If I pause my store can I still work on the theme and do maintenance?

[balyra]

I need some time to do tweaks and setup of my store. Just wondering if I pause it can I still do these things until I'm ready to start marketing and have the store the way I want it. It's taking me a little longer than I thought to get it all set up the way I want it and just need a month or two to complete it before taking orders. Thank you for any insight you may have.

[Aria · Accepted solution]

Hey, Balyra!

Aria here, I'm on the Social Care team at Shopify.

Yes, when you're on the dormant plan (because you've paused your store), you will have access to everything except for the checkout. This means you can still edit the theme, menu's and anything else while your store is paused.

The dormant plan is $14 USD per month. You're welcome to stay on it for as long as you need to but make sure you reach out to us if you need support with your store setup. You're also welcome to post on the forums to ask for Feedback On Your Store before you go live. Shopify Staff, Partners and experienced entrepreneurs are likely to weigh in with their tips on making your store look professional and trustworthy.

Have you signed up for the free courses on Shopify Academy? That may help you with the store setup process, as well as your marketing.

[AlysaBK]

Is this a good option for the following scenario:

we are a new weekly market with online preorders from Saturday to Wednesday. I want the shop to be closed for orders on the other days,  but still want everything else visible. Should we go on pause for the days we are not accepting orders?

[Aria]

Hey, @AlysaBK!

I would recommend you don't pause your store in that scenario. It would cause a lot of confusion. You'd essentially be billed twice a week instead of once every 30 days. You certainly could do this if you wanted to but a better idea would be to just switch on your password protection screen for two days each week when you don't want orders. 

You can also edit your password page to communicate to your customers to let them know when they'll be able to place an order. 

Does this help?

[AlysaBK]

If there is a password then the general public will not be able to look and
see what they may want to order once the market opens.
Would a better option be to just change everyone’s inventory to zero? Can
you do this in the bulk editor?
--
Alysa King
Bayfield Provisions
alysa@bayfieldprovisions.com
416.629.6259
www.bayfieldprovisions.com

[Aria]

The Bulk Editor can be used to change whether or not Shopify tracks the inventory and whether or not you sell the product when it's out of stock but you can't change the quantity on there. You can, however, go to Products > Inventory to change the quantity. If you want to change to zero, this is what you would do: 

Does this help?

[AlysaBK]

I don't want to have to go into all 30 products individually every time and
zero them out.

Can you recommend an alternate scenario where the shop is closed to orders
for a few days every week, but still entirely visible to customers and
anyone checking out the site.

[Aria]

If you don't want to zero out the inventory and you want people to be able to browse without purchasing then pausing the store is the only way I can think to do it. The system will issue a bill every time you change plans so you'll end up being billed twice per week but some of the invoices will most likely be free since you'll receive a credit for unused time. 

If you're on the Basic plan, you'd pay $29 USD for the month. If you pause the store 4 days later, you'd receive a credit of approximately $25.13 and at the same time be billed $9 USD for the dormant plan. This will leave you with a credit of $16.13. If you switch back to the Basic Plan 3 days later, you'll be billed $29 USD again and receive a credit of around $8.10 (for your unused Dormant plan) in addition to the $16.13 you already have, leaving you to pay around $4.77. Of course, the bills could be higher than this if you also have app charges or shipping charges.

You wouldn't be overcharged but your bills would be frequent and most likely confusing. If you don't mind, there's nothing to stop you from doing it. These figures are approximate to give you an idea of how it would work if you choose this method, actual figures will depend on exactly when you switch plans and what else we're billing you for. You may also need to pay tax, depending on where you are located. You can find out more about how we bill here. 

This guide explains how to pause your store if you would like to use this method. 

[fuegoyhumo]

Hi Aria,

I have paused my store to pause sales and continue building out the theme, however, I can no longer see the theme. Any thoughts/ideas here?

Thanks,

Karen

[fuegoyhumo]

Nevermind, I found my theme. I just transitioned from an ecommerce service and the "online store" was no longer pinned. Transitionary issues... 🙂 

[cerman-hall]

Nice info! You create app for store page. PinesMax is also providing on department store like Velvet Textured Coat.