Shopify store owners love to take a break every now and again. How do you pause your shopify store What does this mean for your customers and orders? What can we do to get back in our business when we are ready?
Sometimes things do not go according to plan in business.
This comprehensive guide will help you navigate the process regardless of whether your goal is to close or suspend your Shopify store.
We’ll help you put your doors back up if you need them to be closed for a brief time.
This is a major decision. Let’s begin by discussing what to do before you turn off the power.
WHAT YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE YOUR SHOPIFY SHOP
It is easy to close and hibernate a Shopify shop. There are some things you should consider before closing and hibernating a Shopify store.
#1. YOU MUST CLOSE THE STORE
This is not something the Shopify team can help with.
#2. If you close your store, your account may be deleted.
Your Shopify account will also be closed when you close Shopify’s store. Your admin areas will also be closed. You can also close your account temporarily if you are still uncertain.
#3. YOU’LL LOSE YOUR STORE NAME AND URL
If you change your mind, you will not be allowed to return with the same URL and name.
#4. YOU’LL NEED TO PAY OFF ANY OBLIGATIONS.
You will need to pay any outstanding funds to Shopify before you can close your Shopify account.
#5. Any INTEGRATIONS or APPLICATIONS MUST BE REMOVED.
The most difficult aspect of closing a Shopify store is uninstalling and cancelling third-party apps, particularly those that have recurring monthly fees.
Your Shopify store won’t automatically remove apps. You must uninstall the app. Keep in mind that most apps charge monthly. You won’t be eligible to receive any refunds.
#6. You will not be refunded any subscription payments.
Shopify will not refund any subscriptions that are still active. If you cancel your free trial, there will be no charges.
#7. TRANSFERRING A CUSTOM DOMAIN IS REQUIRED.
You will need to modify the custom domain that is already associated with the domain you wish to use. If the domain was purchased and linked through a third-party, you will need to delete it from your Shopify store. You can also update your DNS settings with the registrar.
This allows you to continue using the domain even if your Shopify account has been deleted. If the domain was purchased through Shopify, it will need to be transferred to another hosting service or registry.
#8. THE SECURITY OF SHOPIFY’S TRANSFERS CAN AFFECT YOUR FRONT-END.
Shopify’s strict HTTP transfer security (HSTS), will continue to apply for 90 days if your store is closed longer than 90 days. This should not be an issue if your new platform supports https. HSTS is valid for 90 days following the closure of a store.
Visitors to your website who are denied a request will be notified that their store is not trustworthy, secure, and that the certificate is invalid.
HOW TO CANCEL (AND CLOSE) YOUR SHOPIFY SHOPPY STORE
#1. STEPS TO CLOSE YOUR SHOPIFY STOCK
- Log in to your account, then go to Settings > Account.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the Account page. Scroll down to the bottom of Account Status and click Close Store.
- A pop-up window will then appear asking you to provide information about why your store is being closed and how you can contact Shopify Support Team. Click Close Store, select a reason and enter your password.
- A confirmation screen will appear, where you can confirm cancellation. Your Shopify shop will now officially close.
There’s still time to activate your account if you feel sick or wake up with chills in the middle of the night. Your store data and set-up will be retained for 30 days.
You can’t create a new store with the exact same URL and name. If you have any doubts, deactivate the old one. Shopify trial accounts are free and will be deleted immediately.
The following code should be added to Shopify’s functions.php file. This will hide product prices and remove Add to Cart buttons.
To protect your online store, you can use a password. Your products will not be displayed to customers if your store is closed.
Your password page can be personalized with a message or text that will be displayed after your store closes.
All of your apps remain active even after you close your business. Each app must be cancelled individually if you want to suspend one or more of your apps.
#2. CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION, CLOSE YOUR SHOPIFY STATE
If you do not wish to continue using Shopify, you can close your Shopify account at any moment. After you close your Shopify shop, you will not be able to access your Shopify admin. To sign in, you will need to enter your payment card details and reactivate your shop.
If you close an online business, you won’t have the ability to open a new store using the same name or myshopify domain.
Shopify Support cannot cancel your store for the customer. You must close the store yourself. Shopify Customer Service can answer any questions you may have about the process.
Consider the following before you close down your store:
- You should check to see if there are any outstanding charges. You will not be billed if there are no outstanding charges. See Understanding Your Shopify Bill for more information.
- To save your store data, export CSV files. If you want to keep track your expenses, you can export your billing history.
- You should immediately cancel any third-party apps that store your payment details outside of Shopify.
- You will need to pay any balances if you sell gift cards. Exporting the gift card CSV file from your store is an option. This file contains all the information you need to settle outstanding debts.
- If you purchased your domain through Shopify, you can transfer it to another provider.
- If you bought the custom domain through a third-party, you can remove it from your Shopify store. You can’t use your Shopify store’s Domain if you don’t remove it before it closes.
- You might be charged an additional year if you fail to renew your custom domain before it expires. To avoid additional costs, make sure you disable auto-renewal from your registrar’s website.
- When you are closing your business and transferring your domain name to a new platform, Shopify’s HTTPStrict Transfer Security policy (HSTS), will apply for the first 90 days. This policy ensures that your customers’ and company’s data is secure by making it impossible for anyone to access it.
You don’t have to do anything if you transfer your domain to another HTTPS compliant platform.
If you transfer your domain to another platform that does not use HTTPS, a message in the browser will be displayed for the next 90-days.
You may see an error message on the website stating that the certificate is invalid or untrustworthy. Wait until the 90-day deadline has expired. Or, you might consider switching your domain to one that supports HTTPS.
STEPS:
- Navigate to Shopify admin, and click Settings > Plan.
- Here you can cancel or pause your subscription.
- Consider the options for ending your subscription or closing your business.
- Click Cancel subscription to close the store.
- Next, click Continue.
- Click Close Store
An email is sent to you to inform you that your store has closed. It will be stored for two years and you can still view your invoices and other information about the business. Before you reopen your store, you can also stop your plan.
#3. SELL YOUR SHOPIFY STORE
The Exchange Marketplace is a great option if you don’t want to manage your Shopify store anymore but still wish to sell your company.
Escrow.com and Exchange make it easy to list your company on Exchange.
Exchange Marketplace sells businesses. For more information, visit Selling a Business on Exchange Marketplace.
HOW TO LOAD YOUR SHOPIFY STAND
You can also put your Shopify store on hold instead of closing it down completely.
This is a drastic step that will remove the checkout function from your store. However, it is necessary to delete all traces of your shop on the internet.
You can still stop your store from being active for a few months, and you will still be able to save more than Shopify’s Basic plan. Shopify will move you to the Dormant Plan for around $14 per month.
Also, you will need to cancel or uninstall any third-party app recurring monthly fees. These cannot be paused. You will need to pay Shopify any outstanding charges before you can push pause.
You have two options to close your shopify store
#1. PAUSE AND BUILD PLAN
Shopify’s Pause and Build plan allows you to put your business on hold for a lower price while still developing it.
The Shopify admin can be used to modify and improve your store, but you cannot use the checkout. Customers can visit your store to look at your products, but they cannot buy them.
The Pause and Build strategy is best if your store is seasonal, or you only have a short time to open it.
You can only choose the Pause and build plan if your store has been on a pay plan for at least 60 consecutive days following the end of your free trial.
#2. PAUSE PLAN
The Pause plan allows you to shut down your store for up to three months without having to pay a subscription fee. Your business can be put on hold so you can focus on other things.
The Pause plan doesn’t allow you to access Shopify admin or work on your shop, nor can you sell to clients. This is in contrast with Stop and Build a Strategy.
Visitors are informed when your store is closed. For future communication and notifications, you may save visitor email addresses.
You can change your plan anytime during the three month trial period by signing into and choosing a different option. You will be transferred to the Pause and Build plan at a lower cost if you don’t choose a different plan within three months after closing your store.
After the upgrade is complete, your storefront will still not be accessible to your customers. However, you may log into your Shopify admin to work on your store so it can be sold again.
To choose the Pause plan, you must have been on a paid plan at least 60 calendar days after your free trial.
STEPS TO PAUSE OUR SHOPIFY STORE
- Log in to your account and navigate through the Settings > Account page of your admin panel to make changes.
- In the Store Status panel, click the Pause Store button at the bottom.
- A notification will appear on the screen informing you that your payment details have been verified. Click Pause Store after that.
- Go to Settings > Account > Compare plans when you are ready to resume. Shopify will require you to choose a new plan, confirm your payment information and restart the checkout function.
To prevent people from coming to your store, you might consider installing password protection and locking it for a time.
If the password is not known, customers will be unable access your products or place orders. To explain why your business is temporarily closed, you can send a personal message.
Online store checkout, POS and specials are not allowed. You cannot use gift cards or third-party integrations such as Facebook and Google to sell items while your store is down.
Although you can send draft invoices, the customer will not be able to complete the checkout process. Drafts cannot be converted into live orders.
While your store is closed, your account will be temporarily paused to pay a lower subscription fee. If you want to sell items again, you can choose a different plan and restart your store.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS: CLOSE, OR PAUSE YOUR SHOPIFY STAND
Shopify makes it easy to close your store or quit your account, if you feel it is time to stop selling.
You can also press the pause button if you feel like you need some rest.
When deciding whether to close your business or not, think about why you are doing it. Also consider whether it is a simple or difficult question to keep up. You can automate the tasks that cause you most concern.
What does pausing a shopify store look like?
Your Shopify store can be paused to make it invisible to online shoppers. There are many reasons to temporarily pause your shop.
Your store will automatically pause if you don’t pay the fees. Let’s suppose you sign up for Shopify. After the 14-day trial, if you don’t pay for your shop, your store will be paused until you pay.
These are the ways you can pause your store
- Stop working in your store and get back to it.
- Stop all activity in your store and walk away.
You can suspend your store for three months if you have a pause plan. There is no subscription fee. You can still access your store while it is paused and you can focus on other priorities.
You can’t access your admin panel or work on your store while you are on pause and build, unlike pause and plan.
Visitors to your store will be able to see a message telling them that the store is temporarily closed. To let your customers know when you reopen, you can collect their email addresses.
Logging in and choosing a new plan allows you to reopen your store at any time within three months. If you do not want to reopen your store in 3 months, you can upgrade to the pause and build plan with reduced subscription fees.
Your store will be temporarily disabled from the checkout, but it will still be accessible online. Your Shopify admin can allow you to pause your store by changing the Account settings or Plan permissions. Your subscription fee will be reduced if you pause your store.
Shopify app: Store > Settings Tap Store settings. Tap Pause in the Store status section. Tap Pause if you are happy with the terms.
FAQS SHOPIFY STORE
HOW CAN I REMOVE MY SHOPIFY STOCK AND START OVER?
If you cancel your Shopify account and shop, your store name will be lost and your URL will not work. This could cause problems if you are trying to reopen your Shopify shop with the same company.
Go to Settings > Account in your admin panel to close your Shopify store or cancel your account. Click on Store Status in the drop-down menu, then click Close Store.
HOW PERMANENTLY DO I DELETE MY SHOPIFY ACCOUNT?
After you close your Shopify account and cancel it, your store name and URL will be lost.
Although you can start over, however, it is not possible to restore everything. Open the store by going to Settings > Account > Store Status.
WHAT IF I CLOSE MY SHOPIFY STOLE?
Shopify must be paid if you want to cancel your account. For subscriptions that you have paid in advance, cancellation fees will not apply.
CAN I RESET MY SHOPIFY STORE?
No, you can’t. If you don’t wish to close your business, you can suspend it or make it public so others may see it. Go to Settings > Account within your Shopify admin to change the Store Status option from Paused to Shut Down. Then, you’ll need to confirm your payment details.
Shopify will ask you to select a new plan before you can pause your store.
CAN YOUR SHOPIFY START UP?
Yes, you can. While customers won’t be able to place orders while you are offline, they will still have access to their account, store name and URL. Go to Settings > Account > Store Status > Pause store.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU USE YOUR SHOPIFY STOCK?
You have two options to suspend your business: Pause and Build or Pause. While orders are delayed, you can continue to work on your store. You can take three months off your business and not lose it. However, the time limit is not unlimited so you will need to decide if to pause or close your store.
HOW DO YOU PUT YOUR SHOPIFY STORE UNDER MAINTENANCE?
Password protection can be used to restrict public access while you work on your store. A notification may be added to inform customers about what’s happening and when you will be back. Go to Online Store > Preferences > Password. You can enable a password by entering a password into the boxes.
WHY CANNOT I CLOSE MY SHOPIFY STOCK?
Shopify may ask you to pay a fee. Shopify may require you to pay Shopify a sum before you can close your store.
