Shopify terms, each in a sentence or two

Plain definitions of the feature names our guides use, with the Shopify page each one comes from.

Checkout extensibility: Checkout extensibility is Shopify's current foundation for checkout, the Thank you page and the Order status page, which you customize with blocks, apps and pixels in the checkout and accounts editor¹. Developers build these apps with UI extensions, Shopify Functions, web pixel extensions and payments extensions². Shopify describes it as more secure and upgrade-safe¹.; Comes up inCustomize checkout with the checkout and accounts editor Moving to Shopify Plus: what changesSource: Non-Plus - Upgrading and replacing your Thank you and Order status pages Apps in checkout
Collection: A collection is a group of products that helps shoppers find items by category, theme or need¹. In a manual collection you pick the products; in an automated collection products are added by conditions you set¹.; Comes up inAdd products, variants and inventory Discount codes and automatic discounts Keep your store fast: images, apps and theme code Metafields and metaobjectsSource: Collections
Customer segment: A customer segment is a rule-based list of customers who share traits, built by combining filters, operators and values¹. Customers are added or removed automatically as they meet or stop meeting the rules¹.; Comes up inCustomer accounts and segments Discount codes and automatic discounts Email marketing with Shopify Messaging (formerly Shopify Email)Recover abandoned checkoutsSource: Customer segmentation
Development store: A development store is a store used to build or test an app or theme, not one you hand over to a client¹. It supports feature previews and test data, and it can't be transferred to a client¹.; Source: Development stores
Metafields: Metafields add your own custom data to items such as products, customers and orders, for example care instructions on a product¹. You first add a metafield definition, which creates the field and its validation rules, then enter values¹.; Comes up inAdd products, variants and inventory Metafields and metaobjectsSource: Metafields
Sales channel: A sales channel is a place outside your own online store where you can sell your products while managing them from your Shopify admin¹. Examples include social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and marketplaces such as Google and Amazon¹.; Comes up inAdd products, variants and inventory Read your analytics and reports Recover abandoned checkouts Sell on social and marketplace channelsSource: Online sales channels
Shipping profile: A shipping profile is a set of shipping rules for specific products and locations¹. Every store has a general profile that covers all products, and you can create up to 99 custom profiles for products that need different rates¹. Shopify is gradually moving stores from shipping profiles to shipping options by market¹.; Comes up inStock across multiple locations Set up shipping zones and ratesSource: Shipping profiles
Shopify Flow: Shopify Flow is a free automation app that watches your store for events and runs a sequence of actions in response, built from triggers, conditions and actions¹. It is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans, with a few actions limited to higher plans¹.; Comes up inAutomate store tasks with Shopify Flow Sell wholesale with B2B on Shopify Moving to Shopify Plus: what changesSource: Shopify Flow
Shopify Markets: Shopify Markets lets you define groups of buyers with conditions, such as where they are, their customer group, the retail location or the sales channel¹. For each market you can set things like currency, pricing, product availability, languages, domains, taxes and shipping options¹.; Comes up inSell wholesale with B2B on Shopify Moving to Shopify Plus: what changes Sell on social and marketplace channels Sell internationally with Markets Set up shipping zones and ratesSource: Markets
Shopify Payments: Shopify Payments is Shopify's own payment provider, so you can accept payments without a separate provider or merchant account¹. Orders paid through it carry no third-party transaction fees¹. It is only available to stores in certain countries and regions¹.; Comes up inCreate your store and find your way around the admin Recover abandoned checkouts Sell in person with Shopify POS Sell internationally with Markets Set up Shopify Payments or another payment provider Place a test order and make your store publicSource: Shopify Payments
Shopify Plus: Shopify Plus is Shopify's plan for high-volume businesses, with extra admin, API, growth and support features¹. It adds things like unlimited staff accounts, up to 9 expansion stores, Shopify Functions and advanced B2B features¹.; Comes up inAutomate store tasks with Shopify Flow Sell wholesale with B2B on Shopify Customize checkout with the checkout and accounts editor Discount codes and automatic discounts Moving to Shopify Plus: what changes Stock across multiple locationsSource: Shopify Plus plan
Shopify POS: Shopify POS is a point of sale app for iOS and Android that you use to sell in person¹. It syncs with your Shopify admin, so orders and inventory are tracked across your locations and sales channels¹.; Comes up inDiscount codes and automatic discounts Stock across multiple locations Sell in person with Shopify POSSource: Shopify POS
Theme editor: The theme editor is where you change your online store's content, layout, typography and colors without editing code¹. It uses your theme's sections and settings and shows changes in a preview as you make them¹.; Comes up inCustomize checkout with the checkout and accounts editor Pick a theme and edit it in the theme editor Keep your store fast: images, apps and theme code Metafields and metaobjects Sell internationally with MarketsSource: Theme editor
Variant: A variant is one version of a product that comes in more than one option, such as size or color¹. Each combination of option values, for example a small red shirt, can be its own variant¹.; Comes up inAdd products, variants and inventory Metafields and metaobjectsSource: Variants