How to make email subscription the default in Shopify at Checkout

Make Email Subscription Default at Checkout.

The great thing about Shopify is that it now has a lot of your everyday marketing requirements under one roof. One of the latest additions which is ever-improving is Shopify Mail. Instead of having to go to a different app and log in again, you can manage your email list in one place. 

We just came across this problem with a client. Most of her visitors were checking out without checking the box that says subscribe to emails and sms. Without this box ticked, you can't then email them all your lovely juicy offers. What a nightmare. There is however a solution. 

Why Preselecting the Email Opt-In Helps

Preselecting the “Subscribe to marketing / news & offers” checkbox means that unless the customer actively opts out, they’ll be added to your email list. Over time, this can significantly boost your subscriber numbers, giving you a larger segment for promotions, welcome flows, cross-sells, and newsletters.
With a larger engaged list, you can drive repeat purchases, increase customer lifetime value, and reduce dependence on paid advertising.

How to do it

You can see the tick box in the checkout window above. At the moment ours is set to be preselected, so visitors have to untick the box if they want to un subscribe. This is called Opting out. 

To turn this on do the following steps:

• Step 1: Go to settings on your dashboard - Bottom Right hand side
• Step 2: Select Checkout
• Step 3: Scroll down to Marketing options - tick preselected

How to Video

Important Legal & Privacy Considerations

While a default preselection can boost signups, it must still respect privacy laws. In many jurisdictions (e.g. under GDPR in Europe), consent must be freely given and informed. Prechecked boxes that force consent without clarity may be considered non-compliant. Always ensure:

• Clear wording telling the user what they’re opting into
• A visible “opt out” path
• Respecting region-based settings (only preselect where allowed)
• Double opt-in (where required) to confirm genuine interest

• Your theme or a custom checkout script may override the default checkbox.
• You may have caching issues—clear theme cache or test in incognito.
• The region settings might mean that in some countries the default isn't preselected (due to stricter rules).
• A prior customer preference might block the preselection for returning users.
• Shopify Plus or third-party checkout customizations might disable some default behaviours.

Using double opt-in (requiring a confirmation click in a follow-up email) can reduce fake signups, bounces, and spam complaints. Although conversion might drop slightly, the quality of subscribers improves, which benefits deliverability and long-term engagement.

• Use clear, benefit-oriented copy next to the checkbox (e.g. “Yes, I’d like news & exclusive offers”)
• Immediately send a welcome email to new subscribers
• Segment new subscribers (e.g. “first purchase,” “recent buyer,” “newsletter only”)
• Monitor unsubscribes and spam complaints—if rates rise, revisit your copy or offerings
• Periodically clean out inactive subscribers (e.g. remove those with zero opens over 12 months)
• A/B test the wording, placement, or alternative opt-in methods (e.g. popups)