The cart is much more than just the step before payment. It’s the last opportunity to reinforce the purchase decision, motivate the customer to add more products and remove any lingering doubts.
A well-designed cart improves conversion, increases average order value, and reduces abandonment.
In this guide, we’ll show you what the ideal Shopify cart should look like and which Planet features to activate to achieve it, with no code or technical development required.
With Planet, you can personalize by customer, market, and behavior, showing the most relevant message at exactly the right moment.
Start today with Planet and turn your cart into a true conversion engine.
1. Boost perceived value with a visual progress bar
Why it matters:
Customers need a reason to add more to their cart. A progress bar showing how close they are to unlocking a reward (like free shipping or a gift) provides a visual, motivating nudge.
How to activate it in Planet:
- Set the minimum amount required to unlock the reward
- Customize the message before, during, and after reaching the goal
- Use simple incentives: free shipping, gift, sample, etc.
Examples by sector:
- Beauty: “Get a free mini-size when you spend over €50”
- Stationery: “Surprise gift on orders over €30”
- Fashion: “Free shipping on orders over €60”
It is ideal for increasing AOV without applying direct discounts.
2. Offer relevant automatic upsells
Why it matters:
Suggesting complementary or related products just before checkout can significantly boost order value.
How to activate it in Planet:
- Set related products in the official Shopify Search & Discovery app
- Planet automatically detects items in the cart and shows suggestions, no rules are needed
Examples by sector:
- Beauty: sponge with foundation
- Pets: brush with kibble
- Kitchen: measuring spoon with spice set
Especially effective in beauty, fashion, home, pet, and stationery stores.
3. Display strategic cart announcements
Why it matters:
A well-timed message can answer a question, build trust, or create urgency—like having a great salesperson just before checkout.
How to activate it in Planet:
- Add custom text blocks to the cart
- Use messages like:
- “Easy returns and exchanges”
- “Your order ships in 24/48h”
- “Only 3 units left in stock”
Examples of effective messages:
- “Your order ships in 24/48h”
- “Hassle-free returns and exchanges”
- “100% secure payment with SSL encryption”
- “Only 3 items left”
Helps prevent abandonment caused by uncertainty or lack of information.
4. Add a coupon code field
Why it matters:
Letting customers enter a coupon in the cart is key to showing savings before they reach checkout.
How to activate it in Planet:
- Display the coupon code field only when there’s an active promotion
- Add a message: “Use WELCOME10 to get 10% off”
Pro tip:
Avoid always-on generic discounts. Use coupons for targeted campaigns, first-time purchases, or minimum order amounts. Convert more without damaging margins or setting poor expectations.
5. Enable additional notes to improve the experience
Why it matters:
Letting customers add instructions, gift messages, or preferences improves their experience and reduces returns due to misunderstandings.
How to activate it in Planet:
- Show an open text field at the bottom of the cart
- The message is automatically added to the Shopify order
Common use cases:
- Personalized gifts
- Handmade or made-to-order products
- Sensitive deliveries or special logistics
Perfect for artisan, gifting, or personalized product stores.
6. Design a fast, clear, frictionless flow
Shopify already provides an optimized checkout flow, but you can enhance it further with Planet by showing key information without adding clutter.
- Everything Planet activates, progress bars, announcements, upsells, coupons, and notes, blend visually into the cart. No pop-ups, no distractions.
- You can combine features to tailor the cart to your brand and ideal customer.
How to implement these strategies in your Shopify store
All the strategies in this guide, progress bars, announcements, upsells, coupons, and notes, might seem complex if you’re thinking in terms of code or third-party apps.
But with Planet, they’re all built-in and can be activated in minutes from a single dashboard:
- Choose the strategy you want to apply
- Go to Planet app > Smart Cart
- Customize the messages, colors, and settings
Each upgrade is automatically integrated into your Shopify cart, no need to install multiple apps or modify your theme.
In under 10 Minutes, you can have a cart that’s optimized, motivating, and built to sell
A well-designed cart doesn’t just summarize products. It sells, motivates, informs, and removes friction.
With Planet, you can activate all of these enhancements from one place, with no code, and no developers needed.
Turn your Shopify cart into your best-performing salesperson. Install Planet and start optimizing today.