation.

To detail the Basic Shopify plan, read Avada article “Shopify Basic Plan Review 2024: Pricing, Features, & Benefits.”

How to Add a Live Chat to Your Shopify Store?

With the Shopify Starter plan, you can sell your products through direct messages on WhatsApp or send a link to your products during live chats on Instagram if you have already linked your Linkpop landing page to your social media platforms.

Is the Shopify Starter Plan Right for You?

Whether the Shopify Starter plan is right for you depends on your budget, business scale, and goals.

The Starter plan is a great option for businesses who want to sell online on social media platforms and messaging apps or to add a “buy button” on their existing websites.

Or if you already have a website and your product catalog is small, Shopify Starter is a suitable match. It is an affordable tool and can turn any social media platform into a selling system, with numerous options to reach out to customer inquiries.

On the other hand, if you need a fully-editable online store, go for one of the other Shopify plans.

I found Shopify Starter to be a surprisingly robust and user-friendly platform for my budding online business. The backend interface was intuitive, allowing me to easily upload product photos, write engaging descriptions, and set competitive prices. I loved how seamlessly I could share my product pages on social media, turning my posts and profile into a virtual storefront.

Starter Shopify Plan: FAQs

Does the Shopify Starter plan offer a free trial?

The answer is Yes. There is a 3-day standard Shopify trial, which provides you full access to your selected Shopify plan (the Starter plan) and its features at no cost. And when your standard trial period expires, you’ll get the first month of Shopify for only $1/month on select plans (the Starter & Basic plans). You can sign up for a Shopify account with the $1/month deal here.

What is the basic plan for Shopify?

The Basic Shopify plan is a comprehensive solution for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs looking to set up an online store. It costs $39 per month (or $29 per month if paid annually) and offers a range of features that support the creation and management of an ecommerce website.

Is Shopify worth it for beginners?

Yes, Shopify is worth it for beginners due to its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, scalability and extensive support resources. The platform allows users to set up and manage their online store with ease, even without technical skill, and offers a variety of plans that can grow with their business.

Wrapping Up

That’s everything you need to know about the Shopify Starter plan. The Starter plan does not offer a complete solution for creating and managing an online store. Instead, it’s more like a low-risk, lightweight plan to test out new products or launch a startup without needing a complete eCommerce website.