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9 Tips for the Best E-commerce Cart Design for Your Store [+ Examples]

5 minutes

Your online store’s success hinges on a good e-commerce cart design. A great shopping cart design helps your customers follow through on purchases. Considering that the current cart abandonment rate hovers around 70%, you want to do everything you can to make sure your customers purchase.

But what can you do about it?

In this article, we’re going to explore nine tips for the best e-commerce cart design for your store. We’ll look at examples of how you can create killer e-commerce shopping cart designs to entice your customers to purchase.

What is an E-commerce Shopping Cart?

In essence, an e-commerce shopping cart is the part of your online store that stores products the customer wishes to purchase. Without it, your customers would be unable to complete their purchases. They would need to use a third-party site to make their payment. However, your e-commerce shopping cart can also hamper your online store’s success.

How so?

Suppose your e-commerce site has a complicated shopping cart design. Customers struggle to understand how to use it, add items, and complete purchases. This situation would make it quite frustrating to complete a purchase. In fact, some studies reveal that 26% of shoppers abandon their carts due to a long checkout process. Now, 26% may not seem like a lot on the surface. But that’s money you’re leaving on the table.

A streamlined e-commerce shopping cart design can improve your e-commerce site’s overall performance. Plus, it can boost your sales conversions, driving your revenue in the process. You can see that a killer e-commerce cart design is something you don’t want to pass up.

Grow your sales with high-performing deals.

How to Improve your E-commerce Shopping Cart Design?

So, the million-dollar question is: how can I improve my shopping cart design?

Here are five easy-to-use tips you can implement right away to improve your shopping cart design.

#1: Use the top-right corner

The best location to place your e-commerce cart icon or button is at the top-right corner. It’s a natural location for customers to spot it. While other shopping cart locations may include the right-middle of the screen, the top-right corner continues to be the most effective place to put your e-commerce cart icon.

Here’s an example:

As you can see, using the top-right corner seems natural. You don’t need to think about where the shopping cart icon is. We intuitively know where it is. So, don’t neglect the top right corner when looking for the best spot for your e-commerce shopping cart icon.

#2: Display the number of products in the cart

A great rule of thumb is to display the number of items in the shopping cart.

Why is this strategy important?

Please remember that customers don’t like surprises. Well, they like nice surprises. They don’t like realizing they added more items than they had thought. Moreover, customers like to keep track of their purchases. Consequently, displaying the number of items in the cart is a great way to help customers keep track of their purchases.

Let’s take a look at an example:

The example above highlights the usefulness of displaying the number of items in the cart. This tactic is important, especially when you have bundle deals such as BOGOs, buy-two-get-three, or other product kits where customers are purchasing multiple items. So, don’t forget about displaying items in the cart. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find how much this tactic can help boost sales.

#3: Confirm added items

Remember we talked about surprises? Customers want to keep track of everything they do on your site. That includes receiving a confirmation when a product has been added to the shopping cart. In doing so, your customers can focus on the number of items they have added as they navigate your e-commerce site.

Here’s a look at a good example:

In this example, we can see the message “Item Added!.” Plus, the message gives the customer some positive reinforcement, complimenting their taste, and also gives them the option of proceeding to the checkout page or continuing to browse more products. Customers often appreciate this flexibility.

#4: Don’t neglect the cart drawer

Most e-commerce sites use a specific checkout page to complete purchases. However, slide carts and cart drawers have been on the rise in recent years.

So, what is a cart drawer?

A cart drawer is an e-commerce shopping cart design that pops up or slides out anywhere on the site. As a result, customers don’t need to navigate to a specific checkout page. All they need is to click on the icon or button to see the cart on the product page.

Here’s a good example:

This mini cart slides out from the right when the customer adds a product to their cart. This allows customers to view their cart, number of items, and value without leaving the product page.

Why is this important?

Think about it for a minute. If customers have to shift back and forth, they may lose their train of thought. That situation could result in missed sales. Therefore, you want to ensure that your customers never lose sight of the products they view.

#5: Provide shipping information

According to Baymard, the top reason for cart abandonment is extra costs. Customers are aware of the cost of the products they are buying, but are often caught off guard by extra charges like shipping costs, taxes, and other fees.

What can you do about it, then?

Provide clear shipping information, including cost and delivery times.

Let’s have a look at a great example:

This shopping cart design example displays the estimated shipping fee for the order. Notice the phrase “from $0.”

What does this mean?

It means that customers can choose free shipping options. However, they’ll have to pay a little extra if they choose expedited shipping. That approach is fine as long as you are transparent about it.

Now that we’ve discussed five practical tips to improve your e-commerce shopping cart design let’s discuss ten great examples of e-commerce cart page designs.

9 Tips for the Best E-commerce Cart Design for Your Store

Here are the nine best e-commerce cart page design ideas you can use to create a killer shopping cart design for your site.

#1: In-cart recommendations

Leading off are in-cart recommendations. Using in-cart recommendations can greatly enhance your e-commerce cart page design. Product recommendations allow you to boost your average order value while giving your customers something truly important: options.

Here’s an example:

This example gets it right because the cart displays a product recommendation that’s based on products the customer already has in their cart. By keeping your recommendations as relevant as possible, you have a greater chance of making a sale.

#2: Use a slide-out cart to highlight products

A slide-out cart is a great way to highlight products. In doing so, you give your customers the opportunity to view items, costs, and order value. Please remember that keeping your customers on product pages helps boost sales. In contrast, asking customers to leapfrog from one page to another may cause them to abandon their carts.

Here’s an example:

As you can see, this shopping cart design gets it right because it displays the product images, cost, and order value in a convenient slide-out cart. Plus, customers get shipping information as they navigate in the slide-out cart. All customers need to do is hit the “checkout” button to close the deal.

Don’t forget: simplifying things for customers is the best way you can ensure sales.

#3: Details, details, details

When it comes to your e-commerce site’s shopping cart, the more details, the better. You want to ensure your e-commerce cart design displays as much information as possible without cramming it. A nice, clean cart design helps improve visibility while ensuring your customers follow through.

Here’s an example:

This great e-commerce cart design shows all relevant product information. Additionally, it offers in-cart product recommendations. It’s not cluttered, but it is highly customizable and gives the customer a lot of useful information and additional deals if they choose to take them.

#4: Earn free shipping

Earning free shipping is a great way to boost your average order value. For instance, customers can qualify for free shipping when spending $20 or more. However, how can customers know when they’ve qualified?

Your e-commerce shopping cart design can indicate customers’ progress.

Here’s an example:

In this example, we can see a progress bar that helps customers visualize how much more they need to spend in order to qualify for free shipping. This tactic uses a powerful psychological principle. Specifically, people like to feel a sense of accomplishment. Adding the progress bar gives customers that sense of accomplishment while helping your boost your average order value.

#5: A sense of urgency

Another highly powerful tactic is to create a sense of urgency. Creating this feeling compels customers to complete their purchase before time expires. The most common and effective way of implementing this approach is with a countdown timer.

Here’s an example:

Creating a sense of urgency triggers the fear of missing out. Missing out on a deal can compel customers to conclude their purchase sooner rather than later. After all, why risk missing out on a product you really want?

You can help create this sense by using a countdown timer. The time serves to place customers’ mindset into a specific timeframe. Countdown timers can become extremely powerful tools, particularly as a part of your e-commerce shopping cart page design, or as a popup on the cart or checkout page.

#6: The power of rewards

Rewards are a staple of customer loyalty programs. Many brands and e-commerce sites use rewards because they incentivize customers to purchase regularly. However, a reward is only good when customers get something good from them.

The smartest strategy is to use reward points. Points can allow customers to qualify for free items, discounts, or special perks. Displaying points in-cart helps customers visualize the benefit they get by purchasing.

Let’s take a look at a great shopping cart design example:

The above example shows customers that they can save money and upgrade their shipping if they create an account. This is a strategy to encourage customers to checkout and complete their order, but it also helps the brand collect more details from each customer.

#7: Use free gifts

Like rewards, free gifts or samples allow you to incentivize customers. Free gifts can become a powerful way of upselling your customers. You can use a progress bar to unlock free gifts or rewards as an effective incentive tool. Also, you can include samples or gifts to promote a new item or brand.

Here’s an example:

This shopping cart design hits the nail on the head because it uses a progress bar to unlock a gift. Please remember that customers love to get a sense of accomplishment. The progress bar helps customers feel they get additional value for purchases they had already planned. Ultimately, using rewards such as gifts or samples provides your site with an unbeatable strategy.

#8: Compliment your customers

There’s a subtle power in complimenting your customers on their good taste. After all, who doesn’t like to get compliments?

You can leverage the power of compliments on your e-commerce shopping cart by adding thoughtful notes when customers add products.

Let’s take a look at a great shopping cart design example:

A small note like “You’ve got great taste” puts a positive spin on your customers’ choices. These little touches show your customers how much you appreciate their business. It may not seem like a lot on the surface. In reality, these details go a long way toward building a positive relationship between your customers and brand.

#9: Less is more

While we want to display as much information as possible, keeping things simple is a good rule of thumb. This reason underscores why we believe less is more. In particular, keeping your e-commerce shopping cart design clutter-free can significantly improve your sales conversions and revenue.

Let’s take a look at a great shopping cart design example:

Walmart keeps things simple. They avoid overcrowding their checkout page by providing a nice, clean layout. It’s a great rule of thumb to keep your e-commerce shopping cart design as open as possible. The last thing you want is needless distractions. It’s best to ensure that customers focus on following through on their purchases.

All in all, a simple and functional layout will always get you ahead of the game. With these great e-commerce shopping cart designs, you have a great head start on your competitors.

Use PickyStory's PickyCart for a Clean E-commerce Cart Design + Upsells

PickyStory’s PickyCart is an advanced slide cart that’s available as part of the PickyStory platform. The cart has a simple, clean design that highlights the products that have been added, and also allows you to offer AI-based recommendations in the cart, encouraging your customers to add more products to their order.

Offering upsell and cross-sell deals in the cart is an effective way of increasing your revenue, because it’s at a time when your customers are close to making a purchase. Try PickyStory’s PickyCart in your store and sell more products to each customer.

Grow your sales with high-performing deals.

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9 Tips for the Best E-commerce Cart Design for Your Store [+ Examples]

Table of Contents

What is an E-commerce Shopping Cart?

Grow your sales with high-performing deals.

How to Improve your E-commerce Shopping Cart Design?

#1: Use the top-right corner

#2: Display the number of products in the cart

#3: Confirm added items

#4: Don’t neglect the cart drawer

#5: Provide shipping information

9 Tips for the Best E-commerce Cart Design for Your Store

#1: In-cart recommendations

#2: Use a slide-out cart to highlight products

#3: Details, details, details

#4: Earn free shipping

#5: A sense of urgency

#6: The power of rewards

#7: Use free gifts

#8: Compliment your customers

#9: Less is more

Use PickyStory's PickyCart for a Clean E-commerce Cart Design + Upsells

Grow your sales with high-performing deals.

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