Shopify vs. WooCommerce Checkout: Why One Converts 36% Better

1. The “Shop Pay” Identity Network

The single biggest advantage Shopify has is Shop Pay.

It is not just a payment gateway; it is an identity network. Over 100 million active shoppers have their credit card, shipping, and billing info saved with Shop Pay.

• On WooCommerce: A new customer must type their name, address (line 1, line 2), zip, city, phone, card number, CVV… (12+ fields).
• On Shopify: The customer types their email. Shop Pay sends a 6-digit SMS code. They are done.

Result: 1-tap checkout increases mobile conversion rates by 1.91x.

2. Latency and Infrastructure

WooCommerce checkouts are distinct PHP pages that must query the database.

• The Bottleneck: Every time a user adds a coupon or changes a shipping method, the page reloads (or fires a slow AJAX request).
• The Plugin Drag: Shipping calculators, tax plugins, and currency switchers all fight for resources during this query.

Shopify’s checkout is hosted on a separate, dedicated infrastructure optimized solely for transaction processing.

• Load Time: < 100ms.
• Capacity: Can handle 40,000 requests per minute.

3. Trust and Security

When a customer sees the generic WooCommerce checkout, they see a form. When they see the Shopify checkout or Shop Pay button, they see a brand they trust.

• PCI Compliance: Shopify is Level 1 PCI compliant by default.
• Fraud Analysis: Shopify’s leverage of billions of data points protects you from chargebacks better than any plugin.

4. Checkout Extensibility (The New Standard)

“But I can customize WooCommerce!”

True, but customizing WooCommerce often means “hacking core files” or adding heavy plugins. Shopify’s Checkout Extensibility allows brands to drag-and-drop upsells, loyalty points, and trust badges *securely* into the checkout flow without touching code.

Strategic Use Cases:

1. In-Checkout Upsell: “Add a mystery item for $10.”
2. Loyalty Redemption: “Apply 500 points for $5 off.”
3. Shipping Rules: “Hide shipping methods for PO Boxes.”

All of this happens in a sandboxed environment that never breaks upgrades.

5. Mobile optimization

70%+ of traffic is mobile. WooCommerce themes often break forms on mobile—tiny input fields, zoom-ins on focus, broken dropdowns. Shopify’s checkout UI is relentlessly optimized for thumbs.

Conversion Audit

If you are on WooCommerce, check your analytics.

• [ ] Is your Checkout Abandonment Rate > 60%?
• [ ] Do you have < 5% “Saved Payment” usage?
• [ ] Does your checkout take > 3 seconds to load?

[Capture The Lost Revenue]

Stop letting your platform lose your customers. Migrating to Shopify is the fastest way to increase your revenue without spending a dime more on ads. Contact Presta to start your migration today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Stripe with Shopify?

Shopify Payments *is* powered by Stripe, but deeply integrated. You get the same rates (or better) with better integration.

Can I customize the checkout domain on Shopify?

Yes. On Shopify Plus, the checkout happens on your domain (`checkout.yourbrand.com`), not `checkout.shopify.com`.

Does Shop Pay cost extra?

No. It is included with Shopify Payments.

Sources

• Shopify Conversion Rate Study
• Baymard Institute Checkout UX Benchmarks