Not focusing on shopping cart development can have severe consequences for your e-commerce business, such as shopping cart abandonment. Statistics from Statista show that during the fourth quarter of 2023, about eight of every ten shopping baskets created by shoppers didn’t see a complete order, which led to a cart abandonment rate of 83%.
So how do we ensure seamless shopping cart development for shoppers? In this blog, we will discuss this unanswered question. To understand the concept, first, let’s explore what a shopping cart is.
What is a Shopping Cart?
The e-commerce shopping cart is the virtual version of a shopping cart that you find in your store. The cart’s primary function is to store all products and calculate the total cost once you have finalized the purchase.
The cart can also be used to apply promo codes and offers to gain a discount on your purchase. Some things that you’ll find commonly in e-commerce carts include; a product list that includes the names and quantities of all items that you have purchased, descriptions and prices of the products that you have purchased, and an easy checkout process that also provides secure payment options.
Now, let’s explore some of the most notable shopping cart software.
Most Notable Software’s Being Used for Shopping Cart Development
The most prominent software’s being used to design e-commerce shopping carts include:
Shopify
Shopify is one of the most popular software being used by e-commerce businesses. One of the major reasons to use Shopify’s shopping cart is that it is level 1 PCI DSS compliant. The shopping cart accepts payment through mediums such as Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal.
To keep your transactions secure, the Shopify shopping cart also comes with 256-bit SSL certificates. The Shopify shopping cart also automatically calculates tax rates based on your location. Moreover, it can change the checkout section based on 50 different languages.
Magento
Magento was developed by Adobe and also provides e-commerce shopping cart solutions. The features of the Magento shopping cart include a one-page checkout, and a guest checkout with an account to use the address book. Moreover, the Magento shopping cart also allows you to ship to multiple addresses with one order.
Similar to Shopify, the Magento shopping cart also provides you with shipping estimates. You can also save your payment cards for offline purchases. Furthermore, the cart also accepts checks/money orders.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a popular e-commerce platform because it is integrated with WordPress.
The WooCommerce cart and checkout plugins provide options such as the localization of currency, and the ability to calculate tax rates once an order has been completed. Now, let’s look at five amazing tips to keep in mind when creating an e-commerce shopping cart.
Tips to Keep in Mind During Shopping Cart Development for E-Commerce
For Good e-commerce shopping cart development, keep in mind the following:
Provide multiple payment options
During shopping cart development, ensure to offer a choice to your customers By providing them with different modes of payment. Offering a variety of secure payment gateways is essential for a smooth checkout experience.
This caters to diverse preferences and ensures everyone feels comfortable completing their purchase. So, add options to your payment gateways such as credit cards, debit cards, noteworthy digital wallets, and buy now and pay later options.
Provide total cost estimates
Having a transparent transaction process builds trust. And, you can build this trust during the shopping cart development for your e-commerce website. So in your shopping cart, always display the total cost of the products that your customer is purchasing. This cost should include a subtotal of the number of items that you are buying, any taxes that apply, and the cost of shipping.
Don’t forget to include any discounts or promotions as well. By providing the complete total that automatically changes as customers add or remove items, you eliminate surprise costs that occur at checkout and create a sense of control for your customers.
Use product recommendations
During shopping cart development, ensure that you include an option for product recommendations. Don’t just display the cart’s contents. Use product recommendations to improve the customer’s shopping experience and boost your sales. Use smart algorithms to suggest items or similar products based on what’s already in the cart.
This will make the customer curious to explore more items that they can add to their purchases. Recommend related accessories, higher-end versions of chosen items, or frequently bought together bundles. This not only benefits your bottom line but also helps customers discover products they might genuinely enjoy.
Focus on shopping cart visibility
During shopping cart development, make sure that the shopping cart is visible to users. The best way to do this is by carefully positioning your shopping cart at the top right corner. Why’s that? It’s because you want to make sure that it’s easy for the customer to find it. You want to provide an element of comfort for the customer. So, ensure that the customer doesn’t need to scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the shopping cart.
So, these are four tips that you need to keep in mind when going for shopping cart development for your business.
The Ending Note
By prioritizing a user-friendly shopping cart, you can streamline the checkout process, reduce cart abandonment rates, and boost sales. Remember, offering multiple payment options, transparent cost estimates, relevant product recommendations, and clear cart visibility are all crucial for a positive customer experience.
