> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/checkout-testing/checkout-testing-overview.md).

# Checkout Testing Overview

What a Checkout Experiment tests, the five checkout components available, the Shopify Plus requirement, and how Elevate A/B Testing delivers checkout variations.

***

A Checkout Experiment tests changes to your Shopify checkout: banners, trust badges, payment method displays, upsells, and testimonials. Elevate A/B Testing shows each visitor one version of the checkout and reports which one produces more revenue and more completed orders.

Checkout is the last step before a purchase, and the visitors who reach it have already decided to buy. That makes it a small audience with high intent, which is why checkout changes tend to move revenue more per visitor than changes further up the funnel.

### Requirements

| Requirement        | Detail                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Shopify plan       | Shopify Plus. Shopify only allows checkout customization on Plus, so this is a platform restriction rather than an Elevate A/B Testing one.                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Checkout extension | Each component has its own extension, and each one must be enabled in the Shopify Checkout Editor before an experiment using it can launch. You enable a component's extension once per store, not once per experiment, so later experiments using the same component skip this step. The app walks you through it after you create the experiment. |
| Theme extension    | Not required. Checkout components render through Shopify's checkout extensibility, not through your theme.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Variations         | Up to five, including the control.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |

### What you can test

Select one or more components in **Step 2: What component do you want to test?**, then configure them per variation.

| Component                    | What it does                                                                                                                         |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Checkout Banner**          | Customize the main banner displayed at the top of checkout. Choose a banner type, heading, and description.                          |
| **Trust & Security Badges**  | Add trust signals and security certifications. Choose vertical or horizontal display, alignment, padding, and the badges themselves. |
| **Accepted Payment Methods** | Display and manage accepted payment methods, with a section title and an ordered list of payment icons.                              |
| **Checkout Upsell**          | Configure upsell offers during checkout, using either Shopify's recommendation system or products you choose.                        |
| **Customer Testimonials**    | Add social proof with customer reviews and testimonials, stacked or as a carousel, with star ratings.                                |

You can combine components in a single variation. One variation might carry a banner and testimonials, another the same banner and trust badges, so you can test combinations rather than one element at a time.

#### Coming soon

These components are in development and will appear in the component list when they ship:

| Component                     | What it will do                                                       |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Countdown timer               | Add time-based urgency to the checkout.                               |
| Trustpilot rating and reviews | Show your Trustpilot score and reviews as social proof.               |
| Image banner                  | Use an image rather than a text banner at the top of checkout.        |
| Add-ons                       | Offer extras such as warranty or shipping protection during checkout. |

If you need something that is not on either list, use **Request a New Component** in the configuration step. Requests feed the development priority list.

### What a Checkout Experiment cannot do

* It cannot change checkout fields, the checkout layout, or the order of checkout steps. It adds and configures Elevate A/B Testing components within the checkout that Shopify allows apps to extend.
* It cannot test shipping rates, thresholds, or delivery options. That is a Shipping Experiment.
* It cannot run on non-Plus stores, and there is no workaround, because the restriction comes from Shopify.

### How it works

1. You pick the components to test and configure them for the control and each variation in the app.
2. You create the experiment, then enable each component's extension in the Shopify Checkout Editor if you have not already done so on this store.
3. You launch the experiment.
4. When a visitor reaches checkout, the extension renders the components configured for the variation that visitor was assigned.
5. The Web Pixel records checkout and order events against that variation, and results build up in your reports.

The control is configurable too, not just the variations. Leave it empty to test a component against a checkout with nothing added, or configure it to test one version of a component against another.

### How checkout metrics are counted

Checkout Experiments count visitors differently from experiments that run on your storefront.

| Metric          | In a Checkout Experiment                    | In a Page or Product Experiment                 |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Visitors        | Visitors who started checkout               | All visitors who entered the experiment         |
| Conversion rate | Completed orders divided by checkout starts | Completed orders divided by experiment visitors |

The reason is that a Checkout Experiment can only affect people who reach the checkout, so measuring it against total store traffic would dilute the result with visitors who never saw the change.

Two consequences worth knowing before you launch:

* Your conversion rate here will look much higher than the conversion rate Shopify reports, because the two are measuring different denominators. Neither is wrong.
* Your visitor counts will be much smaller than on a storefront experiment, so reaching a reliable result takes longer. See [Statistical Significance](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/analyze/reports/statistical-significance) for when to trust the result, and [Reports Overview](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/analyze/reports/reports-overview) for what each metric means.

### Where to go next

* [Create a Checkout Experiment](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/test/checkout/create): the full seven-step setup walkthrough, including enabling the checkout extension.
* [Preview and QA Checkout Experiments](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/test/checkout/preview-and-qa): verify each variation renders correctly once the experiment is live.
* [Troubleshooting Checkout Experiments](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/test/checkout/troubleshooting): components not appearing, tracking gaps, and extension problems.
* [Audience Targeting](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/operate/experiment-setup/audience-targeting): limit the experiment to specific devices, visitor types, countries, sources, or UTM parameters.
* [Traffic Isolation](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/operate/experiment-setup/traffic-isolation): reserve traffic so those visitors join only this experiment.
* [Ending an Experiment](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/operate/experiment-setup/ending-an-experiment): how to end a Checkout Experiment and what happens to the extension afterwards.