Shopify Plus’s feature list has expanded dramatically in 2025–2026 — Shopify Functions replaced legacy Scripts, B2B Suite matured significantly, checkout extensibility ended the checkout.liquid era, and Flow + Launchpad got new capabilities. Many German Plus subscribers don’t use half of what they’re paying for, simply because they don’t know what’s there.
This guide is a complete reference of Shopify Plus features in 2026 for German brands: what each feature does, which ones move the needle for German operations, what’s new vs. legacy, and how to leverage the features that justify Plus subscription cost.
For the decision of WHETHER to upgrade to Plus, see our Shopify Plus development Germany guide.
Shopify Functions (replacing legacy Scripts)
Functions are Shopify’s modern way to customize checkout logic. Written in Rust or JavaScript, compiled to WebAssembly, run on Shopify’s infrastructure.
Function types
- Discount Functions — custom discount logic beyond built-in discount rules
- Payment Customization Functions — hide, reorder, or rename payment methods conditionally
- Shipping Customization Functions — hide, reorder, or rename shipping methods
- Delivery Customization Functions — control how delivery options display
- Cart Transform Functions — modify cart contents before checkout (bundle pricing, add free gifts)
- Validation Functions — block checkout based on cart conditions
Why this matters for German brands
Functions replace scenarios that required apps or were impossible on standard Shopify. Common German use cases:
- BOGO with German tax-correct pricing
- Hide Klarna for cart totals below €40
- Custom B2B tiered pricing based on customer-group + product-vendor
- Free Geschenk above order threshold
- Hide express checkout for restricted product categories
Cost to build
Custom Function development: €8,000–€35,000 per Function depending on complexity. See our custom Shopify app development guide.
Shopify Flow (automation engine)
Flow is Plus’s workflow automation: trigger → conditions → actions.
Common German Flow use cases
- New order > €500 → tag customer “VIP” + send Slack notification to sales team
- Inventory below threshold → email Beschaffungsteam + tag product
- New customer from DE region → add to specific Klaviyo segment
- Refund issued → send Lexware invoice update + notify Steuerberater
- High-value order → review fraud score before fulfillment
Flow vs. external automation (Zapier, Make.com)
Flow wins for Shopify-internal automations. External tools win for cross-system orchestration. Many German Plus brands use both.
Shopify Launchpad (event scheduling)
Schedule product launches, sales, theme changes — all to fire at specific timestamps.
German Launchpad use cases
- Black Friday: theme change at 00:01 Friday + automatic discount activation + product visibility changes
- Product drops: new product collection becomes visible at 18:00 on launch day
- Sale periods: prices change at start/end of sale automatically
- DST transition theme adjustments
Critical for time-bound German sales (Black Friday, Weihnachtsangebote, Sommerschlussverkauf).
Shopify B2B Suite
Native B2B features on Plus:
Companies + customer accounts
Customers belong to Companies. Companies have multiple users with role-based access. Maps to Mittelstand procurement structures.
Customer-specific catalogs
Show different products to different customer groups. Hide retail products from B2B customers. Show wholesale-only SKUs to specific Companies.
Price lists
Tiered B2B pricing per company or customer group. Volume discounts. Contract pricing.
Payment terms (net 14, net 30, net 60)
Companies can buy on terms instead of upfront payment. Shopify handles invoicing flow.
Quotes + Draft orders
Sales reps generate quotes. Customers convert quotes to orders.
Tax exemption handling
Reverse charge for EU B2B with valid USt-ID. OSS integration for cross-EU B2B.
For B2B-heavy German brands, B2B Suite is often the primary justification for Plus.
Shopify Checkout Extensibility
Replacing legacy checkout.liquid (which is sunsetting on standard Shopify). Customize checkout via extensions.
Extension types
- Branding extensions — colors, fonts, logos
- UI extensions — custom fields, banners, blocks at specific extension points
- Functions on checkout — discount, payment customization, shipping customization, validation
- Post-purchase extensions — upsells after order placed before thank-you page
- Account extensions — customer account page customizations
German use cases
- Display Trusted Shops badge at checkout
- Add Widerrufsbelehrung explainer block
- Insert custom German consent text
- Capture Steuernummer for B2B reverse-charge
- Display Versandkosten breakdown in line items
For Plus brands, checkout extensibility is one of the most underused valuable features.
Multi-store (Expansion Stores)
Plus includes 9 additional stores. Common configurations:
Multi-region (DE / AT / CH)
Three stores, one per country. Localized currency, language, tax, shipping. Single Plus subscription covers all.
Multi-brand portfolio
3 sub-brands under one company, each with own store, shared inventory.
B2C + B2B separation
Public B2C store + invite-only B2B store with different catalogs.
Pop-up / event stores
Temporary stores for specific events, products, regions.
Shopify Markets (multi-region + multi-currency)
Markets is Shopify’s multi-currency, multi-language, multi-region tooling — available on all plans but Plus gets advanced capabilities.
Plus Markets features
- Custom domains per region
- Localized URL structure
- Market-specific pricing rules
- Tax + shipping rules per market
For German brands expanding to AT/CH, Markets is the operational foundation.
Wholesale Channel (separate from B2B Suite)
For brands selling to other Shopify stores. Less commonly used in Germany than B2B Suite.
Higher API limits
Plus stores get 2x the bucket size for Admin API + Storefront API rate limits. Critical for stores running multiple integrations.
Shopify Audiences
Available to Plus only. Lookalike-audience generation across the Shopify merchant network for Meta + Google Ads. Limited applicability to small audiences.
Dedicated launch manager + merchant success manager
Real humans at Shopify, not just docs and help center. Includes:
- Launch project management for migrations
- Quarterly business reviews
- Roadmap previews
Shopify Audiences and AI features (Magic / Sidekick / Inbox)
Plus gets advanced AI assist features:
- Product description generation
- Theme customization suggestions
- Shopify Inbox AI replies
- Analytics insights
Useful but not transformative. Don’t justify Plus by AI alone.
What Plus features are German brands NOT using?
After auditing Plus accounts, the features most underused:
Checkout extensibility
Many Plus brands still have basic checkouts. Custom checkout extensions for German legal text, Trusted Shops, custom fields are underleveraged.
Functions
Beyond basic discount Functions, many brands haven’t built custom Functions even when they’d solve real problems.
Launchpad
Often replaced by manual theme switching or third-party apps.
Flow at scale
Used for simple notifications but not for complex multi-step workflows that would replace €300+/month app subscriptions.
How do you actually leverage Plus features?
Three patterns work consistently:
Quarterly feature audit
Once a quarter, review which Plus-exclusive features you actually use. Build a roadmap to leverage 2–3 more per quarter.
Function/Flow training for your team
Most Plus features are accessible to non-developers but require initial training. Budget 1–2 days of training per quarter.
Dedicated Plus developer or agency
Plus features keep evolving. Having a Plus-fluent developer on retainer (in-house or agency) accelerates leverage.
For broader Plus development context see our Shopify Plus development Germany guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shopify Plus Features
B2B Suite for B2B; Multi-store + Markets for DE/AT/CH; Functions for discounts; Launchpad for scheduled sales.
Functions replace Scripts; checkout extensibility matures; B2B Suite grows; AI (Sidekick/Magic); Hydrogen.
Plus adds B2B Suite, Flow, Launchpad, 9 stores, higher API limits, lower fees, dedicated success manager.
Rust or JS development; €8,000–€35,000 per Function; some available as off-the-shelf apps.
No — Plus-only. Standard can fake B2B with apps but lacks native depth.
9 — common use: DE/AT/CH separate + B2B store + pop-up event stores.
Modern customization via extensions; replaces legacy checkout.liquid (sunsetting on standard).
Limited for small German-specific audiences; more useful for broader-reach international brands.
Need help leveraging Plus features?
If you’re on Plus and want a 30-minute audit conversation about which features you’re underusing, book a meeting or send details via our contact page.