Shopping Cart Design That Moves Shoppers to Checkout

The cart page is the critical bridge between product interest and purchase commitment. We design cart experiences that reinforce buying decisions, surface costs transparently, and drive shoppers confidently into checkout.

#1

reason for cart abandonment is extra costs (shipping, tax, fees) revealed too late

Baymard Institute, 2023

Shopping Cart Design

Cart page and mini-cart designs that reinforce purchase decisions, clearly communicate costs, enable easy modifications, and drive shoppers into the checkout flow.

What's Included

Everything you get with our Shopping Cart Design

Cart Page Design

Full cart page layout with clear product summaries, editable quantities, cost breakdowns, and prominent checkout CTA

Mini-Cart Overlay

A slide-out or dropdown mini-cart that lets shoppers review selections without leaving the current page

Cart Upsell Module

Contextual product recommendations and threshold-based incentives designed to increase average order value

Our Shopping Cart Design Process

1

Cart Behavior Analysis

We analyze your current cart-to-checkout drop-off rate, identify where shoppers hesitate, and benchmark against industry standards. We also review your product mix to identify cross-sell and upsell opportunities.

2

Cart UX Design

We design the cart page with clear product summaries, transparent cost breakdowns, easy editing controls, and a prominent checkout CTA. We also design the mini-cart experience for add-to-cart feedback.

3

Upsell & Incentive Design

We design contextual cross-sell modules and shipping threshold incentives based on your product catalog and average order value, positioned to increase order value without distracting from checkout.

4

Implementation & Optimization

The cart designs are built and integrated with your platform. We track cart-to-checkout progression rates post-launch and refine based on real shopper behavior data.

Key Benefits

Transparent Cost Communication

Hidden costs kill conversions. Baymard research shows surprise shipping and fees are the top abandonment driver. We design cart pages that display estimated shipping, taxes, and any additional costs upfront -- eliminating the sticker shock that drives shoppers away.

Frictionless Cart Management

Shoppers need to easily update quantities, remove items, change variants, and save items for later. We design intuitive cart controls that handle all of these actions without page reloads or confusing interactions that slow the path to checkout.

Strategic Average Order Value Increases

The cart page is ideal for contextual upsells. We design modules showing complementary products, free shipping thresholds with progress bars, and bundle savings that naturally encourage shoppers to add more -- increasing order values without feeling aggressive.

Research & Evidence

Backed by industry research and proven results

Abandonment Reasons Study

Extra costs (shipping, tax, fees) are the #1 reason for cart abandonment at 48% of respondents

Baymard Institute (2023)

Cart UX Research

Cart page design directly impacts whether shoppers proceed to checkout or abandon their purchase

Baymard Institute (2023)

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use a dedicated cart page or a slide-out mini-cart?

Both serve different purposes. A mini-cart provides quick feedback when items are added without interrupting browsing. A full cart page gives shoppers a complete view of their order before committing to checkout. We typically design both.

How do you handle shipping cost display in the cart?

We display estimated shipping costs as early as possible, using the shopper's detected location or a zip code input. Showing free shipping thresholds with progress bars is effective for both transparency and increasing average order values.

Can cart design really increase average order value?

Yes. Contextual product recommendations, free shipping threshold progress bars, and bundle suggestions on the cart page consistently increase average order values. The key is designing these elements as helpful additions rather than aggressive sales tactics.

How do you handle saved carts and wishlist functionality?

We design Save for Later functionality that lets shoppers move items out of their active cart without losing them. For logged-in users, carts persist across sessions and devices so shoppers can pick up where they left off.

Bridge the Gap Between Browsing and Buying

Request a free cart design audit and discover how your shopping cart experience can reduce drop-off and increase order values.