Optimize shopping cart usability
Optimize shopping cart usability
1. Determine whether to send users straight to the checkout screen or keep them on the product page based on your industry and strategy.
Sending users straight to the checkout screen takes them one step closer to paying and is a great opportunity for upsell offers. Take this approach if you sell high-value products and have a low average quantity per transaction. Keeping users on the product page avoids surprising or inconveniencing users who intended to do more shopping and encourages them to add more items to their cart before checking out. Take this approach if you have a lower average transaction value and want to increase your average quantity per transaction.
2. Use a plugin like WooCommerce Added to Cart Popup to show a clear notification whenever users add products to their cart instead changing CTA text to Added to Cart.
This confirms users’ actions and acts as a subtle visual cue that indicates the shift from visitor to buyer. Ask your web developer to implement this function if you use a different platform or need help configuring it.
3. Keep cart notifications visible until users click elsewhere to ensure they’ve read and acknowledged it.
This is especially important if your notification includes information that your users will want to check and confirm, such as the product name, variation, and price.
4. Display all essential information, like product thumbnail, product name, and total price, on the cart page.
This adds clarity and makes it easier for users to understand what’s in their cart and the total price, including shipping and taxes. Essential information could also include shipping options, payment methods, upsells, and a Checkout Now CTA.
5. Allow users to make quick changes on the shopping cart page like variations and quantity.
Forcing users to remove products from their cart, go back to the product page, and re-add them when all they want to do is change something simple could frustrate them and cause them to abandon their cart altogether. This function is built into most ecommerce platforms, but ask your web developer to implement or configure it if you’re not technically inclined.
6. Use shopping cart product thumbnails that match the variations chosen by users to reduce confusion and uncertainty.
For example, if users added a blue shirt to their cart, the thumbnail should show a blue shirt. Using a default product thumbnail doesn’t properly reflect the chosen variation, adds uncertainty, and confuses users, thus leading to cart abandonment. Most ecommerce platforms have this function enabled by default, but ask your web developer to make sure it’s properly configured or configure it for you.