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Shopify Catalog

Direct checkout settings inside Shopify Catalog

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What Direct checkout is

Direct checkout is a per-channel toggle that controls whether a Shopify Catalog product completes checkout inside the AI conversation or routes the buyer back to the merchant's storefront. It only applies to channels that support in-chat checkout (Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, Shop). ChatGPT is described by Shopify as a 'discovery-focused referrer platform' — it doesn't have an in-chat checkout to toggle, so Direct checkout doesn't apply.

The setting sits inside the Agentic Storefronts admin at admin.shopify.com/agentic.3 Per Shopify, the buyer flow on direct-checkout channels happens entirely inside the AI surface; orders appear in the merchant's Orders report with channel attribution.2

Per-channel availability

Direct checkout is available on Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and AI Mode, Perplexity, and Shop. It is not applicable to ChatGPT (referrer model) or AI Overviews (search surface, not commerce surface). The Agentic Storefronts help page documents the discovery-vs-direct split.

ChannelDirect checkout supportedToggle controlled in admin
ChatGPTN/A (referrer model)No
Microsoft CopilotYesYes
Gemini / AI ModeYesYes
PerplexityYesYes
Shop appYes (native)Yes

The trade-off Direct checkout creates

Direct checkout on means highest conversion at the lowest friction — the buyer's first tap completes the order without ever leaving the AI surface. Direct checkout off means the buyer is routed to the storefront, the merchant retains full UX control (upsells, bundles, post-purchase flows, custom fields, subscription terms), and the attribution model is referral-style. Most stores want Direct checkout on for discovery; some have storefront flows worth the conversion cost.

Stores that benefit from leaving Direct checkout off: high-AOV stores where post-purchase upsells generate 15-25% of revenue, subscription-first stores where the checkout collects custom acceptance terms, B2B stores that need PO numbers or net-terms metadata at checkout time.

Decision tree

Four questions per channel. If three or four answer yes, leave Direct checkout on. If two or fewer, consider turning it off for that channel only — Direct checkout can be tuned per channel independently.

  1. Is my AOV under $200 with no significant post-purchase upsell? (Yes → keep Direct checkout on.)
  2. Is Shopify Payments my primary processor with competitive rates? (Yes → keep on.)
  3. Do I have no subscription or custom-terms requirement at checkout? (Yes → keep on.)
  4. Is my Catalog-eligible product catalog under 500 SKUs with simple variant structure? (Yes → keep on.)

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