Main issue: Custom cart attributes (optional fields for Instagram handle, gender, age) added in Dawn via main-cart-items.liquid save to “Additional details” on a development/test store but do not persist on the live store. The form renders on the cart page, but values aren’t saved through checkout (non-Plus store).
Context/terms: Cart attributes are custom inputs on the cart intended to be stored with the order.
Troubleshooting suggestions (no confirmed fix):
Verify same Shopify and theme versions across environments; review theme customizations.
Use browser dev tools to check for JavaScript errors during cart/checkout.
Audit potential conflicts from live-store apps; add debugging/logging to track values through submission.
Ensure checkout isn’t resetting attributes; test during low-traffic; have rollback plan; contact Shopify Support.
Follow-ups:
OP asks how to trace attributes through checkout; confirms versions match. Live store has review apps but none tied to cart/checkout.
Another developer reports similar breakage on real stores starting around 12/15, hinting at a possible platform-side change; seeks discussion.
Another participant asks if a solution was found.
Status: Unresolved/ongoing. Key unknowns include whether a recent platform change affects attribute persistence on live checkouts and how best to trace where values are dropped.
Summarized with AI on December 31.
AI used: gpt-5.
I’m working on a Shopify store with the ‘Dawn’ theme in use. We wanted to get some extra data from our user like their Instagram handle, gender and age, to get a better idea of the customers buying the products. The store doesn’t run on a Shopify Plus plan so we decided to work with custom cart attributes, which I added in through the main-cart-items.liquid file. The fields aren’t required, only for customers who’d like to answer. I tried this on a development server and everything works as expected, the data in those fields is saved in the new Shopify order under the ‘additional details’ tab.
When I use the exact same code setup on the live Shopify store however, nothing gets saved. The form does actually show up on the cart page, the data just isn’t saved with the order once you continue on to checkout. I saw some similar posts but no one seems to have found a solution yet.
I can’t seem to find any reason as to why this doesn’t / shouldn’t work on the live store running the same theme and everything.
My custom cart fields added to the main-cart-items.liquid:
We would love to get to know you a little better before you order.
Does anyone have any idea to fix this on the live site? It’s quite difficult to keep testing new orders, seeing as the site is live and we can’t take it offline so we’re testing whenever we know there probably won’t be any new orders coming in.
Hi @xandervds ,
This is Theodore from PageFly - Shopify Page Builder App.
To resolve the issue of custom cart attributes not being saved in the live Shopify store despite working in the development environment, ensure both environments run the same Shopify version and review any theme customizations for inconsistencies. Use the browser’s developer tools to check for JavaScript errors during form submission and consider any potential interference from additional apps installed on the live store. Double-check your Shopify Liquid code for errors and consider adding debugging information to track data flow. It’s also wise to look into server-side restrictions that might affect data processing. Contacting Shopify Support for specialized assistance can be helpful. When testing on the live site, choose a low-traffic period to minimize customer impact and carefully examine the checkout process to ensure it’s not resetting or ignoring cart attributes. Always have a backup or rollback plan when making changes to the live environment.
I’ll be so happy if my suggestion can help to solve your problem. If you have any further questions, please feel free to tell me.
Best regards,
Theodore | PageFly
Thank you, I’ll try and figure out where things go wrong on the live site for sure.
Do you have any tips on how to keep track of the custom cart attributes throughout the process, so I can see where they get ignored or reset?
I am running the same Shopify version and theme version, so there’s no inconsistencies there. There are some more apps running on the live store for reviews, but they do not affect any part of the cart or checkout process as far as I have found.
Hi @xandervds , I am a shopify third-party app developer, and I also ran into similar issue that the functionality works for development store (or test store) but not the real store. The issue starts at around 12.15 so I am wondering we might get into the same issue. Could we discuss a bit about it? Thanks!