Every e-commerce store owner knows the excitement of seeing customers adding items to their cart. But the real challenge comes right after that – getting them to click “Checkout” and complete their purchase. Unfortunately, nearly 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned, which means that most of the customers you’ve attracted to your store aren’t following through to buy.
Why do so many carts get abandoned? And what can you do about it? This guide dives into proven cart page design tips to keep customers engaged, build trust, and ultimately make them want to hit that “Buy” button.
Why Cart Page Design Matters
The cart page is a crucial part of the buyer’s journey. It’s where customers weigh their options, calculate costs, and decide whether to commit. A poorly designed cart page can lead to hesitation, confusion, and ultimately, cart abandonment. On the flip side, a well-designed cart page can ease customers’ minds, encourage them to complete their purchase, and even increase their average order value.
Essential Elements for a High-Converting Cart Page
To create a cart page that guides users smoothly through checkout, it’s essential to focus on three main objectives: Transparency, Ease of Use, and Encouragement to Act. Let’s dive into each.
1. Transparency
One of the biggest barriers to conversion is a lack of transparency. Your cart page should clearly display each item, along with its details (size, color, price), and the total cost, including any taxes or fees. Surprising customers with additional costs at checkout can increase abandonment.
Action Step: Be upfront about pricing. If you offer free shipping over a certain threshold, add a note under the cart total like, “Add $10 more for free shipping!” This small nudge gives customers a reason to increase their order size while maintaining transparency.
2. Ease of Use
A simple, user-friendly design keeps customers focused on completing their purchase rather than getting distracted by extra steps or cluttered visuals.
- Clear Product Images: Use high-quality images that remind customers of what they’re buying.
- Edit and Remove Options: Allow customers to adjust quantities, edit details, or remove items without starting over.
- Guest Checkout: Not everyone wants to create an account, especially if they’re a first-time shopper. Offering guest checkout can reduce friction and help move them smoothly to purchase.
Example in Action: When skincare brand Glossier introduced a guest checkout option, they saw a significant decrease in cart abandonment rates. This simple change allowed customers to complete their purchase without signing up, leading to a more seamless checkout process.
3. Encouragement to Act
Encouraging customers to complete their purchase is all about making the next step obvious and appealing.
- Prominent CTA Buttons: Use a strong CTA like “Complete My Purchase” or “Buy Now” that stands out from the rest of the page.
- Progress Indicators: Show customers how many steps are left in the checkout process. Progress indicators reduce cart abandonment , as they make the process feel shorter and more manageable.
- Trust Badges: Place badges that indicate secure checkout, accepted payment methods, or trust logos (e.g., Norton or McAfee). These badges reassure first-time buyers and build credibility.
Design Strategies to Reduce Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment is an inevitable challenge, but the right design strategies can help significantly reduce it. Here are specific strategies to keep your cart abandonment rates in check:
1. Free Shipping Threshold Prompts
If you offer free shipping above a certain order value, let customers know how close they are to qualifying. A prompt like “You’re just $8 away from free shipping!” can be the nudge they need to add another item to their cart.
Actionable Example: Many fashion retailers, such as ASOS, use a free shipping progress bar on their cart page. This bar visually tracks the shopper’s progress toward free shipping, encouraging them to add just one more item to qualify.
2. Save Cart Feature
Allow customers to save their cart for later, especially if they’re browsing on mobile and want to return to the site on a desktop. According to a study by Google, 85% of online shoppers start a purchase on one device and complete it on another, so making it easy for them to pick up where they left off can help increase conversions.
3. Personalized Upsell Recommendations
Personalized recommendations can be an effective way to increase average order value without being pushy. For example, if a customer has a coffee maker in their cart, suggest coffee filters or beans.
Example: Amazon’s cart page uses “Frequently bought together” suggestions and has been widely successful at encouraging add-ons, driving up average order value.
Optimizing for Mobile Traffic: Ensuring Cart Page Accessibility
With mobile shopping on the rise, it’s critical that your cart page is optimized for a smooth, frustration-free mobile experience. Small design tweaks can make a big impact on mobile conversion rates.
- Touch-Friendly Buttons: Make buttons large enough to tap without hitting other elements. According to research by Shopify, touch-friendly buttons improve user experience and reduce accidental clicks.
- Responsive Design: Ensure the cart page adapts seamlessly across different devices and orientations.
- One-Click Payment Options: Offering mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay can reduce checkout time and boost conversions.
A/B Testing Your Cart Page for Optimal Conversions
A/B testing is essential for fine-tuning your cart page. Rather than testing multiple changes at once, focus on high-impact elements one at a time:
- CTA Button Placement: Test whether placing the “Complete Purchase” button in different areas affects conversions.
- Progress Indicators: Test with and without a progress indicator to see if it reduces abandonment.
- Trust Badges: Experiment with placing trust badges near the checkout button or on the cart page.
Tools: Consider using tools like Hotjar for heatmaps to see where users are dropping off or pausing on the cart page. Tools like Google Optimize can be effective for running A/B tests and tracking specific metrics, such as conversion rate and bounce rate.
Common Cart Page Design Pitfalls to Avoid
Avoiding common pitfalls can be just as important as implementing best practices. Here are a few mistakes to watch for:
- Overloading with Pop-Ups: Pop-ups can be useful, but too many on the cart page can distract and annoy users.
- Hidden Fees: Unexpected fees are one of the biggest drivers of cart abandonment.
- Complex Login Requirements: Forcing users to create an account before checkout can drive them away. Make guest checkout a priority to simplify the process.
Upgrade your Cart Now!
The cart page is where conversions happen, or don’t. With the right design elements, transparency, and optimization, you can create a cart page that encourages customers to complete their purchase and return to your store.
Take a moment to evaluate your own cart page using these tips, or reach out to Parah Group and make your cart page a true conversion driver.
FAQs
Track metrics like cart abandonment rate, checkout completion rate, and average order value. Tools like Google Analytics and Hotjar can help you understand user behavior on the cart page.
Start with testing CTA placement, color, and messaging, as well as the impact of progress indicators. Testing one variable at a time lets you clearly see which changes impact conversions.
Consider adding touch-friendly buttons, mobile wallet options like Apple Pay, and reducing form fields to streamline the checkout process.
Use trust badges, security logos, and customer reviews. Place these elements near the checkout button or at key points on the cart page to reinforce credibility.