E‑Com Weekly: Checkout UX wins and Shopify speed tricks

What moved the needle (Checkout UX)

Error states that actually help

• Inline & adjacent: Place the error next to the field, not at the top of the form.
• First invalid autofocus: Programmatically focus the first invalid input so the path to fix is obvious.
• Actionable copy: “Enter a valid email (name@domain.com)” beats “Invalid input”.

Tip In Shopify (Theme App Extensions or custom), add aria-invalid="true" and aria-describedby for accessible error messaging.

Trust signals near the CTA

• Badge proximity: Put known payment badges (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, PayPal, Afterpay) within ~60–80px of the primary CTA.
• One-liner reassurance: A short note like “Secure checkout • SSL encrypted • Privacy protected” reduces last-second doubt.
• Visible policies: Link to returns & support within eyesight of the button—don’t bury them.

Mobile spacing & inputs

• Tap area: Aim for 44px touch targets and ≥16px label size for readability.
• Email keyboard: Use inputmode="email" and autocomplete="email"; disable auto-cap for email fields.
• Field grouping: Break long forms into logical chunks to reduce cognitive load.

Quick Shopify speed wins (that don’t break UX)

Serve images in modern formats

• AVIF primary, WebP fallback: Use a element to serve AVIF first, then WebP, then PNG/JPEG.
• Right-size assets: Keep most product images under ~200KB; cap hero images with responsive srcset.

<picture>
  <source srcset="/images/hero.avif" type="image/avif">
  <source srcset="/images/hero.webp" type="image/webp">
  <img src="/images/hero.jpg" alt="New collection" loading="eager" width="1600" height="900">
</picture>

Lazy-load below-the-fold & defer non-critical scripts

• Native lazy-loading: Add loading="lazy" to below-the-fold images.
• Defer app scripts: Add defer or load after DOMContentLoaded for non-critical apps.
• Preload critical CSS: Inline above-the-fold CSS or use <link rel="preload" as="style"> then swap.

Remove duplicate analytics tags & app leftovers

• One source of truth: Keep GA4/Tag Manager once—duplicates quietly tank performance.
• Uninstalled ≠ removed: Purge theme snippets and script_tag assets that apps leave behind.
• Measure TBT impact: Anything adding >200ms Total Blocking Time gets refactored or removed.

Next steps for compounding gains

1. Ship a simple progress bar in checkout: “Shipping → Payment → Review” clarifies effort remaining and boosts completion.
2. Shorten shipping method labels: Cut jargon—choose “Standard (2–4 days)” over “Economy International Freight Delivery”.
3. Audit script load time: Remove or defer anything with >200ms TBT; prefer server-side integrations where possible.

Implementation checklist

• ✅ Inline errors with autofocus on first invalid field.
• ✅ Security one-liner + payment badges beside CTA.
• ✅ Email inputs: type="email", inputmode="email", autocomplete on, auto-cap off.
• ✅ Touch targets ~44px; labels ≥16px.
• ✅ AVIF/WebP images with responsive srcset; product images ~<200KB.
• ✅ Lazy-load below-the-fold; defer non-critical scripts.
• ✅ Remove duplicate analytics & uninstall leftovers.
• ✅ Progress bar in checkout; simplified shipping labels.
• ✅ TBT audit; kill >200ms offenders.

FAQ

Will AVIF hurt visual quality?

No—at the same perceived quality, AVIF is usually smaller than WebP/JPEG. Keep a JPEG fallback in the <picture> element just in case.

Do badges actually increase conversions?

Not alone—but placing familiar payment marks and a short security line within eye-sight of the CTA reduces hesitancy at the decision point.

What if apps re-inject scripts?

Lock a monthly audit: compare current theme assets/snippets to baseline; remove additions that add blocking time or duplicate tracking.