What is a common method for customizing the checkout experience in Shopify?

The customization of the checkout experience in Shopify is primarily achieved by utilizing settings available in the Shopify admin, especially for Shopify Plus merchants, who have further options to personalize the checkout flow. This approach allows merchants to adjust various elements such as logo placement, checkout form fields, and customer messaging without modifying the underlying code.

Shopify has strict limitations on direct modifications to the checkout Liquid files, making it clear that access to the underlying code for the checkout process is generally restricted for standard Shopify plans. This reinforces the necessity of using the available settings within the admin interface.

While some might consider using custom CSS to redesign the checkout page, Shopify has limitations around this as well, primarily for security and consistency reasons across their platform. Employing external payment processors also does not directly customize the Shopify checkout; instead, it focuses on the payment aspect rather than the user experience at checkout. Therefore, the best practice for customizing the checkout experience hinges on using the provided settings and options, especially for those on Shopify Plus, to ensure compliance and effectiveness in enhancing the customer's journey during purchase.