Graduated Payouts – Secure merchant identity

At Shopify, we wanted to enhance merchant account security by encouraging the adoption of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) in their stores. Additionally, we sought to provide merchants with the option to verify their information using Plaid, offering them an extra layer of protection against potential security threats.

Shopify, catering to millions of global merchants, has faced significant fraud attacks over the past year, leading to a loss of merchant trust and financial exposure. Fraudulent activities such as Card Cashing, No Intent to Ship, and Account Takeover have been prominent. The current Fraud and Risk systems struggle to detect issues within the platform's payout times, relying on evolving systems that need further optimization. Payouts take 2-4 days, and the onboarding process lacks proactive assessment of merchants' intentions, exposing the platform to unintended risks. Shopify Payments is inherently a low-friction onboarding experience. While this has helped achieve 85%+ adoption across our base, this also opens us up to involuntary exposure.

MY role

I was the sole UX designer/lead for the team.
- Partnered with stakeholders and merchants
- Designed solutions that address user pain points.
- Helped save merchants and Shopify from fraudulent losses

Team and Duration

I worked closely with product managers and engineers to implement a secure onboarding experience. It took four months to launch Shopify-wide MFA and Plaid integration.

During onboarding, multi-factor authentication (MFA) and Plaid integration are consolidated into a centralized three-step account setup process. This cohesive approach ensures that all security features are unified in one place, eliminating fragmentation and contributing to an enhanced user experience. Designed initially for Shopify Payments, this three-step account setup has since become a standard onboarding procedure across the entire Shopify platform.

Require MFA for Shopify Payments merchants

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Integrating Plaid for Shopify Payments

Plaid is a seamless third-party solution, facilitating a secure connection between the merchant's bank account and the Shopify admin. This integration allows merchants to conveniently sign in using their bank login credentials, providing a reliable verification of their identity within the Shopify ecosystem.

results

+ 81%

of active Shop Payments merchants have enabled MFA resulting in 98% of GPV being protected.

$224 - $2100

Savings per day in fraud losses.