Shopify’s Winter 2025 Checkout Updates: Small Tweaks, Big Wins

Shopify just dropped their Winter 2025 updates for checkout, and while they’re light on flash, they’re heavy on impact. These updates streamline the checkout experience, speed up load times, and give you more control over how and where your customers complete their purchases. In Shopify fashion, the changes are clean, functional, and quietly powerful.

Here’s a straight-to-the-point breakdown of what’s new, why it matters, and how you can use these upgrades to improve conversions and customer satisfaction.

1. Checkout Blocks on More Pages

• What’s New: Customize thank you and order status pages with Shopify’s Checkout Blocks app—no coding required.
• Why It Matters: Previously, these pages were underutilized. Now they’re opportunities to engage customers post-purchase.
• How to Use It: Add call-to-actions like “Shop Again,” sign-up links, or tracking buttons to keep customers connected and drive repeat purchases.

2. Faster Cart and Checkout

• What’s New: Cart loading speeds have been improved by up to 50%, creating a faster checkout experience for customers.
• Why It Matters: Speed sells. Faster load times reduce friction, making it less likely customers abandon their carts.
• How to Use It: Promote your smooth, fast checkout to set customer expectations and build trust.

3. Faster Accelerated Checkout Buttons

• What’s New: Accelerated checkout buttons (like Shop Pay, PayPal, and Apple Pay) now load up to 58.8% faster on product detail pages.
• Why It Matters: Customers using one-click payment options want instant action. Faster buttons = fewer delays and more conversions.
• How to Use It: Encourage customers to use accelerated checkouts for convenience and speed during promotions.

4. Extensions Work with Draft Orders

• What’s New: Checkout customizations built with UI extensions now also load in draft order checkouts. (Available for Shopify Plus.)
• Why It Matters: Previously, draft orders lacked the same checkout flexibility. Now, the experience is consistent for all transactions.
• How to Use It: Create personalized or branded checkout flows that work seamlessly with custom draft orders.

5. Functions Work with Draft Orders

• What’s New: Customizations made with Shopify Functions now also apply to draft orders.
• Why It Matters: This ensures consistency across checkout processes, no matter the order type.
• How to Use It: Use Shopify Functions to implement dynamic pricing rules or payment logic for bulk or negotiated orders.

6. Draft Order Price Locking

• What’s New: Merchants can now lock prices on draft orders until the order is complete, even if catalog prices change.
• Why It Matters: Customers expect quoted prices to stay consistent. Price locking prevents confusion or disputes when prices fluctuate.
• How to Use It: Use draft order locking for negotiated pricing, bulk orders, or custom deals to create a smooth, professional experience.

7. Restrict Gift Card Payments

• What’s New: Use apps to conditionally disable gift cards at checkout through the Payment Customization Function API.
• Why It Matters: Some promotions or product types (like subscriptions or discounted bundles) aren’t compatible with gift card payments. This gives you control.
• How to Use It: Set rules to exclude gift cards on specific products or during limited-time sales to protect margins.

8. Extended Cart Expiration

• What’s New: The lifetime of customer carts has been increased to help boost conversion rates.
• Why It Matters: Life happens—customers might leave mid-checkout. Longer cart lifespans give them more time to come back and complete the purchase.
• How to Use It: Pair this with abandoned cart reminders to recover sales and nudge customers toward completion.

9. Split Shipping Now Available

• What’s New: All merchants can now offer split shipping at checkout, even when using third-party fulfillment apps like ShipStation or ShipBob.
• Why It Matters: Customers want flexibility—split shipping means they can get part of their order sooner instead of waiting for everything to ship at once.
• How to Use It: Highlight split shipping options as a premium service to keep customers happy and reduce frustration around delays.

10. Installments for Shop Pay Component

• What’s New: US-based enterprise businesses using Shop Pay Component can now offer customers Shop Pay Installments.
• Why It Matters: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options make big purchases more manageable for customers, increasing the likelihood of higher-value orders.
• How to Use It: Promote Shop Pay Installments for high-ticket items to reduce purchase hesitation and drive bigger carts.

11. Chat Apps in Checkout

• What’s New: Merchants can add a chat app to the thank you page or, for Shopify Plus users, to any checkout page.
• Why It Matters: Customers with questions during checkout can get answers instantly, reducing drop-offs.
• How to Use It: Add a chat app to offer live support, handle FAQs, or close sales right at checkout.

12. Smoother Checkout Loading

• What’s New: Customers can start interacting with the checkout page one second sooner thanks to new animations and asynchronous loading.
• Why It Matters: A checkout that loads faster feels better. It keeps customers focused and reduces frustration.
• How to Use It: Lean into Shopify’s sleek, friction-free checkout experience to keep customers moving smoothly toward completion.

Why These Updates Matter

Shopify’s Winter 2025 checkout updates might not be flashy, but they’re built for results. Faster load times, extended cart expirations, draft order improvements, and smarter customizations tackle the exact places where customers drop off or get stuck.

Here’s the bottom line:

• Speed keeps customers moving.
• Flexibility (split shipping, installments) meets modern shopping expectations.
• Consistency (draft orders, customizations) makes your brand look polished and professional.

These updates quietly chip away at the friction holding your conversions back—and “boring” fixes like these? They’re what keep the sales rolling.