Add to Cart: The Best Feature For eCommerce Stores

add to cart optimization best practices and statistics

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Why Your Online Store Needs a “Add to Cart” Button

The “add to cart” function is one of the most important aspects of an e-commerce website. These shopping baskets are the lifeblood of online shopping, but are often neglected by shop operators. They allow customers to easily add items to the shopping cart and complete the purchase. Without this function, or if it is not properly displayed and optimised, it is difficult for customers to make a purchase, which is time-consuming and frustrating.

The “Add to cart” function is not the only thing you should pay attention to, but it is one of the most important.

While the “add to cart” function is important for e-commerce websites, it is not the only thing that is important. Other aspects of an online shop are equally important, such as checkout, customer service, shipping and return policies. All of these factors play a role in the customer’s decision to make a purchase on a particular website. If any of these elements are not in order, this can lead to lost sales and customers.

But today we want to focus on the “Add to Cart” function, why it is so important, what you should look for when creating or improving this function on your eCommerce website and how best to proceed.

What Makes the Add to Cart feature so Important?

The “Add to Cart” function is important for several reasons.

🛒 First, it allows customers to easily add items to their shopping cart. This is especially important for customers who want to buy multiple items on one website.

🛒 Second, the “Add to Cart” feature gives customers the ability to complete their purchase quickly and easily. Customers who can complete their purchase quickly are less likely to abandon their shopping cart before completing their purchase.

🛒 Finally, the “Add to Cart” feature allows customers to track the items they want to purchase. This is important because it allows customers to see what they have already added to their shopping cart and they can easily remove the items if they no longer want to buy them.

Important things to keep in mind when enabling an Add to cart feature:

When creating or improving the “Add to Cart” feature on your eCommerce website, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

📌 First, the “Add to Cart” button should be prominently displayed on every product page. The button should be large and highly visible so that customers can easily find it.

📌 Secondly, the process of adding to the basket should be quick and easy. The fewer steps required, the better.

📌 And finally, the add to cart function should be easy to use on mobile devices. You probably already know the growing tendency of people preferring their mobile devices to search and buy what they want.

Online shopping is difficult without the “add to cart” function

Add to cart features make online shopping a breeze. With just a few clicks, you can add items to your cart and be on your way to checking out. Whether you’re looking for clothes, groceries, or something in between, our add to cart feature will make your life easier.

What is the difference between Add to the Basket and buy now?

Buy now” leads directly to the checkout, while “Add to cart” saves the items in the shopping cart. As simple as you see, the difference between the “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” functions is that “Add to Cart” allows the customer to continue shopping and buy later, while “Buy Now” takes the customer directly to the checkout.

The add to cart feature can also be tracked.

This is important because it allows store owners to see which items are being added to carts the most. This information can be used to improve the products and website. Add to cart feature is one of the most important aspects of an eCommerce website. 

Many sites have a low add-to-cart rate, and there are ways to improve the rate.

How to Increase Your Add to Cart Rates

There are a few key things you can do to increase your add to cart rates.

🛒 First, make sure the add to cart button is prominently displayed on each product page. The button should be large and easily visible so that customers can easily find it.

🛒 Second, make sure the add to cart process is quick and easy. The fewer steps involved, the better.

🛒 And finally, make sure the add to cart feature is easy to use on mobile devices. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to do their shopping, so it’s important that the add to cart feature is mobile-friendly.

By following these tips, you can increase your add to cart rates and improve your eCommerce website.

20 Tips to Get Your Customers to Add to the Basket More Often:

  1. Make sure the add to cart button is prominently displayed on each product page.
  2. Make the add to cart button large and easily visible.
  3. Keep the add to cart process quick and easy.
  4. Make sure the add to cart feature is easy to use on mobile devices.
  5. Use attractive visuals on the add to cart button.
  6. Use compelling copy on the add to cart button.
  7. Use a call to action on the add to cart button.
  8. Offer discounts or coupons for adding items to the cart.
  9. Make sure the pricing is clear on each product page.
  10. Use social proof on the product pages.
  11. Provide customer testimonials on the product pages.
  12. Use scarcity on the product pages.
  13. Use customer reviews on the product pages.
  14. Use trust badges on the product pages.
  15. Offer free shipping on the product pages.
  16. Use product videos on the product pages.
  17. Use customer photos on the product pages.
  18. Use interactive elements on the product pages.
  19. Make sure the product pages are easy to navigate.
  20. Use A/B testing on the product pages.  

10 things that could harm your “add to cart” rates:

  1. A complicated or lengthy add to cart process.
  2. A add to cart button that is difficult to find or not prominently displayed.
  3. A lack of mobile-friendliness for the add to cart feature.
  4. Confusing or unclear product pricing.
  5. A lack of social proof or customer testimonials.
  6. Scarcity tactics that are not believable.
  7. Difficult to navigate product pages.
  8. A lack of compelling visuals or copy on the add to cart button.
  9. A lack of clear calls to action.
  10. Poor A/B testing results.

How to Calculate the Add-to-Cart Rate?

You can calculate your add-to-cart rate, by using the formula below:

Add to Cart rate: (Cart Sessions with item viewed) / (The total sessions)

Average add-to-cart rate globally:

The worldwide MoM Add to cart Rate, at the time of writing is 6.95% based on Dynamic Yield.

Add to cart global mon on month rates
Image by Dynamic Yield

The following are statistics on the add-to-cart rate:

In July, the add-to-cart rate from Food & Beverage was the highest, at 11.33% – this is a 0.35% spike from June. In general, over the past twelve months, Food & Beverage has seen the highest add-to-cart rates, at 11.37%, and Luxury & Jewelry has seen the lowest, at 3.37%. Americas has witnessed the most add-to-carts overall (7.08%), followed by EMEA (7.01%), and then APAC (5.19%). And in terms of device type, tablet has been responsible for 7.94.

Some of the most notable add-to-cart trends are as follows:

✔ The add-to-cart rate for Home & Furniture items increased by 12.32%, from 3.35% in June to 3.79% in July.

✔ The add-to-cart rate for Beauty & Personal Care products rose by 27.13%, from 7.9% in June to 10.38% in July.

Multi-Brand Retail saw a decrease of 24.75% in add-to-cart rate, from 8.49% in June to 6.62% in July. Luxury & Jewelry items experienced an 11.59% increase in add-to-cart rate, from

An “add to cart” function also has its advantages and disadvantages:

👍 Pros:

  • 1. Increased Sales: Adding a “Add to Cart” button to your eCommerce store can increase sales by allowing customers to purchase items without having to leave the page they are on.
  • 2. Increased Conversion Rates: Adding an “Add to Cart” button can also increase your conversion rate by making it easy for customers to purchase items from your store.
  • 3. Increased customer satisfaction: “Add to Cart” buttons can also increase customer satisfaction by making it easier for them to purchase items from your store.

👎 Cons:

  • 1. May encourage impulse purchases: The “Add to Cart” button may encourage customers to make impulse purchases that they may not have otherwise made.
  • 2. May lead to higher cart abandonment rates: If customers add items to their cart and then leave the store without completing the purchase, this can lead to higher cart abandonment rates.
  • 3. May require additional development work: Adding an “Add to Cart” button to your store may require additional development work, depending on your store’s platform.

Add to Cart Study’s Final Words.

Now it’s your turn! Use what you have learned here to improve your shopping cart function and get more customers to add items to their cart. If you want your business to survive. Just follow these tips and you will see that your add-to-cart rates will improve your eCommerce website’s business.

Jesus Guzman

M&G Speed Marketing LTD. CEO

Jesus Guzman is the CEO and founder of M&G Speed Marketing LTD, a digital marketing agency focused on rapidly growing businesses through strategies like SEO, PPC, social media, email campaigns, and website optimization. With an MBA and over 11 years of experience, Guzman combines his marketing expertise with web design skills to create captivating online experiences. His journey as an in-house SEO expert has given him insights into effective online marketing. Guzman is passionate about helping businesses achieve impressive growth through his honed skills. He has proud case studies to share and is eager to connect to take your business to the next level.