The Shopify checkout: 8 tweaks that recover sales without touching the design

Nico Bértolo · 2026-09-06

In short

  • Much checkout abandonment comes from surprises: shipping costs, delivery times or payment methods the customer didn’t expect.
  • Many improvements are configuration, not design: they take hours, not weeks.
  • The checkout that doesn’t recover on its own is recovered by email.

Shopify’s checkout is among the most optimised on the market, but that doesn’t mean yours is well configured. These tweaks don’t require redesigning anything and usually show results quickly.

The 8 tweaks

  1. Turn on express checkout: Shop Pay, Apple Pay or Google Pay let customers pay in seconds, especially on mobile.
  2. Show shipping costs before checkout: A surprise shipping cost at the end is one of the most common reasons for abandonment.
  3. Allow guest checkout: Forcing account creation is an unnecessary barrier on the first purchase.
  4. Offer the payment methods your customers expect: Card, local wallets or PayPal, depending on your audience.
  5. Give clear delivery times: An estimated date convinces more than a generic “3 to 7 days”.
  6. Reinforce trust: A clear returns policy and visible contact details.
  7. Review the form fields: Only ask for what’s essential to deliver the order.
  8. Turn on checkout recovery: An automatic email to anyone who started paying and didn’t finish.

Make a timed test purchase in your own store on your phone. Every step that makes you hesitate is a step where your customers drop off.

What checkout doesn’t recover, email does

However well configured, someone will always abandon. An abandoned checkout flow in Klaviyo, with two or three well-spaced emails, automatically recovers part of those sales.

Frequently asked questions

Can the Shopify checkout be customised?

Partly. Standard plans let you configure payment methods, shipping and copy; deeper customisation is reserved for Shopify Plus.

What is Shop Pay?

Shopify’s fast payment system: it saves customer details so they can buy in a few taps on any Shopify store.

How many emails should an abandoned checkout flow have?

Two to three is usually enough, starting a few hours after abandonment.