Simplified User and Multi-Store Management (2024)

Running an online business can be complex, especially as you grow, add stores, and bring on new team members. With the launch of Organizations and role-based access controls (RBAC), Shopify now provides all merchants across all plans with powerful tools to streamline staff management, centralize operations, and future-proof their businesses as they scale.

What are Organizations?

Organizations allow you to bring all of your Shopify stores together under one umbrella, making it easier to manage your business in one central location. Instead of switching between store accounts and repeating tasks, Organizations give you a comprehensive view of billing, user permissions, and store settings from a single dashboard. This feature is designed to help you manage your entire business with clarity and control, saving time and effort as you grow.

If you own multiple stores, you can now group them together under one organization, making it simpler to manage your business holistically. Easily group your stores by following a few simple steps in the General Settings. This centralized approach allows you to manage stores, users, and billing from one place in the Shopify admin.

Introducing role-based access control

Role-based access control (RBAC) simplifies the process of managing staff permissions and access across multiple stores. With RBAC, you can define and assign roles based on specific job functions, such as “Store Manager” or “Marketing Specialist.” This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses with many employees, as it ensures consistent access among employees with similar roles.

Simplified user management

RBAC allows you to set up roles with the necessary permissions for each job function, eliminating the need to configure individual permissions for each user. When onboarding a new employee, simply assign them a role like “Customer Support” to grant the appropriate permissions instantly. This reduces manual work and ensures consistency in permissions management.

Enhanced flexibility with multiple roles

Users can now be assigned multiple roles to fulfill different responsibilities. For example, a team member could have both “Merchandiser” and “Marketing” roles based on business needs. This flexibility allows you to adjust roles as your business evolves, ensuring that every user has the right access.

Efficient user onboarding by groups (available for Shopify Plus only)

Group users with similar roles together to assign permissions in bulk, simplifying the onboarding process for new team members or role transitions within your organization. This feature makes it easy to onboard users with the same roles and store access, facilitating bulk user management.

Explore staff permissions in Shopify admin

How to get started

While your existing workflows and user access will continue without disruption, there are three steps you should take to ensure a seamless transition to the new role-based access control model.

1. Review users with ‘User Management’ permissions

As a store or organization admin, review the permissions of staff members with “User Management” access. These staff members may face temporary restrictions until reassigned by an organization administrator or owner.

2. Migrate users with ‘Legacy Access’

If your organization previously used roles, ensure they are converted into user groups under the same names and transition their access to the new model.

Update permissions for all users by May 1, 2025. After this date, users and groups with legacy access will be automatically migrated to have one role per store. For detailed instructions on migrating users with legacy access, visit the Shopify Help Center.

3. Update SCIM provisioning settings

If your organization uses SCIM with an identity provider (IdP) for user provisioning, update your settings to assign user groups instead of individual roles to maintain uninterrupted access.

Manage Staff in Shopify Admin

A foundation for growth

The new Organizations and role-based access control model offer a streamlined approach to store and user management, helping merchants stay organized and efficient as they scale. Whether you have two stores or ten, these updates will save time on operational tasks and allow you to focus on growing your business.