For neonate merchants looking to start their first online store, knowing where and how to start can be daunting. Shopify, over the years, has proven to be one of the most trusted e-commerce platforms to start selling online, especially for brick-and-mortar businesses.
The need to be able to understand the functions and features of the platform was necessary. Shopify creators understood this and designed free trials for new merchants to sign up to.
These free trials have been varying in duration and it might get confusing as to exactly which one is available right now. Is it the 1 month or 90-day one? Or can you still get two weeks’ trials to this date? Let’s Find Out.
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How Does The Shopify Free Trial Work?
Any Shopify user is allowed to sign up for Shopify free trial. Shopify’s trial is available on their website page and can be joined directly.
Many ask who would be eligible for the free trial. Shopify allows all new and old merchants to test out their platform, regardless of the size and type of business you are in.
It’s a no-brainer that you would not be allowed to sell uncategorized or restricted items on Shopify. Otherwise, there’s no restriction as to who can avail of the free trial.
It is important to remember that the duration of the free trial period begins the minute you sign up for the free trial, and not when you start working.
As soon as you click sign up and enter your demo Shopify store, you are free to imagine, create and execute. During the free trial, you can build and design your store. You can also add products along with images, segments, and descriptions.
During the Shopify free trial, a user is allowed to access most of the features that a paid subscriber would have access to. Then why pay at all? It surely can’t be that easy, right?
While you can have access to important features like shipping and payment options, you would not be able to make sales during the free trial unless you have selected a paid plan.
You would only be billed for the fee at the end of the free trial but signing up for a paid plan would allow you to sell during the trial.
Your billing information and credit card details would be asked for during the selection of a paid plan.
As for cancellation, it is voluntary once you select a paid plan, with or without paying the subscription fee.
If you don’t go ahead and select a plan, your account will be frozen and held for 30 days. All the progress that you made would not be deleted either. During this period, you would be able to pay for one of the plans to reactivate your paused account. Then, you can again start right where you left off.
Shopify 1 Month Trial: History
Back in 2019, Shopify allowed its users to sign up directly from their website to avail of a 1 monthly long trial. For 30 days, you would play around with the demo store and build up a business.
Although this elongated duration was well received and quite popular, Shopify discontinued the 1-month trial. In 2019 again, this trial was replaced by the standard 14-day trial.
The 14 days free trial was then replaced again with the current 3-day trial.
Although the 1-month free trial is not accessible currently, you can resort to the longest available trial offered by Shopify now.
In the 30 days trial, you could add products, customize your store and explore themes provided by the Shopify features. You could also utilize the metric and analytics provided by Shopify in the trial period.
However, like a few other unpaid trials, the 1-month trial also came with certain limitations. Users signing up for the one-month trial were unable to have access to Shopify payment processing.
Other than that, Shopify did have a footer sticker on the store all the time. This was also because the domain was not handed over to the user completely. During the 1-month free trial, merchants could only have the subdomain for their website.
Moreover, Shopify also restricted access to certain important features during this trial. For instance, using third-party tools and app integration was difficult while more people wanted to do so with restricted abandoned cart factor or gift card availability.
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How long is the Shopify free trial in 2023?
Now that you know that Shopify’s 1 month free trial is history long forgotten, you’d want to know about what the ecommerce platform has to offer now.
Currently, Shopify offers a 3-day free trial, with a special limited-time offer. The offer allows you to select one of the paid plans at the end of the trial and use that plan for 3 months by paying $1 per month.
Simply put, in 2023, you would be able to avail of a 3-day + 90-day for $ 1 per month offer by signing up through the platform’s website directly. That’s 93 days of unlimited Shopify access for only $3. This is by far, one of the most thoughtful and efficient offers given by Shopify.
For me, this is better than being on a free trial without the freedom to be able to sell or make money.
During the 3 day +90 days for $1/month offer, you can avail of the following features:
- Create and design your own Shopify store
- Use and have access to over 40,000 themes which are both premium and free
- Add and use Shopify Plus’s advanced features with the availability of Store management, shipping, sales tax, and inventory control.
- Utilize various metrics to understand customer feedback, customer segmentation, and product reviews.
- Round the clock customer support from Shopify and a designated manager to aid you with your accounts
- Access to advanced checkout option, and payment gateways which are both Shopify’s own and third-party related
- Social media marketing, email marketing, blogging, SEO tools, and multichannel sales.
- Free training courses, SSL certificate.
Click Here to Get The Longest Available Shopify Trial (To Date)
Can you sell during Shopify’s free trial?
Whether you can sell or not can be a confusing part of being on Shopify’s free trial. Let’s break it down for you:
You can sell during your Shopify’s free trial, only if you have selected one of the paid plans offered by Shopify.
When you select the paid plan, you will also enter your billing address. So, when you make any sales, you’ll get the payment for it.
At the end of the free trial, you would need to pay for the plan you selected. If you don’t go ahead with a paid plan, your account will be paused and held for 30 days.
In the case of the 3 days free trial, currently offered by Shopify, you will only be able to sell during the 3 days, had you signed up for a plan.
Remember, that if you take up the special offer of 90 days for $1 per month, your checkouts will be unlocked and you will be able to sell during the next 3 months.
Best practices for maximizing the trial period
If you have a few tricks up your sleeves, you would know how to strike the iron while it is hot. What I mean to say is that you would want to use the trial period on Shopify to the fullest.
You can maximize the use of the trial period and get the best out of it by doing the following:
- The creation of your page should be your goal. Being able to build a store that best suits your business and your brand name can be a make-or-break deal. You might want to start from scratch.
- Take your time to explore the themes available and use the one that best suits your store. You would also want to choose a domain concerning the store theme and niche.
- Find, categorize, and edit products to add. You can also present the products according to what sells best or is appealing to your audience
- Utilize third party apps, install them, and try them out. You could also experiment with the various payment gateways to see which suits your store best
- You can also try out order fulfillment and gain some first-hand expertise in receiving and processing a full order.
- Familiarize yourself with advanced settings of shipping, inventory, taxes, and conversions of your store
- Practice blogging and social media marketing to understand what promotes your product better
- Utilize the insights, analytics, and metrics provided by Shopify.
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Shopify Free Trial Extension: What’s the Procedure
When Shopify offered 14-day trials, it was possible to obtain extensions for days by simply contacting Shopify’s customer support. One had to make a reasonable ask and justify why you’d need a leeway. This way many people got 30 to 31 days of extension which they could use to the fullest.
For an unpaid Shopify extension, you can reach out to Shopify’s help center. People have received unending support from them. If you have not selected a paid plan at the end of the trial and need more time, an extension may be possible.
Now, you don’t have to go through that hassle with uncertainty. With the 3-day free trial ending, many would opt for an extension and Shopify certainly knew that.
With that in mind, the Shopify creators designed an offer of 90 days for $1 per month.
Here’s how you can claim that extension:
- Once you have signed up for the free trial and entered your store name and domain, you’ll get your Store ID.
- Next, you will be directed to the Shopify dashboard page. Here you will be expected to “Pick a plan”
- You would need to select the $29 plan named Basic which would allow you to avail of the offer. Instead of $29, you will notice the $1 fee.
- Finally, you will be landed on the checkout page where you need to enter your billing address along with credit card details.
How to upgrade to a paid Shopify plan after the trial period
Once you have signed up for the free trial, you would be given the chance to sign up and upgrade to a paid plan. Here is how you can do it:
- Once you have signed up for a free trial, you would be able to upgrade to a Shopify plan during the trial or at the end of the trial. Regardless, you would have to go to your admin page in Shopify. If your account has been paused, you will be barred from entering the admin page. In that case, you can simply log in to your Shopify account where you’ll be directed to the pricing page.
- Here you will be given a choice to select from 3 paid plans: Basic, Shopify, and Shopify Advance.
- You will then be asked to enter your credit card information to complete the free trial with a paid plan or you can choose to upgrade to the plan immediately.
FAQs
Are there any limitations during the trial period?
During the free trial, you would not be able to make sales until you have selected a paid plan. When you select a plan, you will be asked to enter your credit card information and billing details. If you make sales during the trial, you will receive the revenue.
How long does it take to set up a Shopify store during the trial period?
It can take about 3 to 4 days to set up a Shopify store with basic features and products during the trial period.
Can I use my custom domain during the trial period?
It is possible to have a custom domain during the trial period with or without a selected plan. If you don’t select a paid plan at the end of the trial, the domain will be removed.
Is it possible to upgrade to a paid Shopify plan during the trial period?
You can select a paid plan during your trial period but you can upgrade to it only when your trial period ends. However, with a plan on board, you can cancel the trial period voluntarily and move to the paid plan. In that case, you would have to pay the subscription fee.
Can I receive payments during the trial period?
You can receive payments during the trial period if you have selected a paid plan to go ahead with. Generally, you will be billed at the end of the trial for other proceedings.
Final Thoughts
Shopify no longer offers the 1-month trial. The once prevalent free trial duration was replaced in 2019. The trial did serve enough time for users to experience the hosted platform and try out many features, but it also came with limitations.
The current 3-day trial along with the special offer of 90 days for $1/month allows you to learn without barriers. You can understand the store, your own business, and make sales. You can do all that and more with the longest available trial offered by Shopify right now.
Click Here to Get The Longest Available Shopify Trial (To Date)
