E-commerce wouldn’t be possible without online shopping carts. Shopping carts allow consumers to shop virtually by selecting products from online shelves and checking out with a simple click of a button.
You can elevate your customers’ shopping experience by understanding the basics of an online shopping cart. Whether you’re in the early stages of setting up an online store or you’ve been selling online for years, the right shopping cart solution can help increase conversions and build a loyal customer base.
What is an e-commerce online shopping cart?
An online shopping cart is software that makes it possible for customers to select products and buy them online.
In a brick-and-mortar setting, a customer could browse, grab a product off the shelf, and head to the checkout counter to make a purchase. Or they could wheel a cart around the store to gather multiple products before checking out.
On an e-commerce website, customers need a way to mimic this experience. An online shopping cart allows them to select products on their computer or mobile device and store them in a virtual cart. From here, they can make their purchase.
How does an online shopping cart work?
Behind the scenes, e-commerce shopping carts are more functional for sellers. They present background information about your products–like inventory and shipping options–in a way that’s easy to grasp for your customer.
It also collects the information you (the seller) need to fulfill your customers’ purchase. This includes their payment details, billing address, shipping address, and additional preferences.
The customer’s side
Thinking about the steps a customer goes through when using a website’s shopping cart can help you understand how it works.
Adding products
The fundamental function of an online shopping cart is the ability to add products. Customers might search for your product via a search engine and land on a product page. Or they may search or browse products on your website.
All your products should have an Add to Cart button so your potential customers can keep track of interesting items. The simpler it is for someone to add a product to their cart, the better.
When a customer adds a product to their cart, they may not buy it right away, or at all. Sometimes customers use their cart for considering products—which leads us to step 2.
Reviewing the cart
Customers should have the opportunity to review their cart before making their purchase. They might decide they don’t want a particular item, or want a different quantity, size, or color. They should be able to make these adjustments seamlessly, without leaving the cart.
The cart review process provides an opportunity for upselling. You can offer cross-product promotions, suggest products that pair well with items in their cart, or offer upgrades to their current selections. For example, if a customer is purchasing a nighttime skin serum, a prompt can offer a discounted price if they pair that serum with a daytime facial lotion.
Completing the purchase
Your shopping cart software should calculate and display shipping, tax, and applied discounts.
Once they decide to check out, they’ll have to input payment and shipping information. Unfortunately, this is a process that loses a lot of customers. It can be a lot of information to input, and many people find it to be too much effort. Therefore, it’s essential that your shopping cart software makes this process as quick and simple as possible.
Utilizing online shopping cart software can streamline your processes in a variety of ways:
- Using autofill forms: These forms can populate fields with the customer’s name, address, phone number, and email address using information already stored in their browser. Many online shopping cart solutions offer this as a built-in feature.
- Offering integrated payment options: Today, most consumers enjoy integrated payment options, like PayPal, Venmo, or Apple Pay. These integrations allow customers to link their accounts quickly, shortening the payment process. You might also want to consider payment plan options through a third-party vendor.
- Offering guest checkout options: Requiring customers to create an account to make a purchase often winds up losing a sale. Instead, offer a guest checkout option where they don’t need to register. You can still encourage them to create an account after their purchase, either on a thank-you page or in a confirmation email.
- Providing one-click account linking: Similar to guest checkout options, the ability to quickly link another account to your store—such as Google or social media accounts—cuts out the lengthy process of setting up an account and allows your customer to sign in quickly by selecting an existing account.
Finally, the customer should have one last chance to review the product(s) they’ve selected and the information they’ve input before completing their purchase.
Continuing the shopping process
Once a sale is complete, it’s smart to encourage customers to keep browsing your products.
You can do this in a few ways.
- Show related products complementary to the purchase they just made
- Offer future purchase discounts
- Encourage the customer to engage with your brand on social media
- Ask the customer to sign up for emails
It can be helpful to analyze data on the behavior of customers who have completed multiple purchases from your store. Look for similarities in their interactions with your online store and try to find ways you can encourage first-time customers to become repeat buyers.
The merchant’s side (that’s you)
The customer isn’t the only one using your business’s online shopping cart. The software also works for you, the seller. It should be as user-friendly on the seller side as it is on the customer-facing side.
Common features that a shopping cart manages on the merchant side include:
- Inventory
- Product descriptions and metadata
- Price information, including promotional codes, discounts, and tax calculations
- Shipping options
- Payment options
- Required customer information to complete a purchase
- Order confirmation
- Identifying returning customers
Why an online shopping cart is so important
An online shopping cart serves as your e-commerce platform’s point of sale. It bridges the critical moment when you convert shoppers into customers.
An online shopping cart that functions well and is optimized for your business can benefit both you and your customers.
Benefits for merchants
A well-designed ecommerce shopping cart can transform business operations.
From boosting conversion rates to providing valuable customer data, the right shopping cart for your online store offers multiple advantages that directly impact your bottom line.
These benefits work together to create a comprehensive system that facilitates sales while providing the insights needed to grow your business strategically.
- Increased conversions: An easy-to-use shopping cart facilitates sales conversions rather than slowing down the process. A seamless experience during the checkout process can prevent shopping cart abandonment.
- Critical data for future marketing efforts: Every time customers add products to your website’s shopping cart, you can use the data gleaned to learn more about their behavior and create personalized offers. Marketing to customers based on cart interactions is a powerful tool for retargeting.
- Better customer insights: If you were a merchant, wouldn't you want to know which products were being added or deleted from a customer's shopping cart the most? This type of data is invaluable when it comes to making strategic decisions about your business.
- Targeted advertising: An e-commerce cart has several advantages for the sellers as well. One of those is a unique way to target their advertising. Built-in analytics allow businesses to track the behavior of customers, gain key customer insights, and see what products they are interested in. This information can be used to create targeted ads that are more likely to be converted into a sale.
Benefits for customers
Modern ecommerce platforms have made online shopping more intuitive, secure, and personalized.
When you visit an ecommerce store today, the shopping cart experience is designed to mirror and enhance the convenience of traditional retail while offering unique digital advantages. These customer-focused benefits create a shopping environment that prioritizes ease of use, security, and personalization.
The result is a more satisfying shopping experience that encourages customers to complete their purchases and return for future transactions.
- Allowing customers to save items for future purchases: The shopping cart is where customers can browse and save items they are considering purchasing. This helps ensure that your products are top of mind during the research stage of the customer journey.
- Simple payment processing: Shopping cart software processes transactions for you. Most online shopping carts can accept numerous payment options—credit and debit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more. Integrating these options into the process makes checkout even easier for the customer.
- Personalized content: Online shopping carts are an excellent way for customers to feel like they are getting a personalized shopping experience, whether it's their first time visiting your site or they're a returning customer. By tracking the items that customers have viewed or purchased in the past, you can make suggestions for other products they might be interested in.
- Secure payments: Customers who have trust in the safety of their purchase are more likely to complete a transaction. With an e-commerce cart, businesses can offer their customers a number of different payment options that are secure and encrypted. This gives customers the peace of mind knowing that their personal information is safe and secure.
- Mobile-friendly: Being able to shop on the go is important for today's consumers. With an e-commerce cart, businesses can make sure that their website is mobile-friendly and responsive. This way, customers can easily browse and purchase items from their phones or tablets.
- Larger selection: One of the best things about shopping online is that you have a much wider selection of products to choose from. With an Ecommerce cart, businesses can offer their customers a larger selection of products than they would if they were shopping in-store.
Choosing an online shopping cart solution
When choosing an online shopping cart for your e-commerce business, think about the shopping experience. You want to make it easy for your customers to purchase and also make managing those transactions easy for you.
Take the time to walk through your own workflows, both as a customer and as a seller. If you hit any snags, see if the software can handle them. If not, consider looking for another online shopping cart company.
Questions you should ask when choosing an online shopping cart solution include:
- Is it easy to set up? Look for a solution that is intuitive and makes product data management simple.
- Does it allow you to accept multiple payment options? The more payment choices you can provide to customers, the better the chances of closing the sale.
- Does it provide data and analytics on customer behavior? Your online shopping cart is key to understanding when and where you lose customers in the purchasing cycle.
- How many steps does it take for a customer to complete a purchase? The fewer, the better. A shopping cart that is too laborious can cause you to lose business.
Will online shopping carts continue to evolve? The short answer is, yes! Just like any other industry, online shopping will continue to evolve as technology advances. We can expect to see improved user experiences for buyers and sellers as more tools get developed.
An online shopping cart is a powerful and critical piece of technology for your business. It can help you sell products online seamlessly and provide a frictionless experience for your customers. The data from your online shopping cart can help you market to your existing customers and reach new ones who are on the fence about making a purchase.
Features to look for in an online shopping cart
The right shopping cart software for your ecommerce site can help create a successful online business that drives customer satisfaction and maximizes sales potential.
Whether you're launching a new ecommerce website or upgrading your existing platform, the features you choose will determine how effectively your shopping cart converts visitors into paying customers. Look for these features when designing your online shopping cart:
User-friendly design
A clean, intuitive interface directly impacts how customers navigate through the purchasing process. The design should be responsive across all devices, with clear navigation, prominent call-to-action buttons, and a logical flow that guides customers from product selection to checkout completion.
Features like visual product previews, easy quantity adjustments, and clear pricing displays help reduce confusion and friction during the shopping experience.
Customizable branding options
Your shopping cart should seamlessly integrate with your brand identity to maintain consistency throughout the customer journey. Look for solutions that allow you to customize colors, fonts, logos, and messaging to match your brand guidelines, creating a cohesive experience that builds trust and recognition.
The ability to customize confirmation emails, checkout pages, and cart notifications ensures that every touchpoint reinforces your brand while maintaining a professional appearance.
Inventory and product management
Effective inventory management features help you maintain accurate stock levels and prevent overselling, which can damage customer relationships and your business reputation.
The ideal shopping cart solution should offer real-time inventory tracking, automated low-stock alerts, and the ability to manage product variants like size, color, and style from a centralized dashboard.
Additionally, features like bulk product uploads, category management, and detailed product attribute options streamline the process of maintaining an organized and up-to-date product catalog.
Integrated payment gateways
Multiple payment options are essential for accommodating diverse customer preferences and maximizing conversion rates across different demographics and markets.
Your shopping cart should support major credit cards, digital wallets like PayPal and Apple Pay, and emerging payment methods like buy-now-pay-later services to reduce checkout abandonment. Seamless integration with trusted payment processors ensures secure transactions while providing customers with familiar and convenient payment experiences.
Security features (SSL, fraud protection, etc.)
A secure shopping cart protects both your business and your customers' information from cyber threats and data breaches. Essential security features include SSL encryption, PCI DSS compliance, fraud detection algorithms, and secure data storage protocols that meet industry standards.
Additionally, features like two-factor authentication, secure admin access, and regular security updates help maintain the integrity of your shopping cart system.
Real-time shipping and tax calculations
Accurate, real-time calculations for shipping costs and taxes eliminate surprise charges that often lead to cart abandonment at the final checkout stage. The shopping cart should integrate with multiple shipping carriers to provide customers with various delivery options and estimated arrival times based on their location.
Automated tax calculations that account for different jurisdictions, tax-exempt customers, and promotional discounts ensure compliance while providing transparency in the final purchase price.
How your shopping cart affects conversion rates
Your shopping cart directly impacts whether visitors complete purchases or abandon their carts before checkout. A seamless shopping experience reduces friction and guides customers smoothly through the buying process, while a complicated or confusing cart can sabotage conversions even when customers are ready to buy.
Cart abandonment occurs when customers add items but leave without completing their purchase, primarily caused by unexpected costs, forced registration, security concerns, and complex checkout processes.
Key strategies to reduce abandonment include:
- Offering guest checkout options
- Displaying trust signals like security badges and return policies
- Using progress bars to show checkout steps
- Providing multiple payment methods to accommodate customer preferences
Additionally, effective call-to-action buttons use action-oriented language like "Complete Purchase" and remain visually prominent throughout the checkout process.
The checkout flow should minimize required steps, auto-fill information when possible, and provide clear error messages to ensure customers never feel lost or frustrated during their purchase journey.
Making the most of your online shopping cart
Whether you're building a new online storefront or optimizing an existing website, the right shopping cart solution, paired with comprehensive marketing tools, can transform how you engage with customers and drive sales.
From inventory management to personalized customer experiences, every feature contributes to creating a seamless buying journey that converts browsers into loyal customers.
To maximize your cart's potential, consider integrating it with platforms that offer all the tools you need to grow your business beyond basic transactions.
Solutions like Mailchimp provide analytics to track customer behavior, automation features to recover abandoned carts, audience segmentation for targeted campaigns, and even capabilities to sell digital products directly through your existing infrastructure.
By combining a well-designed shopping cart with robust marketing and customer relationship management tools, you create a comprehensive ecosystem that drives conversions, fosters customer loyalty, and scales with your business growth.
Key Takeaways
- Online shopping carts are essential software that allows customers to select products and complete purchases seamlessly on e-commerce websites.
- A well-designed shopping cart benefits both merchants through increased conversions and valuable customer data and customers through secure payments and personalized experiences.
- Key features to prioritize include user-friendly design, integrated payment gateways, robust security measures, and real-time shipping calculations.
- Reducing cart abandonment requires offering guest checkout, displaying trust signals, and maintaining clear call-to-action buttons throughout the checkout process.