What a mini-cart should show: item, price, total and count
The mini-cart confirms what was added. It should show the item, its price, a running total and how many items are in the cart.
2 min read
Area
CRO & UX
Severity
Medium
Fix effort
Small
Stores failing
Not enough data
The mini-cart confirms the add-to-cart worked. It should show the item with a picture, its price, the cart total and how many items are in it. This check reads those elements after an item is added.
Why it matters
Shoppers want confirmation that the right thing, in the right size, is in the cart. A vague message such as "Added" does not give it. Showing the total also prevents surprise later.
What the audit looks at
The audit checks that the mini-cart shows the item, its price, a total and the number of items.
What usually causes it
- A drawer that shows only a message
- A cart count that does not update
- Missing images in the mini-cart
- A subtotal shown only on the cart page
How to fix it
Show the item, price, total and item count in the mini-cart. The effort is small, usually a setting or a paste and under 30 minutes.
- A mini-cart should name each product, show its price and quantity, show the total, and show how many items are in the cart.
- The item count badge on the cart icon should update when an item is added.
On Shopify
- Online Store > Themes > Customize: current themes show these by default. If yours does not, edit the cart drawer snippet in Edit code.
On WooCommerce
- Check the mini-cart template of your theme and the cart fragments script that updates it.
How to check it yourself
- Add an item and read what the mini-cart shows.
- Add a second item and check the count and total update.
- Test with variants.
Frequently asked questions
Should the mini-cart show shipping?
If possible, show a progress message toward free shipping, but avoid showing an unconfirmed total.
Is a drawer better than a popup?
A drawer on the right is familiar and works on both desktop and mobile.
Related checks
Check your own store
See whether your store passes this check
Paste your store URL. The audit loads your pages in a real browser and shows the result for this check with the evidence behind it.