Your checkout is where all your advertising, content and product work turns into money, or does not. A small problem there costs more than a big problem anywhere else, because every shopper who reaches checkout has already decided they want what you sell.
This guide gives you a fifteen-step audit you can run in one afternoon. You need your Shopify admin, a phone, a laptop and a test product. No developer is required for the audit. You may want one for some of the fixes.
How to prepare
- Create a cheap test product, or use a draft order, so you can run the flow without real charges.
- Open a private browser window, so you see the store as a new customer does.
- Keep a notes file and write down every moment of friction, confusion or delay.
- Run the whole audit twice: once on a phone and once on a laptop.
Part one: the cart (steps 1 to 4)
Step 1: Add to cart
Tap the button. Does the shopper get clear feedback that the item was added? A cart drawer or a message works well. A button that seems to do nothing makes people tap twice or leave.
Step 2: Review the cart
Can you change quantity, size and colour in the cart? Can you remove an item easily? Is the price per item and the total clear? Check that discounts show correctly.
Step 3: Cost clarity
Do you see shipping and tax information before checkout? Surprise costs at the last step cause many abandoned orders. See our guide to reducing cart abandonment for fixes.
Step 4: The checkout button
Is it easy to find and clearly labelled? On a phone, is it visible without scrolling through a long cart? Is there nothing else competing with it, such as a large upsell banner?
Part two: contact and shipping (steps 5 to 8)
Step 5: Account or guest
Can a new customer check out as a guest? Forced account creation loses first orders. If you offer accounts, make them optional.
Step 6: Form length
Count the fields. Which are required? Which can you remove? Every extra field costs completed orders, so ask only for what you need to ship and to contact the customer.
Step 7: Address entry
Try typing an address on a phone. Does the form suggest addresses? Does the keyboard match the field? Test an address in each country you sell to, as formats differ.
Step 8: Shipping choices
Are the options clear, with prices and delivery times? Are they correct for different regions and for heavy items? Check that free shipping thresholds work as described.
Part three: payment (steps 9 to 12)
Step 9: Payment methods
Do you offer what your customers use? Check cards, wallets, local methods and, where relevant, cash on delivery or buy-now-pay-later. Missing a common method sends buyers away.
Step 10: Trust at the payment step
Can the shopper see secure payment signals, your return policy and a way to contact you? A new shopper entering a card number wants proof that a real business is on the other side.
Step 11: Error messages
Enter a wrong card number, an expired card and an invalid postal code. Are the messages clear and helpful? Is the information the shopper already entered kept in place?
Step 12: Discount codes
Try a valid code, an invalid code and an expired code. Is the field so prominent that shoppers leave to search for codes? Consider making it a small link.
Part four: after the order (steps 13 to 15)
Step 13: The thank-you page
Does it confirm the order, show what happens next and give a contact route? Add a short note about delivery time. A blank page makes buyers anxious.
Step 14: Confirmation email
Did it arrive? How fast? Check it on a phone. Make sure it includes order details, shipping information and a support address.
Step 15: Tracking and reporting
Does your analytics record the order correctly? Are advertising platforms receiving the right purchase events? Wrong tracking leads to wrong decisions, so test it with your test order.
How to score your results
Give each step a score: fine, needs work or broken. Then sort the problems with two questions: how many shoppers does this affect, and how hard is the fix? Start with problems that affect many shoppers and are easy to fix. Typical quick wins are clearer shipping information, removing optional fields and fixing a confusing error message.
Common findings
- Shipping shown too late. Move the information earlier.
- Too many fields. Remove the optional ones.
- Missing payment methods. Add the common ones for your market.
- Slow pages. Check speed using our guide on slow Shopify stores.
- Poor mobile layout. Buttons too small, fields too close or text too tiny.
What you can and cannot change
Shopify controls much of the checkout, and what you can edit depends on your plan and on current platform rules. You can usually change branding, payment and shipping settings, the fields shown and some messages. Deeper changes may require platform features or a developer. Check Shopify’s current documentation before you plan an edit, because the options change over time.
Measure after you fix
Write down your checkout completion rate before you change anything. After each fix, give it a couple of weeks and compare. If traffic is low, look at larger time frames. Keep a simple log with the date, the change and the result.
When to ask for help
A developer is useful when you find custom shipping rules, tracking problems, slow third-party scripts or theme code that affects the cart. Our Shopify development team handles these every week, and a care plan includes monthly checkout testing so problems are caught early.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I audit checkout?
Run the full audit after any major change and at least every quarter. A quick test order each month catches many problems.
Can an app break my checkout?
Yes. Apps that touch the cart, discounts or shipping can cause errors. Test after installing or updating any of them.
What is a good completion rate?
It varies by market and product. Compare your own numbers over time rather than chasing a figure from another store.
Do I need special tools?
No. Your Shopify admin, a phone and a test product are enough for the audit.
Next step
Block out an afternoon, run the fifteen steps and fix the three easiest problems this week. If you want us to run the audit and fix what we find, send us your store address.