Express Checkout Buttons show shoppers the fastest checkout option for their device — like ShopPay or Apple Pay — reducing friction and helping more carts convert.
🧠 Pro Tip: There's no one-size-fits-all here — A/B test Inline vs. Stacked layout and your Maximum Visible Buttons setting to see what converts best for your store.
🛠️ How to Set It Up
Step 1: Add the Express Checkout Cart Block
Click Add Block and select Express Checkout Buttons.
In the preview, you'll see a placeholder box for the Express Checkout Buttons — the actual button design won't appear until the theme code step below is complete. This is normal.
Step 2: Add a small snippet of code to your theme
Express Checkout Buttons need to pull data from Shopify via your theme, so you'll need to add one file to your theme code.
Go to Online Store and click Edit Theme.
Click the three dots menu and select Edit Code.
Open your sections folder.
Click the new file button (far left).
Create a file named exactly
unicorn-checkout-buttons.liquid. Copy this file name exactly — don't type it manually, to avoid extra spaces or errors.
Copy the code snippet provided [PLACEHOLDER: paste the exact Liquid code here] and paste it into your new file.
Click Save. Confirm it saved by clicking into another file and back into
unicorn-checkout-buttons.liquid— the code should still be there.
Step 3: Style your Express Checkout Buttons
Choose your layout: Inline (all in a row) or Stacked (on top of each other). Stacked is recommended, since most customers are on mobile and it's easier to tap the right option.
Set Maximum Visible Buttons to control how many express checkout options show at once (in addition to your normal checkout button). For example, setting this to 2 means customers see your checkout button plus 2 express options.
Optionally, use Offset Buttons to change which button shows first. Shopify decides button order and typically prioritizes ShopPay — setting Offset Buttons to 1 hides Shopify's top recommendation (e.g. ShopPay) and shows the next buttons in line instead. Most stores can leave this at 0.
Note: you can't choose which specific payment buttons show (Shopify determines that based on the customer's device and available payment methods) — only the layout, count, and offset.
Step 4: Targeting and scheduling (optional)
Like other Unicorn blocks, you can apply block targeting to show or hide Express Checkout Buttons based on cart conditions (products, collections, cart value, item count, discounts, etc.) — see the Block Targeting article below.
You can also schedule when Express Checkout Buttons appear — see the Cart Block Scheduling article below.
If you have any questions on setup, styling, or how it works, reach out to chat support.