Nic Dunn, CEO, Charle Agency
What is Shopify One-Page Checkout?
Shopify one-page checkout condenses the entire purchase process into a single page. Instead of stepping through separate screens for contact details, shipping address, and payment information, customers see everything at once and complete their purchase in one fluid motion.
The original Shopify checkout had three distinct pages: information collection, shipping selection, and payment. Each page load added friction. Each additional click gave customers another opportunity to reconsider or abandon their cart. The one-page approach eliminates those friction points by presenting all required fields on a single, well-organized page.
Shopify now sets one-page checkout as the default for all new stores. Existing stores can switch between one-page and three-page layouts through their admin settings, though the trajectory is clear: Shopify is moving the entire platform toward streamlined, single-page experiences.
The design draws heavily from Shop Pay's accelerated checkout, which has proven itself as the highest-converting checkout option available. By bringing that same efficiency to standard checkout flows, Shopify aims to lift conversion rates across the board.
Why Shopify Made the Change
The shift to one-page checkout came from hard data. Shopify partnered with a Big Three consulting firm to study checkout performance across all major ecommerce platforms, and the results were compelling. Shopify's checkout converts up to 36% better than competitors, with an average improvement of 15%.
Cart abandonment remains one of ecommerce's biggest challenges. According to Baymard Institute research, 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before purchase. When researchers asked why, 22% cited a checkout process that was too long or complicated. Another 26% abandoned because they were required to create an account.
The one-page checkout directly addresses these issues. Real-world data from Shopify stores shows conversion improvements of roughly 7.5% after switching from multi-page to one-page checkout. Some stores report their checkout conversion climbing from 54% to over 60%.
Speed matters too. A typical multi-page checkout takes around 1 minute 40 seconds to complete. One-page checkout can trim that to under a minute. Research consistently shows that each additional second of checkout time costs conversions, with estimates suggesting 7-10% drops per second of delay.
Mobile shopping amplifies these benefits. Mobile devices now account for 79% of traffic to Shopify stores and 68% of completed orders. On smaller screens with slower connections, every eliminated page load and reduced form field translates directly to higher completion rates.
How to Enable One-Page Checkout
Enabling one-page checkout on your Shopify store takes just a few clicks. From your Shopify admin, navigate to Settings, then Checkout. Scroll to the Checkout layout section where you'll find the option to switch between one-page and three-page checkout.
New stores created after Shopify's 2023 update automatically use one-page checkout by default. If you've been running a store for longer, you may still be on the three-page layout and need to manually switch.
The one-page checkout collects identical information to the three-page version. Customer contact details, shipping address, delivery method selection, and payment information all appear on the same page, organized into clear sections. Your existing analytics tracking, including conversion tracking on the order status page, continues working without modification.
For most stores, the switch is straightforward with no technical work required. However, if you've built custom checkout experiences using checkout.liquid or Additional Scripts, you'll need to migrate to checkout extensibility before switching. More on that in the migration section below.
Checkout Extensibility Explained
Shopify's checkout extensibility represents a fundamental shift in how merchants customize their checkout experience. It replaces the old checkout.liquid file with a modern, app-based framework that's faster, more secure, and future-proof.
The extensibility framework has three main components:
Shopify Functions handle backend logic. They let you customize how Shopify processes orders, calculates discounts, determines shipping options, validates carts, and routes fulfillment. Functions run on Shopify's high-performance servers, executing custom code in milliseconds without slowing down the customer experience. You might use Functions to create complex discount logic, hide certain payment methods based on cart contents, or implement custom delivery rules.
Checkout UI Extensions control what customers see. They let you add custom elements at specific points in the checkout flow: product information, shipping selection, payment, order summary, and even within Shop Pay. Want to add a gift message field, display trust badges, show upsell offers, or collect custom information? UI Extensions make it possible while maintaining checkout security.
Checkout Branding API handles visual customization. Shopify Plus merchants can adjust colors, typography, spacing, and other visual elements to match their brand. The drag-and-drop checkout editor provides a visual interface for many of these changes, while the API offers deeper control for developers.
UI Extensions run in an isolated sandbox, separate from the main checkout page and other extensions. This architecture protects customer data and ensures one misbehaving app can't break the entire checkout. It's a significant security improvement over the old approach where custom code had broad access to checkout functionality.
The checkout editor, exclusive to Shopify Plus, provides a familiar drag-and-drop interface similar to the Online Store 2.0 theme editor. Merchants can add app blocks, adjust layouts, and preview changes without touching code. For deeper customizations, developers use the APIs directly. Learn more about the technical capabilities in our guide to Shopify Functions.
Migration Deadlines You Need to Know
Shopify has set firm deadlines for migrating away from legacy checkout customizations. Missing these deadlines means losing your customizations when Shopify automatically upgrades your store.
Shopify Plus stores: The deadline to upgrade Thank You and Order Status pages is August 28, 2025. After this date, Shopify will begin automatic upgrades with 30-day notices, completing the process by January 2026. All checkout.liquid and Additional Scripts customizations will be removed during automatic upgrades.
Non-Plus stores: The deadline extends to August 26, 2026. The same automatic upgrade process applies if stores haven't migrated by then.
Shopify deprecated checkout.liquid, script tags, and Additional Scripts for good reasons: improving checkout speed, reducing security risks from poorly written custom code, and ensuring consistent experiences across all buying surfaces. The old system allowed too much variation, sometimes breaking checkout flows or creating security vulnerabilities.
Shopify Scripts, the Plus feature for custom discount logic, was officially sunset in 2025. Shopify Functions provides a more powerful replacement, though it requires migration work for stores relying on Scripts.
If you're still using legacy checkout customizations, the migration window is closing. Shopify recommends completing migration before Q4 2025 when feature parity should be fully complete. Waiting until the deadline risks rushed implementation during peak trading periods. Our Shopify Plus agency team can help assess your current customizations and plan a smooth migration.
Shop Pay and Accelerated Checkout
Shop Pay sits at the heart of Shopify's checkout strategy, and the performance numbers explain why. An external study by a Big Three consulting firm found Shop Pay lifts conversion by up to 50% compared to guest checkout and outperforms all other accelerated checkout options by at least 10%.
The speed difference is dramatic. Shop Pay delivers a checkout experience four times faster than standard guest checkout. For returning customers with saved details, it's essentially a one-tap purchase. This matters enormously on mobile, where Shop Pay reduces cart abandonment by 18%.
Adoption has grown rapidly. Shopify reported over 150 million Shop Pay users globally by early 2024, growing to roughly 200 million by year end. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024, Shop Pay usage surged 58% year-over-year. Currently, 43% of customers prefer Shop Pay over other checkout options, and one in five buyers choose it even when multiple payment methods are available.
Shop Pay works seamlessly with checkout extensibility. Customizations built using UI Extensions function within Shop Pay, unlike legacy customizations that were stripped away during accelerated checkout. This means your upsells, trust badges, and custom fields appear consistently whether customers use standard checkout or Shop Pay.
Beyond Shop Pay, Shopify supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other accelerated options directly from product pages and cart. These one-click purchase options bypass checkout entirely for logged-in customers with saved payment methods. Enabling these express checkout options can significantly lift mobile conversion rates.
Benefits of One-Page Checkout
The case for one-page checkout rests on measurable improvements across multiple metrics.
Higher conversion rates: Stores consistently report 7-10% conversion improvements after switching. Some see even larger gains, particularly on mobile where the reduced page loads have outsized impact. Baymard Institute research suggests optimized checkout design can improve conversion by up to 35%.
Faster completion: Checkout completion time drops from around 1 minute 40 seconds to under a minute. Customers with browser autofill enabled or saved details can finish in seconds. Speed directly correlates with completion rates.
Reduced abandonment: Studies show 21% lower drop-offs on one-page layouts compared to multi-step alternatives. Fewer pages mean fewer exit points and less opportunity for customers to reconsider.
Better mobile experience: With 68% of ecommerce orders now completed on smartphones, mobile optimization is essential. One-page checkout eliminates the frustrating back-and-forth navigation that plagues multi-step mobile checkouts.
Simplified testing: With all elements on one page, A/B testing becomes more straightforward. You can test field ordering, button placement, trust signals, and payment method prominence without managing complex multi-page variations.
Consistent branding: The checkout editor and Branding API let you maintain brand consistency through the entire purchase journey. Customers see familiar colors, typography, and design elements from browsing through to order confirmation.
Potential Considerations
One-page checkout suits most stores, but certain scenarios warrant consideration before switching.
Complex products: High-ticket items, custom products, or purchases requiring extensive configuration might benefit from a more guided multi-step approach. The deliberate pacing of multi-page checkout can build confidence for significant purchases.
Extensive custom fields: If your checkout requires numerous custom fields for quotes, personalization, or B2B information, a single page can feel overwhelming. In these cases, careful UX design or a multi-step approach might serve customers better.
Analytics granularity: Multi-step checkout provides natural measurement points showing exactly where customers drop off. One-page checkout shows the same overall conversion data, but pinpointing specific friction points within the page requires additional analytics tooling like heatmaps or session recordings.
Upsell opportunities: Fewer steps mean fewer natural moments for upsells and cross-sells. However, checkout UI extensions let you add upsell prompts at strategic points, often with better results than page-based interruptions.
Page length on mobile: All checkout fields on one page creates more scrolling. Shopify's design handles this well through clear section organization, but extremely long forms with many custom fields could feel daunting on small screens.
For the vast majority of ecommerce stores, these considerations are outweighed by the conversion benefits. The stores where multi-step checkout genuinely performs better are exceptions rather than the rule.
Checkout Optimization Strategies
Enabling one-page checkout is a starting point, not a finish line. These strategies help maximize your checkout conversion.
Enable accelerated checkout options: Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay should be prominent and available. These options convert significantly higher than guest checkout, particularly on mobile. Shopify data shows 43% of buyers already trust and prefer Shop Pay.
Minimize required fields: Baymard Institute found the ideal checkout contains around 12 form elements, yet the average checkout displays 23. Every additional field costs conversions. Question whether each field is genuinely necessary. Can you derive information from other fields? Can you make optional fields truly optional rather than expected?
Offer guest checkout prominently: 26% of cart abandonment comes from forced account creation. Make guest checkout the default or most visible option. You can encourage account creation on the thank you page instead, after the sale is secured.
Display total costs early: Hidden costs cause 48% of cart abandonment. Show shipping costs, taxes, and fees as early as possible, ideally before checkout. Surprises at the payment stage drive customers away.
Build trust visibly: Security badges, payment method logos, and trust signals reassure customers at the moment of purchase. 25% cite security concerns as an abandonment reason. Use checkout UI extensions to add these elements strategically.
Streamline address entry: Enable address autocomplete to speed completion and reduce errors. Shopify supports this feature and it significantly improves the mobile experience.
Offer multiple payment methods: 13% abandon because their preferred payment method isn't available. Beyond cards and digital wallets, consider buy-now-pay-later options like Klarna or Shop Pay Installments for higher-value purchases.
Optimize for speed: Page load time directly impacts conversion. Ensure your checkout loads quickly, especially on mobile connections. Checkout extensibility improvements help here, as Functions run on Shopify's optimized infrastructure rather than potentially slow third-party scripts.
For comprehensive checkout optimization, see our Shopify SEO guide for driving qualified traffic, and our SEO checklist for ongoing improvements.
