When running a Shopify store, needs sometimes arise such as "I want to sell a product only to specific customers," "I don't want a page that's still in progress to be publicly visible," or "I want to run wholesale and retail separately."
An "access restriction" feature is useful in these cases. By using access restrictions, you can limit which users can view or purchase a page or product, letting you implement a flexible sales strategy tailored to your business goals.
This article thoroughly explains 3 ways to implement access restrictions on Shopify, along with recommended Shopify apps and key points for choosing an app.
What Is Access Restriction?
Access restriction is a feature that limits which users can view specific pages or content in your EC store. By requiring a password, member registration, or that a user meet a certain condition to gain access, you can implement a flexible sales strategy suited to your business goals.
Main Uses for Access Restriction
Early Access / Limited Product Releases
Useful when you want to release a new product early to VIP members or existing customers before the general public. Giving core fans priority access before a general release can boost customer satisfaction and strengthen loyalty.
Wholesale / B2B Sales
When selling a product at a wholesale price different from the retail price, you can separate access for general customers and wholesale buyers. Creating pages that only wholesale members can view or purchase prevents pricing confusion and lets you run both B2C and B2B business from a single store.
Providing Members-Only Content
Offering exclusive products or content that only registered members can access encourages membership sign-ups. You can also display different content depending on membership tier.
Protecting a Store Under Development or in Preparation
While building or renewing your store, you can lock the entire store with a password, keeping it hidden from the general public while letting only relevant parties view it.
The blog post below explains how to place test orders on Shopify. Please use it as a reference.
Private Sales / Invitation-Only Sales
Useful when running an invitation-only sale or event aimed at specific customers or influencers. By making it accessible only to people who have the shared URL or password, you can create a sense of exclusivity.
Benefits of Access Restriction
- Diversifying your business model: manage multiple sales formats — B2C, B2B, membership, and more — within a single store
- Improved customer experience: show appropriate content or pricing based on customer attributes
- Stronger marketing strategy: create a sense of exclusivity that increases purchase intent
- Optimized information management: preview and test product or pricing information before it goes public, and manage it appropriately
As you can see, access restriction is an important feature for expanding a Shopify store's sales strategy. In the next section, we'll explain specific ways to implement it.
3 Ways to Restrict Access on Shopify
1. Use Shopify's Standard Features
First, there's the method of using Shopify's standard features. The advantage of this method is that it's free; the disadvantage is that it can't achieve advanced access restrictions.
Shopify's standard features support the following two types of access restrictions.
- Accessible only to people who know the password
- Accessible only to people who know the URL
Accessible Only to People Who Know the Password
You can lock your entire store with a password so only people who know the password can access it. This method only lets you restrict access to the whole store, not a specific page.
For how to lock your entire store with a password, see the blog post below.
Accessible Only to People Who Know the URL
By setting the target product's status to "Unlisted," only people who know that product's URL can access it. Products set to "Unlisted" status won't appear on collection pages or search results pages, and you can keep them out of indexing by search engines such as Google.
This method only works for product pages — you can't use it to hide a specific blog post or other page.
2. Use a Shopify App
Next is the method of using a Shopify app.
The advantage of this method is that it lets you implement advanced access restrictions like the ones below, which Shopify's standard features can't achieve; the disadvantage is that it incurs a monthly cost.
(Examples of advanced access restrictions)
- Restricting access on a specific page
- Granting access only to members
- Granting access only to VIP members
- Granting access only to wholesale members
- Redirecting users without access to any page you choose (such as a login page)
- Showing users without access a custom page (such as one encouraging sign-up)
and more.
3. Customize the Source Code
Finally, there's the method of customizing the source code.
The advantage of this method is that it lets you achieve access restrictions that neither Shopify's standard features nor apps can, and once implemented, it doesn't incur ongoing costs. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that it requires programming knowledge, making it more difficult, and outsourcing it can involve a large upfront cost.
Summary of Each Method
| Method | Benefits | Drawbacks | Cost | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify's standard features |
・Free to use ・No additional app required ・Easy to set up |
・Can't achieve advanced access restrictions ・Only supports the whole store or product pages ・Low flexibility |
Free | Low |
| Shopify app |
・Advanced access restrictions possible ・Fine-grained settings such as members-only or VIP-members-only ・Can be implemented with no code |
・Incurs a monthly cost ・Features vary by app |
From a few dollars/month | Low |
| Custom source code |
・Flexibly meets unique requirements ・No running costs ・Enables restrictions standard features or apps can't achieve |
・Requires programming knowledge ・Upfront cost can be high ・Requires maintenance |
High upfront cost (if outsourced) | High |
3 Recommended Shopify Apps for Access Restriction
RuffRuff Order Limits — For Those Who Want Japanese Support and a Variety of Purchase Restrictions
RuffRuff Order Limits is a Shopify app that lets you implement a wide range of purchase restrictions all in one. For example, a single app can handle purchase restrictions such as the following.
- Quantity limits
- Multiple-of limits
- Amount limits
- Customer limits
- Bundling restrictions
- Payment restrictions
- View restrictions (access restrictions)
Since the app is developed by a Japanese company, it comes with robust Japanese-language support, and it has also earned Shopify's official mark of highest quality, "Built for Shopify."
Unlike traditional access-restriction apps, it doesn't make any code changes to your theme, so you can use it with peace of mind, without the risk of leftover code or a broken theme after uninstalling.
Pricing: The Light plan starts at $9.90/month or $99/year, and the Full plan starts at $29.90/month or $299/year. Cumulative quantity limits are available only on the Full plan.
Below is a demo product where RuffRuff Order Limits has been used to restrict access so that only members can view it. Please use it as a reference.
The blog post below explains how to use RuffRuff Order Limits to make a specific product accessible only to members. Please use it as a reference.
LockSmith — For Those Who Want Access Restrictions Beyond Product Pages
Source: LockSmith | Shopify App Store
LockSmith is a Shopify app that lets you control access to specific pages. LockSmith is one of the most popular access-control apps on Shopify. It can restrict access to a specific region only, or control access so that only people who know a specific password, or members with a specific tag, can view a page.
Using LockSmith, you can create members-only pages that only specific members can access.
The blog post below introduces LockSmith's plans, how to set it up, and specifically how to use it. Please use it as a reference.
Pricing: from $12/month
Easy Wholesale Lock for B2B — For Those Who Want to Start Affordably
Source: Easy Wholesale Lock for B2B | Shopify App Store
Easy Wholesale Lock for B2B is an app that, like LockSmith, can restrict access to specific pages or products. Easy Wholesale Lock for B2B is feature-rich and, notably, is more affordable than LockSmith.
It supports IP-based and geolocation-based access control, password-based access control, and setting access permissions by member group.
Using Easy Wholesale Lock for B2B, you can create members-only pages that only specific members can access.
The blog post below introduces Easy Wholesale Lock for B2B's plans, how to set it up, and specifically how to use it. Please use it as a reference.
Pricing: $9/month
Summary of Each App
| Item | What to check |
|---|---|
| Features you need | ・Whether it includes the restriction features you need ・Whether it's limited to product pages or also supports other pages |
| Ease of use / ease of setup | ・Whether it can be set up with no code ・Whether it works with your own theme ・Whether the settings screen is simple ・Whether bulk configuration is possible ・Whether setup support is available |
| Cost | ・Monthly pricing model ・How it ties to your Shopify plan ・Cost-effectiveness |
| Japanese-language support | ・The storefront display ・The admin screen ・The help pages ・Support contact |
| Code inserted into your theme | ・Whether custom code needs to be inserted ・Risk of leftover code after uninstalling ・Risk of breaking your theme |
In Closing
This article introduced the following 3 ways to implement access restrictions on Shopify.
(1) Use Shopify's standard features
Free to implement, but only supports basic restrictions such as password-protecting the whole store or setting a product to unlisted
(2) Use a Shopify app
Incurs a monthly cost, but enables advanced access restrictions such as members-only or VIP-members-only
(3) Customize the source code
Can involve a high upfront cost, but enables flexible implementation tailored to your unique requirements
Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, so it's important to choose the one that best fits your business needs and budget.
We recommend starting with Shopify's free standard features, and considering an app once you need more advanced functionality. When choosing an app, we recommend judging comprehensively based on "whether it has the features you need," "ease of use," "cost," "Japanese-language support," and "whether it inserts code into your theme."
Make good use of access restrictions to help grow your Shopify store's business even further.
Finally, the blog post below introduces various ways to implement purchase restrictions beyond access restriction. Please use it as a reference.
