Skip the cart: when sending shoppers straight to checkout makes sense

Key takeaways

• Each extra step between product and payment loses some shoppers.
• Skipping the cart works best for single-product stores, impulse buys and mobile-heavy traffic.
• Keep the cart for stores where shoppers usually buy several items.
• PF: Skip To Checkout/Skip Cart sends Shopify buyers straight to checkout.

Why fewer steps convert better

A typical purchase goes from product page to cart page to checkout. The cart page is useful when people buy several items, but for many stores it is just a pause where shoppers reconsider, look at shipping costs or get distracted.

Removing that pause takes the shopper straight from decision to payment.

When to skip the cart

• Single-product or hero-product stores, where most orders contain one item.
• Impulse and low-price products, where speed matters more than browsing.
• Mobile-heavy traffic from social ads, where every tap counts.
• Pre-orders and limited drops, where shoppers want to secure the item fast.

When to keep the cart

• Stores where most orders contain several products.
• Stores that rely on cart upsells, gift options or notes. If you offer gift wrap in the cart, keep it visible on the product page instead.
• Wholesale or B2B buyers who build large orders.

Test it

Run the change for a few weeks and compare checkout starts and conversion rate. Watch average order value too: if it falls, consider skipping the cart only for certain products.

Other ways to shorten checkout

Skipping the cart is one of several ways to make buying faster:

• Turn on express payment options such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Show shipping costs on the product page, so there are no surprises at checkout.
• Let customers check out as guests.
• Keep checkout forms short and auto-fill addresses where possible.

When skipping the cart backfires

• Skipping the cart for multi-item stores. If shoppers usually buy several items, forcing checkout after the first one can lower order value.
• Losing important cart options. Move gift options, notes and terms checkboxes to the product page or checkout before removing the cart.
• Not testing on mobile. Most impulse purchases happen on phones, so test the full flow there.

Example: a single-product brand

A brand that sells a single posture-correcting product gets most of its traffic from social ads on mobile. Almost every order contains one item. Its data shows a noticeable drop between the cart page and checkout.

The store turns on skip-to-checkout, so the Add to cart button takes shoppers straight to payment. It moves its shipping information onto the product page so nothing is lost, and keeps express payment buttons visible. Shoppers go from ad to product to payment in fewer taps.

The team compares the next four weeks with the previous four, checking conversion rate and average order value before deciding to keep the change.

How to skip the cart with PF

PF: Skip To Checkout/Skip Cart skips the cart and sends buyers straight to checkout on Shopify.

1. Install PF from the Shopify App Store.
2. Turn on skip-to-checkout in the app settings.
3. Check the buttons on your product pages now lead to checkout.
4. Place a test order on mobile.

See how this fits with the other Effectify apps on our Conversion page.

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Frequently asked questions

Written by the Effectify team, the developers and support staff who build and maintain Effectify's apps. Last updated 20 October 2026. Questions about this guide? Contact us.