Redirect to Cart vs. Redirect to Checkout: The Best Option

Boosting sales by minimizing cart abandonment rates is a hard thing for online stores to achieve. One of the reasons is where your customer is redirected after a product is added to the cart.

There are usually two most practiced ways in WooCommerce to redirect after adding to the cart:

1. Redirect to the cart page
2. Redirect to the checkout page

However, there are ways, or more precisely, there are plugins available to add redirects to any other page or custom URL other than these two mentioned options.

But we will not be discussing it here. What we will focus on resolving in this blog is whether to redirect to the checkout or to the cart page, with the perks and pitfalls. 

So, keep scrolling!

When to Add WooCommerce Redirect to the Cart?

Redirecting customers to the cart page after adding an item is still useful in certain cases. While it may not be ideal for all businesses, some store setups can genuinely benefit from an add to cart custom redirect.  

1. Stores with Bulk or Multi-Product Purchases

If your store allows shoppers to buy more than one product at once, the WooCommerce redirect to cart after adding a product makes sense. It allows customers to review everything they’ve added to the cart before they move to checkout. 

• Customers can confirm quantities.
• Shoppers can update their selection quickly.
• The cart page creates an opportunity for cross-sells and upsells.

 

Further Reading: Why You Should Redirect to Checkout After Add to Cart

2. Businesses Offering Bundle Deals

If you are selling product bundles with discount offers based on cart totals, then this redirect method is the best fit for you. Customers can review the cart and see how much more they need to add to meet the requirement for the discount or be eligible for any deal, like a gift.

One of the best examples that fits well in this situation is the WooCommerce cart discount. Your customer gets a discount offer, a fixed or percentage price for fulfilling the cart total requirements. 

3. Stores With Customization or Add-Ons

Some WooCommerce stores allow product personalization, such as engraving, size customization, or gift wrapping. To offer a high level of customization of your products to the customers, a WooCommerce product field plugin works perfectly. In such cases, a WooCommerce add to cart redirect ensures the customer confirms their chosen options before moving on.

Redirecting to the cart gives shoppers one last chance to double-check personalized details, which reduces errors and returns later on.

4. B2B Stores with Complex Orders

For B2B customers, shopping typically involves adding multiple SKUs, verifying VAT invoices, and ensuring that bulk discounts are applied correctly. Redirecting to the cart ensures they have everything in place before they move to payment.

• Bulk order review is easier.
• Helps reduce invoice errors.
• Ensures tax/shipping rules apply correctly.

Drawbacks of WooCommerce Redirect to Cart After Adding Product

While cart redirects may work for specific businesses, they are not always the most efficient choice. They sometimes become the reason for increasing cart abandonment rates. They add friction to the shopping process. Instead of progressing smoothly to payment, customers face an extra step that can slow down conversions.

1. Disrupted Buying Flow

Modern buyers prefer speed. Redirecting to the cart interrupts their momentum and might lead to second thoughts. Instead of completing the purchase, they may get distracted by reviewing items again.

2. Increased Cart Abandonment

When shoppers are taken to the cart too often, they may delay the checkout process. The longer they stay away from the payment page, the higher the chances of them leaving without purchasing. And on top of all this, imagine landing on a lengthy and complex checkout page. However, you can cut down the checkout steps if you want to. 

3. Fewer Impulse Purchases

Impulse buying works well with speed. If your store sells trending products, fast-moving deals, or limited-time offers, sending customers directly to the cart can harm your sales. A direct WooCommerce redirect to checkout after adding to cart supports urgency better.

Note: Here is your guideline to redirect after an add to cart action. 

4. Not Ideal for Mobile Shoppers

On mobile devices, fewer steps mean better conversions. Cart redirects add an extra screen to navigate, making the shopping process more tedious for smartphone users.

Why Prefer a WooCommerce Add to Cart Redirect to Checkout?

For most stores, the better option is to send customers directly to checkout after clicking the add-to-cart button. This approach removes unnecessary steps and creates a faster, smoother buying experience.

1. Faster Conversions

When you enable a WooCommerce add to cart button that redirects to checkout, customers move from product selection to payment in one seamless flow. This simplicity reduces hesitation and helps close sales faster.

Learn more about the importance of this setup in this detailed guide on why you should redirect to checkout after add to cart.

2. Reduced Cart Abandonment

Every extra click increases the risk of losing a sale. Not only do you need to redirect to the checkout, but you also need to ensure the checkout page optimization. By using a redirect to checkout after adding to cart in WooCommerce settings, you minimize distractions and give buyers fewer chances to abandon their purchase. This strategy works particularly well for high-demand or one-time-purchase products.

 

A Must-Read: Best WooCommerce Redirect After Add to Cart Plugins

3. Improved Mobile Shopping Experience

Mobile users value speed and convenience. A WooCommerce redirect to checkout eliminates one full page load, making mobile transactions much smoother. With mobile commerce growing every year, this change directly impacts revenue.

4. Perfect for Single-Product Stores

If you run a store that sells just one or a few products, sending customers to the checkout page is a no-brainer. There’s no real need for a cart review step. Instead, buyers can complete their purchase immediately, boosting conversion rates.

5. Supports Impulse and Limited-Time Deals

Flash sales, seasonal promotions, or products with urgency attached benefit most from checkout redirects. When you enable a WooCommerce add-to-cart redirect to checkout, you shorten the journey between “want” and “buy,” increasing the likelihood of closing impulse purchases.

6. Easy Setup with Plugins

The good news is that setting up a WooCommerce redirect after add to cart doesn’t require complex coding. With plugins like Add to Cart Custom Redirect, you can choose whether to send customers to the cart or checkout page based on your store’s needs. This flexibility ensures you can adapt your strategy as your business grows.

 

Relevant Tutorial: How to Set Up Add-to-Cart Redirect to Checkout in WooCommerce

Which Option Do You Find The Best?

So, ideally, we have two redirect options after add to the cart in WooCommerce: one is to redirect to the cart and the other is to redirect to checkout. Both these redirect methods have their reasons, but irrespective of all the reasons, a redirect to checkout is the ideal option.

So, make sure to add a redirect to checkout instead of cart using the best way, ideally, an add-to-cart redirect to checkout WooCommerce plugin.

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