Create a checkout like Shopify with WooCommerce

Want to create a checkout experience that your customers will love? This guide breaks down how to optimize your WooCommerce cart and checkout with Flatsome inspired by Shopify!

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Step 1: Start with a Solid Product Page

Your customer journey begins at the product page. Seb uses a Product Page Pack, a pre-made design bundle that provides attractive product layouts. When customers select their product and click "Add to Cart," the cart popup appears — and this is where you can make important customizations.

Step 2: Choose the Right Cart Popup Style

Head over to:

Theme Options > Header > Cart Settings (gear icon)

Here, you have 3 main options:

• Dropdown Popup: Instantly shows what’s in the cart without needing to click. Great for a minimal, lightweight experience.
• Drawer Popup: Requires a click to open but offers more space for cross-sells, free shipping banners, trust icons, and payment badges.
• Direct Checkout Link: Skip the cart entirely and go straight to checkout — best for stores selling a single product.

Seb’s tip:

Use the Drawer if you want to promote cross-sells or build trust with badges and icons. Use Dropdown if you prefer a cleaner, simpler interface.

Step 3: Simplify the Cart Icon Display

Still in Cart Settings, Seb recommends:

• Hide Cart Totals: Avoid showing the running total in the header. Big platforms like Amazon and Zalando also skip this to prevent buyer hesitation.
• Hide Cart Title: Customers know it’s a cart icon — no need to add extra text.
• Auto-Reveal Mini Cart: Enable this so that once a product is added, the mini cart pops open automatically.
• Quantity Input: Enable only if your customers often purchase multiple items; otherwise, keep it minimal.

Step 4: Add Custom Content to the Mini Cart

You can insert extra content like:

• Trustpilot badges
• Payment icons
• Free shipping offers
• Delivery estimates

This builds trust and encourages customers to proceed with their purchase.

Step 5: Customize the Cart Page

Go to your Cart page > Customize > WooCommerce > Cart.

Layout Options:

• Default Layout: Keeps header navigation for continued shopping.
• Simple Layout: Removes distractions, keeping focus on checkout (similar to Shopify).
• Focus Layout: Adds a boxed layout (less recommended).

Seb’s suggestion:

Use the Simple layout to reduce distractions and keep customers moving forward.

Other Cart Page Settings:

• Sticky Sidebar: Keeps the cart summary visible while scrolling (best on desktop).
• Box Shipping Labels: Useful if offering multiple shipping carriers.
• Show Free Shipping: Encourages customers to add more items to reach free shipping thresholds.
• Show Steps: Always enable this! It visually shows customers how many steps remain.

Step 6: Add After Cart Content

Use UX Blocks or text fields to add helpful information like:

• "Order before 5PM for next-day delivery."
• "Free shipping on all orders."
• Trust badges or payment icons.

This content can reassure and motivate buyers before they proceed to checkout.

Step 7: Optimize the Checkout Page

Head over to your Checkout page > Customize > WooCommerce > Checkout.

Key Checkout Settings:

• Float Field Labels: Moves the field labels inside input fields, saving space and improving appearance.
• Simple Layout: Removes header distractions; keeps customer focused.
• Sticky Sidebar: Keeps payment options visible as customers fill out the form.
• Sidebar Content: Add trust-building elements like:
• Free returns
• Next-day delivery info
• Trustpilot or review badges

Seb’s advice:

Don’t clutter this space with payment icons, since payment options are already shown clearly below.

Final Thoughts

By following these steps, you can create a professional, streamlined, and conversion-focused checkout experience using Flatsome and WooCommerce — even rivaling big names like Shopify.