How to Add a Side Cart in WooCommerce?

A simple shopping experience is a key parameter in adding to customer experience, and this fact cannot be changed.

We can make this shopping experience simpler by adding a side cart in the WooCommerce store, which pops up each time the user adds something to the cart. What impact will this have on the customers? Well, not much for many, but the user will have an informed shopping haul. 

Before any further delay, let’s dig into the methods you can add a side cart in WooCommerce and what the benefits of doing so are.

Top 2 Methods To Add WooCommerce Side Cart

To add a side cart to your WooCommerce store, you have two options to proceed with.

The two methods are

1. Side Popup Cart For WooCommerce plugin
2. Advanced Coding

Let’s explore each of the methods in detail. 

Method 1: Using A Side Cart WooCommerce Plugin

The first method and the most efficient of all the methods is to choose a side popup cart for WooCommerce. This plugin is ideal for people looking for a simple and smart solution without affecting their website performance and operations. 

Here is how the plugin helps you to add a WooCommerce side popup cart: 

Step #1: Download and Install The Plugin

The first and foremost step is downloading the side cart plugin and installing it. Here are the steps to follow to succeed. 

• Download the Side Popup Cart.zip file from your WooCommerce account.
• In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, then click Upload Plugin.
• Select the downloaded ZIP file by clicking Choose File.
• Click Install Now, then Activate the extension.

Step #2: Plugin Configuration 

Now that you have downloaded and installed the side cart for WooCommerce plugin, the next step is the plugin configuration. To do so, head to WooCommerce > Settings > Side Popup Cart tab and manage the general settings and customization needs.  

Step #3: General Settings

In the general settings, you can play with

• Choose Cart Layout: Select either Popup Cart or Side Cart for display.
• Show Cart When Item Is Added: Enable this to display the cart immediately after an item is added.
• Show Prices With Tax Included: Enable this to display prices inclusive of taxes.
• Custom Cart Page URL: Enter the URL if you're using a custom cart page.
• Custom Checkout Page URL: Enter the URL if you're using a custom checkout page.
• Exclude Cart From Specific Pages: Choose the pages where you want the cart to be hidden.
• Disable Cart on Mobile Devices: Enable this option to turn off the cart on mobile devices.

Step #4: Side Cart Customization

 To have a side cart of your choice, these are the customization options you get with the side cart plugin:

• Cart Background and Text Color: Define the background and text color for the entire cart interface and text on it.
• Product Section Background and Text Color: Set the background color for the product display and text section within the cart.
• Cart Header Text: Input the desired text to appear as the cart’s header label.
• Cart Button Text: Provide the label text for the main cart button.
• Cart Button Text Color: Choose the color of the text shown on the cart button.
• Checkout Button Text: Input the display text for the checkout initiation button.
• Checkout Button Text Color: Define the text color used on the checkout button.
• Coupon Field Background Color: Assign a background color to the coupon code input field.
• Coupon Field Text Color: Select the color for text within the coupon field.
• Coupon Button Text: Enter the label text for the coupon application button.
• Cart Widget Position: Select the preferred on-screen location from the available positioning options for the cart widget.

And this is how you can successfully and effortlessly add a side cart in WooCommerce with just a few steps. 

If you still have any ambiguities on how to add a WooCommerce side cart with this plugin, we have compiled a step-by-step instruction guide. 

We have made a brief and simple video on how the side cart plugin works to make things easier for you. 

 

Method 2: Add Side Cart By Modifying Theme Files

Another ineffective method for adding a side cart in a WooCommerce store is by making changes to the theme files. These changes are only successful when you are familiar with coding or hire web development services or experts.

Follow these steps to modify your theme files and add a side popup cart in WooCommerce:

Step #1: Create a Child Theme

To avoid any major damage to your entire store, it is better to create a child theme and embed code in it instead of making any changes to the parent theme.

Now, create a theme file, let’s say side-cart.php, in your theme folder, and add this HTML code:

<!-- side-cart.php -->

<div id="side-cart" class="side-cart">

  <div class="side-cart-overlay"></div>

  <div class="side-cart-panel">

    <div class="side-cart-header">

      <h3>Your Cart</h3>

      <button class="close-cart">×</button>

    </div>

    <div class="side-cart-content">

      <?php woocommerce_mini_cart(); ?>

    </div>

    <div class="side-cart-footer">

      <a href="<?php echo wc_get_cart_url(); ?>" class="button">View Cart</a>

      <a href="<?php echo wc_get_checkout_url(); ?>" class="button checkout">Checkout</a>

    </div>

  </div>

</div>

Step #2: Add CSS and JS for Side Cart

To manage the cart styling and make it interactive, add this CSS and JS code to the function.php file.

function enqueue_side_cart_assets()

{

    wp_enqueue_style('side-cart-style', get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/side-cart.css');

    wp_enqueue_script('side-cart-js', get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/side-cart.js', ['jquery'], null, true);

    add_filter('woocommerce_add_to_cart_fragments', 'update_side_cart_fragment');

}

add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', 'enqueue_side_cart_assets');

function update_side_cart_fragment($fragments) {

    ob_start();

    woocommerce_mini_cart();

    $fragments['.side-cart-content'] = ob_get_clean();

    return $fragments;

}

Step #3: Make The Side Cart Interactive

To make the side cart perform its functionality each time the user clicks, add this piece of code:

jQuery(document).ready(function($)

{

  $('.open-cart').on('click', function()

{

    $('#side-cart').fadeIn();

  });

  $('.close-cart, .side-cart-overlay'). on('click', function() {

    $('#side-cart').fadeOut();

  });

});

Step #4: Add The Button To Display Side Cart

To display the cart and the items in the cart, you need to add a cart display button and this is the code to write:

<button class="open-cart">Cart (<?php echo WC()->cart->get_cart_contents_count(); ?>)</button>

Does this method scare you? 

Well, I’m sure it does because of the complexity it holds.

But why fret when you have the easiest way— a WooCommerce side cart plugin? 

So, buy this plugin to avoid all the mess this method holds. 

Buy Now

Why Choose the Side Cart WooCommerce Plugin Over Theme Modification?

Do you see the problem here? I’m sure you do, and it's a hard nut to crack for someone with limited coding experience. This is not the only reason why you should avoid modifying the theme files via code when you have a plugin to add a side popup cart in WooCommerce.

Here is a tabular comparison of the two methods:

Features	Side Cart for WooCommerce Plugiin	Manual Theme Modification
Ease of Setup	✅Very easy— install & activate with a few clicks.	❌Requires custom coding, file editing, and debugging.
Mobile Responsiveness	✅Built-in and fully responsive on all devices.	❌Must be coded manually; needs testing and tweaking for mobile.
Customization Options	✅Admin panel options for color, layout, text, positioning, etc.	❌Requires editing PHP, CSS, and JS files to make changes.
Compatibility	✅100% compatible and regularly tested with WooCommerce updates	❌May break on WooCommerce updates unless maintained manually.
Feature Updates	✅Regular updates with new features and fixes.	❌Updates done manually
Integration with other plugins	✅Built-in support for coupons, cross-sells, and other Woo features	❌Must be integrated and tested manually.

 

Features A Side Cart WooCommerce Plugin Must Offer

You can not choose any random plugin to add a side cart in a WooCommerce store; the choice you make must include thorough research on the feature the plugin offers. 

Here is the list of features of the plugin you choose for adding a side cart for WooCommerce:

• Compatibility: The most important thing to consider is that the plugin is compatible with your WooCommerce store.
• Real-Time Updates: The most prominent feature to expect in the WooCommerce side popup cart plugin is its ability to update in real-time. 
• Make Changes to the Cart: The added side cart in your WooCommerce store must allow you to make changes like removing or deleting items. 
• Display Rules: You must be able to set various display rules for the side cart. You must be able to choose the pages where you want to display it. 
• Cart Style: Your plugin must offer more than one cart style to display. The styles that one must expect can be either a slide cart or a popup cart. 
• Customization Options: The side cart you add must blend in with your website styling and theme, and for that, you must be able to customize its color and other essentials. 

These are just a few features that you must consider before choosing your side cart plugin for WooCommerce. 

In the following paragraph, we will discuss the best plugins you can consider to add a side cart in WooCommerce. 

Top 4 Side Cart WooCommerce Plugins 

These are the top 4 side cart WooCommerce plugins:

Plugin #1: Side Popup Cart for WooCommerce By FMEAddons

Having an impactful and prominent existence on the WooCommerce marketplace, FMEAddons has become a trustworthy option for many WooCommerce stores. The side popup cart for WooCommerce is the best among all the available options because of the extensive range of features it comes along. 

Features:

The features of the Side Popup Cart for WooCommerce plugin are

• Ajax-powered side cart with real-time updates
• Add-to-cart popup with product image, price, and quantity control
• Direct checkout and view cart buttons
• Coupon field inside the cart
• Customizable cart icon and animation styles
• Option to show related/up-sell products in the cart
• Progress bar for free shipping incentives
• Responsive and translation-ready
• Option to show cart on selected pages or user roles

Plugin #2: Smart Side Cart for WooCommerce By Tribe Interactive

A WooCommerce plugin designed to reduce cart abandonment with a smart and efficient side cart is offered by Tribe Interactive. By keeping the user interface minimal, you can add side cart to your WooCommerce store that keep the customers satisfied. 

Features:

• Sleek, mobile-friendly side cart
• Ajax-powered cart updates
• Drag-and-drop product support
• Direct checkout and view cart links
• Quick quantity adjustment and item removal
• Clean and customizable UI

Plugin #3: Side Cart Woocommerce | Woocommerce Cart By xootix

This plugin is best to choose when you want to add a sticky side cart that slides in each time any action related to the cart is performed. If you have a small online setup and want to add a side cart to WooCommerce store, then this plugin can help you with the simplification of the cart user experience. 

Features:

• Ajax-based side cart with sliding animation
• Auto open on product add
• Quantity changer and item removal
• Cart icon with item count
• Choose cart position (left/right)
• Simple style customization (colors, text)
• Mobile-friendly
• Premium: Coupon field, upsells, free shipping bar

Plugin #4: WPC Fly Cart for WooCommerce By WPClever

If you are on the lookout for a modern fly cart plugin, then this is the plugin you can choose. If you want to include an AJAX-based cart that does not affect the speed of your website, the WPC fly cart for WooCommerce is the solution.

Features:

• Fly-out cart panel with Ajax updates
• Product image, title, quantity, and remove options
• Auto open on product add
• Cart subtotal and total display
• Customizable icon and cart layout
• Mobile responsive
• Integration with WPC Quick View and Product Bundles

These choices might have baffled you on which plugin to choose and which one to avoid, but we have the solution for that as well. 

Here is a comparison of the plugins, specifying which one you should consider buying. 

 

Feature	Smart Side Cart	Xootix Side Cart	WPC Fly Cart	FMEAddons Side Popup Cart
Coupon Code Field	❌ No	✔️ Premium Only	❌ No	✔️ Built-in
Upsell/Related Product Integration	❌ No	✔️ Premium Only	❌ No	✔️ Included
Free Shipping Progress Bar	❌ No	✔️ Premium Only	❌ No	✔️ Included
Cart Visibility Control (Pages/User Roles)	❌ No	❌ Limited	❌ No	✔️ Advanced Options
Highly Customizable Design	❌ Basic	✔️ Limited	❌ Basic	✔️ Full Customization
Cart Behavior Rules (e.g., based on role/page)	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✔️ Yes

 

This comparison clearly shows the winner, and that is the Side Popup cart plugin. So, choose this plugin to get the job done expertly. 

5 Benefits of Adding a WooCommerce Popup Cart

Making checkout easier has always been something WooCommerce stores strive for. There have been multiple solutions, like adding a multistep checkout to optimizing the cart for the customers. Side cart in WooCommerce is one of the top pragmatic approaches to making checkout and shopping simpler for the customers. But this side cart holds the potential beyond improving customer satisfaction and simplifying checkout.

These are some of the top and prominent benefits of a WooCommerce side popup cart. 

• Informed Customers

Customers get instant updates and information about what is going into their carts each time they perform an action. An informed customer is more satisfied than a customer who is shopping like they are blindfolded. 

• Quick Checkouts

A side popup cart in WooCommerce is a major source to cut down the friction customers experience when checking out. They do not have to leave their page or move back and forth between product pages and the checkout page. They can instantly check out from the side cart. 

• Improved Sales and Conversions

Unnecessary page reloads not only frustrate customers but also reduce the website's speed and performance. This frequent page reload can result in frustrated customers who are more likely to abandon your website. With the side cart in WooCommerce, the page is not reloaded each time a product is added, and the customer does not feel annoyed. 

• Injects Modernity 

Even if the users are novices, they are still the modern users who won’t mind if you add some magic to your site. By adding a WooCommerce side cart, you inject a sense of modernity into your WooCommerce store while staying in line with the traditional needs. Modern users need something enticing to stick to your store, and a side cart is one of the many methods. 

• Real-Time Cart Changes

Any change the user makes will be made visible in the side popup cart. The user can not only view the cart total and the items but also add coupon codes and then head to the checkout without any further steps or page switches required.

Do You Want To Add A Side Cart To WooCommerce Store?

Are you convinced by now to add a side cart to your WooCommerce store? Well, who wouldn’t be after finding out the amazing perks it offers for your online store? We have put forth two methods of adding the side cart: one is through coding, and the other is a side cart plugin for WooCommerce. We have also thoroughly emphasized why a plugin for adding a side cart in WooCommerce is better than code modification. So, make your decision today and choose the method that you find the best. 

Buy Now