Monthly Archives: September 2025

Spiffy Stores vs Shopify: Which Works Best for Australian Merchants?

Posted on by
Reply

When you’re setting up or growing your online store in Australia, you’ll come across two very different options: Shopify, the global ecommerce giant, and Spiffy Stores, a local Australian platform built specifically for SMBs.

Both can power your online store — but they approach ecommerce differently. Below we break down the differences feature by feature, so you can decide which platform aligns best with your needs.

1. Setup & Onboarding

  • Spiffy Stores: Quick-start setup wizard, localised defaults, Australian tax/shipping options out of the box. Ideal for merchants who want to launch quickly with minimal fuss.
  • Shopify: Polished onboarding flow, lots of setup options (Shopify Payments, Markets, POS), but more complexity. Can feel overwhelming if you just want to start selling locally.

Best for: Speed and simplicity → Spiffy. Flexibility for complex setups → Shopify.

2. Themes & Design Control

  • Spiffy Stores: Mobile-optimised themes, adjustable settings, built-in editor for HTML/CSS. Developers can customise fully, or Spiffy can perform paid template edits for you.
  • Shopify: 100+ professional themes, advanced drag-and-drop customiser, huge third-party theme marketplace, strong ecosystem of design agencies.

Best for: Simple, functional sites → Spiffy. High-end design & branding flexibility → Shopify.

3. Payments & Gateways

  • Spiffy Stores: Strong local support — eWAY, Pin Payments, SecurePay, PayPal, Afterpay, Zip Pay, Square Payments, Stripe, plus bank merchant facilities. No extra transaction fees for using external gateways.
  • Shopify: Shopify Payments (where supported), PayPal, Afterpay, Klarna, plus 100+ gateways worldwide. If you don’t use Shopify Payments, extra transaction fees apply.

Best for: Australian merchants who want choice without fees → Spiffy. Global merchants needing multiple currencies → Shopify.

4. Shipping & Taxes

  • Spiffy Stores: Integrated Australia Post, Sendle and Aramex rates, local tax handling, GST-friendly settings.
  • Shopify: Wide carrier integrations, third-party shipping apps, sophisticated international tax and duties handling.

Best for: Domestic-focused sellers → Spiffy. Cross-border/multi-country sellers → Shopify.

5. Apps & Extensions

  • Spiffy Stores: Lean ecosystem — many everyday features are built-in (discounts, gift certificates, bundles, infinite options, blogging, reviews, analytics). Advanced needs often handled by Spiffy developers via template edits.
  • Shopify: 8,000+ apps in the App Store (subscriptions, loyalty, wholesale portals, advanced marketing). Adds cost but unmatched breadth.

Best for: Simplicity without app overload → Spiffy. Cutting-edge integrations → Shopify.

6. Marketing & SEO

  • Spiffy Stores: Built-in blogging, SEO fields, Google Analytics/GA4 integration, Klavio, Facebook/Instagram shop integration.
  • Shopify: More advanced SEO tools, large ecosystem of marketing apps, powerful multi-channel selling (TikTok, YouTube, Amazon, eBay, POS).

Best for: Core SEO + social media → Spiffy. Full omnichannel selling → Shopify.

7. Support

  • Spiffy Stores: Australian-based support team, available via email and phone, with remote screen-sharing (TeamViewer) if needed. AI Chatbot to assist with technical questions. Practical, personal, and in your timezone.
  • Shopify: 24/7 global support via chat only. No more phone or email support. Large help centre, and a huge global partner network.

Best for: Personal, local, SMB-focused support → Spiffy. Scalable, global network → Shopify.

8. Pricing

  • Spiffy Stores: Lower, predictable monthly fees in Australian dollars. Many features included by default. Fewer add-on costs. Starts at $25 per month, incluuding GST.
  • Shopify: Tiered monthly pricing. Many core features require apps, which adds to costs. Extra transaction fees if not using Shopify Payments. Starts at $61.60 per month, including GST.

Best for: Budget-conscious SMBs → Spiffy. Merchants who can justify app costs for growth → Shopify.

9. Scalability

  • Spiffy Stores: Best fit for small-to-medium businesses focused on the Australian market.
  • Shopify: Can scale from startup to enterprise (Shopify Plus), with multi-currency, headless commerce, APIs, and complex integrations.

Best for: Local growth → Spiffy. International expansion → Shopify.

10. Philosophy & Roadmap

  • Spiffy Stores: Keeps things lean and merchant-friendly, with local integrations and hands-on help.
  • Shopify: Fast-moving roadmap with advanced commerce features, and global market expansion.

Best for: Stability and simplicity → Spiffy. Access to cutting-edge ecommerce innovations → Shopify.

Summary: Which Should You Choose?

  • Choose Spiffy Stores if… you’re a small-to-medium Australian business, want personal support, predictable costs, and built-in tools without a big learning curve.
  • Choose Shopify if… you plan to scale internationally, need advanced integrations, or want access to the largest app ecosystem in ecommerce.

Supporting Spiffy Stores also means supporting a local Australian business, keeping your subscription dollars in the country, and working with a support team who understands the local market first-hand.