WordPress How-To: Adding That Shopping Cart Icon to Your WooCommerce Store
So, you’ve built your amazing WooCommerce store. Products are looking sharp, descriptions are enticing, and you’re ready to start making sales! But, wait… where’s the shopping cart icon? Sometimes, the default theme doesn’t display it prominently, or you might want to customize its look. Don’t worry, adding (or customizing) a shopping cart icon in WooCommerce is easier than you think! This guide is designed for WordPress newbies, so we’ll keep it simple and straightforward.
Why is a Shopping Cart Icon Important?
Think of a physical store. Where do customers go to checkout? The cash register, right? In an online store, the shopping cart is your virtual cash register. A clear and accessible shopping cart icon:
- Improves User Experience: Customers need to easily find their cart to review and purchase items. If they can’t find it, they might abandon their purchase.
- Increases Conversions: A readily visible cart icon reminds customers they have items waiting, encouraging them to complete the purchase.
- Enhances Navigation: It acts as a direct link to the checkout process.
- WooCommerce Menu Cart: A simple and popular plugin to add a cart icon to your menu.
- YITH WooCommerce Cart Popup: Displays a popup with the cart contents when the user hovers over or clicks on the shopping cart icon.
Real-Life Example: Imagine you’re shopping online. You add a cool gadget to your cart, but can’t immediately see where to go to complete the purchase. Frustrated, you might just leave and buy it somewhere else! A visible shopping cart icon prevents this.
Method 1: Theme Options (The Easiest Approach)
Many modern WordPress themes, especially those specifically designed for WooCommerce, include built-in options to manage the shopping cart icon.
1. Log into your WordPress Dashboard: Go to your website’s admin area (usually `yourdomain.com/wp-admin`).
2. Navigate to Appearance -> Customize: This opens the WordPress theme customizer.
3. Look for WooCommerce settings: You’ll likely find a section labeled “WooCommerce” or something similar.
4. Find Shopping Cart Icon Options: Within the WooCommerce settings, look for options to enable/disable the shopping cart icon, choose its location (header, menu, etc.), and potentially customize its appearance.
Example: The Astra theme often has this under “Header Builder” -> “Primary Menu” -> then an option to add a “WooCommerce Cart” element. The OceanWP theme has similar options.
Reasoning: Themes often provide these built-in options because they’re the easiest and safest way to customize the shopping cart icon without directly editing code.
Method 2: Using a Plugin
If your theme doesn’t offer built-in options, a plugin is your next best bet. There are several free and premium plugins that can help you add or customize the shopping cart icon.
Recommended Plugins:
How to Install and Use a Plugin:
1. Go to Plugins -> Add New: In your WordPress dashboard.
2. Search for your desired plugin: For example, “WooCommerce Menu Cart.”
3. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate.”
4. Configure the plugin: Usually, a new menu item will appear in your WordPress dashboard or under the WooCommerce settings. Follow the plugin’s instructions to customize the icon, display cart contents, etc.
Example (WooCommerce Menu Cart): After installing and activating, go to Appearance -> Customize -> WooCommerce Menu Cart. Here you can choose the menu to add the cart to, what to display (icon, items, total), and customize its appearance.
Reasoning: Plugins provide a convenient way to extend WooCommerce functionality without requiring coding knowledge. They encapsulate the necessary code and provide a user-friendly interface for configuration.
Method 3: Adding Code to Your Theme (Advanced)
Warning: This method requires some coding knowledge. If you’re not comfortable editing theme files, it’s best to stick to the previous methods. Always back up your theme files before making changes!
Adding a Shopping Cart Icon to Your Theme’s Header (Example):
1. Access your theme’s files: You can use the WordPress Theme Editor (Appearance -> Theme Editor), but it’s generally safer to use an FTP client (like FileZilla) to access your theme files.
2. Locate the `header.php` file: This file contains the code for your website’s header.
3. Add the following code snippet:
<a href=""> cart->get_cart_contents_count(); ?>
- `<a href="”>`: This creates a link to the cart page.
- ``: This displays a shopping cart icon using Font Awesome. Make sure your theme supports Font Awesome or include the Font Awesome CSS file! You can also use other icon libraries or a custom image.
- `cart->get_cart_contents_count(); ?>`: This displays the number of items in the cart.
4. Add CSS styling (to `style.css`): To position and style the icon, add the following CSS to your theme’s `style.css` file (or in the Customizer -> Additional CSS):
.header-cart {
position: absolute;
top: 20px; /* Adjust as needed */
right: 20px; /* Adjust as needed */
font-size: 20px;
}
.header-cart .cart-contents-count {
background-color: #f00; /* Red background */
color: #fff; /* White text */
padding: 2px 5px;
border-radius: 50%;
}
Reasoning: This method gives you the most control over the shopping cart icon’s appearance and placement, but it requires coding skills. It’s crucial to understand the code and its potential impact on your website. Using Font Awesome (or similar) allows easy use of scalable vector icons.
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Important Considerations:
- Child Themes: If you’re modifying your theme’s files, always use a child theme. This protects your changes from being overwritten when you update your parent theme.
- Icon Libraries: Font Awesome is a popular choice for icons, but you can also use other icon libraries like Material Icons or even custom images.
- Responsiveness: Make sure your shopping cart icon looks good on all devices (desktops, tablets, Explore this article on How To Install Woocommerce Extensions and phones). Use CSS media queries to adjust its styling for different screen sizes.
- Testing: After making any changes, thoroughly test your website to ensure the shopping cart icon is working correctly and doesn’t break any other functionality.
By following these methods, you can easily add a shopping cart icon to your WooCommerce store and improve the shopping experience for your customers. Good luck!
