Introduction

Allowing users to create accounts on your e-commerce website can be a valuable tool for improving the overall user experience, and also allows you to better track individual customer behavior. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up customer accounts on your Shopify store.

Key Steps for Setting up Customer Accounts on Shopify

Enable Customer Accounts

  • Key Points:

    • Enable the customer account option in your Shopify settings.

      • This can be done in your settings, and checkout area, by setting whether or not creating an account should be mandatory, optional, or if guest checkout should be offered.

      • Make sure to read over the different options to fully understand their effects on the overall user experience.

Account Options

  • Key Points:
    * Provide various options for customers to create an account, such as during checkout, or from a link on other parts of your site.

    • Offer a range of methods for users to create accounts that will be convenient for them.

    • Consider a separate account creation page for users who wish to make an account outside of the checkout process.

Account Creation Forms

  • Key Points:

    • Customize all of your account creation forms, to make sure you are only collecting the required information, and also to ensure they are as easy to understand as possible.

    • Try to limit the amount of required fields, as this can often deter new users from signing up.

    • Make sure all labels and instructions are clear.

Account Management Pages

  • Key Points:

    • Provide dedicated pages for customers to manage their profiles, saved addresses and order information.
      * Make sure these pages are well designed and easy to use.

    • All user details should be visible and easy to change, if the user requires.

Social Login Options

  • Key Points:

    • Offer social login options (e.g., Google, Facebook) to allow for simpler and faster account creation.

    • Make sure to provide links to all of the most popular and well-used platforms.

    • This can greatly reduce the friction to creating a new account on your website.

Guest Checkout

  • Key Points:
    * Offer guest checkout, for those users that do not wish to create a permanent account on your website.

    • This removes a barrier to purchase, and will greatly increase conversions on your site.

    • Users that don't want an account, will be more likely to buy a product, if they do not need to go through that step.

Email Notifications

  • Key Points:
    * Setup and customize emails that are sent out for new account creation, and also for other key milestones.

    • Use this as an opportunity to brand your website to your users, and to further build a relationship with them.
      * Make sure all of your communications with the user are clear, informative and concise.

Account Benefits

  • Key Points:

    • Clearly communicate all of the benefits of creating a customer account, so that they will understand how it will improve their user experience.

    • Make sure all benefits are clearly explained, and are easy to understand.
      * Use clear visual cues to highlight any special benefits.

Account Deletion Option

  • Key Points:

    • Provide an option for your users to easily delete their account.

    • Ensure you remain compliant with local and international privacy laws, and that all data removal requests are honoured.

      • Do not make it difficult for users to delete their accounts, or their data.

Test Regularly

  • Key Points:

    • Test your site on a regular basis, and also test the usability of your account creation process on various devices.
      * Ensure all parts of your site function as intended for all users.
      * Use data and feedback to help improve the customer journey and reduce friction as much as possible.

Conclusion

By following the above steps, you will be well equipped to create an effective customer account system, that is easy for all users to understand and to utilize. The more streamlined, and more user friendly, your registration system is, the more likely that your users will complete a purchase, and become a repeat customer.