Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Understanding Shopify's Checkout Customization
- Transitioning to Checkout Extensibility
- Seizing the Checkout Opportunity
- Customization Best Practices
- Anticipating and Overcoming Challenges
- The Future with Checkout jQuery
- Conclusion
- FAQ Section
Introduction
Have you ever been on an e-commerce site, ready to check out, and found yourself meticulously reviewing your order summary one last time? It's a reflex most online shoppers have. In the world of online retail, the order summary is often the final engagement customers have with the merchants before they make a purchase decision. Specifically, if you are a merchant on Shopify, you recognize the significance of this crucial touchpoint. But what exactly can be done on Shopify, most notably with the 'shopify content_for_order_summary' and the customizations surrounding it?
With a surprising number of potential customizations available for Shopify Plus merchants, understanding the scope and limits of what you can do is vital for optimizing this critical part of the customer's purchasing experience. This article will delve into the features, changes ahead, and the potential for enhancing the checkout experience on Shopify. So, whether you're an existing Shopify merchant or considering joining the platform, you'll find valuable takeaways to craft an engaging and reassuring order summary for your customers. Alongside the practical measures, we'll touch on newer developments such as Checkout Extensibility, and effective customization techniques.
Understanding Shopify's Checkout Customization
Shopify's 'checkout.liquid' layout, a feature available only to Shopify Plus merchants, has traditionally allowed for intimate customization at the checkout phase of the customer's journey. However, as part of an upcoming change in Shopify's practices, checkout.liquid is set to be deprecated. This means by August 2024 for checkout steps and by August 2025 for the ‘Thank you’ and ‘Order Status’ pages, merchants need to shift towards using Checkout Extensibility, a suite of tools designated by Shopify to take the reins moving forward.
Transitioning to Checkout Extensibility
Acknowledging that change is on the horizon, Shopify merchants who are currently using the 'checkout.liquid' must upgrade to Checkout Extensibility to avoid any disruptions in service. This move encourages the adoption of future-forward enhancements and steers away from previous customization practices. For those who are new to Shopify or opening expansion stores, the access to 'checkout.liquid' won't be provided, pushing the new norm of using modern tools to customize the checkout experience.
Seizing the Checkout Opportunity
The checkout phase involves different steps, such as confirming order totals and entering shipping and payment details, all of which culminate in displaying a complete order summary. Understanding how to navigate this multi-step component with a focus on customer clarity and ease is critical.
On every step of the checkout, customers expect to see a clear and detailed summary of their prospective purchases. This gives them the reassurance that what they intend to buy is exactly what they are about to pay for. Capturing the customer's attention and maintaining their confidence during this phase is a must for successful conversion.
Customization Best Practices
Even though checkout.liquid is walking towards the sunset, understanding best practices is beneficial, as it gives insights into managing checkout customizations effectively. Historically, typically you cannot edit the content generated by checkout objects before they're rendered, with few exceptions. Customizations need to be done using JavaScript. Therefore, being proficient or having JavaScript resources is essential in the short and long term for maintaining an optimal checkout experience on Shopify.
Adding Personal Touches
It's feasible to use JavaScript to identify the current checkout step and trigger certain events like 'page:load' or 'page:change' that suit the customization objectives. By harnessing these tools, merchants can add content—and with careful attention—replace default images or modify styles on the Order Summary, giving it the unique flavor of their brand.
For capturing unique checkout attributes, such as a custom image preview or a special instruction from a customer, using hidden inputs within the form can bind this data to the order. This becomes especially important for stores that offer customized products where visual confirmation during checkout is imperative.
Anticipating and Overcoming Challenges
One critical aspect to bear in mind is that while you can capture checkout attributes, incorporating them meticulously such that they align with your checkout flow can be a complicated task. Shopify provides snippets to add cart attributes as checkout attribute inputs, but it requires a knot-free implementation to ensure no errors arise.
Also, since Shopify hosts all the checkout steps at a single URL, altering the content dynamically presents trials where incorrect implementation could lead to overwritten data. Therefore, monitoring both the 'get page' and 'post page' events should be a ritual, allowing consistent content addition.
The Future with Checkout jQuery
Although Shopify includes its version of jQuery within checkout, it isn't usually the latest version. Being prepared to potentially include a more recent version of jQuery if needed for extended functionality is another corner of best practice for any aspiring merchant on Shopify Plus aiming to customize their order summary.
Conclusion
Mastering the sweet spot between "too much" and "just right" when it comes to implementing checkout customizations on Shopify is no mean feat. Rock-solid knowledge of JavaScript along with a canny awareness of how the checkout process operates is undeniably an asset as merchants pivot towards the unfolding landscape of Checkout Extensibility.
Enhancing the order summary entails meticulous craft—using events, taking care of checkout attributes, or simply knowing when to incorporate additional scripts. Striking this harmony with Shopify's provided tools not only results in a smoother checkout experience but also becomes a reflection of your storefront's identity and level of customer care. As the revision wave continues to brush the shores of Shopify's checkout customizations, embarking on this modernization infrastructure journey now would prepare any Shopify Plus merchant for success.
FAQ Section
Q: What customizations can I perform on Shopify's order summary before the deprecation of 'checkout.liquid'? A: Prior to its deprecation dates, merchants with access can use either JavaScript manipulations or Shopify's provided jQuery to customize the appearance and functionality of the order summary, including adding custom fields and visual elements.
Q: How do I prepare for Shopify's deprecation of 'checkout.liquid'? A: Begin by familiarizing yourself with Checkout Extensibility. This feature set is the future of checkout customization on Shopify and will remain after 'checkout.liquid' is completely deprecated. All customizations moving forward should use these tools.
Q: Will the changes affect my ability to collect and display custom checkout attributes?
A: No, you'll still be able to collect custom checkout attributes. Checkout Extensibility supports a range of modifications; learning its capacities will be essential to continue displaying custom attributes efficiently in the order summary.
Q: What should I avoid while customizing the Shopify checkout experience? A: Avoid making direct changes to the checkout objects before they're rendered as this can cause issues and may not be future-proof against Shopify's updates. Always use JavaScript for safe modifications and ensure proper testing across various scenarios.
Q: What if I am not on Shopify Plus and want to customize my checkout experience? A: For those not on Shopify Plus, options are limited in terms of direct customization. However, you may leverage Shopify's settings, translation options, and some admin-side settings to personalize the checkout experience within the provided boundaries.
