I have a new client who already uses Shopify POS for their in-person sales, but they now want me to build a full online store for them. I’m trying to figure out the best approach:
Should I join their existing Shopify account as a collaborator, or can I still build the site in my own development store and transfer it later?
Since they already have a POS setup, does using a development store cause any problems for transferring over to their existing account?
If I work as a collaborator, how can I ensure my work isn’t published without my approval or without payment? Essentially, how do you protect yourself in this situation?
Any tips from others who have done this with clients already on Shopify POS would be hugely appreciated.
Great question @mattestrada,
Since the merchant is already using Shopify POS, they would already be on a plan. In this case, you should work with them using collaborator access.
If you were to build the store for them as a new development store, that would require the merchant to have to cancel their current subscription and resubscribe to a new plan on the new store, in addition it would require them to migrate all of their past orders, products and set up payment gateways, etc all over again. It would not be a very pleasant merchant experience. Additionally, since they are already a merchant, the new store build likely wouldn’t qualify for revenue share.
You could still use a development store to set up a staging environment and do your design work, and then once the merchant approves, you can use your collaborator access to publish the theme on to their current store. This way there’s no disruption to their business and you only need to work on the online store/theme.
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