How to Add a WooCommerce Cart Icon to Your WordPress Menu: A Beginner’s Guide
Adding a shopping cart icon to your WordPress menu is a crucial step in enhancing the user experience of your WooCommerce store. It provides a quick and easy way for customers to access their cart, increasing sales and reducing cart abandonment. This guide will walk you through the process, even if you’re completely new to WordPress.
Why Add a Cart Icon to Your Menu?
Imagine visiting an online store. You find something you like, add it to your cart, and then… you have to hunt around to find where your cart is! Frustrating, right? A prominently placed cart icon eliminates this frustration. This simple addition provides:
- Improved User Experience: Customers can easily check their cart at any time.
- Increased Sales: Easier access to the cart makes completing purchases more likely.
- Reduced Cart Abandonment: A visible cart icon reminds customers of the items they’ve added.
- Reliable: It works consistently across different themes.
- Easy to Use: Simple installation and often no extra configuration is needed.
- Flexible: Many plugins offer customization options (like changing the cart icon).
Method 1: Using the WooCommerce Built-in Functionality (Easiest Method)
WooCommerce often includes this functionality out-of-the-box. Many themes automatically add the cart to your menu. Let’s check if this is already the case for you:
1. Go to Appearance > Menus in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Select a menu (usually the primary menu).
3. Look for a “View Cart” or “Cart” item in the “Available menu items” section on the right. If you see it, simply drag and drop it into your menu structure.
If the cart icon isn’t there, don’t worry! Move on to Method 2.
Method 2: Using a Plugin (Recommended for Reliability)
If the built-in option fails, a plugin provides a reliable and simple solution. Many free plugins offer this functionality. One popular option is “WooCommerce Cart Menu Button.”
1. Install and activate the plugin from your WordPress dashboard (Plugins > Add New).
2. No further configuration is usually required. The plugin will automatically add the cart icon to your menu. (Check the plugin’s documentation if you need more specific instructions).
This method is preferred because it’s:
Method 3: Adding the Cart Manually (For Advanced Users)
This method requires familiarity with WordPress themes and code. Only Read more about How To Customize Woocommerce Webhook Payload attempt this if you’re comfortable editing theme files. Incorrectly editing your theme can break your website.
This involves adding a custom menu item using the `wp_nav_menu` function and linking it to the WooCommerce cart URL. Here’s a basic example:
function add_woocommerce_cart_to_menu( $items, $args ) { if ( $args->theme_location == Discover insights on How To Uncheck The Shipping Address Option In Woocommerce 'primary' ) { // Replace 'primary' with your menu location $cart_url = WC()->cart->get_cart_url(); $cart_item = ' Cart'; // Uses Font Awesome icon, needs to be included in theme $items .= $cart_item; } return $items; } add_filter( 'wp_nav_menu_items', 'add_woocommerce_cart_to_menu', 10, 2 );
Explanation:
- This code adds a custom menu item to your primary menu.
- `WC()->cart->get_cart_url();` gets the cart URL dynamically.
- `` adds a Font Awesome Learn more about How To Customize Woocommerce Home Page shopping cart icon (you’ll need to include Font Awesome in your theme).
Important: This code needs to Discover insights on How To Edit Woocommerce With Custom Code be added to your theme’s `functions.php` file or a custom plugin. Always back up your files before making any changes.
Remember to replace `”primary”` with the actual location of your menu. You can find this in your menu settings.
Conclusion
Adding a WooCommerce cart icon to your menu is a small change with a big impact. By following these methods, you can significantly improve your store’s usability and boost sales. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and enjoy the improved customer experience! Remember to always back up your website before making significant changes.
