Create Multiple Stores On One Account - (One Website Active At Any Time)

[ManuelH]

Hey there. I want to create and test multiple stores with different domains but all in one shopify account for easier and cheaper use. There only needs to be one store active at any time for this to work. I would use different domains interchangeably and of course the stores themselves that still need to be built will be different as well. 

Does you know how I might go about it the smartest way and perhaps give me some pointers what I should consider and look out for such as sales channels like connected meta accounts, markets, blablabla. 

I appreciate any advice you can give me and if it helps a lot will def buy u a hot coco 🙂

Tanks

[DaisyVo]

Hi @ManuelH 

I understand that you're looking for a way to manage multiple Shopify stores under a single account while keeping costs down, but only having one active store at a time. That makes sense, especially if you're testing different ideas, branding, or markets before committing to a full-fledged multi-store setup.

The Reality of Shopify’s Multi-Store Management

Unfortunately, Shopify does not support multiple stores under a single account. Each Shopify store operates as its own independent entity, meaning every store requires its own subscription. However, there are a couple of workarounds depending on what exactly you’re trying to achieve.

Workarounds to Test Multiple Stores Under One Subscription:

1. Use Shopify Markets for Domain Switching (Best for Different Branding in the Same Business)

If your goal is to test different domains and branding while using the same core products, Shopify Markets lets you connect multiple domains to a single Shopify store. Here’s how it works:

• You can add multiple domains in Settings > Domains and assign them to different Markets.
• Each Market can have its own branding (logo, language, currency, and content).
• You can tweak product availability per Market, meaning you can simulate different store setups without needing multiple stores.

➡️ What to consider:

• Shopify Markets is ideal if your stores have similar catalogs but different branding or audiences.
• Sales channels (like Facebook, Google, etc.) will be linked to the main store, so you'll need to configure them carefully if targeting different audiences.
• Checkout customization is limited since all orders still go through the same backend.

2. Create a Staging Store for Testing (Best for Fully Different Stores)

If you need completely different stores (separate branding, products, themes), the closest Shopify-approved method is to create a staging store on Shopify’s free trial:

• Shopify lets you build stores on a free plan without activating a paid plan until you’re ready.
• You can create multiple trial stores and build them in parallel.
• When you want to activate a store, just pause or close the previous one and switch to the new one.

What to consider:

• Shopify only offers one free trial per email, so you might need different emails.
• If switching between stores, you’ll need to manually move over settings, products, and configurations.
• Meta/Facebook accounts & other integrations don’t automatically transfer—you’ll need to reconnect them for each store.

3. Use a Shopify App for Store Duplication (If You Want Fast Switching)

If you're testing multiple versions of a store and don’t want to rebuild from scratch every time, apps like Rewind Backups or Store Copy can duplicate your entire store setup. This lets you:

• Clone your existing store to a new Shopify store.
• Test changes on the duplicate before swapping your domain over.
• Quickly switch between different setups without starting from zero.

What to consider:

• This still requires multiple Shopify subscriptions but saves time setting up.
• If you have different target sales channels (Meta, Google, etc.), you’ll still need to reconfigure them.

Key Things to Watch Out For:

1. Domains & SEO – If you swap domains often, make sure search engines don’t penalize you for duplicate content. Use canonical tags and avoid rapid domain switching.
2. Connected Sales Channels – Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google Merchant Center link to a single Shopify store at a time. Switching stores means you’ll need to reauthorize accounts.
3. Email & Customer Data – Customer accounts, email lists, and order history won’t carry over between different stores unless you use an external CRM.

Best Way to Proceed:

• If you just need different branding on one Shopify store → Use Shopify Markets & multiple domains.
• If you need totally separate stores but only one active at a time → Build multiple stores on free trials, then activate only one at a time.
• If you want to duplicate stores easily → Use store copy apps to switch setups without rebuilding.

Let me know if you need more details on any of these! If you're testing different ideas, I’d say the free trial method is the best bang for your buck. Hope this helps—I'll be waiting for that hot cocoa! ☕

If you need any other assistance, feel free to reply and I will try my best to help.
Best regards,
Daisy