Some orders need more than a payment: a signed contract. Rental agreements, service terms, custom-order approvals, deposits and B2B terms all work better when the customer has signed them. This guide explains how to get customers to sign a contract every time they order on Shopify — automatically — and how to keep proof that stands up if there's ever a dispute.
When you need a contract with an order
- Custom and made-to-order products — the customer approves the specification before you start work.
- Rentals — rental period, deposit, damage and late-return terms.
- Services and bookings — cancellation rules, responsibilities, scope of work.
- Deposits and payment plans — what happens if the customer cancels.
- Wholesale and B2B — trade terms, minimum orders, confidentiality.
- Risky activities — see our guide to adding a liability waiver to Shopify.
Your options compared
| Option | Effort per order | Proof you keep | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terms checkbox | None | Weak — no signature or document record | Free |
| Email a PDF, customer signs and returns it | High — chase every customer | A scanned or photographed signature | Free, but costs your time |
| General e-signature tool (DocuSign and similar) | Medium — create and send each envelope yourself | Strong | Usually priced per user, often much more than a store app |
| Shopify signing app | None — sent automatically per order | Strong, linked to the order | From $9.99/month |
For most stores the last option wins: nothing to remember per order, and every signed contract is stored next to the order it belongs to.
How automatic contract signing works
With SignShield, the flow looks like this:
- A customer orders a product you've linked to a contract.
- Shopify notifies SignShield, which immediately emails the customer a secure, personal signing link.
- The customer opens the link, reads the contract, fills in the fields and signs — on any device, without creating an account.
- SignShield produces the final signed PDF with a Certificate of Completion, emails a copy to the customer and notifies you.
- The Shopify order is updated to show the contract has been signed, so your team can see it where they already work.
If a product doesn't need a contract, nothing happens — only orders containing linked products trigger a signing request. You can also choose to send a contract manually from a specific order when you're ready, for example after confirming a custom design.
SignShield — e-signatures for Shopify orders
Link a contract or waiver to your products and SignShield emails every customer a signing link when they order. Works on every Shopify plan.
- $9.99/month · 7-day free trial
- 50 signing requests per month
- Signed PDF + Certificate of Completion
- Customers sign on any device, no account needed
Setting it up in 10 minutes
- Install SignShield from the Shopify App Store (7-day free trial).
- Create a template. Start from a ready-made Service Agreement, Rental Agreement, Custom Order Approval, NDA or Terms and Conditions — or upload the PDF contract you already use.
- Add fields. Place a signature field and anything else you need: printed name, date, initials, text fields or checkboxes.
- Link products. Pick the products that require this contract.
- Pick a trigger: when the order is created, when it's paid, or manual.
- Activate and place a test order to see exactly what your customer receives.
What to put in common order contracts
Whichever document you use, keep it specific to the order. A few starting points:
| Contract | Key sections | Useful extra fields |
|---|---|---|
| Rental agreement | Rental period, fees and deposit, condition on handover, damage and loss, late returns | ID or licence number, return date, checkbox confirming condition |
| Service agreement | Scope of work, schedule, payment, cancellation and rescheduling, liability | Service date, address, special instructions |
| Custom order approval | Final specification, materials, sizes, delivery time, no-returns clause for personalised items | Initials next to the specification, approval checkbox |
| Deposit / payment plan | Amount and due dates, what happens on cancellation, refund rules | Instalment dates, acknowledgement checkbox |
| Wholesale terms / NDA | Pricing, minimum orders, payment terms, confidentiality | Company name, VAT/tax number, title of signer |
SignShield fills in the customer's name and email from the order automatically, so customers only complete what's genuinely new.
Mistakes to avoid
- Burying the requirement. Tell customers on the product page that a short contract follows by email, so it doesn't come as a surprise.
- One giant contract for everything. Use separate templates for rentals, services and custom orders, linked to the right products — customers sign only what applies to them.
- No rule for unsigned contracts. Decide in advance what happens if a customer doesn't sign — for example, the booking isn't confirmed — and say so in your policies.
- Changing the wording without telling anyone. Signed documents keep the exact version the customer signed; update your template for future orders and keep old signed PDFs as they are.
What your customer sees
Customers get a short, branded email with a button to review and sign. The signing page shows the full contract and the fields they need to complete, and lets them draw a signature with a finger or mouse, or type it. When they finish they see a confirmation and receive their own signed copy by email. There's nothing to install and no account to create.
Keeping proof that holds up
A signature is only useful if you can prove it later. Every contract signed with SignShield includes:
- An audit trail — when the request was sent, opened and signed, with the signer's name, email and IP address.
- A SHA-256 fingerprint of the final document, so any later change is detectable.
- An embedded digital signature and a trusted timestamp from an independent timestamp authority (RFC 3161) — the same standards used by enterprise e-signature software.
- A Certificate of Completion attached to the signed PDF.
- A public verification page where anyone can confirm the document is authentic.
For background on the law, read Are electronic signatures legally binding?
Frequently asked questions
Can Shopify collect customer signatures on its own?
No. Shopify has no built-in way to collect signatures on orders. You need an app such as SignShield, which emails customers a signing link when they order.
Does the customer need an account to sign?
No. Customers open the link in the email and sign in their browser on any device. They receive their own signed copy by email afterwards.
Can I use my existing contract?
Yes. You can upload your current PDF contract and place signature and other fields on it, or start from a ready-made template and edit the wording.
Which products get a contract?
Only products you link to a template. Orders that don't contain a linked product don't trigger a signing request.
How many contracts can I send?
SignShield Pro includes 50 new signing requests per calendar month for $9.99/month. Re-sending an existing request doesn't count. For higher volumes, contact support@merchantkits.com.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws on electronic signatures and waivers vary by country and state — for high-risk activities, have a lawyer review your document.