Cart reminder for returning shoppers: +10.6% conversion rate
Test run byVisuallyTesting and CRO tool
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsShowing returning shoppers a subtle reminder of the items still in their cart lifted conversion rate by 10.6%.
Visually ran this A/B test on the homepage for Chêne Gear, a hunting apparel brand.
First-time visitors with an empty cart would not have seen the change.
- Conversion rate: +10.6% against no reminder.
- It is not stated whether the lift is measured on all visitors or only returning shoppers.
- Sample size and confidence were not shared.
The change
Returning shoppers see a subtle reminder of the items in their cart.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Returning shoppers landed on the homepage with no sign of the items they had left in their cart.
Variant
Returning shoppers with items in their cart saw a subtle reminder of those items on the homepage.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- People who left items in a cart have already shown strong intent, so a nudge brings them back to the checkout path.
- Returning visitors often forget what they picked, and the reminder saves them from searching again.
- Keeping it subtle avoids feeling pushy to shoppers who are still browsing.
Caveats: Visually published this as its own case study and did not share the sample size, test length or confidence level.
Who ran it
Visually ran this test for Chêne Gear and published the results (Visually case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Visually →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show returning shoppers a subtle reminder of the items in their cart, then more of them will buy because it shortens the path back to checkout.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate among returning visitors with a saved cart
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Homepage bounce rate
- Unsubscribes or complaints if paired with email
- Who should test it
- Stores with many returning visitors and a cart that persists between visits. If most of your traffic is new, or carts are not saved, few people will see it.
Questions
Does reminding shoppers about their cart work?
It often does, because these visitors already chose products.
In this test a subtle homepage reminder lifted conversion rate by 10.6%.
Where should a cart reminder appear?
Somewhere visible but not blocking, such as a small bar or card near the top of the homepage.
A full-screen popup is more likely to annoy people.
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@DaveDiederen