Problem Guide
Shopify checkout not converting: a diagnostic framework
Traffic but no orders on Shopify? A controlled way to find where the checkout silently fails — and verify the fix against live traffic.
When a Shopify store gets sessions but not orders, the instinct is to blame traffic quality or “the market”. Usually it is simpler and more fixable: something in the buying journey is quietly failing for a slice of your customers, and it never shows up in your dashboards — because the store still works for most people. Here is where it hides, in the order we find it.
1. One payment or shipping path fails silently
A single gateway erroring on a 3-D Secure step, a shipping rule that returns no valid rate for certain addresses, or an express-checkout button that breaks on mobile. Most customers never hit it; the ones who do simply leave. Reproduce the exact failing path rather than guessing.
2. App and theme JavaScript conflicts
Every app injects scripts. Stack enough and something on the cart or checkout throws an error on certain devices, blocking the button or the redirect. Your speed score and your conversion rate both pay for it.
3. Trust and friction at the worst moment
Surprise shipping costs revealed too late, a forced account creation, or a slow payment step. These do not error — they quietly lose the sale.
4. Tracking that lies to you
If analytics double-counts or misfires, you optimise the wrong thing for months. Verify a conversion number is firing correctly before you trust it.
How we diagnose it
We instrument the real buying journey end to end, isolate the exact step that fails and for whom, repair it, and verify the fix against live traffic — not opinion. No passwords are needed to start; the first review is of your public store.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Shopify store get traffic but no sales?
Usually a specific step in the checkout is failing for some customers — a payment method, a shipping rule, or an app or theme script conflict — while working for everyone else, so it never shows in your dashboards.
How do I know if a Shopify app is hurting my conversions?
Audit which apps inject scripts on the cart and checkout, test the journey on multiple devices, and remove or replace any that error or slow the critical path. Speed and conversion usually recover together.
Can you check my Shopify store without access?
Yes. The first review is of your public store and the symptom you describe. Access is only requested later if a specific fix genuinely needs it.
Decision context
Commercial impact: Protects revenue by isolating checkout failures before making changes to a live Shopify store.
Supported context: Shopify and Shopify Plus stores with traffic but an identifiable checkout, payment or conversion symptom.
Reviewed sources
- Shopify checkout settings documentation — https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings
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