Shopify Plus Features & Development Stores: What You Need to Know for Advanced Checkout Customization

Hey everyone! As a Shopify migration expert, I spend a lot of time digging through the community forums, and sometimes a thread pops up that just perfectly illustrates a common misconception. Recently, I came across a discussion that really hit home for anyone working on advanced Shopify customizations, especially around the checkout experience. It was titled "Cannot Add Any Checkout Blocks to Shopify Checkout Page" by a user named comfortablemedia6, and it sparked some really valuable insights.

The Frustration of Missing Checkout Blocks

comfortablemedia6 was trying to do something really smart: display product metafields, like "lead times" (e.g., "available in 6 weeks"), directly on the checkout page for each line item. This is a fantastic way to manage customer expectations and provide crucial information right when they need it most. They were looking at using the Checkout Blocks app, which is a powerful tool for enhancing the checkout experience.

The problem? They couldn't add any blocks to the checkout page itself. The only options available were the thank you or order status pages. Take a look at the screenshot they shared; it really shows the limitation they were facing:

comfortablemedia6 was using a Shopify Development Store and, like many folks, assumed that development stores automatically "unlocked" Shopify Plus features by default. This is where the confusion often lies, and it's a critical point for anyone planning a complex client migration or building out a new store with advanced needs.

The "Aha!" Moment: Development Stores Aren't All Created Equal

Thankfully, a community expert, tim_1, jumped in with the crucial clarification. It turns out that by default, most development stores are actually more akin to a standard Shopify Advanced plan, not Shopify Plus. This distinction is absolutely vital when it comes to checkout customization, especially with the newer Checkout Extensibility features.

The ability to add custom blocks directly to the checkout page itself (beyond the thank you or order status pages) is a powerful feature primarily reserved for Shopify Plus stores. Why? Because Plus offers a much deeper level of control and customization over the checkout process, which is often essential for high-volume merchants or those with unique business logic.

How to Get a Shopify Plus-Enabled Development Store

The key takeaway from tim_1's response is that if you need to test or build features that rely on Shopify Plus capabilities – like those custom checkout blocks – you need to specifically create a Plus development store from the outset.

Here's how you do it, based on the insights from the thread:

1. Log in to your Shopify Partner Dashboard. This is where you manage all your development stores.
2. Navigate to 'Stores' > 'Add store'.
3. Select 'Create development store'.
4. Fill in your store details as usual. This includes the store name, URL, and purpose.
5. Look for the crucial checkbox: 'Enable Shopify Plus features'. This is the game-changer! Make sure this box is checked.

tim_1 even provided a helpful screenshot showing exactly where to find this option:

What If Your Development Store is Already Set Up?

comfortablemedia6 rightly asked if they could "Enable Shopify Plus" on their existing development store now that it was already set up. Unfortunately, tim_1 confirmed what many of us have experienced: you generally cannot change an existing development store to Plus afterwards. While support might be able to assist in very specific scenarios, the cleanest and most reliable path is to create a new development store with Plus features enabled from the start.

This means if you're building a store for a client who will eventually be on Shopify Plus, or if you plan to use advanced checkout customization, it's absolutely crucial to anticipate that need and select the Plus option during the initial development store creation. Doing so will save you a lot of headaches down the line when you start implementing features like displaying those vital product metafields on the checkout page.

Wrapping Up

The beauty of the Shopify community is how quickly these kinds of critical details get clarified. This thread is a perfect example of a nuanced but incredibly important distinction: not all development stores are created equal when it comes to replicating the full Shopify Plus experience. For anyone looking to leverage the powerful Checkout Extensibility features and truly customize the checkout flow with blocks, remember to check that "Enable Shopify Plus features" box when you first set up your development store. It's a small step that makes a huge difference in unlocking the full potential of your Shopify build.