Intro: Shopify’s checkout has undergone a transformation in the past year, moving towards a faster, more flexible experience. The traditional three-step checkout is now a streamlined single page for most stores, and Shopify Plus merchants are transitioning to a new app-based customization framework. As Shopify experts, we at Expatify have guided clients through these checkout changes, ensuring they stay ahead of the curve. In this article, we break down what’s new with Shopify Checkout—from the one-page layout to the powerful Checkout Extensibility features—and how merchants can adapt to maximize conversions.
One-Page Checkout Becomes the Default
Speed and simplicity are key to reducing cart abandonment. Shopify’s new one-page checkout condenses the customer information, shipping, and payment steps into a single, optimized page. This redesigned out-of-the-box checkout is now the default for all Shopify stores, providing a smoother, faster experience for buyers. Early data shows that by eliminating extra clicks and page loads, the one-page format can boost conversion rates.
Shopify rolled out the one-page checkout to all non-Plus stores in late 2023, and it’s also available to Plus merchants (who previously had multi-step or custom checkouts). The transition is automatic for most stores. As a merchant, you’ll notice customers can enter shipping address, select shipping, and provide payment all in one view. This not only speeds up checkout but also mirrors the high-converting flow of Shop Pay. At Expatify, we encourage merchants to embrace the new one-page checkout and monitor their checkout conversion metrics—chances are you’ll see improvements thanks to the reduced friction.
Checkout Extensibility Replaces checkout.liquid
Shopify Plus merchants historically could modify their checkout through a file called checkout.liquid. However, Shopify is deprecating checkout.liquid customizations in favor of a more robust, upgrade-safe solution: Checkout Extensibility. In fact, any custom code in checkout.liquid will stop working for the main checkout pages (information, shipping, payment) after August 13, 2024. This means Plus stores need to migrate their checkout customizations to the new framework to avoid losing functionality.
Checkout Extensibility is an app-based system that uses extensions and APIs instead of directly editing Liquid code. The new approach offers a lot of advantages. It’s far more maintainable (Shopify can update the checkout’s code under the hood without breaking your customizations) and it’s integrated with Shop Pay for better performance. Using the Checkout Extensibility framework, merchants can add custom checkout UI components, banners, messages, and more via apps—no fragile code hacks needed.
New Capabilities with Checkout Extensions
The latest updates have made Checkout Extensibility even more powerful. Shopify has introduced 14+ new APIs and UI components for checkout customizations. Merchants can now modify nearly every aspect of the checkout flow using extensions: from the content and styling on the checkout page, to custom form fields or validations, and even the post-checkout Thank You page. Notably, as of early 2024, Shopify Plus stores can extend their checkout to the order status (thank you) page as well, creating a fully branded, continuous experience for customers. This was not possible with checkout.liquid alone.
For example, using these new APIs, you could add an upsell offer or survey on the order confirmation page via an app extension. Or you might include a custom notice or checkbox on the payment step (such as agreeing to terms for a B2B order) using a Checkout UI Extension. Because these are app-driven, they’re upgrade-safe and don’t require editing Shopify’s core code.
In addition, Shopify has greatly expanded styling options for checkout via the Branding API. Without any custom code, merchants can adjust over 50 style properties—colors, fonts, button shapes, and more—to match their branding. This is useful for all Shopify plans, but Plus merchants get the extra benefit of deeper customization through extensions on top of these settings.
How Plus Merchants Should Handle the Transition
If you’re on Shopify Plus and have a custom checkout.liquid, action is required. Shopify’s deadline of August 13, 2024 isn’t just a suggestion; after that date, any checkout.liquid custom code for the main checkout steps will no longer function. Stores that don’t migrate will automatically fall back to the standard Shopify checkout design, potentially losing important features or brand elements that the custom code provided.
At Expatify, we’ve been working with our Plus clients to audit their current checkout.liquid customizations and rebuild them using Checkout Extensibility. In many cases, we find that what was once custom code can now be implemented via public apps or Shopify Functions (for logic changes) with minimal fuss. For truly unique needs, we develop custom checkout extensions. The result is a checkout that looks and behaves as desired, but is also future-proof and supported by Shopify.
Even non-Plus merchants benefit indirectly from these changes. Shopify’s investment in the “world’s best checkout” has led to a faster, more conversion-optimized default checkout for everyone. Features like address auto-complete, one-click Shop Pay accelerated checkout, and mobile-friendly design are continuously improving across the board. It’s a win-win: merchants get better conversion rates, and customers get a smoother purchase experience.
Conclusion: Upgrade Your Checkout with Confidence
Shopify’s checkout updates in 2024–2025 signal a clear direction: a fast one-page checkout for all, and a more maintainable path for customization on Plus. Embracing these changes is important for staying competitive. Plus merchants should view the migration not as a burden, but as an opportunity to improve their checkout and eliminate brittle code. Regular Shopify merchants, meanwhile, can rest assured they are offering shoppers a cutting-edge, high-converting checkout by default.
Call to Action: If you need help transitioning your checkout or want to take advantage of Shopify’s new checkout extensibility, Expatify is here to guide you. As a Shopify Expert agency, we’ve helped businesses large and small optimize their checkout flows for maximum conversion. Contact Expatify today to ensure your store’s checkout is up-to-date, on-brand, and primed to turn more visitors into customers.
