Most online shoppers navigate to product detail pages, add items to their cart, and then keep shopping.

When those consumers don't return to the shopping cart, rather abandoning it in the virtual aisles of an online store, no sale is made. While there are certainly many things a merchant and a site designer can do to encourage a shopper to finish the transaction, one often overlooked tactic is to provide an attractive, friendly, and inviting shopping cart icon. In this showcase article, I have identified ten examples of inviting shopping cart icons and treatments.

Chop Shop

The Chop Shop uses an Adobe Flash-based animation to call attention it is simple shopping cart icon. The image is consistent with the site's brand and eye catching.

Nicholas Deakins

The Nicholas Deakins store includes a large shopping bag section in the header of every page on the store. There is no way a shopper can miss it. At the same time, the cart matches the site's brand, and uses color to encourage would-be buyers.

Chank

The Chank site uses a consistent icon for both the shopping cart in the header and the add to cart button. What's more, when you add an item to your cart, the icon changes to show that the cart is not empty.

Smartman Tools

At the Smartman Tools online store, when you add a RipCart to your shopping cart, a new dark-color section fades in at the top of the page and stays with you through checkout. By adding the section to the site once an item is placed in the shopping cart, Smartman Tools puts a lot of emphasis on the shopping cart, without getting in the way or using merchandising space.

AktywnySmyk

Add an item to the cart at AktywnySmyk and a new section is created in the header that shows not just that you have an item in your cart, but how much that item costs.

Archiduchesse

The first time you add an item to your cart at the Archiduchesse store, a video game-like star flies from the product you added up to a shopping cart section at the top right of the page.

Drop Dead Clothing

White, blocky, and large, the shopping cart icon and treatment at the Drop Dead Clothing store adds to the site's look and feel, and offers shoppers a friendly reminder that there is an item in the cart.

Smallable

Smallable displays the shopping cart as a modal when you add an item. You can continue shopping or go straight to the checkout.

Clickcamiseta Evolution

At Clickcamiseta Evolution there is a mini-shopping cart at the bottom of the left-hand navigation on every page of the site.

Les Filles à la Violette

Les Filles à la Violette uses a large, violet-colored icon at the top of every page on its site.

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This article is filed under Design Techniques & Showcases and has the following keyword tags: showcase, inspiration, examples, icons, graphic design.

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