Shopify is one the most popular hosted platforms in the ecommerce industry. Shopify is a great platform to start an online store. Shopify is an ecommerce platform that hosts everything. The company handles all aspects of hosting and payments.
It’s not an easy decision. Most people want to test it before making a big investment and moving their entire store to Shopify. You will need to give Shopify a chance before you decide if it is feasible.
Shopify’s trial period is always different, however. Shopify currently offers a 14-day trial for new customers who wish to open a Shopify shop. In the past, however, they offered a 90-day trial to new customers.
It is important to remember that the free trial starts as soon as you sign-up on the platform. This does not mean you can start running your store. Two weeks may not be enough time for Shopify to prove itself as an ecommerce store owner.
The company will ask you to go through the features and install Shopify themes. You then need to optimize your store for SEO. Finally, you can decide if it is right for you. Rumours have circulated that the company may change its trial policy in the future. However, that remains to be confirmed.
Shopify Free Trial: Current Situation
You can access basic Shopify features for 14 days. This trial period allows you to create a store and then test it before you commit to a longer term. Access to the Shopify App Store allows you to download other apps such as Oberlo.
Your trial period starts immediately after you sign up. We gave it an almost perfect rating in our Shopify review, praising its versatility and functionality.
There is a catch, however. Shopify prohibits you selling items until you purchase a paid plan. You don’t have to enter your credit card details when signing up for the Shopify 14-day free trial.
Enter your email address and click the link to activate a free trial.
The company will place a hold on your shop if you don’t select a paid plan within the two-week period. It will not be possible to modify it or make any other changes.
What is the Trial Offer?
Shopify offers a free trial that lets you try out a range of features before you commit to purchasing a paid plan. Here are some of the things you can do during your trial:
- To see how products appear in your online shop, add descriptions and products.
- Look through the Shopify Settings page for more information about how to set up shipping and taxes as well as optimize multiple sales funnels.
- Shopify Payments allows you to integrate third-party payment providers.
- Both the Shopify Theme Store as well as the App Store are available.
Shopify Partners is not available to you. Experts Marketplace access is also not possible. The Shopify Affiliate Programs are not accessible during the free trial.
But what about the 30-day trial?
Shopify offered a 30-day trial to customers who created Shopify accounts directly from their website. Small business owners loved this because it gave them ample time to try out all the features.
This offer was withdrawn in 2019 and replaced by the current one.
You might be eligible for an extended 30-day trial depending on the nature and purpose of your eCommerce website. This extended trial cannot be obtained directly through Shopify.
Shopify partners and third-party providers offer extended trials. Here’s an example of a third-party page creator that offered a 30-day trial.
You simply had to visit their landing page, click the button to start a free trial and follow their affiliate link. PageFly received a commission for each conversion. These offers are often offered by third parties via social media, particularly in the wake the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s worth keeping your eyes open.
Exclusively for Partners: The Mythical 60 Day Trial
Shopify launched a large promotional campaign in 2019 offering trial periods of different lengths through exclusive partners. These promotional offers were promoted through landing pages that their partners created, which also included third-party payment gateways and email marketing providers.
Shopify’s partners were able to offer trial periods of up to 60-days to customers who were interested. These promotional offers were not actively promoted to large audiences. They were only shared with high-paying customers and localized audiences.
Shopify Partners get quite a few perks. They can also create development stores to test new features and templates. This is a great way to generate regular revenues from clients.
Is Shopify’s 90-Day Trial still valid?
The Shopify 90-day trial launched just a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic. Shopify accounts were opened to both new and existing merchants, as well as development store owners.
This was actually a very good move by the company. Small business owners, particularly brick-and-mortar stores, had to overcome many challenges when moving their businesses online during the height of the pandemic.
A long trial was very popular, especially one that did not require them to purchase third-party gift card or input their credit card details.
The extended trial was ended by the company on June 1st, and they reverted to their 14-day trial period.
Why is an extended trial period necessary?
Ecommerce store owners will likely realize that 14 days is not enough time to put a platform through its paces. Many Shopify customers will spend hours reading through the FAQs in order to fully understand their payment terms and APIs.
Then there are the integrations. Shopify is an industry giant in ecommerce and is well-known for its simplicity of use. To test the performance of your store, Shopify will require a longer trial period if you’re switching from a self-hosted platform to Shopify.
Perhaps the most important feature of the platform is the Shopify marketplace. To optimize your store’s performance, you can install third-party applications on its backend.
These integrations may be useful depending on your business’s nature. They can help you sell physical and digital goods, offer recommendations and upsells, and get customer reviews to share online.
Shopify App Store currently has more than 3200 apps. A new user will not be able to find the right apps or set them up in order to maximize their store’s performance.
You can choose from a 30- or 60-day trial to test out the apps and check Shopify’s basic functionality. Then, you can select the pricing plan that suits your needs. While some might find the 14-day trial period to be sufficient for their needs it can pose a problem for established ecommerce shops looking to migrate to Shopify.
How to cancel your Shopify free trial
Shopify offers a free trial that can be cancelled if you are unhappy with Shopify’s features, or feel that a self hosted platform is best for your business.
Shopify will eventually lock your store if you don’t act. As soon as your trial ends, Shopify won’t charge anything. Your Shopify account and your store will both be deleted eventually.
How can Shopify’s features be tested for longer periods of time?
Shopify partners are required to sign up if you wish to use Shopify’s features over the long-term. Shopify Partners are usually required to help merchants set up their stores. However, what you need is a development store.
Shopify partners can launch a store in “development mode” for you. This allows you to try out all the features, themes and apps before you actually launch your store.
This is not a free service. You will need to pay the partner. Shopify will not charge a monthly fee for you to test out your store on their platform.
After you’ve run as many tests as possible and are satisfied with the platform you can choose a pricing plan. You can then decide if you would like the services of a partner or if your store is best suited for you.
You can always reach out to a partner for help whenever you need it.
What will the future hold?
Shopify is known for changing promotions based upon current events. The platform is seeing a rapid rise in demand at the moment. Shopify is the best hosted platform for businesses looking to establish an online presence.
The 14-day trial is currently the only available option. However, that could change. Shopify also offers free trials in certain geographic locations. Keep checking Shopify’s website. If you don’t want any time wasted, sign up for a Shopify Partner.
Shopify is a great platform for ecommerce businesses. You can launch a successful business easily on the platform. Launching your store is only the beginning. It is important to learn how to market your products and services correctly. You should learn key marketing strategies from the best online stores so that you can increase your sales.
