Taking a Break? Learn How to Pause and Enhance Your Online Store

[Trevor]

If you need to take a break from selling or want to redesign your store, pausing your plan could be the perfect solution for you. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of pausing your store and provide important information to consider. Let's get started!

Caution

• Pausing your store will only show as an option for you in the admin section if you have been on a paid plan for at least 60 days after your trial has ended. $1/3 months promotion is considered trial time and will not make you eligible to switch to Pause and Build.
• It is not possible to move from the trial plan to a paused plan; you must be on an active subscription plan for at least 60 days in order to pause your store.
• Merchants with active Shopify Capital and Plus merchants are not eligible for this plan.
• If you have a legacy plan (one not currently offered on the pricing page), then you will lose this plan when you reactivate. This includes Not for Profit (NPO) plans. 

Overview

The Pause and Build plan is designed for merchants who want to temporarily stop selling but continue working on their store. This plan costs $9 USD every 30 days and is an excellent option for those who need to rebrand, redesign, or take a break from seasonal selling.

While on the Pause and Build plan, your storefront remains active, allowing customers to view your website. You can access the admin as usual to make edits to your products, themes, pages, and more. However, the checkout functionality will be disabled, meaning customers cannot make purchases. Below you'll find a complete list of what works and doesn't work when opting to pause your store. 

Features That Work on Pause and Build:

• Admin (still accessible).
• Reports (still visible, but only Basic-tier reports are accessible).
• Online Store storefront (still visible).
• Apps stay live (charges apply unless removed).
• Refunds.
• Purchasing Shopify Shipping labels (if the order was created and eligible for Shopify Shipping before pausing the store).

Features That Do Not Work on Pause and Build:

• Online Store checkout (real and test orders not possible).
• Converting draft orders to real orders with manual payments.
• Checkout buttons (redirect to 'Checkout unavailable' page).
• Buy now buttons (removed from product pages but visible in the theme editor).
• Disabled express checkout buttons.
• POS in-person sales.
• Discounts (not available in Admin).
• Abandoned checkout recovery (not available in Admin).
• Creating and exporting gift cards.
• Publishing products to Facebook and Pinterest.
• Shopify Email.
• Syncing orders from third-party channels (e.g., Facebook, Pinterest).
• Existing unfulfilled orders not viewable by customers (error page displayed).

When pausing your store on the Pause and Build plan, keep in mind which features will still be accessible and which ones will not. This will help you plan accordingly and manage your store effectively during the pause period.

Switching to the Pause and Build Plan

Before switching to the Pause and Build plan, there are a few important considerations to keep in mind:

• The Pause and Build plan only includes 1 staff account.
• This plan is available on a monthly term only.
• Any outstanding invoices must be paid before the plan can be changed.
• App billing will not be paused. You will need to remove each app to avoid being billed. 
• If you're on a long term subscription plan (ex. Annual), you can select Pause and Build and be automatically moved to this plan. Prorated credit for the remainder of your long term billing cycle will be issued and automatically used towards future subscription charges.

To switch to the Pause and Build plan, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your store as the store owner.
2. From your Shopify admin, click on Settings and then Plan.
3. Click on Pause or cancel subscription and select Pause and build plan.
4. Carefully review the plan details, and when you're ready, click Switch to Pause and Build.

Getting Your Store Ready to Pause

Once you've switched to the Pause and Build plan, it's essential to make some adjustments to your storefront to reflect the changes. Since your storefront remains active, it's a good idea to hide product prices and disable the add to cart button to avoid customer confusion. This ensures that customers cannot add items to their cart while the checkout is inactive.

If you prefer to completely close off your storefront while working on it, you can enable password protection. This option is especially useful if you're redesigning your store or rebranding your business. To enable password protection:

1. Go to the admin section
2. Select Online Store
3. Select Preferences
4. Enable Password Protection

We recommend adding a message to your password page to inform customers that your store is temporarily unavailable. You can customize the look of your password page using the storefront editor or explore page building apps in the Shopify App Store for more control over its appearance.

Communication with Customers

While your store is paused, it's crucial to keep your customers informed about the temporary closure. You can use various channels to communicate this information:

• Update your website: Add a message on your homepage or create a dedicated page explaining that your store is temporarily closed for renovations or improvements. Provide an estimated date for when you plan to reopen.

• Email marketing: Send an email to your subscribers, notifying them about the temporary closure and any upcoming changes or updates. Use this opportunity to engage with your customers and share exciting news about your future plans.

• Social media: Utilize your social media accounts to inform your followers about the pause and build period. Share behind-the-scenes updates, sneak peeks of what's to come, and encourage them to stay connected for future announcements.

By effectively communicating with your customers, you can maintain their trust and keep them engaged during the pause period.

Re-opening Your Store

If you're ready to start selling again, follow these steps to reopen your store:

1. Log in to your store as the store owner.
2. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings and then Plan.
3. Click on Pick a plan, choose the plan that suits your needs, and click Start plan.
4. Carefully review the plan details, and when you're ready, click Start plan.

After selecting a plan, you can resume selling on your store. You are not required to choose the same plan you had before pausing which provides an opportunity to upgrade your plan if your needs have changed. For an overview of each plan and its features, visit our Help Center.