Shopify checkout

Online store owners often ask us: “Can I customize my Shopify checkout?”, to which the simple and short answer is often no, unfortunately.

At least for most Shopify plans. Shopify has a locked-in checkout process that is the same for all webshops, unless you use Shopify Plus, where more customization options are provided.

But why is this and what options do you have anyway? It is important to understand the reasons behind it.

Shopify has deliberately chosen to limit the customization of the checkout section on most plans, but not without reason. While many online store owners may see this as a disadvantage, there are strong arguments behind this decision that can ultimately benefit your business.

Shopify has a dedicated team of experts who analyze massive amounts of data from millions of transactions across all Shopify webshops on a daily basis. Based on this data-driven approach, they constantly optimize and improve the checkout experience. This means that your Shopify checkout is continuously adjusted to maximize conversion rates and minimize friction in the checkout process - without you as a webshop owner having to take any action.

This standardization also ensures a high level of stability and security. Shopify handles technical challenges, security issues and other potential problems that could arise during the checkout process. This allows you to focus on sales and growth without worrying about anything going wrong in the payment flow - apart from third-party payment gateways that can experience downtime, in which case we always recommend having a backup agreement in place with Shopify Payments that you can quickly turn on if the worst happens.

It is worth mentioning that there are both pros and cons to the locked checkout structure.

Advantages

• Stability: Since Shopify manages the entire checkout process, you can rest assured that it always functions optimally and follows the latest security standards.
• Data-driven optimizations: Shopify tests and optimizes the checkout based on data from millions of online stores, ensuring a high conversion rate.
• No maintenance: You do not have to worry about updates or technical errors as Shopify takes care of all backend operations and troubleshooting.
• Speed: Shopify checkout is optimized for fast transactions, which reduces waiting time for your customers and lowers the risk of abandonment during the checkout process. If you choose a “One page” checkout from Shopify, you will find that the checkout process is even faster.

Disadvantages:

• Lack of flexibility: If you have a very specific desire for how your checkout should look, or if you want to change the checkout flow significantly, Shopify's locked-in checkout can be a limitation. However, it is extremely rare that we have experienced this.
• Limited branding options: While you can add logos and adjust colors, there are still limited options to fully customize the checkout experience, especially on the lower Shopify plans. Shopify has a “Branding API” where you can make extensive customizations, especially on Shopify Plus.

On August 13, 2024, we officially said goodbye to “checkout.liquid” and welcomed “Checkout Extensibility”, which makes it easier to customize your checkout in a way that is app-based, upgrade-proof, efficient, and seamlessly integrated with Shop Pay.

With Checkout Extensibility, customization is possible without coding, using apps and branding tools that can provide a more tailored checkout experience.