Cart abandonment is the silent killer of eCommerce. Every extra click, form field, or delay is costing you sales.
The good news is that these mistakes are fixable.
In this post, we’ll break down the most common Shopify checkout mistakes and show you how to fix them before they drain your revenue.
Table of contents
- Why is the Shopify checkout stage important
- 1- Payment gateway problems
- 2- Overcomplicating the process
- One page vs multipage Shopify checkout
- 3- Having too many distractions
- 4- Not optimising for mobile
- 5- Wasting the ‘thank you’ (order status) page
- 6- Ignoring site speed
- 7- Not following up on abandoned carts
- The B2B checkout experience is different
- Recap – Is it only the checkout’s fault?
- FAQs on Shopify Checkout Mistakes
Why is the Shopify checkout stage important
Checkout is where customers decide if they’ll finish the purchase or walk away. Research by IMRG on e-commerce reveals that the average checkout conversion rate is just 58%, with the average checkout abandonment occurring at nearly 90% of the typical length it takes to complete a payment.
In other words, a sale is not a sale until the very last click. Even the smallest points of friction, an extra form field, a slow-loading page, or unclear shipping costs, can undo all the effort you’ve put into getting the customer this far. That’s why testing even subtle variations in checkout flow is important. The most minor changes often have a huge impact on conversions.
This isn’t just a problem for big retailers. Small stores can gain an edge with a smoother checkout, and once you start scaling, every inefficiency compounds into lost revenue.
With that in mind, let’s look at the most common Shopify checkout mistakes and how to fix them before they cut into your sales.
1- Payment gateway problems
Payment options can make or break the checkout experience, and too many Shopify stores either don’t offer enough of them or set them up incorrectly.
Not offering enough payment options
Unlike other areas of checkout, where fewer choices help conversion, here variety matters: customers expect one-click solutions like ShopPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, alongside pay-by-credit-card options. Without these trusted options in place, you risk losing buyers at the final step because they don’t see a payment method they know and prefer.
Unexpected payment fees at checkout
Nothing kills a purchase faster than surprise costs. If shipping rates, taxes, or discount codes aren’t configured correctly, shoppers will see unexpected fees at the last step and abandon their carts.
Every charge must be transparent, with a clear breakdown of the product price, shipping, taxes, and any applied discount options. Keep your checkout clean, upfront, and predictable.
To see how checkout fits into the bigger picture of boosting conversions, check out our list of CRO improvement and tactics.
Not showing your site is secure
Simple things, such as having your SSL certificate in place, not only scare off customers but also deter Google from showing your site. Trust badges are equally important, along with logos of payment gateways.
Not offering local payment options and currencies
If you sell internationally from the US to Canada or Europe and vice versa, failing to provide local payment methods is one of the fastest ways to lose customers at checkout.
Shoppers expect to see the options they trust in their region, whether that’s iDEAL in the Netherlands, Klarna in Scandinavia, Interac Debit / Interac Online in Canada, or other local debit networks elsewhere.
Limiting your store to only credit cards or global wallets can result in abandoned carts and lost revenue. Offering the right local payment mix not only builds trust but also removes friction.
2- Overcomplicating the process
The golden rule of checkout design is to keep it simple. Don’t make customers work harder than they need to.
When you design a checkout, your overall goal is to have a low bounce rate – passing through the checkout flow should be as fast and effortless as possible.
Zoltan Kollin, Design Manager, IBM
According to the Baymard Institute, the average checkout flow for a new user in 2024 consisted of only 5.1 steps, spanning from the shopping cart step to the order review step.
The research highlights an interesting point: it’s not the number of steps themselves that matter, but the cumulative perceived effort required by the customer to complete the checkout process. This is more closely related to the design of the process and to what the customer needs to do, rather than the steps they go through.
Simply put, customers can navigate through different checkout steps, as long as there are no additional clicks or input fields involved.
Having too many form fields
Every extra field in your checkout is another chance for a customer to drop off. Only ask for essentials. It’s obvious, but the temptation to slip in a ‘how did you hear about us’ is always there.
Some best practices are:
- Use a single name field – splitting into first and last name adds unnecessary effort.
- Hide the discount code box – display it only as a small “Have a code?” link to avoid distracting buyers.
- Default billing address to match shipping – save customers extra typing, with an option to change if needed.
- Always allow guest checkout – never force account creation for D2C shoppers.
The table below lists all the necessary fields and those that can be sacrificed in the name of conversion. Note that most of these are valid mainly for D2C customers. B2B is far more complex, and we will briefly touch on it. Our definitive guide to Shopify B2B & wholesale (2025) will help you dive deeper.
| Necessary Fields (always keep) | Optional Fields (hide, simplify, or delay) |
|---|---|
| Full Name (preferably one single field) | Separate First / Last Name fields |
| Shipping Address (street, city, state, zip, country) | Address Line 2 (hide behind a link for apt/suite/etc.) |
| Email Address (for confirmation + updates) | Company Name |
| Payment Details (credit card, PayPal, wallets, etc.) | Coupon / Promo Code (collapsed, not shown upfront) |
| Phone Number (only if required for delivery) | Secondary Phone Number |
| Billing Address (only if different from shipping) | Date of Birth (unless legally required, e.g. alcohol) |
| — | Mandatory Account Creation (delay until after purchase) |
| — | Title (Mr./Mrs./Dr.), Middle Name, “How did you hear about us?” survey fields |
Not showing progress
Customers want to know where they are in the checkout process. If your checkout includes multiple steps, or even a few, add a visual guide to help users navigate the process. Ensure the progress indicator on your mobile checkout page is positioned at the top of the screen and remains sticky.
Unclear order summaries and CTAs
During checkout, customers need absolute clarity on what they’re buying and what action they should take next. Product descriptions in the order summary should be specific enough to prevent confusion. Avoid vague labels and use clear wording.
The same goes for calls to action: buttons like “Complete Purchase” or “Pay Now” convert better than overly branded or ambiguous phrases. A checkout is not the place to get cute. It’s where clarity closes the sale.
You can get some inspiration from what top Shopify stores are doing here.
One page vs multipage Shopify checkout
It’s worth noting at this point which checkout option is the best for your store.
One-page checkout is simpler, faster, and now the norm for most shops. A UK eCommerce Association study found a significant difference between rates for single-page (61%) and multi-page checkouts (56%), indicating a considerable disparity.
Yet, certain businesses can utilize the multi-page checkout to upsell or gather necessary information from customers.
Shopify originally offered a multi-step, three-page checkout, and while it’s still technically available to Plus merchants, very few brands continue to use it. One-page checkout has become the default across Shopify because it reduces clicks, speeds up the process, and limits drop-off.
That said, if you’re one of the few still using a multi-step checkout, it can have its place. Multi-step flows can be useful for businesses with complex shipping needs, regulated products that require legal compliance, or purchases that involve multiple options and technical details.
For example, a furniture store might break the process into steps to help customers select sizes, finishes, and delivery preferences before reaching payment. While slower, the segmentation can make complex purchases feel clearer and more manageable.
| One-Page Checkout | Multi-Page Checkout | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed & Simplicity | Fast, minimal friction; ideal for quick conversions | Slower, more steps; can feel cumbersome for some buyers |
| Conversion Rate | Higher (61% according to UK study) | Overall lower (56% according to UK study) |
| Upselling Opportunities | Limited space to upsell without distracting customer | Easier to include upsells or optional add-ons on later pages |
| Complexity Handling | Best for simple products and straightforward shipping | Better for products with multiple options, complex shipping, or legal requirements |
| User Experience | Streamlined, single-step view | Clear separation of steps, reduces confusion for complex selections |
| Ideal Store Type | Fashion, accessories, low AOV items, impulse purchases | Furniture, customizable products, technical equipment |
3- Having too many distractions
The classic supermarket product placement of having snacks near the cashier, works, because it causes no harm if it doesn’t. Customers have already packed their bags, walked all the way up, and won’t turn back because they’re surrounded by candy.
With eCommerce, apart from a few minutes lost on the phone (nothing in the age of doomscrolling!), there’s little to stop a visitor from leaving a site if a notification from WhatsApp comes or if your overall store design is messy and unfocused.
Cross-selling and upselling too soon or too late
You should aim to upsell and cross-sell, but pushing it too much with product suggestions and pop-ups is not ideal.
If your store sells products that are easy to cross-sell with others, you can add a ‘you may also like’ section for complementary products. But extra suggestions can be overwhelming and contribute to cart abandonment.
A good tip is to match the section well with the product so it feels attractive, not pushy.
By default, you can’t add pop-ups to the Shopify checkout page; however, you can use them smoothly on the product page. Another recommendation is to do the upselling on the order confirmation page.
4- Not optimising for mobile
Shopify themes are generally optimised for mobile, yet they need customization, as they have their limitations.
- Themes are not optimised to be better than your competitor’s.
- Themes don’t fit your business out of the box.
- A good theme doesn’t guarantee you will have a fast website
- They are only effective if you’re approach is focused.
How to improve your mobile checkout experience?
- Place the call-to-action (CTA) on the lower right side of the screen, or let it fill the full width of the screen, and ensure the CTAs are bold and visible.
- Offer a numeric-only keyboard when entering card details.
- Optimise images for mobile to reduce load time
- “Save for Later” has proven handy on mobile devices for users who are on the go and typically finish purchases on their laptops.
- In specific scenarios, you can offer special incentives for users who make purchases on mobile to avoid card abandonment.
The one-thumb, one-eyeball test is a good practice to try now to determine if you’re making it easy for one-handed checkout. It practically shows which parts of the screen are easily accessible and where to focus important information.
5- Wasting the ‘thank you’ (order status) page
Customer remains on your page even after their payment is processed successfully – take advantage of those precious seconds!
Ask for sign-ups after checkout.
We already covered how forced registration is a conversation killer. However, that doesn’t mean that you should ask customers to sign up at all.
Wait until they check out and offer account creation on the “Thank You” page. Since you’re asking for their name, email, and address anyway through the purchase process, you’ll already have the info. That way, on the last page, you can just offer to create an account with 1 or 2 clicks. Much less friction this way.
Alex Birkett, Ex-Growth Marketing Manager, HubSpot
Upsell and offer loyalty rewards
Besides up selling and cross selling on the order confirmation page, you can customize your order status page in Shopify with product recommendations, discount codes, and more. If you are using Shopify Plus, this functionality is built-in without requiring any app/third-party integration.
Keep in mind that when presenting the upsell, you need to demonstrate your credibility by incorporating trusted reviews and testimonials.
6- Ignoring site speed
According to Google, a one-second improvement in website speed can increase conversions for mobile users by up to 27%!
Not only will a slow website cause users to abandon their cart, but it will also likely prevent them from finding your store in the first place. Search engines are strict when it comes to website speed, and will penalise if you’re not up to standard.
Google recommends that a page load time is a Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) of under 2.5 seconds, which you can test for your website for free here.
7- Not following up on abandoned carts
Abandoned carts still occur, even with a perfect Shopify checkout experience, for reasons beyond your control. If you leave it at that, you might be losing a customer to another store.
Getting the timing wrong
Omnisend, based on the large amount of data at its disposal, recommends sending three follow-up emails.
- First email (1 hour after abandonment)
- Second email (12 hours after abandonment
- Third email (24 hours after abandonment)
Shopify, on the other hand, recommends sending follow-up emails as late as three days after abandonment. Different products and stores, different strategies.
Not offering Incentives or creating a sense of urgency
Each follow-up email or text needs to remind and encourage the customer to complete the purchase. Some best practices are
- Show the whole cart in the email, along with the product description and price
- Offer limited-time discounts in the last email.
- Use high-converting keywords in the email subject, such as ‘15% off your cart’, followed up by an urgency-inducing email preview text such as ‘only available today’
- Don’t limit to email, if you can use sms and WhatsApp reminders
- Install abandoned cart apps to help you automate the process
Not branding recovery emails
If your customers came for your brand value, it might be the only thing that brings them back. Some stores are doing an incredible job at making recovery emails engaging and could inspire you to do the same.
16 strong abandoned cart email examples
The B2B checkout experience is different
The B2B checkout experience is very different compared to D2C. Extra steps for B2B checkout are often not only needed, but requested by buyers themselves, who have different needs to fulfill.
The commonality is that B2B is just as sensitive to its online experience as D2C. 75% of B2B buyers in 2025 will switch suppliers for a better online experience – a figure that makes sense once you realise that most buyers today are actually millennials. Our guide on modern B2B buyer expectations goes into the details.
Unlike D2C, B2B buyers are looking for long-term partners from whom they can quickly order and reorder in bulk, have personalised pricing and checkouts, flexible payment terms, and receive support for any questions or complaints.
| D2C Checkout | B2B Checkout | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer Type | Individual shopper | Multiple buyers within a company account |
| Purchase Size | Small, one-time or impulse orders | Large, bulk, or recurring orders |
| Decision-Making | Single person | Multiple stakeholders and approval flows |
| Checkout Goal | Speed and convenience (fewest steps possible) | Flexibility and control (custom flows, approvals, role-based actions) |
| Payment Options | Credit/debit cards, PayPal, digital wallets | Net terms, invoicing, purchase orders, wire transfers |
| Pricing | Flat pricing, same for all | Tiered, negotiated, or contract pricing per account |
| Catalog Access | Same products visible to all shoppers | Segmented catalogs tied to specific buyer accounts |
| Reordering | Manual, each order placed separately | Quick reorder, saved carts, recurring templates |
| Account Requirements | Guest checkout or single account per buyer | Company accounts with multiple roles and permissions |
| Mobile Optimization | Critical (one-click checkout, optimized forms) | Important, but desktop often preferred for complex approvals and bulk orders |
Using the Shopify B2B solution, companies can create their profiles and register different employees who log in separately, browse through products, and place orders, which are then sent for approval.
Considering the complexity, there are many conversion mistakes that can be made, not just at checkout. Our definitive guide to Shopify B2B and Wholesale includes everything you need to know.
Recap – Is it only the checkout’s fault?
Checkout is crucial, but it’s not the only part of your store that impacts conversions. The mistakes we’ve outlined here are straightforward to fix, often in minutes, yet they continue to cost merchants sales every single day.
The bigger picture is that conversion rate optimization goes beyond checkout. If customers are bouncing earlier in the journey, you’ll still leave money on the table, no matter how smooth your checkout is.
If you’re unsure what’s holding your store back or want to lift your conversion rate, book a complimentary call with our team. A short session could save you time, effort, and lost revenue.
FAQs on Shopify Checkout Mistakes
Can I customize the checkout buttons or CTAs on Shopify?
On all Shopify plans, the main checkout buttons (like “Continue to shipping” or “Pay now”) cannot be heavily altered for security and consistency reasons.
However, you can customize the look with your brand colors, fonts, and logo. If you’re on Shopify Plus, checkout extensibility lets you add custom banners, upsell blocks, and limited modifications to the checkout flow. A common mistake is trying to get too creative with CTA wording at checkout. Remember, clarity converts better than cleverness.
What’s the best way to handle discount codes at checkout?
Showing a discount code box too prominently can backfire, as it encourages shoppers to leave checkout to hunt for coupons. The best practice is to collapse the field behind a small link like “Have a code?” so only customers with a code will use it.
This keeps the flow clean and prevents hesitation. Shopify allows you to control how discounts appear natively in the checkout settings, or you can use apps for more advanced handling.
How can I remove checkout form fields from Shopify?
In Settings → Checkout, you can make fields like phone number or company name required, optional, or hidden. This helps cut down unnecessary inputs that slow customers down. If you need more control to fully remove or add fields, you’ll need Shopify Plus with checkout extensibility or a third-party app.
Too many fields is one of the most common checkout mistakes, so streamlining them should always be a priority.
How do I set up B2B checkout on Shopify?
B2B checkout is a Shopify Plus–only feature. You can configure it in Settings → B2B → Company profiles, where you can assign custom pricing, tiered discounts, payment terms, and buyer permissions. If you’re not on Plus, you’ll need third-party apps to replicate B2B functionality. Forcing wholesale buyers through a standard D2C checkout is not advisable.
What Shopify plan do I need to brand the checkout page?
All Shopify plans let you add your logo, brand colors, and fonts to checkout. For deeper customization, such as adding extra fields, custom banners, or altering checkout logic, you’ll need Shopify Plus, which unlocks checkout extensibility. Inconsistent branding or an untrustworthy checkout look can hurt conversions, so even small visual changes can make a big difference.
How can I test if my checkout is optimized?
The fastest way is to use tools like Shopify’s built-in analytics and monitor cart abandonment at the checkout stage. Pair this with A/B testing through apps or Shopify Plus checkout extensibility to compare variations (like one-page vs. multi-page flows, or guest checkout placement).
Heatmaps and session recordings can also help spot friction points. A common mistake is assuming your checkout is fine without testing. Small changes, like reducing fields or changing button placement, can have a measurable impact on conversion.
