Shopify Markets is your central tool for international sales – you manage all markets from one admin panel and control currencies, prices and payment methods per country. Pricing logic can be set up automatically, as a percentage or as a fixed price. You don’t need a Shopify Plus subscription – so international expansion can also be achieved cost-effectively for smaller shops.
This article shows you how Shopify Markets works, what pricing strategies are available and what you as a Swiss retailer should pay attention to.
What is Shopify Markets and How Does It Work?
Shopify Markets is the integrated solution for international sales. Instead of setting up a separate shop for each country, you manage all markets centrally from one admin panel.
The basic idea is that you define different markets (e.g. Switzerland, Germany, Austria) and specify the currency, price calculation, payment methods and shipping options for each market. Shopify automatically recognises which country a visitor is from based on their IP address.
Customers see prices in their local currency, can pay with their preferred payment methods and receive transparent shipping costs. This builds trust and increases conversion.
Who is Shopify Markets For?
- Shopify beginners with an international focus
- Existing merchants looking to expand (e.g. from Switzerland to DACH)
- Migration projects from WooCommerce, Magento or other systems
Markets is available free of charge in all plans except the Starter Plan. You don’t pay any additional licence fees – just the usual currency conversion fees for transactions.
Shopify Managed Markets, formerly “Markets Pro”, is only available to US merchants – as a Swiss merchant, you use Standard Markets, which is perfectly sufficient for successful international sales.
International Pricing Logic: How to Control Prices for Different Markets
Pricing for international markets is one of the most important strategic decisions. Shopify Markets offers you three approaches, which you can also combine.
Automatic Currency Conversion
You only maintain prices in your home currency (e.g. CHF) and Shopify automatically converts them into the target currency.
Advantages:
- Minimal maintenance effort
- Ideal for large product ranges
- Exchange rate changes are automatically considered
Disadvantages:
- Prices appear “odd” (CHF 97.50 instead of CHF 99)
- No control over psychological price thresholds
- Exchange rate fluctuations lead to undesirable changes
We recommend this method for larger product ranges (500+ products), frequent price changes or primarily B2B commerce, where round prices are less important.
Country-Specific Fixed Prices
You set individual, fixed prices for each market. A product then costs, for example, exactly CHF 99 in Switzerland, €89 in Germany and £79 in the United Kingdom – regardless of the exchange rate.
Advantages:
- Full control over psychological prices
- Takes market specifics (such as higher purchasing power in Switzerland) into account
- Customers trust round prices
Disadvantages:
- High manual maintenance effort
- You have to adjust prices manually when exchange rates fluctuate
- Risk of outdated prices
The challenge: Many smaller merchants rely on fixed prices because of the control they offer. However, keeping prices up to date quickly becomes a full-time job.
We recommend fixed prices for manageable product ranges (less than 100-200 products), stable market conditions and sufficient resources for regular price reviews.
Percentage Price Adjustments
The middle ground: you use automatic currency conversion but adjust prices by a percentage.
Example: Base price CHF 100 → automatically converted to EUR → plus 15% surcharge.
Advantages:
- Balance between automation and control
- Ideal for reflecting cost differences (higher shipping costs, customs duties)
- Less maintenance than fixed prices
Disadvantage:
- Prices remain uneven
- Requires strategic consideration of the surcharge per market
We recommend this method for larger merchants with specific cost factors (logistics, taxes, market conditions).
In practice: We often see hybrid approaches – fixed prices for 3-4 main markets (DACH), automatic conversion for all others, percentage adjustments for markets with higher logistics costs.
Swiss Specifics: CHF and Currency Risk
As a Swiss retailer, there are specific points to consider when selling internationally.
The strong Swiss franc: If you purchase and produce in CHF but sell in EUR, you bear an exchange rate risk. If the franc rises against the euro, your products become more expensive for EU customers – or your margin shrinks.
Practical strategies:
- Factor a buffer (5–10%) into export prices
- Quarterly price reviews for exchange rate checks
- Use automatic conversion to minimise currency risk
Business logic for pricing:
- How price-sensitive are your target markets?
- Do you have significant cost differences?
- How quickly do prices generally change?
- How big is your team?
- What margins do you have?
Practical example: A customer sells fashion items with 400+ products and fixed prices.
Problem: He regularly adjusts CHF prices, but often forgets the EUR prices.
Result: Prices drift apart, margins are incorrect. He is considering switching to automatic conversion with a 10% surcharge.
ERP Integration: Synchronise Prices and Stock
For many customers, especially in the B2B sector, the ERP connection between Shopify Markets and the ERP system is crucial.
Typical challenges:
- ERP often only recognises one currency (CHF)
- Prices in ERP are sometimes customer-specific
- Stock levels must be synchronised across markets
- Orders from different markets should be consolidated
Possible solutions:
- Currency mapping – clear rules on how ERP prices are converted into Shopify market prices
- Price list import – some ERPs natively support multiple currencies
- Middleware – for more complex setups, we use Make, Zapier or custom solutions
- Shopify as the leading source – in some cases, Shopify becomes the leading source for online prices
The right strategy depends heavily on your setup. It is important to consider integration early on, not just once the shop is live.
Setting Up Shopify Markets: The Most Important Steps
Now it’s time to get practical. We’ll show you how to set up Shopify Markets.
Step 1: Activate Markets
Go to Settings → Markets. Your primary market (e.g. Switzerland) is automatically active. Click on “Add Market” and select countries (e.g. Germany, Austria as the DACH market).
Tip: You can group countries into regions. An “EU” market with 10 countries is easier to manage than 10 separate markets.
Step 2: Set the Currency
For each market, you specify the currency in which customers pay. Under “Sell in local currency”, select the currency (e.g. EUR).
Important: For local currencies to work, you need a payment provider with multi-currency support. Shopify Payments is the simplest solution – in Switzerland, Stripe is often used as an alternative.
Step 3: Set Pricing Logic
Under “Products and pricing”, select: Automatic conversion, percentage adjustment or individual prices.
Step 4: Configure Payment Methods
Different markets prefer different payment methods. What is standard in Switzerland (Buy on Account, TWINT) is often unusual in Germany.
Shopify Payments automatically supports local payment methods (Germany: Sofort, giropay; Netherlands: iDEAL; Poland: Przelewy24).
Our recommendation: Test the checkout process in each market yourself. Simulate orders to ensure that the currency, payment methods, and shipping options are correct.
Costs: How Much Does International Sales Cost?
Shopify Markets itself is free in all plans except Starter (including Shopify Plus). You do not pay any additional licence fees.
What costs money:
- Currency conversion fees – typically 1–2% in addition to normal transaction fees
- Translation costs – manual, professional services (CHF 0.08–0.20 per word) or automatic tools (CHF 20–100/month)
Our tip: Start with one market (e.g. Germany), optimise processes and prices, then expand gradually. This significantly minimises risks.
Conclusion: Strategy is Key
Shopify Markets is a powerful tool – but it’s not autopilot. The platform gives you the technical basis, but strategic decisions are up to you.
Key insights:
- Choose your pricing logic wisely – fixed prices give you control, but only if you keep them up to date. Automatic conversion scales better. Percentage adjustments are the middle ground.
- Keep an eye on currency risk – the strong franc is both a blessing and a curse. Factor in buffers or rely on automatic conversion.
- Payment methods are critical for conversion – customers want to pay in their currency and with their preferred method.
- Don’t forget ERP integration – if you use an ERP, plan the mapping between ERP prices and Shopify Markets prices early on.
- Start small, then scale – start with 1–2 strategically important markets, learn from them, and then expand.
International e-commerce is an opportunity – but one that needs to be well thought out. Shopify Markets gives you the tools. Whether you use them profitably depends on your strategy and operational excellence.
If you need support – from strategy to technical implementation to optimisation – we are happy to help as a Shopify agency.