Excellent Shopping Cart Designs: Showcase and Best Practices
Mark Thompson
Shopping cart optimization has always been a challenge for online retailers. To the end-user, it seems like a simple step to purchasing, however there are many factors that go into having a nicely designed shopping cart. If you are struggling to get users to convert during your checkout process, use some of these tips to help keep customers in the sales process.
E-commerce week is sponsored by SSLmatic which sells SSL certificates for much cheaper prices (RapidSSL, Geotrust, Verisign) and offers great support. Check their site to get the cheap SSL certificates.Best Practices for Shopping Cart Optimization:
- Product Summary
- Shipping Methods
- Final Pricing (with taxes and shipping)
- Multiple Payment Options
- Promo Code Field
- Free Shipping Offers
- Complimentary Products
- Secure Checkout Logos
- Links to Privacy Policy, FAQs, Return Policy
- Checkout as Guest or Sign-In
You can also get some ideas from just observing what other shopping sites are doing. Here are 35 shopping cart examples for some of the top retailers.
1. Cafepress
- Save Your Shopping Cart
- Paypal Integration
- Quantity Update
- Multiple Shipping Methods
2. American Eagle
- Call to Action “Free Shipping When You Spend $100 or More”
- Nicely Designed Cart Summary
- Product Recommendations Before Checkout
- Tip to Spend a Certain Amount More for Free Shipping
3. Famous Footwear
- Was/Now Pricing
- “You Saved” Message
- Ability to add Promo Code, Rewards Certificate, or Rewards Promo Code
- Move to Wishlist Functionality to Purchase Later
4. Gap
- Good Product Summary Layout/Design
- Link to Continue Shopping
- “Save for Later” Functionality
- Multiple Shipping Methods
- Security Icon, Link to Return Policy and Credit Card Safeguard
5. Nike Store
- Paypal Integration
- Free Shipping on Orders Over $175
- Good Color Scheme
- “You Might Also Like” Recommendations
- Multiple Shipping Methods
6. BlueNile
- Visual Checkout Process (Steps 1-4)
- Options to Continue Shopping or Checkout
- Easy Dropdown for Product Quantity
- Order Number
- Contact Information
- Free FedEx Shipping
- Approximate Date of Arrival
7. Zappos
- “Free Shipping”
- “24/7 Customer Service”
- “365 Day Return Policy”
- Free Shipping “and ready to ship”
- Paypal Integration
- Call or Email Customer Service
8. Bestbuy
- Delivery or Pickup Options
- Best Buy Credit Option
- Easy Quantity Update Button
- “Don’t Forget” Suggested Products
- “On Sale” “Free Product” “Financing Offer” Messaging
- Calculate Delivery Tax Functionality
- Credit Card Logos
9. Crutchfield
- “This item is in stock” Confirmation
- “You Save” Messaging
- Checkout Button at Top and Bottom
- Crutchfield Gift Card Sell Up
- “Total Value of savings on this order” Message
- Free Standard Shipping
- Free Lifetime Tech Support, Audio/Video Cable
10. Dell
- Estimated Ship Date
- “Move to Wish List” Option
- E-mail/Print Cart Capabilities
- Discounts and Coupons
- Apply Coupon Field
11. Gamestop
- Nicely Designed “Proceed to Checkout” Button
- Pre-order Availablity
- Link to Handling and Shipping Rates
- Promo Code Activation
12. Build-a-Bear
- Free Naming
- Sell Ups on Dressing and Adding Sound
- Move to Wish List Functionality
13. TigerDirect
- “Order Today, Ships Today” Messaging
- “Instant Savings” Discount Shown
- Google Checkout and Paypal Integration
- Shows How Much You’ve Saved
- Zip Code for Shipping and Tax Calculation
14. Polo
- Assistance Phone # or Email Information
- “You May Also Like” Sell Ups
- Shipping Expectations
- Free Shipping on Orders Over $195
- Credit Card Logos
- Paypal or Bill Me Later Integration
15. Palm
- Simplistic and Good Use of White space
- Estimated Shipping and Handling Details
- Free Shipping on Orders over $69
- Estimate Shipping Calculations
16. NFL Shop.com
- Promo Code Field
- Free Shipping on Orders Over $75
- Sales Tax on Certain States Noted
- Explains When Product Leaves Warehouse
17. Petco
- Sale Price Shown
- Estimated Shipping and Handling
- Promo Code Field
- Petco Customer Card Field
- Clear “Proceed to Secure Checkout” Button
18. Petsmart
- Item “In Stock” Messaging
- Gift Wrapping and Message Available
- Estimated Shipping and Handling
- $5.99 Shipping on Orders of $60 or More
19. Omaha Steaks
- Paypal Integration
- Sell Up Recommended Product
- Product Summary with Description
20. Cooking.com
- Two Checkout Buttons (Top and Bottom)
- Redeem Coupon Link
- Redeem Gift Certificate and Gift Cards Link
- Paypal and Bill Me Later Integration
- Estimated Shipping and Tax Integration
21. Moosejaw.com
- Field for Zip Code to Calculate Shipping Costs
- Field for Coupon Code
- Direct Link to Continue Shopping in a Certain Category
- “Points Earned” Promotion
22. Green Mountain Coffee
- Apply Key Code Promotion
- Save for Later Functionality
- FAQs, Return Policy, Guaranteed Satisfaction, Privacy and Security Links
- Bizrate Certified Logo
23. Zazzle
- Credit Card Logos
- Redeem Certificate Code Field
- “Proceed to Checkout” Stands Out
24. Bass Pro Shops
- Calculated Shipping Charges
- Product Recommendations Based on Shopping Cart Products
25. GNC
- “Deal of the Day” Promotion
- Was/No Pricing
- Additional Sell Up “Add Item to Cart”
- Promo Code Field
- “Leaves Warehouse in 1-2 Full Business Days”
26. Williams-Sonoma
- Statement about Freshness for Perishable Items
- Customer Service Number Visible
- Order By x Date for Delivery by Easter
- Shipping Options and Charges Link
27. Fathead
- Timely Offer Call to Action Graphic
- Satisfaction Guaranteed Graphic
- Paypal and Bill Me Later Integration
- Phone Number at Top
28. Target
- Sign in “1-Click” Checkout
- Free Shipping
- Save 10% When you Spend $125
- Continue Shopping Links
- Product Rating Link
29. Sears
- Paypal Integration
- Enter Rewards Number
- Use Coupon Code Link
30. Crate and Barrel
- Redeem Promotion Code Button
- Estimated Shipping and Handling
- Check Product Availability Link
31. Bose
- Recommended Accessories
- Payment Options with Credit Card Logos
- Bill Me Later Option
- 0% Interest
- Free Shipping on Order
- Visual Checkout Process (4 Steps)
32. Sony
- Estimated Tax and Shipping Calculation
- Add Custom Engraving
- Add Extended Service Plan
- Add Installation Service
- Payment Plan Options
33. Lowes
- Free Shipping on Order of $49 or More
- “Buy Online, Ready in Store – 30 Minutes Guaranteed”
- “Save 22% thru 2/28/2010″
- Optional Extended Protection Plan
34. Barnes and Noble
- Usually Ships within 24 Hours
- Tax and Shipping Calculated during Checkout
- Nicely Designed Continue Checkout Button
35. Coach
- Checkout as Guest or Login
- Free Shipping on Orders of $75 or More Graphic
- Gifting Options
- Add to Wishlist Functionality
- Visual Checkout Process (4 Steps)
E-commerce week is sponsored by SSLmatic which sells SSL certificates for much cheaper prices (RapidSSL, Geotrust, Verisign) and offers great support. Besides standard SSL certificates, wildcard and EV certificates are offered with discounts too. Check their site to get the cheap SSL certificates.For Further Reading:
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Autore
Posted 19 days ago 22I like gap’s design, great colors and Job. Very well done.
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Posted 24 days ago 21NFL and Petco carts are the best from a visual standpoint, but from a practical, I would not say that …
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Posted 70 days ago 20thanks for sharing your post
Ryan
Posted 109 days ago 19Yeah I like all of these carts but I prefer the NFL and Petco carts for some reason, they are nice to look at and simple.
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Posted 110 days ago 18Nice roundup, some quality cart designs there, some good inspiration for everyone with an online shop :-)
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Posted 112 days ago 17I’m looking to find this out as well! It seems like this is a great topic to discuss and I’m looking to see what comes from future research.
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Posted 144 days ago 16Wow, Thanks for sharing.very nice, I like it very much.
Damian Outcalt
Posted 178 days ago 15An fascinating dialogue is value comment. I believe that you need to write more on this topic, it may not be a taboo subject but typically persons are not enough to talk on such topics. To the next. Cheers
Olivier
Posted 276 days ago 14Awesome showcase, the only thing it could be better, a full size screenshot for see details. Thank you.
Lauren
Posted 393 days ago 13Nice range of sample shopping carts and popular online merchants.
However, I still prefer Amazon.
If you need to build your own store, have a go at http://www.instantestore.com
Lauren
Miljan
Posted 462 days ago 12If we talk about design, then my vote goes for Nike and Sony.
Others do not impress me.
My store for shopping sat templates:
http://www.shopping-cart-themes.com
Dave
Posted 465 days ago 11Are you kidding me? Some of these guys have the worst shopping carts.
Jiangwei22
Posted 474 days ago 10MBT shoes sale store Nike factory online store UGG boots sale store GHD hair straighteners discount store Louis Vuitton Factory Outlet store Gucci Factory Outlet store Chanel Factory Outlet store Coach Factory Outlet store Bride wedding dress store
Michael Daehn
Posted 571 days ago 9Great list. A big help as I am looking to make some tweaks to a cart design.
Interesting how inconsistent the designs are. I was looking for wording on estimated ship dates. Half of these don’t give an actual ship date.
Thank you!
Tania
Posted 592 days ago 8Try this one http://www.wordans.com
You can sell your funny t-shirt designs online!
Sönke
Posted 684 days ago 7also nice and very clean: http://www.herrenausstatter-braun.de
Judy Smith
Posted 686 days ago 6Yes, Optimize a shopping cart site for search engines is a difficult task. But if you do not use proper keyword research then it could be a big hampered. Because all over the worlds there are so many shopping carts which lead to search engine. So if you could not do good keyword your targeted customer will not be aware about that. Online Selling
.-= Judy Smith´s last blog ..Improve Web Site Traffic with Proper Keyword Research =-.
Nishant
Posted 686 days ago 5Have to admit that didn’t know most of them earlier. Thanks for that. My vote goes to zazzle, not just because of their design but also a nice business idea.
Charles Linn
Posted 686 days ago 4Good Color Scheme for Nike Store? You’ve got to be kidding me! Color-blind and vision-impaired people wear shoes too. The colors might appeal to a few under-25′s but for everyone else, they suck.
Lena Tailor
Posted 686 days ago 3#28. Target & #32. Sony shopping cart designs look Nice and Tight..
Thanks for the idea.
badger
Posted 687 days ago 2The amount of times I’ve stumbled across a website and had to really scan around to find the cart still amazes me. Sometimes they make the link so difficult to see or to log into that you just give up. Shopping carts need to be blatant otherwise your conversions will drop like a stone.
.-= badger´s last blog ..5 Great Marathon Ideas… =-.
Melody
Posted 687 days ago 1I really love the possibilities with zazzle, I just think their shopping cart process makes it hard for some customers to follow through with the sale!
.-= Melody´s last blog ..Decoding Sexy Design: Megan Fox =-.