When it comes to online shopping, convenience and simplicity are the most important factors in creating a positive customer experience. A complicated or lengthy checkout process can deter customers from completing their purchases, resulting in lost sales and potential repeat business. 

Shopify’s new default One-Page Checkout configuration aims to relieve some of this friction by reducing the checkout process to one single page. In this article, we’ll explain One-Page Checkout, its benefits, how to change your checkout configuration, and provide some actionable tips on optimizing it for maximum conversion rates.

What is Shopify One-Page Checkout?

Rolled out as the new default option to Shopify users on the Basic, Shopify, Advanced, and Plus plans in September 2023, Shopify’s new one-page checkout aims to make it easier for customers to complete their purchases online, thus optimizing conversion rates (CRO) for merchants. 

Single-page checkout compresses traditional multi-step checkout procedures into a single, scrollable page. At every stage of the checkout process, customers can see all their information and checkout steps, such as the cart, payment methods/details, shipping/billing information, and order confirmation. 

Now, customers can enjoy a cohesive and efficient experience that keeps them engaged throughout the purchasing journey with less room for friction caused by slow page load times. It removes the feeling that the checkout process is overly complicated or has too many steps.

One-Page Checkout VS Three-Page Checkout

Both the single and multi-page checkout experiences on Shopify collect the same information from your customers, offer the same analytics in your Admin, and support the same customization options. This means that you should be able to switch back and forth between each option as you please without any hiccups. 

While One-Page Checkout does a great job of improving the shopping experience for your customers, it's important to note that this kind of format might conversely overwhelm your customers with choices if your checkout process needs to be a bit more involved than the typical checkout experience. This could lead to the opposite experience that the single-page checkout option aims to provide. 

When Shopify launched its new default One-Page Checkout, merchants had wildly different success rates with the single-page configuration. To find out which is best for you, we suggest testing both. Merchants can head to their Shopify Analytics page and view their “online store conversion over time” data after using the single-page checkout for a while and compare results to determine if they have more success with one option over another. 

What are the Benefits of Shopify’s One-Page Checkout?

Shopify transitioned to this new single checkout setup as a way to ensure its customers continue to see success using its platform. Here are the main benefits of using Shopify’s One-Page Checkout. 

Checkout Extensibility Compatibility

Shopify built this new one-page checkout experience to work seamlessly with Checkout Extensibility, Shopify’s replacement for customizing checkouts with their long-standing checkout.liquid file. 

Since Checkout Extensibility makes it easier for Shopify to make meaningful changes to their checkout experience, users of their One-Page Checkout can be confident that any changes to Shopify’s single-page checkout solution will work with their stores without needing to make any changes on their end. 

Built for Conversion Rate Optimization

The clean navigation and reduced amount of clicking around your customers would otherwise need to do with multi-page checkouts make it easier for people to complete their purchases, leading to less cart abandonment. 

There’s a perceived complexity that comes with a multi-page checkout process that often makes potential customers feel as though there’s a bigger time commitment required to check out at stores that have more steps than others using a single-page option, even if either setup is asking for the exact same information. 

Since one-page checkouts lay everything out in front of the customer right away, they can see how quick the checkout process is and are less likely to drop off when they get to yet another page asking for more information. 

Customization

While designed to be simple, the one-page checkout still offers many customization options for merchants. The checkout menu of your Shopify backend will give you access to all the different content you can add to your new checkout page, such as address collection options, tipping, post-purchase pages, shipping method, checkout language, etc. 

Through the checkout customizer, you can also change the colors, typography, animations, images, and other visual elements of your checkout page to match the look and feel of your brand and the rest of your store.

Finally, adding custom CSS is always an option for stores looking to further fine-tune the look and feel of their new checkout page. 

Faster Page Loads and Shorter Checkouts

While constantly improving for everyone, not all of your customers have access to the fastest internet speeds available–especially people in more rural areas looking to shop at your store. The single-page checkout experience aims to alleviate this by requiring fewer page loads to get through to the order confirmation page. 

Instead of requiring customers to click through multiple pages on their desktop or mobile devices and wait for each to load before reaching the end of the process, they now only need to load one single page. This reduces cart abandonment and helps increase conversions. 

How Do I Upgrade to One-Page Checkout on Shopify?

As of the end of 2023, all current Shopify users will have been automatically switched to the One-Page Checkout option. If, however, you’d prefer to switch back to the multi-page setup, you can do so from your checkout settings page if you’re on the Shopify Plus Plan or from your active theme if you’re on any of the other Shopify plans. 

The option to switch from a One-Page to a Three-Page checkout will be in your “checkout layout” section, regardless of your plan. 

Consider reviewing and/or modifying your checkout page when switching between one-page and multi-page options if:

1. You have a background image on your checkout form: The layout in a one-page checkout differs from that of a three-page setup, which may affect its appearance. You might need to revise the image's cropping or replace the image to ensure it fits well with the new layout.
2. You've made previous content changes or custom translations, verify that these customizations are displayed correctly in the new setup, as the one-page checkout allows for new customizations in the wording within the “Checkout & system” section of the theme content editor. 

How to Optimize a One-Page Checkout

While Shopify launched this new checkout configuration as an out-of-the-box improvement to its previous Three-Page Checkout option, there are always ways to improve upon the default and make your store’s checkout experience work harder for you. Here are some optimizations to consider for your Shopify store. 

Shopify One-Page Checkout Optimizations

1. Only ask for the information you need to complete the transaction: Don’t complicate your newly simplified checkout page by asking for more information than you really need to complete an order, and make lower-priority information optional if you decide to include it at all. You can speed this up even more by having certain fields auto-fill through Google Autocomplete.
2. Customize your checkout with apps and APIs: Apps like AfterSell Post Purchase Upsell take advantage of Shopify's new Checkout branding API to offer upsell items to your customers after checkout, while Instant Checkout - Buy button can add an animated “Buy Now” button on your product pages to send users straight to the checkout page, further improving the customer experience. 
3. Match the checkout page to your storefront: This ensures that your customers' entire shopping experience is cohesive. Make sure to customize the look and feel of the checkout to match your brand. Otherwise, customers might lose trust in your store if they click through to complete their purchase and are greeted with a completely different design than the rest of your website. 
4. Show proof of compliance: Shopify allows merchants to upload all their policy documents to their stores and display links to them on the checkout page. Doing this not only makes it easy for customers to access them but also builds trust with people who are more privacy-focused or apprehensive about online shopping.  

Conclusion

Choosing the right checkout model is important for optimizing your Shopify store's performance. Shopify’s One-Page Checkout offers a streamlined, efficient path that keeps customers engaged and reduces friction, boosting your conversion rates and turning one-time shoppers into repeat customers. 

That said, the best approach depends on your specific customer base and their shopping preferences. By analyzing performance data and considering customer feedback, you can determine whether the single-page or traditional multi-page checkout best suits your business needs. Continuously refine your checkout process to ensure it aligns with your evolving business goals and customer expectations.

Need help optimizing your checkout page? As a Shopify Plus Partner agency, we at Blue Badger can help you with all your Shopify needs as well as web development, custom theme creation, strategy, conversion rate optimization, performance marketing, and more. Whatever your business needs, our team of skilled developers, strategists, and marketers would love to help you build an ecommerce ecosystem that you can rely on. Get in touch with us today to learn more.