Unlock Conversions: Why Payment Method Order is Critical for Shopify Grow Plan Stores

Hey fellow store owners!

As a migration expert who spends a lot of time sifting through community discussions, I often come across threads that really hit home for small and growing businesses. One recent discussion caught my eye, and it’s about something that might seem small but has a HUGE impact on your bottom line: the order of payment methods at checkout.

You know the drill: you’ve got customers ready to buy, they’re in the checkout flow, and then… they hesitate. Sometimes that hesitation comes from not seeing their preferred payment option front and center. This is exactly what MissL, a store owner on the Shopify Grow plan, highlighted in a recent community post, expressing surprise that such a fundamental feature isn't baked into the Grow plan's backend.

The Checkout Conundrum: Local Payments & Lost Sales

MissL’s frustration is incredibly relatable. She shared a powerful example from Denmark, where a local payment method called MobilePay dominates. On her other store (not on Shopify), a staggering 80% of her customers pay with MobilePay. It’s fast, familiar, and incredibly easy for them. But on her Shopify Grow store, she can't put MobilePay at the top of the payment options. Customers have to scroll past 'Card Information' – which, in her case, only 20-30% of her customers use – before they even see MobilePay.

Vineet from Identixweb, a Shopify Development Agency, quickly chimed in, confirming this challenge. He completely understood MissL's point, emphasizing that in markets like Denmark, the payment method order directly impacts conversion. If customers don't see their preferred option immediately, they might just abandon their cart.

The Shopify Plus Wall: Why "Checkout Blocks" Isn't for Everyone

So, why can't MissL just reorder things? This is where it gets tricky. The functionality to reorder payment methods, often handled by what Shopify calls "Checkout Blocks," is currently a feature exclusive to Shopify Plus. For a small store on the Grow plan, upgrading to Shopify Plus just to move MobilePay higher in the checkout is, as Vineet put it, "obviously not realistic." The cost jump is simply too disproportionate for a business that's still growing.

What You Can Do (for now): Workarounds & Feedback

While the direct solution of reordering within checkout is locked behind Plus, there are some workarounds you can explore to make your preferred payment methods more visible:

1. Identify Your Dominant Payment Method: Understand which payment methods your customers truly prefer. Tools like Google Analytics or even direct customer surveys can help here.
2. Promote Before Checkout: As Vineet suggested, make your preferred payment method very visible before the customer even hits the checkout page.

Here’s how you can implement this:

• Product Pages: Add badges or text near the 'Add to Cart' button highlighting popular payment options.
• Cart Drawer/Cart Page: Clearly display accepted payment icons, particularly emphasizing the local favorites.
• Footer: Ensure all your accepted payment methods are prominently displayed in your store's footer.
• Payment Icons: Use clear, recognizable icons for all your payment options across your site.

Important Note: While these steps can certainly help guide customers and build trust, they don't solve the core issue of reordering options within the checkout flow itself. As MissL pointed out, customers still have to scroll past less relevant options, which can introduce friction.

Your Voice Matters: A Call to Shopify

MissL didn't just vent; she turned her frustration into constructive feedback for Shopify, a move I always encourage! She highlighted several key points that resonate with many small businesses:

• The disproportionate cost of upgrading to Plus for a basic conversion-boosting feature.
• The importance of local payment methods for international markets and conversion rates.
• Her overall positive experience with Shopify Payments' consolidation, but the need for this flexibility to truly leverage it.

She made a compelling argument that this isn't just about store owners; it's in Shopify's interest too. If smaller stores can't optimize their checkout to convert effectively, they might seek other payment providers or even other platforms, leading to lost revenue for Shopify Payments. She even mentioned that this issue is holding her back from migrating her larger store to Shopify – a significant concern!

This kind of feedback is invaluable. It shows Shopify exactly where their platform can improve to better support their growing merchant base. If you're encountering similar challenges with payment method ordering on your Shopify store, especially if you're on a non-Plus plan, consider sharing your experience in the Shopify Community forums or directly through Shopify support. The more voices that speak up, the clearer the message becomes.

Ultimately, empowering smaller stores with tools like Checkout Blocks for payment reordering isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a fundamental step towards helping them grow faster and truly succeed on the platform. If you're considering starting your own online store and want a platform that grows with you, Shopify remains a powerful choice, and features like this are exactly what the community needs to thrive. Let's hope Shopify listens to these crucial insights from their dedicated merchants!