How the cart works.
WHAT TO CONFIGURE
Whether adding to cart redirects to the cart or stays on the page Whether a cart icon shows the count How long a cart persists
CART PERSISTENCE
For logged-in customers, carts usually persist.
For guests, they rely on cookies and are lost when those clear.
THE CACHING PROBLEM
Cart and checkout pages must not be cached.
If they are, a customer may see someone else's cart, or an empty one.
Every caching plugin should exclude them. Verify yours does.
STOCK HELD IN CARTS
Items in a cart are not reserved by default.
Two customers can add the last item and one will be disappointed at checkout.
For scarce stock, consider a hold period on pending orders.
ABANDONED CARTS
Recovering them requires capturing an email address before abandonment.
Plugins do this. Consider whether the follow-up is welcome or intrusive.
WHAT TO TEST
Adding, updating quantities, removing, and applying a coupon.
