Key Comparisons: Shopify vs Salesforce for Australian Users

Shopify vs Salesforce In Detailed Comparison for the Australian Market

In a detailed comparison of the Australian market, Shopify vs Salesforce present distinct approaches. Shopify is widely adopted for its user-friendly eCommerce solutions, with a significant presence of 151,179 websites utilizing its platform in Australia. 

In contrast, Salesforce, with 3,114 websites, targets enterprises seeking advanced CRM and eCommerce functionalities, highlighting its niche in scalability and comprehensive business solutions. These numbers underscore the platforms’ tailored offerings catering to varying business needs and scales in the Australian market. Let’s go one by one to see the differences:

Pricing

Let’s kick off our detailed comparison Shopify vs Salesforce with the first crucial element: pricing for the Australian Market

Salesforce comes with a high price tag. Its pricing model is based on a percentage of your Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), typically ranging from 1% to 3%, with costs starting at a substantial $25,000 per month plus standard installation fees. As your sales increase, you ascend into higher GMV-based thresholds, further raising costs.

In contrast, Shopify offers a more affordable pricing structure. Subscriptions range from $25 to $399 per month, providing transparent and consistent pricing. This clarity aids in budget planning, especially beneficial for new businesses or those with moderate sales volumes.

For instance, Puma, a global athletic wear company, uses Salesforce due to its extensive product range and high sales volumes. The platform’s high cost is justified for Puma as it drives significant online sales globally. Conversely, Biko, a Canadian jewelry brand, uses Shopify’s $25 per month plan, allowing them to focus on crafting unique pieces without worrying about high platform costs.

Watch more: Why Australian Businesses Choose Between Shopify Plus vs BigCommerce Enterprise?

Customization Options

Continuing with our detailed Shopify vs Salesforce analysis, let us now consider the degree of customization each platform offers. Both platforms allow for customization, but they approach it differently.

Salesforce excels in personalization. It provides extensive customization options, enabling businesses to tailor their online stores to meet specific needs and preferences. However, this flexibility often requires developer expertise or the assistance of an expensive agency to fully unlock its potential.

Conversely, Shopify offers minimal native customization. It relies more on themes and app integrations, simplifying the customization process. This approach makes it accessible even for those without coding knowledge, though it may seem limiting to some.

For instance, global sportswear giant Adidas uses Salesforce to enhance B2C functionality. The platform’s customization options help Adidas manage their vast product range and complex site navigation effectively.

Meanwhile, Allbirds, a footwear brand focused on sustainability, leverages Shopify’s themes and apps to create an online store that aligns with their brand ethos. This allows Allbirds to build a compelling online presence without needing extensive coding or development work.

Ease of Use

In the third section of our in-depth comparison between Shopify vs Salesforce, we will review usability, a crucial consideration for most Australian businesses, especially those lacking technical skills or resources.

Salesforce boasts a rich set of features for an e-commerce platform, but it comes with high learning requirements. The platform is very technical and requires a significant amount of training to navigate effectively. 

For example, outdoor clothing and gear company Patagonia uses Salesforce to manage its extensive and complex product line. Given their global customer base, they likely employ experienced professionals to oversee their online store.

In contrast, Shopify is renowned for its intuitive interface. It is ideal for newcomers to e-commerce who may lack technical skills, as it allows users to establish and manage their online store with relative ease.

SEO and MarketingTools

In the fourth part of our comparison of Shopify vs Salesforce, we will turn to SEO and marketing tools. These features are crucial for driving traffic to your online store and converting visitors into customers.

Salesforce offers a comprehensive set of SEO tools as part of its marketing automation platform. This enables you to make your store more search engine friendly and automate the marketing process for better results. 

For instance, Uniqlo, an international fashion brand, leverages Salesforce’s built-in SEO tools and marketing integrations to quickly reach a broad global audience.

Shopify also provides essential SEO tools, but its advanced marketing features largely depend on app integrations. While this may not be as comprehensive as Salesforce, it offers sufficient capabilities for most stores to generate significant marketing traction. 

Fashion Nova, for example, has successfully utilized Shopify’s SEO techniques and marketing apps to become a prominent name among online fashion retailers.

Apps & Integrations

Continuing our in-depth comparison of Shopify vs Salesforce, let’s discuss the apps and integrations available through these platforms. These integrations can significantly enhance the operations of any store, making the shopping experience smoother for customers.

Salesforce offers a wide array of applications to meet diverse demands. However, these apps need to be chosen and managed carefully to ensure they integrate seamlessly with your online store.

Shopify also boasts a vast app store, complete with user reviews. This allows you to gauge an app’s capabilities and reliability before adding it to your store. However, the quality of apps varies, so it’s important to choose wisely.

A great example of a successful Shopify store is Gymshark. This fitness apparel brand has effectively utilized multiple apps, from product reviews to social media integration, enhancing the performance and user experience of its online store.

Watch more: Adobe or Salesforce: Which Platform Suits Your Australian Business?

Multi-Store Expansion

While Shopify offers multi-store support, it’s not as flexible as Salesforce. Shopify uses a single “master” store to house all products and inventory across different stores, which can be limiting for large retailers with multiple brands or product lines, as customers can only shop for one brand at a time.

In contrast between Shopify vs Salesforce, Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud integrates multiple channels to help you scale your business effectively. It allows you to manage your products and inventory from one central point of control, offering greater flexibility and efficiency for retailers with diverse and expansive operations.

Making the Best Choice for Your Business

Salesforce vs Shopify: Which One Leads?

When deciding between Shopify vs Salesforce for your eCommerce business, scalability, simplicity of use, and flexibility are critical considerations. Both platforms are highly competitive and offer robust solutions.

Your choice should be guided by your current goals, objectives, and future scaling plans to ensure your e-commerce shop grows and provides an optimal shopping experience.

Let us wrap everything up to aid your decision:

Choose Shopify if you:

• Want an affordable eCommerce solution.
• Need powerful built-in eCommerce and marketing features.
• Prefer a user-friendly platform that requires minimal technical skills.

Choose Salesforce if you:

• Are not concerned about cost.
• Require advanced eCommerce, marketing, and CRM features.
• Need a platform that can scale with your growing business and complex needs.

Why SmartOSC is a Strategic Partner for Both Shopify and Salesforce in Australia

For Australian enterprises seeking to unify commerce and customer experience, SmartOSC offers deep expertise across two of the market’s most powerful platforms: Shopify Plus for flexible, scalable eCommerce, and Salesforce for enterprise-grade CRM, marketing automation, and customer engagement. As an official partner of both platforms, SmartOSC is uniquely positioned to help businesses integrate sales and service operations into a seamless, customer-centric ecosystem.

SmartOSC has nearly two decades of experience delivering digital commerce solutions across Australia and the broader APAC region. Whether working with fast-scaling D2C brands or established B2B enterprises, SmartOSC helps businesses identify the right combination of Shopify’s rapid deployment capabilities and Salesforce’s deep customer insight and automation power.

With strong local implementation teams, SmartOSC supports:

• Custom Shopify Plus storefronts integrated with Salesforce CRM and Marketing Cloud
• Unified data pipelines between eCommerce and customer service
• Multi-channel personalization using Salesforce CDP and Shopify analytics
• Automated marketing journeys from first click to repeat purchase
• Mobile-optimized Shopify experiences enriched with Salesforce-driven personalization
• Australian market localization, including GST compliance, local payment gateways, and delivery logistics

By bringing together Shopify’s streamlined commerce engine and Salesforce’s best-in-class customer intelligence, SmartOSC empowers Australian brands to scale faster, serve smarter, and build long-term loyalty—all while maintaining technical flexibility and regulatory compliance.

Whether you’re planning a migration to Shopify Plus, implementing Salesforce from the ground up, or integrating both into a seamless ecosystem, SmartOSC offers end-to-end digital commerce solutions tailored to your business goals. With a proven track record in strategy, execution, and scalable growth, SmartOSC is the trusted partner to help you build a high-performing digital commerce environment that drives results.

Conclusion

Decide between Shopify vs Salesforce based on your business needs: Shopify for affordability and strong eCommerce features, ideal for startups; Salesforce for advanced capabilities and scalability, suited for larger enterprises in the Australian market. With SmartOSC, we proudly partner with Shopify and Salesforce and work closely with both providers. No matter which eCommerce platform you use, our platform is purpose-built to streamline the integration and transaction processes. Reach out to us for more information.