It’s an exciting year for Shopify SEO! In the most recent version of Shopify, the checkout pages have been redesigned in a big way in order to make things easier for customers.
This update includes a “one-page” checkout and code-free methods to give features like loyalty memberships, add-ons, or ID verifications.
The platform, which says it powers 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S. and $444 billion in economic activity around the world, announced the changes on Thursday during its twice-yearly Shopify Editions event.
A number of customisation features for merchants to utilise on the Shop app, which was introduced in 2020 as a way to track parcels but has now developed into a shoppable marketplace-style platform where businesses can promote their items, were also updated as part of the update.
New Shop-powered features that can help merchants boost conversion include:
- Passkeys: When signing in with Shop on Apple and Android devices consumers can use biometric passkeys—facial or fingerprint—for an even easier sign in experience.
- Follow on Shop: An easy way for merchants to extend and solidify their relationship with the customer from the online store to the Shop app.
- Lead capture with Shop: Merchants can optimise lead capture by automatically signing in high-value shoppers and offering a personalised experience, like a discount at checkout.
What now?
The introduction of “one-page” checkout is the largest customer-facing improvement. Customers must fill out many pages on the current Shopify checkout page to submit their personal, shipping, and payment information. However, the “one-page” update condenses that, removing the loading times between pages that may cause a visitor to leave.
Additionally, Shopify is introducing a new checkout editor that eliminates the need to update code in a specific file and instead lets merchants drag and drop the tools they wish to use to personalise a checkout page.
Here’s what the director of Shopify says!
According to Mani Fazeli, director of product at Shopify, the updates will make it easier for customer information to update automatically, while the addition of extensions, such as loyalty programmes, gift receipt options, or upsell opportunities, enables merchants to tailor the page to their specific requirements.
The buyer journey experience’s consistency, appearance, and feel are crucial. But they are also specific to that merchant’s business requirements and operational procedures, according to Fazelli.
The Shopify upgrades come at a time when it’s getting harder for e-commerce companies to match the record-high revenues they may have had in 2020 and 2021, when consumers turned more and more to online shopping in the face of physical store closures.
According to Shopify’s 2023 Commerce Report, 35% of Shopify Plus businesses observed declining cart sizes in 2022.
Impact on Shopify product conversion rates 🛍️🛒
Also, to state, less site traffic and worse conversion rates, according to 50% of respondents. Meanwhile, 70% of e-commerce firms experience cart abandonment, according to Baymard Institute, a UX research company.
The brand’s fast checkout service, Shop Pay, which stores consumer information, may be persuaded to be used by more retailers thanks to the new customisation setup.
According to Shopify, the service results in conversions that are 72% higher than those from a normal checkout and 91% higher on mobile. However, Fazeli claimed that some merchants stayed away from it since it couldn’t be coupled with certain bespoke tools. More than 100 million people are registered users of Shopify, according to the company.
For retailers that want to customise their offerings but did not want to have to give up those modifications when a customer wanted to utilise their preferred method of expediting that checkout, Fazeli said, “This is the big unlock that we think is going to be a game changer for them.”
The progressive rollout of the checkout upgrades will take place over the next weeks, according to Fazelli, giving Shopify time to ensure that the product meets consumer expectations.
The new extensibility additions, according to Nihar Kulkarni, managing director of e-commerce agency Roswell Studios, will “democratise the access to e-commerce” for merchants of all sizes by granting them access to more tools like add-ons, loyalty memberships, and non-intrusive pixel tracking.
The need for agency partners to hardcode extra functionality at checkout is no longer necessary, he declared.
According to Kulkarni, the new upgrade is a response to how marketers want to guarantee that the checkout experience matches their own identities.
He remarked, “You can tell whether you’re on a Shopify checkout without even looking at the URL since it looks precisely the same. To ensure that customers don’t see checkout as a departure from their prior experience on the site, businesses will need to focus on their branding strategies in the future.
Shopify Shop app updates for February 9th 2023
In addition to the one-page checkout, the new version of Shopify has made some changes to the Shop app. With the new changes, retailers will have more options for making their app pages look and feel different.
This offers a fresh development kit that programmers may utilise to alter the capabilities of merchants. It will also let retailers add layouts to their Shop stores like product groups, best sellers, and reviews.
Carl Rivera, vice president of product at Shopify, says that the changes are meant to make it easier for businesses to find new customers and “control the connections” without having to make and manage their own apps.
More fundamentally, retailers have told us they need to bring more of their distinctive brands into their Shop Stores, according to Rivera.
We’re providing them additional personalisation possibilities as a result, making the Shop app feel like a natural extension of their web business.
The news, according to Patrick Johnson, a web developer with Progress Labs, demonstrates how Shopify is placing its bet on Shop as the new customer connection. It also highlights the value of giving businesses and suppliers more freedom to express their creativity on a platform.
That may then persuade more companies to continue using Shopify.
You can read more about Shopify statisics here!
