If you’re a Shopify Plus store Admin, chances are you’ve seen this message in the Settings menu, which warns us to upgrade to “Checkout Extensibility” before August of 2024. The clock is ticking on this mandatory upgrade, so if your Shopify store is still using checkout.liquid, it’s time to start planning your upgrade today.
About Shopify's New Checkout Extensibility
Checkout Extensibility is a faster, more secure, and more stable checkout option that replaces Shopify’s checkout.liquid system. With Checkout Extensibility, customization options are easy to install and upgrade-safe, which enables merchants to continue getting platform benefits when Shopify releases new products such as Shop Pay, or new features such as One-page checkout.
The Checkout Extensibility upgrade is a technical operation, and may require assistance from a certified Shopify Plus developer like BlueSwitch. Upgrading to Checkout Extensibility opens the door to a wide variety of customizations and extensions for your Shopify Checkout.
One side note, some analytics features will no longer be available after upgrading to Checkout Extensibility, and you may have to change your integration method in order to keep using Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, and conversion-tracking for advertising platforms. We wrote a detailed blog post about how Shopify checkout affects Conversion Tracking and Analytics tags.
Need documentation? Read Shopify’s Checkout Extensibility upgrade guide
New Features Available with Checkout Extensibility
Checkout Extensibility is the most flexible, customizable Shopify checkout we’ve ever seen. Upgrading to Checkout Extensibility unlocks several new Shopify capabilities, including functional UX and design customizations. If you're looking for technical information for developers and DIY-ers, read the Shopify help center materials.
Checkout UI extensions - extend the Shopify checkout styling and design
- Show a product offer before a customer completes checkout.
- Capture additional input from customers pre- and post-checkout.
- Build a custom banner that displays in checkout.
- Capture a survey of the buying experience.
- Add a field validation at checkout that blocks customers from progressing in the checkout if they input invalid data.
Shopify Functions - extend the functionality of your Shopify checkout with code-based commands
- Create a new type of discount that's offered only in the cart and checkout.
- Rename, reorder, and sort the available payment options & delivery options
- Use Order limits to prevent suspicious users from proceeding through checkout.
- Use location rules to rank the shipping-from locations for a line item
- Use fulfillment constraints to customize fulfillment and delivery strategies
Branding API - Apply brand-specific styling via an API connection that allows you to swap out creative assets at will, without touching code
- Apply brand-specific styling to checkout, checkout queue, checkout UI extensions, and customer account pages. Styles can be applied across these surfaces.
- Use the Branding API to swap out creative assets within the checkout
- Show a product offer after customers have checked out, but before they arrive at the order confirmation page.
- Capture additional information, such as after customers have checked out, but before they arrive at the order confirmation page.
Web pixel app extensions - Use Shopify's new Custom Analytics Pixel feature to get more accurate conversion data from Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager
- Collect customer behavioral data to measure and optimize marketing campaign performance as well as your online store's conversion funnel.
- Enable your GTM and GA4 tracking pixels to subscribe to Shopify Analytics events, so that your 3rd party analytics displays the exact same data as Shopify Analytics
Keep in mind that Checkout Extensibility isn't compatible with checkout.liquid, additional scripts, or apps using script tags. If you're a Shopify store owner and using checkout.liquid, you must remove or replace your checkout.liquid, thank you page, and order page customizations in order to use Checkout Extensibility.
Upgrade to Checkout Extensibility before August of 2024
The mandatory upgrade to Checkout Extensibility is looming large, and the clock is ticking. The time to start planning your upgrade is now. For more information about Shopify Plus, checkout upgrades, and all your Shopify Plus development needs, contact BlueSwitch, NYC's Original Shopify Plus Agency Partner.
With over 20 years experience in Enterprise eCommerce, and 10 years as a Certified Shopify Plus Agency Partner, BlueSwitch is the most trusted name in Shopify Plus Development. For more information about BlueSwitch and our wide array of services, visit our homepage, or contact us and find out what BlueSwitch can do for your brand.
