Paystack has introduced South Africa’s first onsite card checkout for Shopify, giving shoppers the ability to pay directly within a business’s online checkout without being redirected to a separate payment page. The move could help merchants reduce interruptions during payment and make it easier for customers to complete their purchases.
The update comes at an important time for businesses preparing for Black Friday, when online retailers typically face higher traffic and increased demand. For merchants, attracting customers to an online store is only part of the sales process. A smooth checkout can also play an important role in turning interest into completed purchases.
Paystack’s onsite checkout removes the need for customers to leave the main checkout experience to make a card payment. This means shoppers can move from selecting a product to completing their payment in fewer steps.
“Businesses put a lot of work into getting a customer to checkout. Paying should feel like a natural part of that experience,” said Thomas McKinnon, Country Lead at Paystack. He said the feature gives South African Shopify merchants a way to accept card payments within the checkout their customers already know, with fewer interruptions at the point of purchase.
A simpler payment experience for online retailers
The new feature is also receiving feedback from Shopify agencies working with local businesses.
The potential improvement is significant for merchants competing for sales during Black Friday and the festive shopping season. Businesses spend money on marketing and customer acquisition, but customers can still abandon purchases during the final stages of checkout. Reducing additional steps may help merchants capture more of the demand reaching their online stores.
The launch also gives South African Shopify merchants another payment option that is built into the shopping experience rather than taking customers to a separate payment page.
The company said merchants can install Paystack’s onsite checkout app to begin using the service.
Connecting online and in-store payments
Paystack is also introducing a Shopify integration for Paystack Terminal, its in-person payments device. The integration connects card payments made in physical stores with merchants’ Shopify accounts.
The development is aimed at businesses that operate across both online and physical retail channels. By connecting the two sides of the business, merchants can manage payments through a platform they already use while serving customers through different sales channels.
“Our merchants are serving customers online and across the counter, often at the same time,” said Mechiel Couvaras, Senior Account Manager at Paystack South Africa. He said connecting Paystack Terminal to Shopify brings those parts of the business closer together.
Couvaras added that the integration can be particularly useful during busy trading periods, when retail teams need to focus more on serving customers.
Together, the two updates address different parts of the retail payment process. The onsite checkout focuses on reducing friction for online shoppers, while the Terminal integration connects physical payments with Shopify. For merchants preparing for Black Friday and the festive season, both tools provide ways to manage payments across their growing retail operations.
