Everything you need to know about Shopify checkout in 2023

For Shopify merchants, there's a renewed reason for enthusiasm! An already outstanding checkout experience is now further enhanced, and BRAD ADVERTISING | Shopify Plus Agency stands ready to guide you in maximizing its potential. Dive into our comprehensive analysis as we delve into the nuances of Shopify's latest announcements regarding checkout improvements, provide a broader context, and share insightful recommendations for navigating this change seamlessly.

What’s changing in Shopify Checkout?

At BRAD ADVERTISING | Shopify Plus Agency, our admiration for Shopify’s steadfast commitment to a checkout-centric approach has never waned. Their unwavering dedication to ensuring it remains top-tier, secure, and reliable is commendable. Shopify has consistently prioritized significant investments in this domain. Over the recent months, they've undertaken pivotal upgrades slated to be rolled out in 2023.?

Two major changes were? disclosed in the Winter 2023 edition of Shopify:

#1: One-Page Checkout

The much-anticipated one-page checkout has officially been launched! This modern iteration is set to supplant the extant three-page checkout format. Rather than the elaborate process of navigating through multiple pages to provide personal information, choose shipping options, and process payment, customers will now experience a streamlined process. With fewer data fields and a single loading page, the revamped checkout will expedite the purchase journey for your patrons.

Crafted meticulously, this one-page checkout aims to emulate the fluidity of identity-driven checkouts provided by platforms like Shop Pay. Remarkably, it can discern buyer information from preliminary touchpoints such as online storefronts or social media platforms, thereby pre-populating certain fields. In our view, it's a noteworthy enhancement!

How to get started today

For merchants on the Basic, Shopify, and Advanced tiers, the checkout will automatically update to the new interface. Embarking on this transition is straightforward.

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Checkout.

1. In the Checkout customization section, Create a draft checkout, or Customize an existing one.
2. Once you’re in your checkout editor, click on the Settings icon in the far left column. Scroll down, and you will see the layout switcher at the bottom left corner.
3. You can easily preview the one-page design and switch between the two layouts here. All your customizations and extensions will integrate seamlessly.

#2: Drag & Drop Checkout Editor for Shopify Plus

The Winter 2023 Editions heralded another transformative announcement that merchants had long awaited: an intuitive, coding-free mechanism to modify the checkout. In this light, Shopify's innovative drag & drop checkout editor emerges as a revolutionary feature—equally significant for the platform and for Shopify agencies, such as BRAD ADVERTISING | Shopify Plus Agency , that build upon it. To truly grasp its revolutionary nature, let's delve into some historical context.

The Former Shopify Checkout Framework

Shopify has traditionally been vigilant about its checkout process. Serving as the backbone of the platform—arguably the cornerstone of Shopify's global acclaim—it's paramount for Shopify to maintain its sanctity to ensure security and stability. This protective stance meant they hesitated to allow unrestrained access to the source code, a cautionary approach validated by incidents like the one involving Google Tag Manager.

BRAD ADVERTISING | Shopify Plus Agency maintained a log of modifications made for clients, cross-checked it against updates from Shopify, and then meticulously adjusted the custom Liquid/JavaScript/CSS to align with the latest version.

The Evolution in Shopify's Checkout

Shopify architects a harmonious balance between merchants' aspirations for adaptable checkouts and the platform's mandate for a secure and consistent checkout ecosystem.?

How?

Shopify is securing the checkout's backend by revoking privileges to amend the checkout.liquid theme file

They're furnishing Shopify Plus merchants and agencies with "Checkout Extensibility"—a suite of tools enabling expansive customization of the checkout interface without undermining its core stability.

We regard this as a decision. However, it's accompanied by an adaptive phase since many Plus merchants have specific functionality woven into their checkout.liquid theme file. These will necessitate reengineering using Shopify's modern toolkit, since post August 2024, pre-existing customizations will cease to function.

Before opting for the 'Create draft checkout' feature within your admin, thorough groundwork is crucial, often in alliance with your Shopify Plus agency. In essence, this encapsulates the essence of Shopify's communique on February 24

Personalizing Your Checkout with Checkout Extensibility

Merchants will find their code-free realm in the drag & drop checkout editor, navigable via Settings > Checkout > Checkout Customization. Here, the canvas awaits your creativity with an ensemble of components, apps, and extensions tailored for your checkout. However, prior to this playful experimentation, the acquisition of these components is paramount—be it through collaborative agency creation or direct installation from the Shopify App Store.

Curious about the components on offer??

Here’s an overview:

- Checkout UI Extensions: Think of these as mini-applications. Your Shopify agency can craft these tailored extensions for you, facilitating their integration within the Checkout editor. An example could be supplementary fields for customers, augmenting the regular ones. Some app developers also offer public UI Extensions, making them directly accessible via the App Store.

- Diverse Checkout Apps: The Shopify App Store boasts an array of apps enhancing checkout functionality. Anticipate a surge in this collection as developers pioneer novel apps and extensions attuned to the evolved checkout.

- Checkout Branding API (upcoming): Enlist your Shopify agency to define branding protocols via an API. Once set, they can be uniformly applied to all checkout components, inclusive of future add-ons, seamlessly.

- Shopify Functions: A meticulously controlled gateway to the checkout’s backend exists, termed Shopify Functions. Engage your Shopify Plus agency to embed bespoke —either as public or proprietary apps—ensuring your checkout's integrity remains uncompromised. If any dissonance arises with Shopify’s fundamentals, the custom scripts simply won't activate.

- Web Pixel Extension API: This feature introduces a pixel manager within the Shopify admin, enabling merchants to integrate and oversee pixels for holistic customer behavior tracking. This domain also accommodates checkout tracking mechanisms like Google Tag Manager. Note that post August 2024, scripts formerly appended to the Liquid theme file will become non-functional.

The Future of Checkout: Embracing Shop Pay

A significant revelation from the Winter Editions 2023 was the integration of Shop Pay within the checkout process. Customers can now seamlessly use their Shop Pay accounts to finalize purchases. By merely selecting 'Buy with Shop Pay,' they're redirected to the Shop app. Here, a swift entry of a five-digit verification code completes the transaction, leveraging pre-stored data, thereby eliminating the need for further input. This user-centric approach ensures the checkout process via Shop Pay is as streamlined and effortless as possible.

Shop Pay is deeply integrated with the Shop app, offering users a unified platform to search, select, and swiftly purchase products. It's worth noting that this app curates products exclusively from merchants who have activated Shop, encompassing both Shopify users and otherwise. Consequently, it could serve as a potent, additional avenue for brands to amplify their reach.

Shopify Checkout: A Global Leader in Conversion Rates

Shopify, in a commendable act of transparency, collaborated with a renowned global management consulting firm. Tasking them with an exhaustive analysis of checkouts across diverse commerce platforms, Shopify pledged to disclose the findings unequivocally.

Post an extensive, independent review, the results were telling. Shopify's conversion efficiency towers above its rivals, leading by a staggering 15% on average, and in certain instances, by as much as 36%. Notably, Shop Pay, Shopify's rapid checkout solution, emerged as a game-changer. The study indicated that Shop Pay can amplify conversion rates by a whopping 50% relative to standard guest checkouts and outdo other fast-track checkout methods by a minimum of 10%. Furthermore, even the simple presence of Shop Pay can boost lower funnel conversion rates by approximately 5%.

Looking to Revamp Your Checkout? Collaborate with BRAD ADVERTISING | Shopify Plus Agency!

Looking to Revamp Your Checkout? Collaborate with BRAD ADVERTISING | Shopify Plus Agency! If you're in search of a proficient Shopify Partner for this transformation, your quest ends here: BRAD ADVERTISING | Shopify Plus Agency stands ready to assist.

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