The right eCommerce platform will help businesses improve client communication, increase global reach, and boost revenue. Shopify Development Store is a great platform. Its development store capability, i.e. the ability to create demo stores, is incredibly useful for testing design and app functionality. Shopify is a great option if you sell products with less than 100 variants.
This Article Will Explain How To Set Up A Shopify Development Store And What Benefits It Provides Ecommerce Businesses.
What Is Shopify Development Store?
Shopify is the preferred eCommerce platform for over one million businesses. It offers simplicity, quality, efficiency, and rich features. Shopify development store account allows eCommerce businesses to test and install new themes before they commit to using the platform.
While some hosts offer only one version of a website, URL, and domain, Shopify Partners can create unlimited development shops for demo purposes. These aren’t for testing layouts. Shopify will give you access to its discount engine, real-time carrier-calculated shopping, and abandoned checkout recovery. You can also view 50 test orders so that you can check how your apps and addons work before going live.
Shopify Development Store is a free account that can be accessed via the Partner Dashboard. This account is free and has no time limitations. It also offers functionality similar to the Advanced Shopify plan. You can’t create paid apps, or install more than 10 private apps until you upgrade to a paid account. Read: It’s a good idea to hire an agency to set up a development store.
What features do Shopify Development Stores offer an eCommerce business?
Development stores are essentially a test environment for building online eCommerce platforms. They don’t have any trial restrictions and expire after a certain time. Shopify allows you to set up a development store without having to modify your existing storefront. Once you are happy with the design, you can migrate your store to the new design. All new development shops are password protected. Visitors can access the development store only by entering their password on the password page or by logging in to the admin. The development store password, unlike the customizable password page to access a paid plan or free trial store, is not linked to the theme of the online store and cannot be customized.
The development store is completely free but you can’t do anything until you upgrade to Shopify paid plan.
- Install paid apps, except for those that are compatible with partners
- More than ten apps can be created privately
- Remove the page containing the password for the development store
- Only test orders with the Bogus Test gateway. Orders cannot be placed using active payment providers.
Shopify is a top eCommerce platform provider and offers stunning mobile-friendly storefront templates broken down by industry. However, only ten themes are available. Any other themes you use for your development store will require a one-time payment. You will need to be able to read Shopify’s Liquid Code, which, in most cases, requires hiring an expert developer.
Third-party apps can provide additional functionality but may not be compatible with your theme or require modifications. However, this doesn’t mean that there’s no value in creating a Shopify store. It’s helpful to know how your store will look and function, but you must also be aware that you won’t have full functionality until you have a paid subscription.
How can I build a Shopify Development store?
- A Shopify Partner account is required before you can create a Shopify store. It is free to join and allows members to test Shopify store functionality. Shopify Partners have free access to training courses and other resources that will help you grow your business.
- After you’ve created a Shopify account, follow these steps to create a development store.
- Log into your Shopify Partner dashboard.
- Select Development store in the Store Type section.
- You will need to enter the Login Information section with a name and password for your development store.
- Select the developer version from the drop-down to enable a developer preview.
- Enter your address in the section for store addresses.
After you have created your Shopify Development store you can archive it. You must transfer ownership to your Shopify store to make it live. All restrictions on the development store are lifted once this has been done.
Some organizations use the Shopify developer preview to get early access to Shopify’s new features. This allows them to build and test apps against these features before they are released. One word of caution: Developer preview mode stores cannot be transferred to another owner, or converted to a paid plan.
What do I need to have a Shopify Development Store set up?
The plug-and-play capabilities offered by development stores make it easy to open a basic store even if you don’t have any technical knowledge. It will take you longer than a professional agency team to deliver the same results. This is why 80% of Fortune 500 companies outsource web development.
Experts are familiar with the platform’s workings. To ensure the success of an online store, they use its functionalities and features. An agency of top quality will evaluate the goals of an organization and create a Shopify store strategy that is scalable and optimized for long-term success.
