Add To Cart: How Your E-Commerce Shopping Cart Can Boost Sales

Putting items into a shopping cart starts a customer’s journey towards making a purchase. It is also one of the most critical touchpoints for your e-commerce site, as shopping cart abandonment runs at an average rate of 75%. So why are customers leaving their carts before checking out?

And how can you make sure that your customers complete their purchases?

The first step to ensuring success is understanding what makes a great shopping cart experience. The following tips and tricks will give you all the insider knowledge you need to help bring your ideas to life.

Start by making the shopping cart visible

The shopping cart is your customer’s destination, and they expect to find it easily. That’s why you should ensure the shopping cart is visible on every site page, especially when viewing product pages.

And if you want to add some extra sparkle, consider using a sticky header to keep your checkout buttons in front of customers throughout the process until they complete their purchase.

The goal is for customers to see what they want and click through from there as quickly as possible. Shoppers don’t want to waste time searching for products or going through multiple pages of content before being able to check out.

Make the shopping cart flow consistent with the overall site design

When it comes to your shopping cart, consistency is critical. Your customer will likely be familiar with the design of your e-commerce site, so don’t make them think too hard about finding where to add items to their cart or pay for their purchase.

A software development company can help you with this by ensuring that the shopping cart fits in with the overall design of your site.

Also, make sure that it’s easy for customers to find their way back into the shopping process after researching products by providing some “back” button or link during browsing sessions (this includes mobile devices).

Consider user behavior & preferences

Whether creating a new e-commerce shopping cart or redesigning an existing one, consider the most common user behaviors and preferences. The point is not to make every single detail of your site perfect for every person who visits it—your goal is to make it as good as possible for most visitors and customers.

To do this, first ask yourself: what are my customers’ most common needs and wants? What do they expect from their experience with my brand? What do they need to feel comfortable buying from me?

Then, consider how these things might differ across different demographic groups (age range, gender identity/preference, etc.).

Next, look at what other companies are doing in similar spaces. How could they improve their shopping carts? Finally, consider how each type of person will behave when interacting with your e-commerce store—and plan accordingly.

Offer a rewards program as an incentive to shop

Offering a rewards program is one of the best ways to encourage repeat purchases. A rewards program gives customers a reason to return, which is a great way to build brand loyalty.

The more loyal your customer base is, the more likely they will be to make repeat purchases in the future.

Rewards programs are also an excellent way to increase your average order value (AOV). When people earn points or cash back on their purchases, they’re more likely to spend more money overall.

Takeaway

You shouldn’t just optimize the shopping cart itself but also the checkout page. You do that by creating a customized experience for your customers. After all, the customer journey doesn’t end when they add an item to their cart; it ends when they leave their payment information behind and complete their purchase.

This will require some customization on your part, not just of your design templates or checkout flow charts. You’ll also need to consider what information people need at every step along the way so that they don’t get stuck or confused while making purchases on your site.