Shopify Checkout Customization: What You Can (and Cannot) Change

Shopify protects its checkout for security and reliability reasons. This means customization is limited compared to other parts of your store. Understanding what you can change, what requires Shopify Plus, and what is not possible helps you optimize within the constraints.

Why Shopify Limits Checkout Customization

Shopify's checkout processes billions of dollars in transactions. They restrict customization to:

Security: Checkout handles payment information. Custom code could introduce vulnerabilities, steal card data, or enable fraud.

Reliability: Checkout must work perfectly. Custom code that breaks checkout means lost sales and damaged trust.

Compliance: PCI DSS compliance is easier to maintain with standardized checkout. Custom code complicates audits.

Performance: Checkout must be fast. Heavy custom scripts could slow it down.

The trade-off: less flexibility, but checkout is secure, reliable, and fast by default.

Customization by Shopify Plan

Basic, Shopify, Advanced Plans

What you can customize:

Branding:

• Logo
• Background color or image
• Accent colors
• Button colors
• Font (select from approved list)
• Form field appearance (rounded vs. square)

Content:

• Order summary (what products appear as)
• Shipping method names and descriptions
• Payment method display names
• Thank you page content
• Post-purchase page

Settings:

• Required fields (phone, company name)
• Marketing opt-in checkbox
• Tipping options (for applicable businesses)
• Order notes field

What you cannot customize:

• Checkout layout or structure
• Field order or arrangement
• Adding custom fields
• Custom JavaScript
• Third-party tracking pixels (directly)
• Payment page design beyond colors

Shopify Plus

Additional customization options:

Checkout Extensibility:

• Custom UI elements in checkout
• App blocks (reviews, upsells, trust badges)
• Custom form fields
• Conditional logic

Script Editor:

• Automatic discounts
• Shipping rate modifications
• Payment method filtering
• Custom checkout logic

Checkout.liquid (being deprecated):

• Full template access
• Custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript
• Being replaced by Checkout Extensibility

Functions:

• Custom discount logic
• Shipping rate calculation
• Payment customization

Post-purchase:

• Custom post-purchase page
• Upsells after payment
• Survey or feedback collection

Customization: Step by Step

Branding (All Plans)

Access: Settings > Checkout > Checkout appearance

Logo:

1. Upload your logo
2. Choose position (left, center, right)
3. Set max width (recommend 200-300px)

Colors:

1. Main content area background
2. Order summary background
3. Accent color (buttons, links)
4. Error color (validation messages)

Typography:

1. Choose from Shopify's approved font list
2. Headings and body text can differ
3. Limited to web-safe fonts for performance

Form elements:

1. Border style (rounded, straight)
2. Border color
3. Background color

Required Fields (All Plans)

Access: Settings > Checkout > Customer information

Email:

• Always required (cannot remove)

Full name:

• Always required for shipping

Company name:

• Optional (shown but not required)
• Required (must fill)
• Hidden (not shown)

Address line 2:

• Optional (shown but not required)
• Hidden (show only when clicked)

Phone number:

• Optional
• Required
• Hidden

Recommendation: Hide company name for B2C. Make phone optional with explanation of why you might need it.

Marketing Opt-In (All Plans)

Access: Settings > Checkout > Marketing consent

Options:

• Pre-selected checkbox
• Unchecked checkbox
• No checkbox (uses customer account settings)

Legal note: Pre-selected checkboxes may violate GDPR or other regulations. Check your jurisdiction.

Order Processing (All Plans)

Access: Settings > Checkout > Order processing

After checkout:

• Show order status page
• Redirect to custom URL

Address autocompletion:

• Enable Google address autocomplete
• Improves accuracy, reduces friction

Thank You Page (All Plans)

Access: Settings > Checkout > Post-purchase page

Can add:

• Additional scripts (tracking pixels)
• Custom content (HTML, text)
• Social sharing buttons

Uses:

• Conversion tracking (Facebook Pixel, Google Ads)
• Post-purchase surveys
• Referral program invites
• Social sharing prompts

Shopify Plus: Extended Customization

Checkout Extensibility

The modern way to customize Shopify Plus checkout:

App Blocks: Pre-built components from apps that add to checkout:

• Trust badges
• Upsell offers
• Loyalty point display
• Custom banners

UI Extensions: Custom React components:

• Custom fields
• Dynamic content
• Conditional elements

Example use cases:

• Add gift message field
• Show "X people bought this today" social proof
• Display delivery date estimate
• Show loyalty points earned

Script Editor

Write Ruby scripts that modify checkout behavior:

Discount scripts:

• "Buy 2 get 1 free" automatically applied
• Tiered discounts based on cart value
• Customer-specific pricing

Shipping scripts:

• Free shipping for orders over $X
• Remove shipping options based on cart contents
• Dynamic shipping rates

Payment scripts:

• Hide certain payment methods for specific products
• Require specific payment for high-risk orders

Example: `ruby

# Hide PayPal for orders over $500 if Input.cart.subtotalprice > Money.new(cents: 50000) Input.paymentgateways.deleteif { |gateway| gateway.name == "PayPal" } end Output.paymentgateways = Input.payment_gateways `

Functions (Replacing Scripts)

Shopify is transitioning from Script Editor to Functions:

Benefits:

• Better performance
• More capabilities
• Works with Checkout Extensibility
• Future-proof

Discount Functions:

• Custom discount logic
• Automatic application rules

Shipping Functions:

• Custom rate calculation
• Carrier integration

Payment Functions:

• Custom payment rules
• Method filtering

Post-Purchase Extensions

Customize what happens after payment:

Upsell offers:

• One-click add to order
• No re-entering payment
• High conversion (10-15% take rate)

Survey:

• How did you hear about us?
• Product feedback
• NPS collection

Cross-sell:

• Related products
• Subscription upgrade

What You Still Cannot Customize

Even on Shopify Plus, some things remain locked:

Checkout URL: Cannot change from checkout.shopify.com to your domain (for security).

Core checkout flow: Information > Shipping > Payment structure is fixed.

Payment processing: PCI compliance requirements limit what can be modified.

Express checkout buttons: Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay placement is standardized.

Security indicators: SSL padlock, Shopify trust badge placement.

Workarounds for Common Requests

"I want to add custom fields"

Standard plans: Not possible directly.

Workarounds:

• Use order notes for simple text
• Add to cart page instead of checkout
• Use Shopify Plus Checkout Extensibility
• Third-party pre-checkout apps

"I want to change the layout"

Standard plans: Not possible.

Shopify Plus: Limited with Checkout Extensibility. Can add sections but not restructure the core flow.

Workaround: Focus on what you can change (colors, branding) to create visual differentiation.

"I want to add trust badges"

Standard plans: Limited to thank you page.

Workarounds:

• Add badges to cart page (before checkout)
• Use Shopify Plus app blocks
• Choose colors that emphasize security

"I want to track with Facebook Pixel"

All plans: Add to Additional Scripts in checkout settings.

Access: Settings > Checkout > Additional scripts

Add: `html <!-- Facebook Pixel Code --> <script> !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)... </script> <!-- End Facebook Pixel Code --> `

"I want one-page checkout"

Standard plans: Not possible.

Shopify Plus: Possible with significant development work or third-party apps.

Alternative: Enable express checkout (Shop Pay, Apple Pay) which is effectively one-click.

"I want to remove the Shopify branding"

Standard plans: Cannot remove "Powered by Shopify" from checkout.

Shopify Plus: Can remove Shopify branding.

Third-Party Checkout Apps

Some apps offer alternative checkout experiences:

Cart Drawer Checkout: Checkout starts in cart drawer, fewer page transitions.

Upsell Apps: Add offers to checkout (Shopify Plus) or post-purchase (all plans).

Validation Apps: Address verification, fraud checking before checkout.

Important considerations:

• Security: Does app handle payment data safely?
• Compatibility: Works with your payment methods, discounts, apps?
• Support: What happens if it breaks during high-traffic?
• Future: Will it work with Shopify updates?

Optimization Within Constraints

Given the limitations, focus on what you can control:

High-Impact Changes (All Plans)

1. Enable express checkout

• Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Highest conversion lift available

1. Reduce required fields

• Hide company name
• Make phone optional
• Enable address autocomplete

1. Match branding

• Logo placement
• Brand colors
• Consistent fonts

1. Add tracking

• Facebook Pixel
• Google Ads conversion
• Analytics events

Medium-Impact Changes (All Plans)

1. Optimize order summary

• Clear product images
• Accurate descriptions
• Visible discounts applied

1. Marketing opt-in placement

• Test pre-checked vs. unchecked
• Clear benefit messaging

1. Thank you page optimization

• Social sharing
• Post-purchase survey
• Referral program

Shopify Plus Opportunities

1. Checkout app blocks

• Trust badges
• Upsell offers
• Social proof

1. Custom logic

• Automatic discounts
• Smart shipping options
• Payment method optimization

1. Post-purchase upsells

• One-click add-ons
• Subscription offers

The Bottom Line

Shopify checkout customization is limited by design. This protects you and your customers.

What you can customize (all plans):

• Branding (logo, colors, fonts)
• Required fields
• Marketing opt-in
• Thank you page scripts

What requires Shopify Plus:

• Custom UI elements
• Automatic discount logic
• Shipping/payment rules
• Post-purchase upsells

What you cannot change:

• Core checkout structure
• Checkout URL
• Payment form details
• Security elements

Focus on high-impact changes available to you: enable express checkout, reduce required fields, match branding. These have more impact on conversion than cosmetic customization.

If extensive customization is necessary for your business, Shopify Plus or a different platform may be worth evaluating.