Optimize your Shopify shopping cart: 7 success factors at a glance

In your online store, the shopping cart is the last hurdle before checkout. This is where customers decide whether or not to complete a purchase. It's clear: Optimized shopping carts reduce abandoned carts, increase the average order value, and create a seamless customer journey.

What distinguishes converting shopping carts on Shopify? In this article, based on the insights of tante-e founder Adrian, we present our tried-and-tested tips and strategies from practical experience. Learn why a cart drawer is almost always the best choice and how to structure it ideally.

1. The 3 central tasks of the shopping cart

The shopping cart fulfills several key functions in your Shopify store. When optimizing, you should keep these goals clearly in mind to consistently guide customers to the checkout.

1.1. Primary goal: Forwarding to checkout

The primary goal of the shopping cart is clear: to get visitors to click the "Checkout" button and proceed to the checkout process. Everything else is subordinate to this goal. Therefore, the button must be immediately eye-catching and not distracted by unnecessary elements.

1.2. Building trust through transparency

A second key goal is to provide confidence in the product selection. Customers must immediately recognize:

• Which products are in the shopping cart?
• Which variants (e.g. size, color) or personalizations were chosen?
• Are the prices, discounts and shipping costs correct?

If these questions are answered clearly, doubts and later abandonment during checkout are reduced.

1.3. Increase average shopping cart value

In addition to redirecting to checkout, the shopping cart can also help increase sales:

• Cross-selling: Complementary products are suggested accordingly.
• Gamification: A progress bar shows the progress towards free shipping or a bonus.
• Bundles and sets: Are broken down transparently, which creates security and can provide additional incentive to buy.

In short: The shopping cart is not just a list of products, but a crucial lever for building trust, ensuring conversion and – if used intelligently – increasing the shopping cart value.

2. Optimize your Shopify shopping cart: The most important success factors

For the shopping cart to fulfill its purpose, it needs a clear structure that guides users intuitively to checkout. Our experience has revealed several factors that are crucial to success.

2.1. Drawer instead of page

The cart drawer is considered a clear best practice. Instead of a dedicated page, it opens as an overlay on the product page, enabling a seamless shopping experience without users losing context. This reduces friction and is a clear advantage, especially on mobile devices.

2.2. Visual hierarchy

All items in the shopping cart should follow a clear visual order. This means:

• most important information first,
• clear distances and visual order,
• Consistency in colors and typography.

2.3. Checkout button as a central element

The "Checkout" button is the primary target and should therefore be visually prominent. Our recommended best practices are:

• Signal color that stands out from the rest of the layout,
• consistent color across product page, shopping cart and checkout,
• sufficient distance and space so that he is not overlooked.

2.4. Clear product presentation

All products in the shopping cart must be clearly identifiable. This includes:

• Product image, title, price, quantity, variants,
• for sets or bundles, a transparent list of the parts included,
• Personalization details (e.g. engraving, flocking) to avoid incorrect purchases.

2.5. Transparent information

Transparency builds trust. Therefore, ensure that all important information is clearly visible in the shopping cart. This includes:

• Individual prices and total amount,
• applied discounts,
• Shipping costs or an indication of possible variations depending on the delivery country.

2.6. Purchase incentives through gamification

A progress bar is a proven way to increase the shopping cart value. It shows how close customers are to a certain threshold (e.g., free shipping). Important:

• Set the threshold fairly,
• Communication clear and motivating,
• no artificial hurdles (e.g. unfair 50-cent gaps).

2.7. Cross-selling in the shopping cart

The shopping cart is a good place for additional offers – but only if they are relevant and easy to understand:

• suitable accessories or supplementary products,
• Impulse purchases with a lower price than the main product,
• One-click addition, no additional hurdles.

3. Technical implementation of the shopping cart on Shopify

To ensure that the shopping cart not only looks great but also functions smoothly from a technical perspective, correct configuration in the Shopify theme is crucial. Many optimizations can be implemented in the Theme Editor without significant development effort.

3.1. Drawer, page or popup

Shopify offers three basic shopping cart options:

• Drawer (recommended): Overlay that slides in sideways and does not interrupt the user journey.
• Page: Separate shopping cart page, rather rare these days as it interrupts the purchasing process.
• Popup: A short pop-up when adding to the shopping cart, but often impractical on mobile devices.

Our clear recommendation is the Drawer, as it offers enough space while ensuring a smooth shopping experience.

3.2. Settings in the Theme Editor

In the Theme Editor, retailers can customize important additional options depending on the chosen theme:

• automatically opening the shopping cart after adding a product,
• Activation of cross-selling elements or progress bars (if supported by the theme).

3.3. Discount codes directly in the shopping cart

With Shopify Editions 2025 , it's possible to apply discount codes directly in the shopping cart drawer. This reduces checkout delays and ensures clarity in pricing.

3.4. Shipping costs display

An often underestimated issue is the correct display of shipping costs. Since the shopping cart usually doesn't contain a delivery address, there are several solutions:

• Standard display for the domestic market (e.g. Germany) with reference to international deviations,
• Dynamic customization via Shopify Markets or IP detection.

3.5. Cross-selling & gamification in the theme

Many Shopify themes now offer native modules for:

• Cross-selling: Complementary products that can be easily added.
• Gamification: Progress bars for free shipping or bonuses.

For more specific requirements, we recommend developing these elements individually rather than relying on external apps. This ensures consistent performance and design.

4. The ideal structure of the shopping cart

An optimized Shopify shopping cart follows a clear sequence. Elements are arranged to help users gain trust, grasp important information immediately, and proceed to checkout with as few distractions as possible.

4.1. Our recommended cart drawer setup

Area	Contents	Goal
Head	Progress Bar (e.g. “€15 left until free shipping”)	Purchase incentive, motivation
Product list	- Product images, titles, variants/personalizations - Quantity, price per product - Possibility to adjust or remove	Clarity & Control
Subtotal	Subtotal, applied discounts, indication of shipping costs	transparency
Cross-selling (optional)	Matching additional products with one-click addition	Increase average shopping cart value
Footer	- Total amount - Shipping information (e.g. “Shipping within Germany, international shipping varies”) - Prominent “Checkout” button	Completion & redirection to checkout

You should consider the following principles:

• Less is more: Show only relevant information, don't overload with options.
• Observe visual hierarchy: The checkout button must dominate, cross-selling elements should be perceived as complementary.
• Consistency: Colors, typography, and logic must be consistent across product and checkout pages.
• Flexibility: Bundles, sets, or personalized products should be transparently broken down.
• Consider legal requirements: Information about shipping costs and delivery times is mandatory and avoids later support requests.

5. Examples: How top Shopify brands implement shopping carts

Theory is one thing, but the practical application is more exciting: Here, we'll take a look at how we've implemented these tips in successful Shopify stores. Four examples demonstrate how differently the shopping cart drawer can be designed—and which elements prove particularly effective.

5.1. reisenthel

• Progress Bar: Clear indication until free shipping.
• Confirmation: Positive feedback when adding products (“Great selection”).
• Product list: Simple and clear, with a focus on images and prices.
• Checkout button: Dominant, without distracting additions.
• Shipping information: Transparent information on international differences.

5.2. NATURTREU

• Structure: Similar to reisenthel, but with a slightly different layout.
• Gamification: Progress bar for free shipping.
• Note: Discounts can be redeemed at checkout.
• Checkout button: Strong signal, sometimes with the additional message “Secure checkout”.

5.3. Hensslers Schnelle Nummer

• Gamification: Progress indicator for free shipping within Germany.
• Cross-selling: Suitable products (e.g. spices) can be added with a click.
• USPs instead of payment icons: Short, trust-building messages under the checkout button.
• Social proof: A brief reference to many purchases for additional trust.
• Price logic: Clear indication of the product price per unit (e.g. gram information for spices).

5.4. Kess Berlin

• Bundles & Sets: Transparent breakdown of the included individual products via dropdown.
• Cross-selling: More pronounced, multiple options for adding products.
• Progress bar & subtotal: Clearly visible, easy to understand.

6. Conclusion

The shopping cart is one of the most important steps for all users in your store. That's why it's worth consistently optimizing its implementation.

An optimized Shopify shopping cart combines clarity with clear user guidance and targeted incentives. If you consistently implement these adjustments, you'll reduce abandonment rates, increase shopping cart value, and ensure a seamless customer journey all the way to checkout. This makes the shopping cart not just a mandatory step, but an active growth driver for your entire online shop.