Shopify Checkout Optimisation: 12 Changes That Reduce Drop-Off

Where Shopify Stores Lose Money at Checkout

The average ecommerce checkout abandonment rate is 70%. That means for every 10 customers who reach checkout, 7 leave without buying. Even improving this by 10 percentage points — from 70% to 60% abandonment — increases your completed orders by 33% with zero additional ad spend.

Shopify’s checkout is already well-optimised compared to custom-built solutions. But there are 12 specific changes you can make to reduce drop-off further, some requiring Shopify Plus and some available on all plans.

Changes Available on All Shopify Plans

1. Enable Guest Checkout

Forcing account creation is the single biggest checkout conversion killer. Enable guest checkout at Settings > Checkout > Customer accounts > Allow guest checkout. Customers who complete as guests can still be prompted to create an account post-purchase.

2. Add Trust Badges Above the Checkout Button

Secure checkout badges, payment method logos (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay), and a money-back guarantee badge reduce anxiety at the final payment moment. These can be added via your cart template or through checkout branding.

3. Show Free Shipping Threshold Progress

“You’re £8 away from free shipping!” in the cart keeps customers engaged rather than abandoning over shipping cost surprise. Apps like CartBot or Free Shipping Bar handle this without custom code.

4. Reduce Form Fields

Shopify’s default checkout asks for more fields than many orders need. In Settings > Checkout, set optional fields (address line 2, company, phone) to “Optional” rather than “Required”. Every extra required field increases abandonment.

5. Offer Buy Now Pay Later

Shopify Pay Installments (US), Klarna, Clearpay/Afterpay, and Laybuy convert customers who want the product but can’t pay the full amount today. BNPL typically increases AOV by 20–30% and conversion by 10–15% on eligible products. Enable via Shopify Payments settings.

6. Display Delivery Estimates at Checkout

Show estimated delivery dates rather than just shipping method names. “Standard (3–5 business days)” is less compelling than “Delivered by Wednesday 14th August”. Clarity reduces abandonment from delivery uncertainty.

7. Enable Shopify Payments for Accelerated Checkout

Shop Pay (Shopify’s accelerated checkout) saves customer details across millions of Shopify stores. Returning Shop Pay users complete checkout in seconds. Enable Shopify Payments to unlock Shop Pay alongside Apple Pay and Google Pay — accelerated checkout options that skip the form entirely for returning customers.

8. Add a Progress Indicator

Shopify’s three-step checkout (Information → Shipping → Payment) has a default progress bar. Ensure your theme displays this clearly. Customers complete steps more readily when they can see how close they are to finishing.

Changes Requiring Shopify Plus

9. Checkout Extensions for Upsells

Shopify Plus allows custom checkout extensions that add product upsells, cross-sells, and post-purchase offers directly in the checkout flow. Apps like Checkout Blocks and One Click Upsell add “Add this related product to your order” prompts that increase AOV without requiring customers to return to browse.

10. Custom Checkout Fields

Add gift message fields, personalisation options (engraving text), or specific instructions fields to checkout. These increase checkout completion for gift purchases and personalised products where customers otherwise abandon to email you.

11. Checkout Branding

On Plus, the checkout matches your brand completely — fonts, colours, logo, and layout. Consistent branding through checkout increases trust and reduces the mental friction of “Am I on the right site?”

12. Multi-Currency Native Checkout

Shopify Plus enables native multi-currency checkout — customers pay in their local currency. International conversion rates improve dramatically when customers aren’t mentally converting from GBP to USD at checkout. On standard plans, Shopify Markets offers currency conversion but with a small fee per transaction.

Prioritising the 12 Changes

If you’re on a standard Shopify plan, implement changes 1–8 in priority order. Changes 1 (guest checkout), 5 (BNPL), and 7 (accelerated checkout) typically produce the largest impact. If you process over £20K/month in revenue and can justify Shopify Plus, checkout extensions alone can add 5–10% to your conversion rate.