Shopify and DanDomain: differences and when you should switch
Many Danish brands start out on DanDomain because the platform is Danish, familiar and comes with local support and hosting built in. The question of Shopify and DanDomain, the differences and when you should switch, usually comes up once a store outgrows its current setup and operations start to hold growth back instead of supporting it.
In short, DanDomain is a solid platform for small and mid-sized webshops with a Danish ecosystem around it. Shopify is an international platform built for scaling, with a far larger app selection, faster frontend options and a mature ecosystem of integrations. The difference is not that one is always better, but about where your business is heading.
The real differences between Shopify and DanDomain
The most important difference is the ecosystem. Shopify has one of the largest app ecosystems on the market, which means that features like advanced subscriptions, loyalty, review management, ERP integration and international payments often already exist as finished, maintained apps. On DanDomain you rely more heavily on the platform's built-in features and a smaller selection of partners.
The data structure is also different. What DanDomain calls categories are called collections in Shopify, and products, variants and relationships are built differently under the hood. That is exactly why a migration is not a straight copy, but the work of mapping and translating data correctly so that SEO, URL structure and product relationships are preserved.
Finally there is frontend and performance. Shopify gives you access to modern themes and a headless approach, where you can build a very fast and tailored experience. For brands where speed, conversion and design are decisive, this is often where the difference shows up most clearly on the bottom line.
What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus?
When you consider a switch, it is worth knowing that Shopify comes in several tiers. Standard Shopify covers most small and mid-sized webshops with everything from product management to checkout and apps. Shopify Plus is the enterprise edition, aimed at brands with high volume, complex needs or multiple sales channels.
The difference lies partly in access to several stores under one agreement, a more flexible checkout, automation via Shopify Flow, higher API limits and dedicated support. For a brand running B2C, B2B and physical retail at the same time, Shopify Plus often brings it all together in one platform, which is hard to achieve on a classic DanDomain setup.
When should you switch from DanDomain to Shopify?
A switch makes sense when the platform becomes a bottleneck. The classic signals are that you are missing an integration or app that does not exist in the Danish ecosystem, that internationalisation with multiple languages and currencies becomes cumbersome, or that a wish for a faster, more tailored design runs into the platform's limits.
Another clear signal is operations. If your team spends a disproportionate amount of time on manual processes because orders, inventory and finance do not work together, a Shopify setup with proper ERP integration can free up hours every week. Conversely, if your current store covers your needs, runs stably and does not slow down growth, there is no reason to switch for the sake of switching.
Our view at Mercive is that a platform change should be driven by a concrete business gain, not by trend. We recommend mapping out what actually costs you revenue or time today, and only then assessing whether Shopify or Shopify Plus solves it better than your current platform.
Which webshop should I start, and what does a Shopify solution cost?
If you are starting from scratch, the choice depends on your level of ambition. If you want to build a brand that will scale and eventually go international, that usually points towards Shopify rather than building on a platform you will later have to migrate away from. If the need is very simple and local, a Danish platform can be sufficient for a period.
What it costs to have built depends on scope, not on the platform itself. A standard setup on a theme is significantly cheaper than a tailored or headless solution with ERP, PIM and multichannel integrations. We recommend pricing based on the business the store needs to support over the coming years.
How Mercive can help
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