Why a Custom Checkout is Your Secret Weapon for Conversions
When you customise checkout page shopify stores, you’re targeting the most critical point in your customer’s journey—where browsers become buyers. Here’s how to customize your Shopify checkout page:
Basic Customization (All Plans):
- Use the Checkout Editor to add your logo, colors, and fonts
- Install apps for Thank You and Order Status pages
Advanced Customization (Shopify Plus Only):
- Add apps to Information, Shipping, and Payment pages
- Use Checkout Branding API for deep visual changes
- Build custom apps with Shopify Extensions
Key Benefits:
- Reduce cart abandonment (currently at 70.19% average)
- Increase conversions by up to 35.26% with better checkout flow
- Maintain consistent branding throughout purchase process
The numbers tell the story: a better checkout flow and design can increase conversion rates by 35.26%. With the average Shopify store achieving only a 45.2% checkout completion rate, there’s massive room for improvement.
Your checkout page is where shoppers either complete their purchase or abandon their cart. A custom, branded experience can make or break your revenue goals.
I’m Cesar A Beltran, Founder and CEO of Blackbelt Commerce. With over 15 years and 1000+ e-commerce projects, I’ve seen how strategic checkout optimization transforms stores into conversion powerhouses.
Basic customise checkout page shopify terms:
The Modern Toolkit: How to Customise Your Shopify Checkout Page
Customizing your Shopify checkout is no longer a minefield. Shopify introduced Checkout Extensibility, a robust framework for code-free, upgrade-safe customizations. It integrates seamlessly with Shop Pay for a consistent experience, allowing you to improve branding, add functionality, and implement complex logic without worrying about future updates breaking your checkout.
The level of customization available depends on your Shopify plan. While all plans can apply basic branding and use apps for post-purchase pages, Shopify Plus offers a much deeper level of control.
Here’s a quick overview of how checkout customization features differ across Shopify plans:
| Feature | Basic Shopify Plan & Higher | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Access to Checkout and Accounts Editor | ✔ | ✔ |
| Branding customization (logo, colors, fonts, background) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Eligible apps for Thank You & Order Status pages | ✔ | ✔ |
| Eligible apps for Information, Shipping, & Payments pages | ✘ | ✔ |
| Access to Checkout Branding API | ✘ | ✔ |
| Shopify Functions for custom logic | ✘ | ✔ |
| Custom app development for checkout extensibility | ✘ | ✔ |
This table clearly illustrates why Shopify Plus is the go-to solution for merchants serious about creating a truly unique and high-converting checkout experience.
Method 1: Customise your Shopify checkout page with the Checkout Editor
For all Shopify merchants, the Checkout Editor is your primary tool for visual branding. It’s a separate interface from your theme editor, designed for your checkout, thank you, order status, and new customer accounts pages.
With the Checkout Editor, you can easily:
- Upload your logo: Ensure your brand is prominently displayed right where it matters most.
- Choose background colors or images: Create a cohesive look that matches your store’s aesthetic.
- Adjust colors and fonts: Maintain brand consistency across your entire customer journey.
This no-code tool ensures your checkout feels like an integral part of your brand, building customer trust. It’s a fundamental step to customise checkout page shopify stores effectively.
To get started, you can learn how to use the checkout and accounts editor.
Method 2: How to customise your Shopify checkout page with Apps & Extensions
Beyond basic branding, the Shopify App Store offers tools to extend your checkout’s functionality without code. These apps use Shopify’s new Checkout UI Extensions, which are upgrade-safe and integrate seamlessly into the checkout flow.
Think of Checkout UI Extensions as building blocks you can drag and drop into specific areas of your checkout. They can add anything from:
- Upsells and Cross-sells: Offer complementary products or upgrades right before purchase.
- Custom fields: Collect additional information crucial for your business, such as gift messages or delivery instructions.
- Banners and promotional messages: Highlight ongoing sales, shipping cut-offs, or important announcements.
- Loyalty program integrations: Allow customers to redeem points or see their loyalty status.
These apps aren’t just for the main checkout page; many also extend to the thank you and order status pages, providing opportunities for post-purchase engagement.
We encourage you to explore apps for Shopify Checkout to see the vast possibilities. For instance, if you need to add custom fields to Shopify checkout, there are apps specifically designed for that purpose.
Method 3: Advanced Customization for Shopify Plus
For Shopify Plus merchants, customization possibilities are virtually limitless. As a Shopify Plus Partner, we help clients customise checkout page shopify stores to their exact specifications using powerful tools for deep integration and custom logic:
- Shopify Functions: This feature allows developers to extend or replace core backend logic without touching the core code. This means you can implement highly specific business rules for:
- Custom discounts: Create complex offers, tiered pricing, or unique promotions.
- Payment rules: Control which payment methods are available based on cart value, customer location, or products.
- Shipping rules: Define intricate shipping logic, such as free shipping for specific product combinations.
- Checkout Branding API: This API provides a more advanced level of visual control for developers. It allows for granular control over elements like custom favicons and button styling to ensure your checkout is pixel-perfect.
These advanced capabilities are crucial for businesses with complex operational needs. If you’re on Shopify Plus and ready to push the boundaries of what your checkout can do, our Shopify Checkout Customization services can help. For developers, you can build custom apps for Shopify Checkout using these robust APIs.
10 Best Practices for a High-Converting Checkout
Your checkout page is the final handshake in a business deal. Your product pages, marketing, and brand experience have all led to this critical decision point. It’s time to seal the deal with confidence.
After helping over 1000+ businesses customise checkout page Shopify stores, I’ve learned a high-converting checkout is about creating a seamless, trustworthy, and natural experience. Every element must work in harmony.
Streamline with One-Page Checkout & Guest Options
The average cart abandonment rate is a staggering 70.19%. A primary culprit is a complicated, multi-step checkout process that feels like an obstacle course.
Shopify’s one-page checkout is your secret weapon here. Available to all merchants, it consolidates shipping, billing, and payment information onto a single, streamlined screen. No more clicking “Next” multiple times.
A critical mistake is forcing account creation before purchase. Imagine finding the perfect item, only to hit a wall demanding you create an account. It’s frustrating.
24% of online shoppers abandon their carts because they’re forced to create an account during checkout. That’s a quarter of your potential revenue lost to a demanding process.
Always offer a guest checkout option. You can gently encourage account creation after the purchase when customers are happy, not when they’re eager to complete their transaction.
Build Trust with Branding and Social Proof
Trust is the invisible currency of e-commerce. Since customers can’t physically interact with your products or staff, your checkout page must radiate reliability and security.
Consistent branding is your foundation. When you customise checkout page Shopify stores with the Checkout Editor, ensure your logo, colors, and fonts match your main store perfectly. This reassures customers they haven’t landed on a suspicious third-party site.
Trust badges and security logos work like digital security guards. Display recognizable symbols like Norton Secured or SSL certificates alongside payment method logos—Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Shop Pay. These are instant confidence builders.
Don’t underestimate the power of social proof. Customer reviews or ratings visible during checkout remind hesitant buyers that others have had positive experiences with your brand.
Progress bars are psychological game-changers. When customers see “Step 2 of 3,” they understand where they are in the process, changing an unknown journey into a manageable task.
Brands like The Ridge have mastered this approach, strategically placing trust badges throughout their checkout to build confidence.
Boost AOV with Upsells and Shipping Thresholds
Your checkout page is prime real estate. Use this space to increase your Average Order Value (AOV) with strategic suggestions.
Post-purchase upsells and cross-sells are like the friendly cashier asking, “Would you like batteries for that remote?” The key is relevance. Apps built with Checkout UI Extensions can display complementary products directly in the checkout flow without being pushy.
Free shipping thresholds tap into a powerful psychological trigger. A message like “Add $15 more for free shipping!” doesn’t just increase order values—it makes customers feel smart for “earning” free shipping.
This strategy works because it transforms a potential cost (shipping) into a perceived benefit (free shipping). Customers often add small items to reach the threshold, boosting your AOV while making them feel like they’ve scored a deal.
For seamless implementation, consider apps like AfterSell Post Purchase Upsell, which offers one-click upsells on the thank you page. Our guide on how to increase conversions with a better checkout dives deeper into these strategies.
Improve Functionality and Support
The best checkouts anticipate customer needs before they arise.
Gift messaging options are essential if you sell anything remotely giftable. Delivery date pickers are crucial for time-sensitive items—flowers for anniversaries or gifts for birthdays.
Live chat widgets on checkout pages are like having a helpful store associate nearby. When customers have last-minute questions, immediate answers can prevent abandonment.
SMS opt-in options deserve special attention because text message marketing often achieves higher engagement rates than email. A simple checkbox saying “Text me order updates and exclusive offers” can build a valuable marketing channel.
Popular functionality additions include: custom fields for order notes, loyalty point redemption, age verification, conditional shipping methods, gift wrapping, delivery time preferences, product recommendations, and trust badge displays. Each addition should solve a real customer need.
Track Everything with Pixels
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Implementing pixels on your Shopify store is like installing security cameras; you see what’s really happening with customer behavior.
Customer behavior tracking reveals the story behind your conversion rates. Maybe customers abandon carts at the shipping step (suggesting high costs) or at payment selection (indicating trust issues). This data transforms guesswork into strategy.
Marketing optimization becomes incredibly powerful with proper pixel tracking. You can retarget customers who abandoned carts with personalized ads for the exact products they left behind.
Performance analysis helps you understand how checkout changes impact your bottom line. When you add an app or adjust your design, pixels show you the real results.
Shopify’s Web Pixel Extensions provide secure, reliable data collection while maintaining privacy compliance. You can learn about pixels in Shopify to implement tracking that helps your business grow.
Navigating the Future: From checkout.liquid to Checkout Extensibility
This transition is like moving from an old, high-maintenance house to a new smart home. For years, Shopify Plus merchants used checkout.liquid—a powerful but finicky file for checkout customization. The catch was that Shopify platform updates could break these customizations, leading to lost sales and frantic fixes.
Shopify recognized this pain point and is transitioning everyone to Checkout Extensibility. This stable, upgrade-safe approach provides customization power without the maintenance headaches, offering better security and performance.
Understanding the checkout.liquid Deprecation
If you use checkout.liquid to customise checkout page shopify stores, you need to know the timeline. Shopify is giving merchants plenty of time to transition.
The current state is that checkout.liquid is already unsupported for the main checkout steps (Information, Shipping, and Payment pages). If you have customizations on these pages, they might still work, but Shopify won’t provide support if something goes wrong.
The important dates to mark on your calendar are August 28, 2025 for the sunset of checkout.liquid on Thank You and Order Status pages, and June 30, 2026 for the end of Shopify Scripts support. After these dates, any customizations relying on these legacy tools will stop working.
This move benefits everyone. The old system was unstable; the new Checkout Extensibility framework is like building on bedrock. Your customizations will be more stable, secure, and won’t break during Shopify updates.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed about the migration, you have options: leverage existing apps built with the new framework, or work with experts like us to build custom solutions. The key is not to wait until the last minute. You can learn how to upgrade from checkout.liquid to get started.
The Future Roadmap for Shopify Checkout
Shopify isn’t just replacing the old system; they’re actively improving it with each update, adding capabilities you never had before.
Improved Shopify Functions APIs are on the horizon, promising more sophisticated backend logic. Imagine creating complex, personalized discount rules or real-time adaptive shipping calculations.
Improved Discount API functionality will open up promotional strategies that go far beyond “10% off everything.” We’re talking about dynamic, context-aware offers that can factor in customer history, cart contents, and more.
Advanced custom pixel events will give you unprecedented insight into customer behavior. You’ll be able to track micro-interactions and understand exactly what drives them to complete their purchase.
The best part? Shopify actively listens to feedback through the Shopify developer community forum. This collaborative approach ensures the tools you get are the tools you actually need to grow your business.
This ongoing development means that when you customise checkout page shopify stores using the new framework, you’re not just solving today’s problems—you’re positioning yourself for tomorrow’s opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shopify Checkout Customization
Let’s tackle the questions I hear most often from merchants looking to customise checkout page shopify stores. These are the real concerns that keep store owners up at night.
Can I fully customize my checkout on any Shopify plan?
No, you can’t achieve full customization on every Shopify plan. Shopify has structured its checkout features to scale with your business needs and plan level.
If you’re on Basic, Shopify, or Advanced plans, you can still make meaningful improvements. You’ll have access to the Checkout Editor for essential branding elements like your logo, colors, and fonts. You can also add eligible apps to your Thank You and Order Status pages for post-purchase upsells.
Full checkout customization is primarily a Shopify Plus feature. This includes adding apps to the core checkout pages, accessing the Checkout Branding API for deep visual control, and building custom apps with Shopify Functions for complex business logic.
Think of it this way: if you’re running a small boutique, basic branding might be enough. But for a large-scale operation with complex rules or unique requirements, Shopify Plus gives you the tools to customise checkout page shopify stores to your exact specifications.
What is the difference between the Theme Editor and the Checkout Editor?
This confusion is understandable, as they sound similar but serve different purposes.
The Theme Editor is your storefront’s control center. This is where you customize everything customers see while browsing: your homepage, product pages, collection grids, and navigation.
The Checkout Editor, on the other hand, is laser-focused on the conversion moment. This specialized tool handles your checkout page, thank you page, order status page, and new customer account pages.
The separation makes sense. Your storefront inspires and educates, while your checkout must be trustworthy and frictionless. Each tool is optimized for its specific role.
Is it safe to add apps to my checkout page?
Yes, and security should always be a top priority when handling customer payment information.
When using apps from the official Shopify App Store built with the new Checkout Extensibility framework, you’re in excellent hands. These apps undergo rigorous reviews and are designed with critical safety features.
Security comes first – these apps follow Shopify’s strict security protocols, ensuring your customers’ sensitive data stays protected. Upgrade-safety is built-in – these modern extensions are designed to work seamlessly even when Shopify releases new features.
Most importantly, they integrate naturally with Shopify’s core checkout experience, including Shop Pay. Your customers get a smooth, fast experience while you get the functionality you need.
The key is sourcing your apps directly from the official Shopify App Store. This ensures they meet Shopify’s high standards and gives you access to support when you need it.
Conclusion: Take Your Checkout to the Next Level
Your checkout page is more than a transaction point—it’s the final, critical step where a sale is won or lost. After browsing and adding an item to their cart, your customer is at a digital cash register. This moment can make or break your efforts.
When you thoughtfully customise checkout page Shopify stores, you’re crafting an experience that can boost your conversion rates by over 35%, reduce the 70% cart abandonment rate, and turn browsers into loyal customers.
Throughout this guide, we’ve walked through the complete toolkit. Whether you’re starting with the Checkout Editor for basic branding, leveraging powerful apps and extensions, or diving deep into Shopify Plus territory with custom functions and advanced APIs—there’s a solution that fits your needs.
The ten best practices we’ve covered are battle-tested strategies that work: streamlining with one-page checkout, building trust through branding, boosting AOV with smart upsells, improving functionality, and tracking everything so you can keep getting better.
We’ve also prepared you for the future. The transition from checkout.liquid to Checkout Extensibility is Shopify’s commitment to providing powerful, upgrade-safe customization tools. No more worrying if platform updates will break your checkout.
Optimizing your checkout is an ongoing journey, not a one-time project. Customer expectations evolve, new technologies emerge, and your business grows. What works today might need refinement tomorrow.
For complex customizations, seamless migration to Checkout Extensibility, or when you simply want the peace of mind that comes with expert implementation, partnering with a Shopify Plus specialist like Blackbelt Commerce ensures your checkout performs flawlessly. Our team has helped hundreds of merchants transform their checkout experiences, turning abandoned carts into completed sales.
Ready to transform your checkout from a conversion roadblock into a revenue powerhouse?
