On October 2, 2023, Shopify switched all non-Plus merchants to a new one-page checkout. While the initial data suggest it performs better, some merchants were concerned about the sudden change.
Almost two months after the forced migration, all merchants (including Shopify Basic) can now easily select whether they want the one-page or three-page layout of their checkout.
We don't need to explain the importance of the whole checkout process and its performance. The ultimate question for merchants is, should I select a one-page or three-page layout? Here's our recommendation.
Analyze your checkout data
Before making any change, it's wise to analyze historical performance data and see if there was any notable difference since the switch. Here's how we do it:
- Go to your store admin > Analytics > Reports and find a report called "Online store conversion over time"
- Select the period from August 1, 2023, to mid-November (prior to any BFCM campaign) and export the data as CSV
- Import the file into Google Sheets and create a new column called "Checkout conversion," which is calculated as "Sessions converted" (total_orders_placed) divided by "Reached checkout" (total_checkouts)
- Add a line chart to show the trend of the checkout conversion in time and compare the period with a three-page layout with the one-page layout period (i.e., from August 1, 2023, to October 1, 2023, vs. from October 3, 2023, to last available date). If you ran any significant promotions which may have influenced the shopping behavior and conversion, exclude them from the data as well
- You will likely see a line oscillating between 30 to 60% with no noticeable change after the switch
- Calculate the averages for the two periods and see if there is any difference
Such analysis should give you at least an idea of:
- whether there was any change in checkout conversion after the switch, and
- whether it was a good or bad change.
Please note that your store should have at least 10 orders per day to perform the analysis. If you have less, the chance for statistical misinterpretation is moderate.
How to change the one-page checkout to three-page layout
Switching from one-page to multi-page checkout is really easy and can be done via theme editor.
- Go to you store admin > Online Store > Customize
- Select "Theme settings" from the left menu (cog wheel icon)
- Scroll down to section "Checkout layout" and select one-page or three-page layout
- Save your theme and test the new layout on your live store
Conclusion and our recommendation
If the analysis shows you any notable negative change in the checkout conversion rate (i.e., -5% or more), consider switching back to the three-page layout.
Just keep in mind the BFCM is coming in a few days and will influence the conversion rates, so it may be better to wait until January.
If you saw none or positive impact, I recommend staying with the one-page layout. Shopify sees it as the future and will likely continue improving it. Also, mobile commerce continues growing, and the one-page checkout feels better on mobile devices.
So far, we haven't seen a store that would perform worse on the one-page checkout. All the stores we have analyzed showed a small conversion increase.
To read more about the Shopify's checkout, check some of our other articles:
