# How to Change the Cart Display in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
WooCommerce is a fantastic platform, but sometimes its default cart display just doesn’t quite fit your brand’s aesthetic or functionality. Luckily, customizing the WooCommerce cart is easier than you think! This guide will walk you through various methods, from simple tweaks to more involved coding, perfect for beginners.
Why Change Your WooCommerce Cart Display?
Before diving into the *how*, let’s talk about *why*. A poorly designed cart can lead to lost sales. Consider these scenarios:
- Poor Visual Appeal: A clunky, unattractive cart can make customers feel uneasy about proceeding with their purchase. Imagine a beautiful online clothing store with a jarring, outdated cart – the inconsistency is a turn-off.
- Lack of Information: Customers need clear information: product details, total price, shipping costs, taxes, and clear calls to action. An unclear cart frustrates customers and increases cart abandonment.
- Incompatibility with Theme: Your chosen theme might clash with the default cart, creating a disjointed user experience.
- WooCommerce Cart/Checkout Page Customizer: These plugins offer drag-and-drop interfaces to change layouts and add elements easily, even for non-coders.
- Theme-Specific Cart Enhancements: Some themes come with built-in options or recommend plugins for customizing the cart within their ecosystem. Check your theme’s documentation.
- Create a Child Theme: This usually involves creating a new folder and placing a specific `style.css` and `functions.php` file inside. Refer to your theme’s documentation or online tutorials for detailed instructions.
- Modify `functions.php`: This is where you’ll add code to change the cart. You can use hooks to add or modify elements.
Methods to Customize Your WooCommerce Cart Display
There are several ways to customize your WooCommerce cart, ranging from simple plugin use to direct code modification. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and desired level of customization.
1. Discover insights on How To Remove Shipping Labels Woocommerce Using WooCommerce Cart Plugins
The easiest way to modify your cart display is by using a plugin. Many plugins offer pre-built cart templates and customization options. Some popular choices include:
Reasoning: Plugins are ideal for beginners. They offer a user-friendly interface, eliminating the need for coding. However, relying on plugins might slow down your site if you use too many, so choose wisely.
2. Customizing with Child Themes (Recommended)
This method involves creating a child theme of your current WooCommerce theme. Modifying a child theme prevents losing your changes when you update your parent theme. This is a slightly more advanced technique but remains beginner-friendly if you follow Read more about Woocommerce How To Filter Variations With Bundled Products instructions carefully.
Example: To add a custom message below the cart items, you might use this code (remember to adjust the `Your Custom Message` text):
add_action( 'woocommerce_after_cart', 'add_custom_cart_message' ); function add_custom_cart_message() { echo 'Your Custom Message
'; }
Reasoning: Using child themes offers a balance between ease of use and powerful customization. It keeps your modifications separate from the main theme, protecting your work from updates.
3. Directly Modifying the Theme Files (Advanced Users Only!)
This is the most powerful but also the riskiest method. Only attempt this if you are comfortable with code and understand the risks. Incorrectly modifying theme files can break your website. Always back up your website before making any direct changes.
- Locate the Cart Template: Find the cart template file (usually `cart.php` or a similar name) within your theme’s directory.
- Edit the Code: Directly edit the HTML and PHP code to achieve your desired changes.
Reasoning: Direct modification offers the most flexibility, but it’s extremely important to understand the code before making changes. One wrong move can lead to serious problems, hence it’s only recommended for experienced developers.
Conclusion: Choose the Right Method for You
Choosing the right method Discover insights on How To Hide Shop Page In Woocommerce for customizing your WooCommerce cart depends entirely on your comfort level with coding and the extent of customization needed. Start with plugins for simple adjustments, move to child themes for intermediate-level changes, and only consider directly modifying theme files if you’re experienced in web Check out this post: How To Add Shopify Woocommerce Into development. Remember to always back up your website before making any significant changes.
