Mobile Shopping Cart Design 101 [With Specific Steps]

Welcome to Chapter 4 of the Ultimate Guide to Mobile App Design with Simicart! In this section, we’ll cover Mobile Shopping Cart Design 101—a key component for any e-commerce app. Learn the specific steps to create a seamless, user-friendly shopping cart that enhances the user experience and boosts conversions. Let’s dive into how to design a cart that keeps users engaged and drives sales.

What is a cart in shopping app?

A shopping cart in a shopping app is a software feature that allows customers to select, store, and manage items they intend to purchase before proceeding to checkout. Mobile shopping cart serves as a virtual basket where users can add products while browsing, review their selections, adjust quantities, and view total costs.

Key functions of mobile shopping cart:

• Selection and Storage: Customers can easily add items to their cart as they shop.
• Checkout Process: The shopping cart facilitates the transition to the checkout phase, where users enter shipping and payment information.
• User Experience: A well-designed shopping cart enhances the overall shopping experience by providing features like saving items for later, displaying shipping costs, and offering quick access to checkout.

Make mobile shopping cart design easily with Simicart

Cart abandonment remains the no.1 problem for online retailers. A high cart abandonment rate signals a poor user experience, especially on mobile. Optimizing mobile cart page is among the core areas of focus for most brands to resolve this issue and maximize mobile revenue.

>>> Read more: Best Tactics to Handle Ecommerce Returns in 2025

17. Allow users to edit cart items

The ability to edit items directly from the cart is critical for users at the point of conversion. Allow users to easily and efficiently change quantities, delete cart items so they don’t have to go back in the purchasing flow to adjust items to their preference.

18. Show users checkout is secured 

Security is among the top concerns for online shoppers – especially when it comes to sharing their personal information and financial credentials during the checkout process. Ensure that the app follow modern data security measures and visually reassure the users that their information will be transmitted securely.  Add a security icon to the checkout button is a great way to give users more confidence to proceed.

19. Simplify the cart page header

The more distracted a shopper is during checkout, the less likely they are to complete checkout. To eliminate unnecessary distractions from checkout, minimizing the number of elements in the cart header can increase the likelihood of completed purchases. Simplifying the cart header is the key to create the easiest path for user to either proceed to checkout or continue shopping. Remove all elements not directly related to the checkout process or continue shopping experience to create a simplified view.

20. Enable cart auto-update

A growing number of ecommerce stores has implemented automatic cart update to reduce the manual steps users have to take as they make changes to the cart. Automatically updating cart items help providing real-time feedback to the users at all times. The improvement in cart update can elevate the shopping experience and ultimately increase conversion and sales.

21. Remove continue shopping button from the cart page

Often displayed near the critical call to action on the cart page, the continue shopping button takes up valuable space on the small mobile screen. More importantly, the button directs users away from the checkout funnel. Remove the continue shopping button from the cart page can be a good solution to reduce distractions for the users and nudge them to checkout.

22. Show users how many reward points they’ll earn 

Make the most out of your reward program by showing users how many points they’ll earn. If the app have a point rewarding system in place, make sure they have a clear understanding of how many points they can receive for their cart total. Letting shoppers know how they can benefit from your reward program right on the cart page is the best way to prompt them to complete checkout.

23. Show estimated shipping cost before checkout

One of the most common reasons for cart abandonment is unexpected shipping cost. Shipping and handling charges should be presented to them earlier in the checkout process in order to help them make decisions. To address this issue, estimating total shipping cost prior to checkout  (eg. Enable shipping cost estimation directly from the cart page,..) is a great solution.

Using Simicart Mobile App Builder To Make Amazing Mobile Shopping Carts Without Coding Now!

Best examples of mobile cart design in 2025

1. Solo Stove

• USP: Convenience and Complementary Suggestions
• Description: Automatically adds complementary products to the cart and displays expected shipping times for quicker decision-making.

2.Smyths

• USP: Flexible Delivery Options
• Description: Offers multiple shipping and delivery options without cluttering the interface, enhancing user choice.

3. Gymshark

• USP: Data-driven Product Recommendations
• Features: Utilizes machine learning to suggest complementary products based on user selections, encouraging additional purchases.

4. Topicals

• USP: Brand Personality Integration
• Features: Reflects brand ideals through a distinct design with plenty of whitespace and a clear “update” button for editing orders.

In conclusion, designing an effective mobile shopping cart is crucial for delivering a smooth and engaging user experience. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can not only enhance usability but also boost conversions.

Ready to bring your vision to life? With Simicart’s mobile app builder, you can easily create and customize a powerful shopping cart experience for your e-commerce app. Start building today and take your mobile app design to the next level!