We’re operating in an environment where:

• 60% of Google searches result in zero-click experiences
• Voice commerce is projected to hit $80 billion
• AI referral traffic increased 123% between September 2024 and February 2025

The game has changed completely.

So what does this mean for you?

It means you have some work to do to keep your store visible in search, and it’s not just about rankings anymore.

When customers do find your store, the entire experience, from search to checkout, needs to work seamlessly.

Full shopping cart and funnel solutions like CartFlows are now essential for any serious eCommerce business.

That’s why we wrote this guide. To share tried and tested tips we use in our own stores to help you remain competitive in search during uncertain times.

Why SEO Still Matters in an AI World

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t dead, but it sure has changed!

Traditional SEO focused on rankings, traffic, and click-through rates. The assumption was simple: higher rankings meant more visibility, which translated to more sales.

That logic still holds, but it’s no longer the complete picture.

A big chunk of the online experience still begins with a search engine. But the definition of “search engine” is expanding.

We’re not just optimizing for Google anymore. We’re optimizing for ChatGPT, Perplexity, voice assistants, and whatever AI-powered search experience comes next.

Page speed, mobile optimization, quality content, and user experience signals still matter.

But there are also new considerations too:

• How will AI engines interpret your content?
• Can voice assistants understand your product descriptions?
• Will your brand be mentioned when AI systems provide shopping recommendations?

What we’re saying is, we’re not abandoning SEO. We’re only expanding our definition of what SEO means in 2025.

The world is now calling it AEO.

What Is AEO? (Answer Engine Optimization)

Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the next evolution of search strategy.

Instead of trying to “rank” at the top of existing search results with SEO, AEO is designed to help your content become the answer itself.

But there’s a caveat to this change. AI systems cite, reference, and recommend your content through AEO instead of driving traffic to your site.

Think about how this changes everything.

• Your site may appear in AI overviews, but since AI answers the question, people won’t click through.
• Generic blog posts on your site won’t be necessary since AI will answer those queries.
• People will be less inclined to read through the 3000-word blog posts you had on your site when AI can summarize them for them.

Basically, the way things were with SEO are not the same with AEO.

Now, if someone asks ChatGPT or Google AI for product recommendations, you want your brand mentioned in that response.

When voice assistants suggest where to buy something, you want to be the recommended source.

For AEO, we stop monitoring traffic and CTRs and start monitoring:

• Citation frequency in AI responses
• Brand mention sentiment across platforms
• Direct recommendation appearances
• Voice search capture rates

This requires a fundamental shift in content strategy. We’re moving from keyword-focused writing to conversational, question-answering content that provides immediate value without requiring a click.

AEO doesn’t replace SEO. It complements it. The most successful WooCommerce stores in 2025 will master both.

Is WooCommerce SEO-Friendly?

Out of the box, WooCommerce is reasonably SEO-friendly. But it’s far from optimized.

The platform handles basic requirements like clean URLs and meta tags, but creates specific challenges that standard WordPress sites don’t face.

For instance, WooCommerce extends WordPress with complex database structures.

But:

• Product variations create multiple URLs for similar content.
• Dynamic cart and checkout pages need special handling.

The platform generates massive numbers of URLs through filtering and pagination that can waste crawl budgets.

Source

But WooCommerce powers 5,685,371 eCommerce stores globally. If it wasn’t SEO-viable, those numbers wouldn’t exist!

So, WooCommerce SEO success depends heavily on proper configuration and the right supporting tools.

Where WooCommerce excels:

• Flexible URL structures
• Built-in sitemap generation
• Mobile-responsive themes
• Extensive plugin ecosystem
• Schema markup capabilities

Where it struggles:

• Product variation canonicalization
• Database query optimization
• Automatic duplicate content handling
• Advanced structured data implementation

WooCommerce provides a solid foundation. Success comes from understanding its limitations and implementing targeted solutions.

Key SEO + AEO Ranking Factors for WooCommerce Stores

The ranking “game,” as SEOs used to call it, has expanded beyond traditional signals. But some of the fundamentals are still just as important with AEO.

1. Product Schema and Structured Data

Product schema tells search engines and AI systems exactly what you’re selling, how much it costs, and what customers think about it.

Here are some of the essential schema properties:

• Name
• Image
• Offers (price and availability)
• Description
• Brand
• Aggregate ratings

For advanced stores, you can also add GTIN, MPN, and ISBN identifiers for enhanced product recognition.

Sites using schema markup receive higher click-through rates. More importantly for AEO, structured data helps AI engines understand and recommend your products accurately. If you haven’t implemented schema for your site, plugins such as Schema Pro, which automatically add relevant schema markup to your website pages and posts, can be useful.

2. FAQs and Conversational Content

AI systems love FAQ sections. They provide clear question and answer pairs that can be directly cited in responses.

But we also need conversational content that mirrors how real customers ask questions.

Instead of “What are the product dimensions?” try “Will this fit in my small apartment?”

Voice search optimization requires this shift. 41% of adults use voice search daily, and they speak differently than they type.

3. Page Speed and Mobile Performance

Core Web Vitals remain critical ranking factors, but their importance extends beyond SEO. A 1-second mobile speed optimization boosts conversions by up to 27%.

The targets are still the same:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Under 2.5 seconds
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Under 200 milliseconds
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Under 0.1

What’s new is the AEO angle. AI systems learn from data that Google (and other search engines) have collected when making recommendations.

Slow sites get filtered out of AI-generated shopping suggestions because search engines don’t show them either.

4. AI-Readability and Content Quality

AI engines evaluate content differently than traditional search algorithms.

They prioritize:

• Clarity and coherence
• Factual accuracy
• Comprehensive coverage
• Natural language patterns

Product descriptions that read naturally to humans also perform better with AI systems.

This creates a virtuous cycle where good content serves both traditional SEO and emerging AEO needs.

So that’s the background, now let’s get to the action!

15 Pro Tips to Make Your WooCommerce Store SEO + AI Friendly

Here are 15 WooCommerce store SEO and AI tips to help your products show up in search results and AI suggestions.

1. Write Product Descriptions That Answer Questions Before They’re Asked

Write descriptions that address customer concerns, use cases, and common questions. Use conversational language that mirrors how people actually talk about your products.

Instead of “100% cotton t-shirt, machine washable,” try “This comfortable everyday tee gets softer with every wash and won’t shrink in hot water.”

2. Structure Content for Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are your gateway to position zero.

Format content in 40-60 word blocks that directly answer specific questions. Use bullet points, numbered lists, and clear headings.

Think of it as conversation optimization.

For example, you could say: “How do I clean leather boots? Clean leather boots by wiping with a damp cloth, applying leather conditioner monthly, and storing in a cool, dry place. Avoid soaking or using harsh chemicals that can crack the leather.”

3. Implement Schema Markup on Every Product Page

Go beyond basic product schema. Include brand information, GTIN identifiers, detailed offers data, and review aggregations. Use the JSON-LD format for maximum compatibility.

4. Create FAQ Sections That Feel Conversational

The best FAQs don’t feel like FAQs at all. Write them in natural language. Address real customer concerns, not generic product information.

Instead of “What are the dimensions?” use “Will this coffee table fit in my small living room?” followed by practical space recommendations.

5. Optimize for Voice Search With Natural Language Patterns

Target conversational long-tail keywords. Optimize for “near me” searches if you have physical locations. Create content that answers voice queries directly.

For instance, target “where can I buy running shoes for flat feet near me” rather than just “running shoes flat feet.”

6. Build Topic Clusters Around Product Categories

Topical authority requires multiple pages supporting a topic collectively. If you want AI to identify your website as an authority on a topic, develop comprehensive content around your main product categories.

Link related products, guides, and educational content to build topical authority. Each additional piece strengthens the main page.

7. Use Customer Reviews as Structured Data Goldmines

Customer reviews are the most underutilized SEO asset in e-commerce.

Implement review schema markup using plugins like Schema Pro. Encourage detailed customer reviews that mention specific product features and use cases. These become valuable content for AI systems.

Authentic voices carry more weight than marketing copy ever will!

8. Optimize Category Pages for Discovery

Category pages are the foundation of your content strategy. Create unique category descriptions (minimum 200 words) and implement category-specific schema markup.

Use proper internal linking to distribute page authority.

For a “Kitchen Knives” category, you can write about knife selection, care tips, and cooking techniques rather than just listing products.

9. Create Comparison Content That Drives Decisions

Comparison content is great for both algorithms and customers.

Start with building product comparison pages that help customers choose between options. Include detailed feature comparisons, pros and cons, and clear recommendations.

Example: “MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro for Students” with specific use cases, price breakdowns, and honest recommendations for different budgets.

10. Implement Breadcrumbs That Tell Stories

Breadcrumbs are like narrative threads. They tell users where they are and what pages they jumped from to reach there.

Use breadcrumbs to show product relationships and site structure and also implement breadcrumb schema markup for enhanced search appearance.

11. Build Internal Linking Strategies That Mirror Customer Thinking

The most effective internal linking strategies think like customers, not like website owners.

Link products based on customer behavior, not just categories. Connect complementary products, alternatives, and upgrade paths naturally within content.

For instance, you can create an internal link from a camera not to other cameras, but to memory cards, cases, tripods, and photography guides based on what customers actually buy together.

12. Optimize for Mobile-First Indexing

Mobile-first isn’t a strategy anymore. Every website needs to be mobile-first. Ensure content parity between mobile and desktop versions.

Test touch-friendly navigation and button sizing. Prioritize mobile page speed optimization.

13. Create Content Worth Citing by AI Engines

The main problem with AI engines is that they don’t link. They cite your website as a source. That means you need to start creating content that’s citation-worthy.

Develop authoritative guides, detailed tutorials, and comprehensive product information that AI systems will want to reference and cite.

For instance, create definitive buying guides like “The Complete Guide to Choosing Running Shoes” with expert insights, comparison charts, and actionable advice.

14. Focus on Page Speed as a Conversion Factor

Target sub-2.5-second load times. Implement lazy loading for non-critical content. Optimize images with modern formats like WebP.

15. Add User-Generated Content for Authentic Authority Signals

Encourage customer photos, detailed reviews, and Q&A submissions. User-generated content provides fresh, authentic signals that both search engines and AI systems value.

The best content marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all.

Best SEO and AEO Plugins for WooCommerce

Let’s look at some of the plugins that we recommend for optimizing your WooCommerce store for both search engines (SEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO).

These tools help ensure your products are discoverable, properly structured, and ready for rich results.

Essential SEO Plugins

SEO plugins form the foundation of your store’s visibility on search engines. They handle on-page SEO, schema markup, and technical optimization specific to WooCommerce.

1. Yoast SEO + WooCommerce SEO Addon

A long-standing favorite, Yoast SEO remains the gold standard for SEO on WordPress. When paired with the WooCommerce SEO addon, it becomes a powerful solution for large or complex stores.

Price: $99 (Yoast SEO Premium) + $79 (WooCommerce SEO) = $178 annually

Features:

• Full product schema support
• Global product identifiers (GTIN, ISBN, etc.)
• AI-powered content suggestions
• Breadcrumb and internal linking control
• SEO for product filters and variations

2. Rank Math SEO

If you’re looking for a modern SEO solution with exceptional value, Rank Math is an excellent choice. Even the free version comes equipped with some advanced WooCommerce features.

Price: Free / Pro: $59 annually (unlimited sites)

Features:

• Native WooCommerce SEO support
• Automatic schema markup
• Clean and intuitive interface
• Built-in SEO analysis and AI tools
• Multi-site and client-friendly setup

3. All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

If you want a straightforward, beginner-friendly solution with strong WooCommerce compatibility, AIOSEO is a dependable option that doesn’t require additional addons.

Price: $99.50 annually (unlimited sites)

Features:

• No need for separate WooCommerce addon
• Smart schema markup
• Rich snippets and video SEO support
• TruSEO page analysis
• Excellent customer support

AEO-Focused Tools

Beyond traditional SEO, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) focuses on making your content easily accessible to voice search and AI-driven answers.

They help enhance structured data and improve how your store appears in featured snippets and search assistants.

1. Schema Pro

When detailed structured data is a priority, Schema Pro provides extensive schema types and custom implementation options.

It’s ideal for stores that rely on rich results and advanced data representation.

Price: $79 annually or $249 lifetime

Features:

• 20+ schema types, including product, review, and local business
• Visual schema builder
• Custom schema templates
• WooCommerce compatibility
• Integrates with major SEO plugins

2. Structured Content (JSON-LD) #wpsc

Minimalist execution meets maximum impact. This plugin understands that the best schema strategy is the one that actually gets implemented consistently.

Price: Free

Features:

• FAQ blocks with automatic JSON-LD schema generation
• Accordion-style displays optimized for user experience
• Enhanced visibility in featured snippets and voice results
• Universal compatibility with themes and page builders
• Zero-bloat approach focused on essential functionality

Performance and Security Optimization

The following tools enhance your WooCommerce store’s performance while ensuring compatibility and reliability.

1. WP Rocket

Known for ease of use and powerful results, WP Rocket is a premium caching plugin that works seamlessly with WooCommerce.

Price: Starts at $59 annually

Features:

• Advanced page caching with WooCommerce cart exclusions
• Intelligent JavaScript execution delay and optimization
• Database cleanup and optimization automation
• Lazy loading implementation across all media types
• One-click setup with intelligent default configurations

2. Perfmatters

If you prefer a lightweight tool that lets you fine-tune performance without overwhelming options, Perfmatters is a solid choice.

Price: Starts at $59.95 annually (3 sites)

Features:

• Granular script and style management across pages
• Advanced lazy loading and preloading configurations
• WooCommerce-specific performance optimization settings
• Clean interface focused on essential performance metrics
• Lightweight footprint that doesn’t compromise site speed

3. NitroPack

For an all-in-one optimization suite with built-in CDN and aggressive caching, NitroPack offers a robust solution especially suited for high-traffic stores.

Price: Starts at $7.00/month paid annually

Features:

• Built-in CDN with global caching and optimization
• Advanced minification for CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
• Intelligent image optimization with format conversion
• WooCommerce-aware caching that preserves functionality
• Performance monitoring and automatic optimization adjustments

How CartFlows + Modern Cart Enhance SEO + Conversions

Cart optimization directly impacts SEO performance.

Modern solutions like CartFlows create streamlined checkout experiences that reduce bounce rates and improve user experience signals.

These behavioral improvements translate to better search rankings.

SEO benefits:

• Custom checkout pages optimized for speed and conversion
• Reduced abandonment rates improving user experience signals
• Mobile-optimized funnel design
• AJAX cart updates reducing page reloads

Express checkout options further reduce friction and increase conversion rates.

Dynamic pricing updates happen without page refresh, improving user experience while maintaining fast page speeds.

The connection between conversion optimization and SEO has strengthened.

Search engines prioritize sites that provide excellent user experiences, making cart optimization a dual-purpose investment.

Enhance your customer journey with CartFlows

Measuring Success: Analytics for SEO + AEO

After implementing AEO and SEO, you need to measure the efforts for success.

Traditional SEO metrics:

• Organic traffic growth (month-over-month)
• Keyword ranking improvements
• Conversion rates from organic traffic
• Core Web Vitals performance

New AEO performance indicators:

• Featured snippet appearances
• Voice search traffic volume
• AI platform citations and mentions
• Brand mention sentiment analysis

Tools for tracking AI visibility:

Google Analytics 4 with eCommerce tracking provides comprehensive conversion data. Then, you add Search Console data to monitor technical performance and indexing status.

Brand monitoring tools like Ahrefs are highly important for AEO.

These help you track mentions across Google AI overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms to understand your brand’s AI presence.

Common WooCommerce SEO Mistakes To Avoid

• Duplicate content: Variations often spawn near-identical URLs that dilute SEO. Prevent this by setting canonical tags on primary product pages, stripping unnecessary URL parameters, and consolidating similar listings in your sitemap.
• Thin, generic product pages: Copy paste manufacturer descriptions just won’t cut it. Aim for at least 200 words of unique copy per item, highlight features and benefits, use natural keywords, and include concise FAQs. Don’t forget to embed relevant JSON-LD schemas for reviews, pricing, and availability.
• Ignoring mobile UX: Responsive design is non-negotiable considering that there are 17+ billion mobile devices in the world. Use touch-friendly buttons, optimize images for smaller screens, and streamline your mobile checkout flow to reduce abandonment.
• Slow page load times: Every extra second of load time costs rankings and sales. Leverage browser caching, a CDN, image compression, and lazy loading. Regularly clean up your database (revisions, transients), and consider a lightweight WooCommerce-optimized theme.
• Missing structured data: Rich snippets drive clicks. Implement product schema (name, price, stock status, reviews) via JSON-LD so search engines and AI assistants can showcase your products.
• Neglecting voice search: Voice queries have exploded so you need to tailor content to natural-language, question-based long-tails. Integrate an FAQ section on product pages and ensure sub-second load times for seamless voice-assistant responses.

Conclusion

WooCommerce SEO in 2025 demands a broader perspective than ever before.

The stores that thrive won’t just rank well in traditional search results. They’ll become trusted sources that AI systems cite and recommend. They’ll capture voice commerce traffic and provide exceptional user experiences that convert browsers into buyers.

This transformation isn’t happening gradually. It’s accelerating rapidly.

The good news? The fundamentals still matter.

Quality content, technical excellence, and user-focused design remain the foundation of success. We’re building on proven principles, not replacing them.

The challenge lies in execution. But you have the knowledge required to nail the fundamentals for WooCommerce SEO!

Revolutionize your WooCommerce store with CartFlows!

WooCommerce SEO Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Get My WooCommerce Product to Show Up in Voice Search?

Focus on conversational content and question-based optimization. Include natural language in product descriptions. Implement FAQ schema markup. Target long-tail, conversational keywords that mirror how people speak.

Is Schema Markup Enough for AI SEO?

Schema markup is not sufficient alone. AI systems also evaluate content quality, user experience signals, and brand authority. Combine schema with high-quality content and strong user experience.

How Does CartFlows Help with WooCommerce SEO?

CartFlows improves user experience signals through optimized checkout flows. Reduced bounce rates, faster page speeds, and improved conversion rates all send positive signals to search engines.

What’s the Difference Between SEO and AEO for eCommerce?

SEO focuses on driving traffic through search rankings. AEO aims to have your content cited and recommended directly by AI systems. Both are important, but AEO represents the future of search optimization.

Which WooCommerce SEO Plugin Is Best for 2025?

It depends on your store size and budget. Rank Math offers the best value with extensive free features. Yoast provides the most comprehensive paid solution. AIOSEO delivers solid all-in-one functionality.

How Long Does It Take to See WooCommerce SEO Results?

Technical improvements show results in 1-3 months. Content-based improvements typically take 3-6 months. Competitive keyword rankings can take 6-12 months depending on market competition.

Can I Do WooCommerce SEO Without Technical Skills?

Modern SEO plugins handle most technical aspects automatically. Focus on content quality, product descriptions, and user experience. Consider hiring specialists for advanced technical optimization.

Stores with proper recommendation systems see 4.5x higher conversion rates and up to 31% increases in average order value.

This guide shows you exactly how to implement product recommendations for maximum revenue impact and 6 WooCommerce plugins that would help you set them up.

What Are WooCommerce Product Recommendations?

Product recommendation is a feature designed to show relevant, personalized product suggestions to store visitors.

Suggestions can boost sales, increase average order value (AOV), and enhance customer experience by helping shoppers discover items they’re likely to purchase.

By default, WooCommerce offers basic recommendations:

• Cross-sells: Shown only at the bottom of the cart page
• Upsells: Appear under the product description
• Related products: Automatically generated, with little control or targeting

The default feature is limited in terms of customization, targeting, placement, and performance tracking, which is why we look for alternatives.

Let’s look at the difference between the native product recommendations vs advanced plugin-based recommendations.

High-converting plugins allow you to place product suggestions on key pages:

• Product pages with “Frequently Bought Together” or “You May Also Like” sections
• Cart page showing dynamic cart-based cross-sells
• Checkout page as last-minute order bumps
• Thank you page and post-purchase upsells
• Purchase completion emails and cart abandonment reminders

Placement is strategically important. The right suggestion at the right time can double or triple engagement!

How Product Recommendations Help

While there isn’t much public data on large companies, we found this McKinsey 2013 report which has some useful information on recommendations.

It states that Amazon generates 35% of revenue through their recommendation engine and Netflix attributes 75% of viewer engagement to personalized suggestions.

For WooCommerce stores specifically, properly implemented recommendations typically see:

• 4.5x higher conversion rates compared to stores without recommendations
• 31% increase in average order value when customers engage with recommendations
• 288% higher engagement from prospects who interact with recommendations

The science and psychology behind product recommendations is also fascinating.

Google’s research on the “Messy Middle” of customer decision-making identified six cognitive biases that recommendations leverage.

They are:

1. Social proof (customers who bought this also bought)
2. Authority bias (expert recommendations)
3. Scarcity (limited stock alerts)
4. Anchoring effect (price comparisons)
5. Bandwagon effect (popular products)
6. Loss aversion (fear of missing out)

Essentially, if you’re not using recommendation plugins, you’re leaving serious money on the table.

The 6 Essential Woocommerce Recommendation Plugins You Need to Know

After testing dozens of options, these six plugins consistently deliver results.

We’ll break down exactly what makes each one special, their real-world performance, and who should use them.

1. CartFlows – The Complete Sales Funnel Solution

Price: $189-$299/year.

Best for: Serious eCommerce businesses looking for comprehensive funnel optimization.

We can practically hear your eyes rolling, “Of course, they put their own product first.” But we’ll only share what could solve your struggle with increasing average order value.

You see, for product recommendations to work, you need a conversion-optimized WooCommerce checkout flow.

CartFlows gives you end-to-end optimization to make the most of WooCommerce product recommendations.

With 223,242+ active users and 4.8/5 stars, We had to add it as the #1 WooCommerce product recommendations plugin.

“Cartflows helps us with lifting our conversion rates. We’re able to test different customer journeys with ease. We highly recommend CartFlows to anyone looking to improve their conversion rates, sales, and overall visitor experiences” – ShopStyled on TrustPilot

Why CartFlows:

• Complete solution: Handles the entire customer journey from landing to thank you
• Cost advantage: Starts free. Upgrades cost $189 to $299/year or $999 one time cost
• WordPress ownership: Funnels hosted on your domain, not an external platform
• Integration ecosystem: 1,010+ app integrations via SureTriggers
• Proven results: Users consistently report 10-30% revenue increases

Important note: CartFlows works alongside recommendation plugins rather than replacing them.

Many stores combine CartFlows for checkout optimization with dedicated recommendation plugins for product suggestions.

2. Modern Cart – The Cart Experience Specialist

Price: $69-199 (lifetime option available).

Best for: Stores with cart abandonment and low customer engagement who need a modern shopping cart solution.

Modern Cart comes from the same team as CartFlows (Us – Brainstorm Force) but focuses specifically on cart optimization.

The floating cart interface creates a modern, distraction-free experience that reduces abandonment.

The free shipping progress bar is brilliant for encouraging higher order values. Customers see exactly how much more they need to spend for free shipping, often leading to additional purchases.

Product recommendations within the cart capture cross-sell opportunities at the perfect moment.

Key advantages:

• Lightweight performance (less than 0.1 seconds load time)
• Mobile-optimized for modern shopping behavior
• Easy one-click setup and configuration
• Works with any WordPress theme
• Part of the trusted CartFlows ecosystem

For the price ($69/year), it’s exceptional value for cart-specific improvements.

3. Woocommerce Product Recommendations (Official) – The Premium Powerhouse

Price: $99/year.

Best for: Perfect for store owners who want to use only WooCommerce official apps.

This is WooCommerce’s official recommendation solution, and it shows.

The machine learning algorithms analyze customer behavior patterns to automatically suggest relevant products with near-zero setup time.

What impressed us most is the 20+ strategic placement locations throughout your store – product pages, cart, checkout, thank you pages, even category pages.

The “Smart Amplifiers” feature lets you boost recommendations based on popularity, rating, conversion rate, and other advanced criteria.

For stores with large catalogs, the bulk recommendation creation using category and attribute filters saves hours of manual work.

Key features that matter:

• Automated “Frequently Bought Together” with lightweight algorithms
• “Complete the Look” feature for fashion/lifestyle stores
• Revenue analytics with filterable reports
• Seasonal pattern adaptation (algorithm learns holiday trends)
• No external API calls (everything processed locally for speed)

Users report significant AOV increases, though WooCommerce doesn’t publish specific numbers. Machine learning improves over time so you can expect better results after 2-3 months of data collection.

The catch: At $99/year, it’s the most expensive option.

Plus, it’s not optimized for block themes yet (support coming soon). If you’re on a tight budget or using a block theme, consider alternatives.

4. UpsellWP – The Conversion Optimization Specialist

Price: Free version available, Pro at $55/year.

Best for: Stores that want a plugin that just does upsells and nothing else.

UpsellWP has very comprehensive campaign types.

While many plugins focus on cross-sells, UpsellWP offers post-purchase upsells with countdown timers, “Double the Order” campaigns, next-order coupons, and thank you page recommendations.

Users consistently report up to 41% increases in AOV. The 10+ pre-built campaigns get you started immediately.

The “Frequently Bought Together” suggestions appear on product pages, while checkout order bumps capture last-minute purchases.

What sets it apart is the time-sensitive offers with urgency timers that create genuine purchasing pressure.

Standout features:

• Post-purchase upsells (customers already committed to buying)
• Smart product recommendations engine
• A/B testing for campaign optimization
• WPML compatibility for multilingual stores
• Works with WooCommerce Cart and Checkout blocks

User feedback highlights: “Great Plugin. Great Service” and “Fantastic Plugin & Outstanding Support!” appear repeatedly. Users praise the quick support response times and comprehensive feature set.

Pricing advantage: At $55/year, it delivers great functionality.

5. Advanced WooCommerce Product Recommendations (WebToffee)

Price: Free version available, Pro at $89/year.

Best for: Stores wanting customizable UI for their product recommendations.

WebToffee strikes an excellent balance between features and affordability.

The pre-built templates (related products, bestsellers, frequently bought together) get you started quickly.

Custom recommendations with advanced filtering let you create sophisticated rules.

Notable features:

• Unlimited custom recommendation types
• Smart targeting (recommend sale items to customers with qualifying cart values)
• Visual customization controls for colors and layout
• WPML compatible for international stores
• Works with block themes and Gutenberg

Performance data: Users in the WebToffee ecosystem (1.5+ million total) report strong satisfaction.

The company’s reputation for excellent support makes this a safe choice for stores needing reliable, well-supported recommendations.

6. YITH WooCommerce Frequently Bought Together – The Budget Option With Caveats

Price: Free version, premium pricing not disclosed.

Best for: Budget-conscious stores willing to accept limitations.

We used YITH because it seemed to come up a lot when we were looking for plugins to try.

From our testing, we noticed that it doesn’t give you the bells and whistles you’d need for recommending the best products.

But it works and if all you need is a way to recommend a few specific products, this product recommendation plugin might just work.

The free version is limited, and the recurring theme in a lot of the customer reviews was that YITH was “practically impossible to use” without upgrading. The 3.1/5 star rating on WordPress.org also tells the story.

With the free version you can only:

• Configure specific products to show up for each product in your store
• Change the title of the product recommendation section
• Customize the text and colors of the “Add to Cart” for these recommended products.

It does offer some good features like auto-recommending products based on tags and categories, add automatic discounts, and more in the premium versions.

If those features get the job done for you, this is going to be a great low-cost option for you to consider.

Our recommendation: Only consider YITH if budget is your primary concern and you thoroughly test on a staging site first.

Our Final Recommendations for Choosing the Best Plugin

WooCommerce Product Recommendations ($99/year) provides official WooCommerce support and future-proof development which could be a great add-on for most stores.

But most don’t include all.

If your store needs deeper funnel optimization, better upsell and cross sell flows, you need CartFlows.

It’s currently the most comprehensive solution and provides everything you need to optimize carts for more sales.

If you’re tired of layering solutions on top of the WooCommerce shopping cart experience, you need Modern Cart ($69/year).

It completely changes the look and feel of your WooCommerce store with smart product recommendations.

You get a modern-looking cart experience that’s fast, snappy, and built for conversion.

For WooCommerce stores on a budget, go with UpsellWP ($55/year).

It offers the best balance of features, price, and proven results. The comprehensive campaign types and excellent support make it ideal for stores wanting immediate revenue improvement.

Set Up Product Recommendations With CartFlows (3 Simple Steps)

After you’ve installed CartFlows Pro on your WooCommerce store, setting up product recommendations can increase average order value by 20-30%.

Step 1: Create Your Funnel and Configure Checkout

Let’s use a funnel template to build as it’s faster and easier while you’re learning how CartFlows works.

Navigate to CartFlows → Funnels → Create Funnel.

Choose one of the product sales funnel templates depending and then Import Flow.

Configure your checkout page by going to Checkout settings → Product and select your products.

Step 2: Add Revenue-Boosting Recommendation Features

Set up order bumps by adding a new step to your funnel.

Configure post-purchase upsells by adding an upsell step after your checkout page.

Select an upsell product that’s 1.5-3x the cart product price and enable one-click purchasing.

You can also choose to set up conditional redirects so “Yes” leads to a specific page and “No” leads to another page depending on how you’ve designed the funnel.

Step 3: Optimize and Scale Your Recommendations

You can also create category-specific upsell strategies for a little extra profit.

For example:

• Electronics stores could focus on warranties and accessories
• Fashion stores on complete-the-look recommendations
• Digital product stores on related courses or upgraded plans

Use CartFlows’ A/B testing to test different funnel variations and track conversion rates by funnel step, average order value increase, and abandonment rates.

Ensure mobile optimization by testing all steps on mobile devices, using Instant Checkout layout for mobile, and minimizing form fields.

Start simple with basic order bumps, then add complexity as you learn what works.

Limit recommendations to 3-5 options maximum to avoid overwhelming customers, and continuously optimize based on performance data rather than assumptions.

Strategic Product Recommendation Locations That Actually Convert

Here are the highest-converting locations based on performance data and user testing:

• Product pages (above the add to cart button): Most effective for cross-sells because customers are actively making decisions. Users report 2-3x higher engagement compared to sidebar placements.
• Cart page (header section): Better visibility than WooCommerce’s default bottom placement. Focus on complementary items based on cart contents, avoiding irrelevant suggestions that create noise.
• Checkout page: Order bumps and last-minute additions. Test placement timing carefully. Too early and it’s ignored, too late and it feels pushy.
• Thank you page: Post-purchase upsells work because customers have already made a purchase decision so it’s easier to make another. This is where CartFlows excels.
• Email campaigns: Personalized product recommendations in emails often show higher conversion than onsite recommendations. Amazon’s email recommendations have very high conversion rates according to their published data.

Common Implementation Mistakes to Avoid

Theme compatibility issues are the biggest source of problems.

Always test on a staging site first, and consider switching to the Storefront theme temporarily to verify plugin functionality.

• Caching conflicts cause recommendations to appear stale or identical for all users. Configure exclusions for dynamic recommendation areas, or use AJAX loading for personalized suggestions.
• Over-aggressive recommendations hurt more than help. Avoid recommending completely unrelated products or showing too many options (analysis paralysis).
• Ignoring mobile optimization is costly when 60%+ of traffic comes from mobile. Ensure recommendations display properly on small screens and load quickly.

Recommend the Best Products With CartFlows + Modern Cart

If you’re not using product recommendations, you’re already losing money. While you’re reading this, stores using product recommendations are seeing 20-35% more revenue.

Our suggestion?

Start with the WooCommerce official plugin or with CartFlows + Modern Cart if you want the full conversion optimization experience.

Both will pay for themselves in no time (depending on your store’s revenue potential) when set up correctly.

Your customers expect smart recommendations like Amazon has trained them for.

The only difference between your current revenue and significantly higher revenue is clicking “install” and spending an afternoon setting up your first order bump. So what are you waiting for?

They just vanish. No purchase, no goodbye, nothing.

It happens to all of us that run online stores.

If you’re wondering what’s going wrong between “add to cart” and “purchase complete”, you’re not alone.

But the solution isn’t one magic plugin (or maybe it is).

It helps to understand which plugins solve which problems and how they work together to create the seamless experience your customers crave.

The Components of a High Converting eCommerce Cart

If you start observing successful eCommerce stores, you’ll notice they share certain cart characteristics.

Here’s a distillation of the most important components:

• Instant visual feedback – When customers add items, they need immediate confirmation without page reloads or delays. That split second of uncertainty while pages load is enough to break the buying “flow”.
• Visible progress – Customers should be able to see their cart contents, item counts, and running totals at all times. When progress is visible, completion feels inevitable rather than optional.
• Effortless cart management – Adjusting quantities, removing items, or applying coupons should be fluid and effortless to not distract the customer.
• Smart revenue optimization – The best carts don’t just hold items, they actively increase order values through well-timed product recommendations and incentives like free shipping thresholds.
• Recovery systems – 76% of customers abandon their cart on average. High-converting stores have systems in place to bring back interested buyers who left mid-process.
• Mobile-first experience – With most traffic coming from mobile devices, cart functionality needs to work flawlessly on smaller screens without compromising features.

The WordPress shopping cart plugins we’ll walk you though, each handle different pieces of this conversion puzzle.

Some focus on one specific element, while others provide comprehensive solutions that address multiple components simultaneously.

All you need to do is figure out what problems or limitations your store currently has, and put the right plugins in place to give your customers the smoothest experience.

Best WooCommerce Cart Plugins for 2025

Here’s a quick look at the plugins we’ll be discussing in this post:

1. Modern Cart: The Focused Solution

Best for: Stores wanting immediate cart improvements without overwhelming complexity.

Modern Cart is a new premium WordPress shopping cart plugin from the CartFlows team.

These are the same developers behind some of the most successful conversion tools (like CartFlows, Cart Abandonment Recovery, and now Modern Cart).

Fortunately, in our experience, Modern Cart exceeded all expectations.

When your customers add items, instead of redirecting them to a separate cart page, a sleek floating cart slides into view.

Customers can:

• See what items they’ve added
• Adjust quantities
• Apply coupons
• Track their progress toward free shipping

You can also add smart product recommendations in the sidebar cart, further increasing the chances of conversion and increasing average order value.

To make the shopping experience more compelling, Modern Cart lets you show a persistent cart value in the menu bar.

This reminds customers there are products in the cart if they haven’t checked out yet.

Modern Cart has all the features you’d need to help customers stay in a shopping mindset instead of switching to checkout mode.

And the best part is, you can try without committing. Not in the traditional sense where you sign up, install the plugin and play around.

Just go to the Modern Cart homepage and hit the Try Modern Cart button.

Within a couple seconds, CartFlows will spin up a complete website with demo products, some demo data, and with Modern Cart installed.

You can test out all the features in this sandboxed environment before you even consider signing up.

Pros

• Free sandboxed environments to try the plugin in a live environment before you commit
• Complete floating cart system with instant loading
• Dynamic free shipping progress bars and coupon management
• Built-in cross-sells and upsell recommendations
• Full customization of labels, colors, and styling options
• Mobile responsive design that works across all devices

Cons

• Requires time investment to configure features properly
• May be overkill for stores with simple product catalogs

Pricing:

$69 annually or $199 one-time purchase

Verdict: If you want a cart solution that’s reliable, straightforward, and effective without overwhelming features Modern Cart is what you need.

2. CartFlows: The Complete Funnel Solution

Best for: Stores ready to replace their checkout experience with an experience designed to convert

CartFlows takes a different approach than the other plugins on this list.

Instead of just improving your cart, it replaces your entire checkout process with conversion-optimized sales funnels.

You get landing pages, checkout pages, thank you pages, upsell pages, and downsell pages all working together.

The plugin includes order bumps that let you offer related products right on the checkout page, plus unlimited upsells after purchase.

If you’re serious about maximizing revenue from every customer, CartFlows gives you the complete system to do it.

Pros:

• Complete sales funnel system, not just cart improvements
• Order bumps can increase purchase values immediately
• Unlimited upsells and downsells after checkout
• Works with any page builder you’re already using
• A/B split testing to optimize what works

Cons:

• Learning curve if you’re new to funnels
• Requires time investment to set up funnels properly but is fully hands-off once set

Pricing: CartFlows has a fully free plugin that provides all the basic functionality to build funnels.

For order bumps, and one-click upsells, you’ll need CartFlows Plus at $189/year.

If you need even more advanced features, CartFlows Pro offers A/B testing, analytics, conversion optimization funnel templates and more at $299/year.

Verdict: CartFlows delivers the features you need for a complete overhaul of your sales process.

Best for stores ready to think beyond just cart improvements and optimize their complete customer journey.

3. Ajax Add to Cart

Best for: Stores that need to just let customers add to cart without the page refresh.

Every time you add an item and the page reloads, there’s that momentary disorientation.

If that’s the only problem you have with WooCommerce, this plugin eliminates that experience completely.

Products are added to cart instantly. A slideout cart from the right gives your buyers a visual confirmation that the product has been added to their cart.

Customers stay exactly where they are, maintaining their shopping momentum.

Pros:

• Eliminates jarring page reloads when adding items
• Works with variable products and product variations
• Universal theme compatibility
• Completely free with no premium pressure

Cons:

• Only handles add-to-cart functionality
• Limited cart management features
• Limited customization options or styling controls
• No upsell, cross-sell, or revenue optimization features

Pricing: Completely free

Verdict: If all you need is the ability to let users add to cart without the WooCommerce refresh, this plugin solves your problem.

4. WooCommerce Menu Cart

Best for: Store owners who only want customers to see their cart progress in the menu bar.

Jeroen Sormani’s Menu Cart solves a single problem – cart visibility.

When customers can see what they’ve added or how much they’re spending, they’re more likely to continue with their purchase to get that feeling of finishing something.

With this plugin, you get a cart icon to your menu showing item counts and totals. Customers can hover over it to see their cart contents without going anywhere.

It’s a simple plugin that adds a simple but effective solution.

Pros

• Always-visible cart status in navigation
• Flyout preview shows cart contents on hover
• Real-time updates when items are added
• Works with most navigation menu systems

Cons

• No cart management capabilities
• Limited to menu-based navigation only
• Basic functionality with minimal customization

Pricing: The base plugin is free. The pro version costs $29.

Verdict: Not flashy, but essential. With 200,000+ installations, it’s become standard for a reason. Visibility creates commitment.

5. WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery

Best for: If your only problem is losing customers who showed genuine buying intent, install this one plugin.

Sometimes people genuinely need to leave and come back later. Life happens.

But stores that don’t follow up with customers who showed genuine buying intent, lose those customers.

WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery by CartFlows operates in the background, automatically keeping track of customers that left midway through checkout.

The plugin then auto-activates the email sequences you’ve set to bring customers back without any manual work.

Pros:

• Automated email sequences for cart abandonment
• GDPR compliant with privacy features
• Professional email templates included
• Completely free with no premium pressure

Cons:

• Email-only recovery (no SMS or other channels)
• No real-time cart intervention features

Pricing: Completely free.

Verdict: This plugin is useful even if you have excellent conversions. It’s a lightweight addon to your eCommerce setup and any recovered cart is more profit for you.

6. FunnelKit Cart

Best for: Stores that need a fully functional WooCommerce shopping cart experience with more features.

If Modern Cart doesn’t fit your needs, FunnelKit Cart is a similar (but heavier) alternative.

It offers a sliding cart system with additional revenue features built in.

Similar to Modern Cart, when customers add items, FunnelKit Cart shows a sidebar cart that includes milestone-based rewards, cross-sell suggestions, and progress tracking toward goals like free shipping.

One of the things we like about this plugin is the gamification elements, where customers can unlock discounts or gifts by reaching spending thresholds.

Pros:

• Milestone-based reward system that encourages customers to buy more
• Customers can add recommended products without leaving the cart
• Clean, professional-looking sliding cart
• Works with popular payment methods

Cons:

• Costs $99/year for advanced features
• Takes time to set up rewards and milestones properly
• You need to understand customer psychology to use it effectively

Pricing: From $99 per year.

Verdict: The plugin delivers advanced cart features for stores ready to invest time and money in conversion optimization.

7. YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager

Best for: Stores requiring custom checkout field collection and management

YITH WooCommerce Checkout Manager specifically handles checkout field customization.

You can add custom fields like text boxes, dropdowns, checkboxes, and date pickers to collect additional customer information during checkout.

The drag and drop interface lets you rearrange fields, and conditional logic can show or hide fields based on what customers select or what’s in their cart.

If you need to gather specific data beyond standard WooCommerce checkout fields, this covers that need.

Pros:

• Add as many custom fields as you want
• Easy drag and drop to rearrange fields
• Fields can appear or hide based on what customers do
• Customize how fields look and what error messages say

Cons:

• Only handles checkout fields
• Costs $69.99/year for all features

Pricing: From $69.99 per year.

Verdict: Does exactly what it promises for checkout field customization. If that’s your specific need, it handles it well, but won’t improve your overall cart experience.

The Success You’ve Been Working Toward

Three weeks after installing some of these plugins, your analytics will reflect something different.

Cart abandonment dropping. Average order values climbing. Customers actually completing purchases instead of vanishing.

Six months from now, you’ll likely be that store owner other people ask for advice. The one who figured out why customers were abandoning carts and actually fixed it.

And you’ll know better that customers were always ready to buy. They just needed you to make it easy.

That’s all you did. Made it easy for them.

Still figuring out what tool is best for you? Why not use one that has all the features (and more) packaged in a single plugin. Try Modern Cart completely risk-free for 14 days!

When 2PM asked 60+ store owners about their preferences, 80% of them chose Shopify as their shopping cart provider.

Shopify currently powers 5.6 million websites while WooCommerce powers 5.7 million websites globally.

So, shall we declare WooCommerce the democratically elected winner and move on?

Not so fast!

Each platform has a different philosophy that will make a big difference in how you operate your store.

WooCommerce vs. Shopify analysis cuts through the noise and helps you with a clear picture of what it means to pick between these two eCommerce heavyweights.

Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Understanding the Core Difference

Before diving into features and costs, you need to understand that WooCommerce and Shopify represent two completely different approaches to ecommerce.

The main difference comes down to ownership vs. convenience.

WooCommerce: You Own Everything

WooCommerce turns your existing WordPress website into a store. You own the platform, control your data, and pay no monthly fees unless you use premium addons.

Ownership means you can build exactly what your business needs.

You get:

• Direct code access
• Unlimited integrations
• Use any payment processor you like

Since you own everything, you’re also responsible for everything.

You need to handle:

• Hosting
• Security updates
• Maintenance

It’s more work upfront, but you get more out of it since everything belongs to you.

Shopify: Someone Else Handles Everything

Shopify takes the opposite approach. They take care of everything for you so you can focus on selling.

You don’t need to worry about:

• Hosting choices
• Security
• Technical headaches

You get professional store setup, managed hosting, automatic security updates, and 24/7 support.

The tradeoff is clear.

As your store grows and needs more features, your:

• Monthly bills keep growing
• You’re limited by what Shopify allows you to do

WooCommerce vs. Shopify: At a Glance

Here’s what actually matters for your business:

Understanding these core differences sets the stage for examining what each platform means for your business in practice.

1. Best Long-Term Cost Efficiency: WooCommerce

Monthly fees are just the starting point.

The total cost of ownership tells the real story, and the math changes dramatically once you factor in apps, transaction fees, and scaling requirements.

WooCommerce

• Core plugin: Free
• Quality hosting: $15-$200/month
• Optional premium extensions: $50-$300/year each
• Developer assistance: $50-$150/hour

The “free” platform requires investment in infrastructure and expertise. You’ll need quality managed hosting to prevent your store from slowing down.

Businesses can spend anywhere between $500-$5,000 per year for a professional WooCommerce setup.

Shopify

• Monthly apps: $100-$1,500+/month for growing stores
• Transaction fees: Get expensive fast
• Premium themes: $100-$500 one-time
• Gets more expensive as you grow

Shopify’s apparent simplicity masks accumulating costs.

Those convenient monthly apps create substantial recurring expenses, but the real shock comes from transaction fees.

Make $5,000/month in sales and you’ll pay about $175/month in transaction fees to Shopify.

At $25,000/month in sales, you’re looking at around $875/month.

Once you hit $500K annual revenue you’re paying about $1,200/month ($14,500/year) just in transaction fees.

Shopify’s transaction fees alone can cost more than running an entire WooCommerce store!

Score: WooCommerce (1) Shopify (0)

2. Best for a Quick Launch: Shopify

Setting up WooCommerce requires you to make strategic decisions about hosting, themes, plugins, and security.

Each choice shapes future capabilities and expenses.

WooCommerce Setup

• Hosting selection and configuration
• WordPress and plugin installation
• Theme customization and optimization
• Security hardening and backup systems

Setup takes anywhere from an afternoon to a couple of days, depending on your experience.

Each decision builds a foundation that evolves with your business rather than constraining it.

Shopify Setup

• Guided setup wizard (launch in hours)
• Pre-configured hosting and security
• Built-in payment processing
• Automatic updates and maintenance

Shopify eliminates decisions helping you to speed up launch.

The guided process creates functional stores within hours, valuable for market testing or for teams lacking technical resources.

The maintenance is a significant difference, though.

WooCommerce requires ongoing attention for updates, compatibility checks, and security monitoring.

You either need to know how to handle these things or have someone on the team who does.

Shopify handles maintenance automatically, though you pay for that convenience through monthly fees and platform limitations.

Score: WooCommerce (1) Shopify (1)

3. Best Store Customization: WooCommerce

The more control you have over setup, the more you can customize later.

WooCommerce Customization Advantages

WooCommerce offers unlimited creative freedom because the underlying CMS, WordPress, is exceptionally flexible.

• Unlimited theme modifications and custom development
• Custom checkout flows with sophisticated pricing logic
• Direct database and code access
• Any third-party integration possible
• Complete control over user experience

Shopify’s Structured Limitations

Shopify is a bit more complex in terms of customization due to its proprietary templating system.

• Theme-based customization with guardrails
• App-dependent functionality additions
• Advanced changes require Shopify Plus ($2,300+/month)
• Liquid templating learning curve for developers

Shopify provides structure instead of freedom.

The system prevents mistakes while also limiting creative possibilities, so what feels adequate today can become constraining tomorrow.

Score: It’s a tie (or dare we say, “It depends”)

4. Best Global Expansion: WooCommerce

Once you begin to get sales, it’s natural to want to expand to different regions and countries.

You need a platform that won’t put customization limitations when expanding internationally.

WooCommerce’s Global Approach

• No geographic restrictions
• Any payment processor in any country
• Unlimited currency and market combinations
• Complete control over international tax logic

WooCommerce treats the world as one market and supports any payment processor, any country, any currency combination.

The flexibility gives you true global commerce without platform gatekeeping.

Shopify’s Geographic Constraints

• Shopify Payments limited to specific countries
• Maximum 50 markets even on highest pricing tier
• Additional markets on lower plans cost $59/month for each market
• Multi-currency features require Shopify Payments

Shopify’s managed approach simplifies scaling but limits you.

Outside their supported markets, you lose the simplicity that you get when operating within the markets that Shopify supports.

Make sure you don’t want to expand beyond the supported countries before jumping on to Shopify.

For now, WooCommerce gets the points for being ready for anything.

Score: WooCommerce (2) Shopify (1)

5. Best B2B Features: WooCommerce

B2B commerce generally brings out a platform’s true capabilities.

It’s where you’ll get to see complex pricing, role-based access, subscription management, and many other features that other users don’t need.

WooCommerce’s B2B Strengths

WooCommerce handles B2B complexity naturally.

The subscription plugin supports sophisticated recurring billing scenarios that Shopify can’t match without requiring expensive plugins.

• WooCommerce Subscriptions with advanced billing rules
• Unlimited role-based pricing and custom workflows
• Membership systems and wholesale functionality
• Complex product configurations and booking systems

Shopify’s B2B Limitations

Shopify’s B2B capabilities feel like an afterthought.

• Basic subscription features without advanced pricing rules
• No role-based discounting on subscription orders
• Limited wholesale and membership capabilities
• Complex B2B scenarios require expensive workarounds

Role-based pricing, quantity breaks, custom billing cycles and other essential B2B features either don’t exist or require expensive third-party solutions.

Score: WooCommerce (3) Shopify (1)

6. Easiest Platform Migration: WooCommerce

It’s quite difficult to migrate between these two platforms as data migration involves much more than products and customers.

You have custom fields, reviews, SEO-optimized URLs, integrated systems and a whole lot more. All of which requires careful handling.

Shopify has a migration guide that uses a limited access migration app (which works only in specific regions right now).

However, Shopify can only import products from WooCommerce if they have a maximum of 3 options and require additional plugins to address using custom fields.

WooCommerce also has a migration guide which involves a Shopify to WooCommerce migration plugin.

The plugin works quite well (we wouldn’t go as far to say “flawlessly”).

Based on the reviews, even when things break, which is quite normal for complex implementations, the support is prompt and helps with the bugs.

Score: WooCommerce (4) Shopify (1)

7. Best Performance Management: Shopify

Since switching platforms later is so costly, performance differences become more significant.

WooCommerce Performance Variables

WooCommerce performance depends on your decisions.

• Hosting quality determines everything
• Plugin selection affects speed dramatically
• Optimization requires ongoing expertise
• Performance ceiling is higher with proper setup

Quality managed hosting delivers excellent results, but reaching peak performance requires knowledge and investment.

Shopify’s Managed Performance

Shopify eliminates performance variables entirely.

• Automatic scaling handles traffic spikes
• Consistent speed regardless of demand
• No optimization knowledge required
• Good performance ceiling without peak possibilities

The Shopify infrastructure maintains consistent performance even during Black Friday traffic surges without you having to do anything extra.

The managed approach removes performance optimization from your responsibility list.

Score: WooCommerce (4) Shopify (2)

8. Best Security Control: WooCommerce

When you manage your own performance, you also handle your own security.

WooCommerce puts you in control of security, which means you’re responsible for everything: WordPress updates, plugin security patches and hosting configurations.

WooCommerce Security Requirements

• WordPress and plugin update management
• Hosting security configuration
• SSL certificates and PCI compliance
• Backup and disaster recovery planning

Control appeals to security-conscious businesses that want control over their data and systems.

You choose hosting providers based on security standards, implement additional protections as needed, and respond to threats.

Shopify’s Managed Security

• Automatic updates and security patches
• Built-in PCI compliance
• Professional security monitoring included
• 99.99% uptime guarantee with security infrastructure

Shopify manages security centrally, providing better protection than self-management for businesses without security expertise.

The tradeoff remains though. You’re trusting someone else with your most critical business asset.

Score: WooCommerce (5) Shopify (2)

9. Best for Payment Processing: Both Win

A store isn’t a store without a way for customers to pay!

WooCommerce’s Payment Freedom

• No platform fees beyond gateway costs
• Any payment processor globally without restrictions
• Regional payment methods integrate seamlessly
• Complete control over payment optimization

WooCommerce imposes no restrictions on payment methods or providers. Use Stripe in the US, iDEAL in the Netherlands, Alipay in China.

The flexibility enables optimization for different markets without platform gatekeeping.

Shopify’s Integration Costs

• Shopify Payments works seamlessly where available
• 2% additional fee for third-party payment providers
• Geographic limitations constrain payment options

The hidden economics surface here. That 2% additional fee for using your preferred payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments can end up costing serious money.

Shopify works well if you serve specific major countries like the US, UK or Australia, because Shopify makes payments seamless in supported countries.

In other countries, your choices are more limited and fees are more expensive.

Score: WooCommerce (5) Shopify (2)

10. Best for SEO and Content Marketing: Both Win

Your platform choice shapes not just your store, but your entire marketing strategy.

WooCommerce Content Advantages

• Unlimited blogging and content creation within the same system
• Yoast SEO and advanced optimization tools
• Complete control over site architecture and URL structure
• Seamless integration between content and commerce

The WordPress ecosystem includes thousands of SEO and marketing plugins.

Advanced schema markup, sophisticated internal linking, custom content types – every SEO technique works because you’re building on the web’s most flexible foundation.

Shopify’s Platform Limitations

• Basic SEO features adequate for product-focused sites
• Blog functionality exists but feels secondary
• URL structure restrictions affect long-term SEO potential
• Content marketing requires workarounds or expensive apps

Shopify’s SEO capabilities work but feel constrained. Blog posts must include “/blogs/” in URLs, product collections require “/collections/”, and customization options are very limited.

These restrictions seem minor but compound over years.

Score: WooCommerce (6) Shopify (3) – It’s a draw

Businesses that view content as a strategic asset need the flexibility of WooCommerce. Those focused purely on product sales can succeed within Shopify’s constraints.

WooCommerce vs. Shopify: Industry-Specific Considerations

The platform differences can affect industries differently:

Fashion and apparel brands gravitate toward Shopify’s ecosystem and integrations.

The platform’s optimization for product photography, seasonal collections, and influencer marketing serves fashion retailers well.

Content publishers and educational businesses prefer WooCommerce’s seamless WordPress integration.

Course creators, membership sites, and content-heavy retailers need the blogging and content management capabilities that WooCommerce provides naturally.

B2B and wholesale businesses find WooCommerce’s pricing flexibility essential.

Complex pricing rules, role-based access, and custom order workflows require platform flexibility that Shopify doesn’t consistently provide.

International businesses must consider geographic restrictions carefully.

WooCommerce’s unlimited market access supports true global commerce, while Shopify’s limitations can constrain expansion plans.

Digital product sellers face different considerations on each platform.

WooCommerce’s subscription and membership plugins offer sophisticated solutions for complex digital commerce. Shopify’s digital product handling is simpler but less flexible.

WooCommerce vs. Shopify: The Decision Framework

These industry considerations lead to a simple decision framework based on your business realities:

(Here’s the full decision tree based on what we’ve covered in the article)

Here’s a simpler one

Choosing Your Ecommerce Future

We know which platform we prefer working with, but like any decision, your choice needs to be yours alone.

To make the decision easier:

• Choose WooCommerce if you have the tech skills or budget to hire help, want to save money long-term, need custom features, and plan to go big in the near future.
• Choose Shopify if you want to get selling fast, run a straightforward store, and want someone else to handle the boring parts.

If you pick WooCommerce, don’t forget to try out CartFlows.

It’s a WordPress plugin that can boost sales by 10-30% using one-click upsells and custom checkout pages.

With CartFlows, you get WooCommerce’s flexibility and conversion checkout flows that usually cost extra on other platforms.

It’s easy to use too!

WooCommerce vs. Shopify Frequently Asked Questions

CartFlows 2.1.6 changes that with Instant Layouts for upsell and downsell steps.

Now you can create and launch professionally designed, conversion-focused pages that can begin generating extra revenue in minutes!

What Are Instant Layouts?

Instant Layouts offers readymade, professionally designed layouts that work out of the box with no design skills required.

Instead of creating page designs for upsell and downsells in CartFlows funnels, you simply enable Instant Layouts, hit publish and you’re ready to go.

The entire funnel works like you would expect. The designs are beautiful and are created by professionals who understand funnel design.

Benefits of Instant Layouts

Imagine you’re running an online bookstore and sell a mixture of physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks.

Before Instant Layouts, creating funnel pages for the audiobook after someone purchases the physical version meant spending time with a page builder.

You’d need to design layouts, position elements strategically, and ensure everything worked perfectly on mobile devices.

Now?

Select an Instant Layout to create a professionally designed, mobile-responsive page that’s ready to convert.

The immediate benefits are:

• Hours saved per funnel: No more working with page builders
• Professional design without design skills: Layouts follow conversion best practices
• Consistent customer experience: Maintain visual continuity from checkout through upsell, downsell, and thank you pages
• Mobile-ready without extra work: All layouts adapt perfectly to any screen size
• Works with all supported payment gateways: No technical compatibility issues

The consistent experience matters more than you might think. When customers move from your checkout to an upsell page with the same design language, trust remains intact.

The familiar environment keeps them in a purchase mindset, which should result in more revenue for you.

How To Enable Instant Layout in CartFlows

The Instant Layout feature is available in CardFlows Pro 2.1.6.

Get the latest CartFlows Pro package (2.1.6) by visiting cartflows.com

• Log in with your Pro account
• Download and install the CartFlows Pro package

If you already have CartFlows installed, WordPress will suggest you to either cancel install or replace the existing package.

Hit the replace option.

Once you’re running the latest version, go to the CartFlows funnels page.

Select any funnel and you’ll notice a message at the top asking you to enable Instant Layouts.

Click on the link in the message and it’ll open a modal as shown below.

Switch on Instant Layouts and update your logo, the preferred display size and your brand colors.

That’s it, you’re ready to use Instant Layouts!

Customizing Instant Layouts

Now you have instant layouts enabled for your CartFlows funnels, let’s implement them so they begin converting.

Go to CartFlows > Funnels and click on the flow you’d like to edit.

Then locate a step where you’d like to add and customize Instant Layouts and click the settings (cog) icon.

Find the Design Settings option and toggle it on.

This section helps you modify the layouts to match your brand colors and design language.

Once done, click Save Changes in the design settings.

That’s pretty much it. Without changing anything on the design settings, you have a page that looks like this:

Not bad for less than a minute, right?

With a conversion-focused product description and some descriptive images, the default layout is more than enough to get your funnel going.

You can take it much further if you want though.

Quick Customization Tips

While the default instant layout works beautifully for a funnel, you may not want to leave it at that.

You may want to align the upsell, downsell, checkout, and thank you pages with your brand identity.

There are some customizations you can make to help the layout feel uniquely yours.

Click through to open any funnel you want to edit. Then, click the funnel settings icon on the top right. You’ll be greeted with the Funnel Setting flyout as below:

On this page you can:

• Add your logo: Upload and set the size for your brand logo
• Adjust colors: Match buttons and accent colors to your brand palette

You can also customize text and modify headlines, descriptions and the button text for individual steps by clicking on the settings and going to the design tab.

For our bookstore example, you might add your publishing house logo, adjust colors to match your website’s scheme, and customize product descriptions.

The beauty of these customizations? They’re simple adjustments to an already-optimized foundation without having to start from scratch.

Start Your Funnel Building Journey Today

This complete instant layout ecosystem is a significant advance in funnel building efficiency. What once used to take hours or expensive designers or developers can now happen in minutes.

While your competitors are still building pages from scratch, you could be optimizing offers and counting the additional revenue this feature helps generate.

So the question now isn’t going to be if you can create additional pages for upselling and cross-selling.

The question is if you can take advantage of this upgrade before your competitors do!

Upgrade to CartFlows Premium 2.1.6 today and experience the full power of Instant Layouts!

That’s the magic of thoughtful upselling at work!

When done right, customers find items they truly love while your revenue grows – a perfect win-win.

Many eCommerce stores struggle with upselling that feels natural and relevant.

The generic “throw it at the wall and see what sticks” approach leaves shoppers feeling misunderstood rather than delighted.

A better solution is strategic, customer-focused upselling that turns browsers into loyal buyers, who appreciate your thoughtful recommendations.

If that sounds like something you want to add to your store, this article is the perfect place to start!

Upsells vs. Cross-sells: What’s The Difference?

Upsells and cross-sells often get mixed up. But these are two distinct strategies.

Upselling is when you guide customers toward a premium version of what they’re already considering.

Think upgrading from basic to premium subscription, or choosing the deluxe model instead of the standard.

Cross-selling is suggesting complementary products that enhance the original purchase. The classic “would you like fries with that?” is cross-selling in its purest form.

In practice, these strategies often blend together, causing confusion. But irrespective of the terminology, the objective of both strategies remains the same.

Help increase average order value.

The beauty of CartFlows is that it handles both seamlessly.

Whether you’re upgrading customers to premium versions or suggesting complementary items, the platform’s flexible workflows adapt to whatever combination works for your store.

The Psychology Behind Upsells

Great upselling is never about tricking people into emptying their wallets. It happens when customers genuinely believe an upgrade will make their lives better.

When Amazon suggests a memory card with your new camera, it feels helpful.

But when a random popup on a random website tries to sell you a backpack while you’re buying pet food? Not so much.

Psychology tells us customers say “yes” to upsells when:

• The value is crystal clear: They instantly understand why the upgrade is worth it
• Timing feels natural: The offer appears at just the right moment
• Trust already exists: They already feel good about the initial purchase
• The choice feels optional: No pressure tactics or manipulation
• Social proof supports it: Seeing others made the same choice reassures them
• Fear of missing out is triggered: Limited time or exclusive offers create gentle urgency

Successful brands understand that upselling works because of something researchers call Linear Sequential Unmasking.

It’s all about the order in which specific elements are unmasked in front of the customer.

Staying with the Amazon example, suggesting a memory card with a camera is perfect since that’s a logical next purchase.

That makes the memory card upsell an easy “Yes.”

With tools like CartFlows, that we’ll explore shortly, implementing these psychology-driven upsell offers becomes surprisingly straightforward.

The Four Perfect Moments for Non-Pushy Upselling

Now you know why upsells work, where exactly should you pitch them?

Here are 4 real life examples of upselling in action:

1. Pre-Sale

Warby Parker doesn’t start by pushing premium glasses frames, they guide you through a style quiz first.

They try to understand your preferences and then gently introduce higher-end options that match your profile.

Source

Their website lets you compare lens options side-by-side, clearly showing the benefits of blue-light filtering (+$50) or light-responsive lenses (+$125).

There’s no pressure to buy. You can pick the classic and move on. It’s just helpful information that lets you make informed decisions.

Pre-purchase upselling works best when it:

• Educates rather than pressures
• Shows clear comparisons between options
• Uses visuals to highlight the differences
• Incorporates reviews and testimonials from customers who chose the upgrade
• Makes the customer feel empowered rather than manipulated

2. On The Cart

Native Deodorant upsells brilliantly with free shipping. The cart shows a free shipping progress bar alongside complementary product suggestions.

Order over $10 worth of products and get free shipping.

As that’s a major selling point anyway, adding it as an upsell is an easy win.

Source

How to make this work:

• Directly enhance the original purchase
• Solve an immediate need (free shipping threshold)
• Create a sense of mild urgency
• Make the customer feel smart for maximizing value
• Use conversational language that feels like helpful advice

Cart pages are also a great opportunity to boost your average order value through upsells like these.

Customers are already in the buying mood, and since you’re charging them shipping anyway, they may as well add a product to get free shipping.

3. At Checkout

Away offers the opportunity to personalize products for +$50 extra on the product page as well as on the shopping cart page.

Source

They let customers add any three letters printed on your luggage and choose the text and shadow color.

The brilliance here? A sleek personalization modal appears wherever the customer is shopping without any backtracking.

Choose three letters, pick your text and shadow colors, and that’s it.

Personalization upselling succeeds because it:

• Turns standard products into emotional purchases
• Presents options at multiple decision points
• Creates urgency (“personalize before we ship!”)
• Requires minimal extra effort from customers
• Boosts perceived value without complex decision-making

Personalization feels less like an upsell and more like a thoughtful option that enhances their travel experience.

Exactly how great upselling should feel.

4. Ongoing Upselling

Dollar Shave Club starts with a simple razor subscription, then gradually introduces you to their entire grooming line over time.

Source

They’ve heavily invested in the design of their account pages and also upsell to customers after they’ve ordered.

This patient approach leads to a higher customer lifetime value compared to trying to sell everything upfront.

The loyalty ladder approach:

• Builds trust through multiple positive experiences
• Uses customer data to make increasingly relevant offers
• Introduces premium products gradually as trust increases
• Makes customers feel valued rather than targeted
• Creates a sense of membership and belonging

Birchbox sends emails highlighting the additional benefits of the premium subscription tier and encourages customers to upgrade rather than simply renew at their current level.

The timing here is perfect – right when customers are already considering whether to continue their relationship with the brand.

Proven Upselling Tactics That Print Money

Those were the four perfect moments when you can time your upsells. But what tactics and methods can you use to make the most of customers’ attention?

Offer Irresistible Addons and Upgrades

Apple employs this strategy with AppleCare.

When purchasing any device, customers are presented with the AppleCare plan that can be easily added to the cart.

Source

As Apple sells premium products, adding damage cover and support makes the AppleCare upgrade feel like insurance rather than an upsell.

Who wouldn’t want to protect their expensive new MacBook?

CartFlows’ Pre-Checkout Offer makes this seamless by displaying perfectly timed upgrade options when customers click the Place Order button.

It works with virtually any payment gateway you can use.

Bundle It Up

Source

Brooklinen doesn’t just sell sheets, they offer complete bedding sets that save customers money compared to buying individually.

Their “Bedding Bundle” includes sheets, pillowcases, and a duvet cover at a discount, increasing average order value while making customers feel like savvy shoppers.

CartFlows’ Dynamic Offers simplifies bundling by showing the most relevant product combinations based on what’s in the cart, purchase history, or spending threshold.

Use Free Shipping

Walmart’s free shipping on orders over $50 is a classic threshold-based incentive that works wonders.

Source

The magic happens when a customer has $40 in their cart. They’ll often add that small $10-20 item rather than pay for shipping, increasing both revenue and satisfaction.

CartFlows’ Order Bump feature can display complementary products at checkout that help customers reach free shipping thresholds while boosting your average order value through strategic suggestions.

Limited-Time Offers

Booking.com excels at creating urgency with their limited-time offers.

When browsing accommodation, you’ll see messages like “Only 1 room left at this price!” or “Limited time deal!”

You may also see messaging like “5 other people booked this property in the last 1 hour”

Source

This works because they combine three powerful psychological triggers: scarcity (limited rooms), urgency (countdowns), and social proof (“15 other people looking at this right now”).

CartFlows’ A/B Split Testing feature lets you test different urgency messaging on your upsell pages directly from your dashboard.

Tracking conversions helps identify which limited-time offers convert best.

Stop Selling Features

Patagonia doesn’t sell jackets, they sell environmental responsibility and adventure.

In fact, you would see their homepage banner is often about the campaigns they’re running instead of the products they’re selling.

Source

Instead of focusing solely on specifications like waterproofing ratings, they tell stories about where their materials come from, the campaigns and activism you’re supporting, and the adventures you could go on wearing their jackets.

And that’s the difference.

CartFlows’ templates are perfect for story-based selling.

With its own drag and drop builder, you can craft compelling benefit-focused upsell pages that connect emotionally.

Personalized Recommendations

Sephora’s “We Think You’ll Also Love” suggestions are hyper relevant to a customer’s needs.

Source

When buying lip balm, you’ll see suggestions for lip serum, lip oil and other relevant products.

If you add a foundation to the cart, they’ll suggest primers and setting sprays from brands you’ve previously purchased or from popular combinations based on other purchases.

CartFlows’ Dynamic Offers has a canvas mode that helps you visualize your entire customer journey and create sophisticated personalization rules.

You can target offers based on product categories, tags, spending thresholds, or shipping locations to create relevant recommendations that feel custom-tailored to each shopper.

The Perfect Placement for Upsells (Without Killing the Vibe)

Placement makes a big difference in how customers perceive upsells.

When deciding placement, ask yourself a simple question: is it convenient for customers?

If the placement isn’t an extremely obvious, easy choice (like those chocolate bars kept near checkout at Costco), the placement isn’t good enough.

On Product Pages

Apple’s product pages for devices like MacBooks allow you to easily view details and switch to higher-end device configurations with just one click.

Source

They limit the number of upgrade options to prevent decision paralysis while clearly explaining the benefits of each option.

Product page upsells work best when they:

• Focus on customization and personalization
• Use comparison tables to highlight differences
• Include social proof for premium options
• Allow easy visualization of different options
• Maintain a clean, uncluttered design

While Adding to Cart

Lovevery shows multiple products and subscription choices for children based on the age you enter.

That’s how they figure out what the best product suggestion would be.

Source

This works because:

• It’s triggered by a specific action that indicates interest
• The suggestion is genuinely relevant
• It’s presented as helpful information, not a sales pitch
• It includes social proof (“most popular”)

At Checkout

Bombas has an interesting way to upsell their products. Instead of suggesting something as a recommended product, they suggest items to help customers fulfill their $75 threshold for free shipping.

This does two things.

It saves time and it saves money that you would have to pay for shipping. After all, we would all prefer to have an extra product rather than pay for shipping, wouldn’t we?

It also increases the average order value for Bombas, which is why we suggest it.

Source

What makes this effective:

• The offer genuinely saves money
• It’s presented as a way to offset the shipping prices but not as an obligation
• The value proposition is immediately clear
• It respects the customer’s time with a simple one-click addition

After Purchase

Pura Vida uses post-checkout pages to offer exclusive discounts on complementary items after purchase.

This strategy works because:

• It creates a sense of exclusivity and appreciation
• The time limit creates urgency without feeling manipulative
• The offer feels like a reward, not a sales pitch
• It’s clearly related to what they just purchased

CartFlows: Upsells That Practically Sell Themselves

If you want to replicate these workflows for your store, CartFlows offers powerful tools to do just that.

It helps you implement effective upselling strategies in your store with minimal technical effort.

Here’s how to set it up:

Begin by installing the CartFlows plugin on your WordPress site.

Now, in the CartFlows dashboard, create a new flow that includes your main product page, checkout, and thank you page.

This is the default flow so not much for you to configure here.

Use CartFlows’ customizable checkout templates to create a streamlined checkout experience or start from scratch.

After the checkout step, add one or more upsell steps by clicking on the “Add New Step” button.

For each upsell, select the product you want to offer and customize the page design. Add the default quantity and any discount you want to offer here.

The moment your customer places the order, they will be greeted with this thank you page upsell.

If they click “Yes, Add This To My Order,” their cart will be automatically updated with this additional product and they will be charged the new amount!

That’s it! You now have a one-click upsell ready to generate extra profit!

Measure, Optimize, Dominate

Now, you can track data in CartFlows and Google Analytics.

With CartFlows, you can see how many people have purchased an upsell and what is the revenue generated through the upsell compared to what you would have made without it.

To go deeper into the audience insights, you can also connect GA4.

Here are some of the important metrics you can track to make sure your upselling strategies are effective:

• Upsell acceptance rate: What percentage of customers say yes to each upsell offer?
• Average order value increase: How much does your AOV increase when upsells are accepted?
• Customer satisfaction scores: Are customers who accept upsells more or less satisfied?
• Repeat purchase rate: Do customers who accept upsells return more often?

Once you have the upselling engine running, you can begin optimizing the offers to see if they perform better.

Try to:

• Vary the timing of upsell offers
• Test different price points and discount levels
• Try different messaging styles
• Compare bundle offers against single-item upsells

Double down on what works, and mercilessly cut what doesn’t. Your customers will thank you, and so will your bottom line.

Become A Pro At Non-Pushy Upselling

Always ask yourself: “If I were this customer, would I appreciate this suggestion?”

If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track. If not, it’s time to rethink your approach.

The best upsells don’t feel like sales tactics at all.

They feel like a knowledgeable friend saying, “Oh, and you might want to consider this, too. It’ll make what you’re already buying even better.”

And the best part is, when you nail non-pushy upselling, everyone wins.

Your customers get more value, you generate more revenue, and the relationship strengthens rather than weakens.

So go forth and upsell, without making anyone want to block your emails forever!

Upselling – Frequently Asked Questions

Streamlining checkout to make it as fast and as smooth as possible could help reduce that percentage to something much more manageable.

WooCommerce checkout plugins can help with that.

Checkout plugins can also:

• Reduce friction and distractions to help conversion
• Improve the design of your WooCommerce checkout page 
• Help create sales funnels to convert more visitors
• Send cart recovery emails to logged in users
• Add upsells or cross-sells at checkout to increase order value

As a company that runs several successful online stores, we know a thing or two about maximizing sales. 

Checkout pages form a key part in our success and they could help you too.

Use one of these 18 WooCommerce checkout plugins and watch your profits soar!

The 18 Best WooCommerce Checkout Plugins

Let’s explore the different types of plugins you can use to enhance your WooCommerce checkout store to maximize conversion!

These plugins help you build highly customized WooCommerce checkout pages for different purposes. So make sure you read through the descriptions to find the ones that fit your needs the best.

Let’s get started!

1. CartFlows – Sell More on Your WooCommerce Store

Did you know that WooCommerce powers 21% of all WordPress sites? This means over 5 million websites use WooCommerce for eCommerce?

Yet, many store owners struggle to turn visitors into customers. People add products to their carts but never complete the purchase. 

Why? Because WooCommerce’s default checkout is boring, outdated, and full of distractions.

If you’ve used WooCommerce, you know exactly what we mean.

That’s where CartFlows comes in. 

It replaces the default checkout with a smooth, high-converting sales funnel that keeps customers moving toward the purchase. 

You can add one-click upsells, order bumps, and personalized offers to increase revenue – without extra effort.

For example, businesses offering specialized services like a college paper writing service can greatly benefit from CartFlows. By streamlining checkout and offering personalized upsells such as editing packages or expedited delivery, they can significantly boost conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

And with the new Canvas Builder, you can visually map out, tweak, and optimize your funnel in minutes. No coding. No frustration. Just an easy way to sell more.

Everything is prebuilt and ready to go. Just pick what you need, and watch your sales grow.

Whether you sell physical products, digital downloads, or online courses, CartFlows helps you convert more visitors, recover lost sales, and maximize profits – effortlessly.

Like to see CartFlows in action? Watch this video to see how it transforms your sales funnel.

Features:

• Drag and drop funnel builder with real-time visualization.
• One-click upsells to increase revenue after checkout.
• Order bumps that let customers add extra products with a single click.
• Personalized offers based on user behavior for higher conversions.
• A/B testing to see which checkout design works best.
• Cart abandonment recovery that brings back lost customers automatically.
• Checkout customizations to remove unnecessary fields and distractions.
• Pre-built, high-converting funnel templates ready to import.
• Detailed analytics to track funnel performance and optimize results.

Pricing: Starts at $189/year.

2. Modern Cart – Reinvent Your WooCommerce Shopping Cart

Modern Cart is a powerful companion to CartFlows that brings the same focus on conversions right to your WooCommerce shopping cart. While CartFlows supercharges your checkout and funnels, Modern Cart makes sure customers never get stuck at the cart stage.

Traditional WooCommerce carts often feel clunky and outdated, leading to lost sales. Modern Cart solves that by giving you a fast, beautiful cart experience where customers can update products, apply coupons, and even see smart product recommendations without leaving the page.

It is designed to remove friction, keep shoppers engaged, and gently push them toward completing their purchase. 

Whether you want a slide-out cart, a popup, or a floating cart, Modern Cart makes it easy to match your store’s style and boost conversions.

If you already love what CartFlows does for your checkout, Modern Cart brings that same magic earlier in the shopping journey.

Features:

• Instantly update cart items without page reloads
• Smart product recommendations to increase average order value
• Easy coupon application directly inside the cart
• Free shipping progress bar to motivate larger purchases
• Multiple cart styles including slide-out, popup, and floating cart
• Fully customizable labels and buttons to match your brand
• 100% mobile responsive and lightning-fast
• Works smoothly with popular WooCommerce plugins

Pricing: Starts at $69/year

3. CartFlows Cart Abandonment Recovery

Over 70% of shoppers abandon their carts before completing a purchase. That’s potential revenue slipping away every single day.

But don’t worry, CartFlows Cart Abandonment Recovery helps you win back those lost sales on autopilot.

This free addon, included with CartFlows Pro, automatically detects abandoned carts and sends well-timed follow-up emails to bring customers back. 

With pre-designed email templates, you don’t need to write from scratch. Just import, customize, and schedule.

It doesn’t stop there. The addon tracks cart recoveries, revenue gained, and customer behavior with real-time insights right on your dashboard.

No matter what you sell, this tool ensures your potential customers don’t just walk away but return and complete their purchase.

Set it up once and let CartFlows do the rest. More recovered carts mean more revenue.

Features:

• Automated follow-up emails
• Built-in email templates so you don’t have to start from scratch
• Auto-generated unique cart page links to bring customers right where they left off
• Attractive discount codes specially designed to bring back customers
• Real-time cart abandonment tracking so you are always in the loop

Pricing: Free

4. JetWooBuilder Woo Plugin

JetWooBuilder enhances your WooCommerce experience by streamlining the checkout process in Elementor page builder. Integrate custom checkout fields to collect essential customer information, ensuring a personalized transaction. Enjoy flexibility with advanced styling options, allowing you to tailor the checkout page to match your brand.

Simplify the user journey with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to rearrange and customize elements. Benefit from responsive design, ensuring a smooth checkout experience on any device. JetWooBuilder prioritizes user-friendly customization, enabling you to create a checkout page that aligns with your business needs.

Features:

• Custom checkout page templates
• Fully-covered review, billing, shipping, and payment process with widgets
• Layout switcher from Cards to List
• Different product carousel types
• 67 widgets for customizing Woo shop

Price: $43/per year for 1 website.

5. WooCommerce Fast Cart

WooCommerce Fast Cart is designed to make it easier and quicker for customers to complete their order. It works by replacing the standard cart and/or checkout pages with a conversion-optimized popup cart and checkout. Customers can review, pay for and complete their order directly on the shop or product page, instead of being taken through multiple separate pages. 

For even faster shopping, you can enable the direct checkout feature in WooCommerce Fast Cart. This skips the cart page altogether and brings customers straight to the checkout step, helping to reduce abandoned carts. 

Features:

• Fully customizable cart 
• Display related upsells in the mini cart
• Direct checkout option
• Open automatically as an added to cart popup or display a floating cart icon
• Compatible with other plugins that customize the WooCommerce checkout, such as checkout field editor plugins

Price: $79/per year.

6. WooCommerce One Page Checkout

Want something that only focuses on one-page checkouts? Here’s WooCommerce’s own solution.

WooCommerce One Page Checkout makes it possible to turn any page into a checkout page. It makes it easier for customers to buy from these custom checkout pages by displaying both product selection and checkout forms on a single page.

While it doesn’t offer the customization options that many WooCommerce checkout page plugins on this list offer, this plugin deserves to be here. So if you only need to build a one-page checkout, you can go with WooCommerce’s one-page checkout.

Features:

• Product selection and checkout on a single page
• Completely code-free. Everything you need can be customized by simply enabling or disabling options
• Plugin shortcodes can be used within custom landing pages
• Built-in templates

Price: $79 annually

7. Checkout Field Editor and Manager for WooCommerce

If all you need is a way to easily edit the checkout fields on WooCommerce, this is a great WooCommerce custom checkout fields plugin to use!

Checkout Field Editor provides an interface to add, remove, and edit fields displayed on your WooCommerce checkout page.

It allows you to create 7 types of custom checkout fields for your WooCommerce checkout page. You can also hide, or delete the default fields, change labels, rearrange checkout fields, validate the checkout fields and add custom CSS classes.

Features:

• Custom checkout fields
• Modify existing fields
• Auto-validate the checkout form
• Conditionally display additional fields on the form
• Price field with custom price types (fixed, percentage, custom or pay what you want pricing)
• Integrations with third-party plugins

Pricing: $49 annually for a single site

8. PeachPay for WooCommerce

PeacePays makes one-click checkout simple. With the default checkout pages adding so much friction, PeachPay aims to reduce the steps between choosing the product and payment.

The plugin integrates with many third-party plugins in the eCommerce space, like QuickBooks to make life easier.

One of the most powerful features of PeachPay is that it remembers its customers. If a customer visits a store and chooses to complete the payment using PeachPay, the data will be stored.

When the same customer visits your store. the data from their previous purchases across any store is auto-detected and used to offer a one-click checkout experience

Features:

• One-click checkout across all websites using PeachPay
• Buy directly from the product page and cart pages without going through additional steps
• Speed up checkout and reduce cart abandonment

Pricing: Flat fee per transaction. No subscription cost

9. WooCommerce Multistep Checkout Wizard

This plugin helps you convert a long checkout page into a multi-step checkout. Splitting checkout helps avoid overwhelming customers with a long page by breaking it down into logical steps.

WooCommerce Multistep Checkout Wizard offers built-in checkout designs to get you started right away. You end up with a completely responsive checkout that makes the pages flow better and gives your customers a visual outline of what they need to do next.

Features:

• Fully-responsive layout
• Different checkout styles to choose from
• Form validation is built-in
• Extendable with plugin hooks and shortcodes

Pricing: $19 annually

10. Discount Rules for WooCommerce

Want to create discount rules and dynamic pricing on your WooCommerce store?

You know, the kinds where you buy two and get a discount. Or where you get a discount on a minimum purchase value.

Discount Rules for WooCommerce is a popular discount and dynamic pricing plugin that lets you offer discounts on your store, thereby increasing sales and conversions. The plugin has an easy-to-use interface allowing you to kickstart your campaign and provide discounts to your customers in a matter of minutes.

Offer storewide discounts, bulk discounts, tiered-pricing discounts, user-role-based discounts, product-based discounts, cart discounts, and more using the Discount Rules for WooCommerce plugin.

Discount Rules for WooCommerce is a feature-packed plugin, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. The best bit is that you can create rules and offer discounts without writing a single line of code.

Features 

• Display strikeout price in product pages
• Display discount table, discount bar, and sales badge
• Offer percentage, fixed and fixed price per item discount 
• Display and hide discount price
• Easy to use interface
• Priority support
• Coupons
• Flexible discount conditions 

WordPress Active Installations: 100000+

WordPress Users Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

11. Bookings for WooCommerce Pro

Bookings for WooCommerce Pro converts your store into a seamless booking solution. The plugin readily meets all customers ‘ requirements with features like rescheduling, early bird discounts, social sharing, and automated reminders.

Unlock the full potential of your online appointment website with features like fully customized email/SMS templates, early-bird discounts to attract new customers, and automated SMS notifications to save merchants time.

The WooCommerce bookings plugin, the merchants to easily convert their ordinary WooCommerce/eCommerce platform into a seamless booking hub.

Features:

• Multi-Language Support for Calendars
• Compatible with Third-Party extensions like Google Calendar & Twilio SMS and reminders
• Single & Dual Calendar Functionality
• Custom Colour Codes to Display Availability
• Customer Booking Assistance

WordPress Active Installations: 4000+

WordPress Users Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Pricing:

• Free Version On ORG – WordPress Bookings Plugin
• 1-Site Plan $69/ per year.

12. WooCommerce Social Login

According to Statista, 26% of users abandon carts if they’re forced to create an account. Instead of risking an abandoned cart, WooCommerce Social Login helps avoid that by using social media.

You can allow your customers to log in to your website using their existing social media accounts, without the hassle of entering all their details or creating an account.

It also makes it easy to grab the required information to complete their checkout without adding more steps.

Features:

• Connect your store with social accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, LinkedIn, PayPal, Disqus, Yahoo, and VK
• Improve security and increase trust by using social sign-on
• Reduce friction for repeat purchases – since customers typically stay signed in to social networks, they can sign back into your site with one click
• WooCommerce Social Login creates an adjacent WordPress user for a social account so even if the social account is removed, your customer’s details are retained

Pricing: $99 annually

13. Cart Notices for WooCommerce

Cart Notices for WooCommerce is the perfect plugin to display specific notices on the cart page. It allows you to display notices based on products and product categories in the cart, cart cost, current day and time, and customer referrer, among others.

This plugin is a way for you to make your customers aware of any delays in shipping, offers on products, and other product or event specials before they complete checkout.

Cart Notices lets you create shortcodes for certain notice blocks and add them to any page of your website if required.

Cart Notices lets you create WooCommerce shortcodes for certain notice blocks and add them to any page of your website if required.

• Attribute conditions for notices
• Product categories conditions for notices
• Sale price, stock quantity, and product age conditions for notices
• Product quantity notice limitation can be used for each product instead of products summary
• Shortcode to display notices
• Widget to display notices

Pricing: Free

14. WooCommerce Currency Switcher

Getting visitors from across the world? You need to display the product prices in their currency. This is a free plugin that makes currency switching easy.

It allows your customers to choose the currency they want to view the prices in. It also allows customers to switch prices in real-time based on the exchange rate. Customers can then choose to pay in their local currency or any supported currency of their choice.

Features:

• Widgetized plugin lets you show the currency conversions in any section on your website using shortcodes
• Add a dropdown, country flags, or a sidebar currency switcher for customers
• Customers can choose to pay in the currency of their choice
• Exchange rates can be automatically updated at specific intervals

Pricing: Free

15. Digital Goods for WooCommerce Checkout

If you do not like Easy Digital Downloads, Digital Goods is a great alternative.

This plugin works on top of WooCommerce to help you customize the checkout fields and reduce the number of fields customers have to enter.

Digital Goods helps you set a quick checkout for all downloadable or virtual products. It adds a quick checkout button to the digital products so customers can simply process the payment and access or download the product.

It works great if you’re selling eBooks, online courses, videos, and other virtual products.

Features:

• Quick checkout button to make digital downloads easy
• Allows customers to fill in additional details after payment is completed
• Remove unnecessary WooCommerce checkout fields
• Reduce cart abandonment by speeding up the checkout
• Make WooCommerce easy for digital product stores

Pricing: $79 annually

16. Direct Checkout

As the name suggests, Direct Checkout allows you to remove certain steps from the default WooCommerce checkout process.

It lets customers skip the shopping cart page and directly proceed to checkout. The idea behind this plugin is to reduce the friction between your customers first choosing the product and making the purchase.

Direct Checkout aims to turn your store’s default checkout process into a one-click checkout to reduce cart abandonment and improve conversions.

Features:

• AJAX add to cart lets customers add products to the cart without the page getting refreshed or being redirected to a different page
• Remove checkout fields that are unnecessary
• One-page checkout to make it simple for customers to see the form and the total cart value on the same page with minimal scrolling around
• Very minimal on resources and data resulting in better speeds and higher conversions

Pricing: Starts at $49

17. Acowebs Checkout Field Editor and Manager

This plugin helps manage checkout page fields in your default WooCommerce checkout. It offers easy drag-and-drop functionality to customize the fields that you show to customers during the checkout process.

While it works similar to many other checkout field editor plugins, the benefit of using Acowebs is its drag and drop functionality. For users who do not want to mess around with text and toggle-based settings, this plugin is a breath of fresh air.

So if you only need to customize your checkout page fields, this can be a great addition to your toolkit.

Features:

• The checkout field manager helps edit the default WooCommerce checkout fields
• You can add new fields to the checkout page
• Drag and drop existing fields to reorder them on your screen
• Hide fields that are unnecessary for your products
• Display checkout fields filled by customers on the order details page

Pricing: $43 yearly or $99 for a lifetime license

18. All in One Woo Cart By ThemeHunk

All in One Woo Cart enhances WooCommerce stores with a feature-rich cart solution like floating, fixed, and menu carts, streamlining the shopping experience.

It offers extensive personalization options, allowing you to modify cart styles, colors, and animations to suit your brand identity. 

It also provides advanced features like ‘fly to cart’ animations, a header drop-down cart, personalized product recommendations within the cart, and detailed analytics to help track user behavior effectively.

It is seamlessly compatible with all themes and plugins, offering a smooth, intuitive shopping experience across all screen sizes and devices.

• Enhance user experience with multiple cart display options, including floating, fixed, and menu carts.
• Personalize the cart’s appearance to align with your site’s aesthetics.
• Boost sales by suggesting relevant products within the cart.
• Track user behavior and recover abandoned carts.
• Option to hide cart to reduce distractions on specific pages like checkout and payment pages.
• Provide a seamless shopping experience on desktops, tablets, and mobiles.

Price: $49/per year.

Which WooCommerce Checkout Plugin Would You Choose?

While the default WooCommerce checkout page does the job, there’s a lot more we can do.

These 18 plugins are starting points that show you exactly what is available on the markets and how you can make iterative improvements to your checkout flows.

While the choice of plugins you use will depend on your requirements, here are 3 plugins that you must absolutely consider:

1. CartFlows is one of the best WooCommerce funnel builders out there (by customer reviews) to design the perfect end-to-end checkout experience for your customers! It offers a ton of features for customizing checkout pages and building sales and landing generation funnels.
2. WooCommerce One Page Checkout is the perfect extension for your WooCommerce store if you only need a way to make the default checkout page shorter.
3. Easy Digital Downloads is the perfect plugin where you can eliminate the complexity of WooCommerce when all you want to do is sell your digital products.

Let us know which ones you like best. And if we missed any WooCommerce checkout plugin that you think should be on the list, let us know. Until then, keep building awesome checkouts!

Best WooCommerce Checkout Plugins – Frequently Asked Questions

But something’s missing. Those sweet, big-ticket purchases that make revenue graphs go up and to the right.

Most online store owners obsess over attracting new customers and pour money into ads, SEO, and social media.

Meanwhile, they’re ignoring the goldmine under their noses – encouraging existing customers to spend more per order.

But your store doesn’t have to be the same.

Let’s turn your checkout process from a simple transaction into a revenue generating powerhouse.

We’re going to share 14 strategies that will boost average order value without annoying customers or interrupting their journey.

What Is Average Order Value?

Average order value (AOV) tells you how much customers spend each time they shop with you. It’s one of the most important metrics in eCommerce.

The formula is simple:

AOV = Total Revenue ÷ Number of Orders

For example, if your store made $31,000 from 1,000 orders last month, your AOV is:

$31 ($31,000 ÷ 1,000 = $31)

Unlike metrics focused on individual customers, AOV measures each transaction. This makes it perfect for testing whether your sales tactics actually work.

Why AOV Matters

Any business that cares about revenue should absolutely care about growing their average order values.

Here are some important reasons why AOV matters:

• Instant revenue boost: When customers spend more per order, you make more money without needing more visitors. This efficiency translates directly to better profit margins.
• Cost-effective growth: Think about it: acquiring new customers costs money. Ads, marketing, outreach – it adds up quickly. But getting existing customers to spend more? Much cheaper.
• Customer psychology insights: A low AOV might reveal hesitation from customers. Are they unsure? Do they lack trust? Meanwhile, a high AOV suggests confidence.
• Business performance benchmark: Tracking AOV over time helps you measure how well you’re doing. Seasonal changes, marketing campaigns, and product launches all affect AOV, giving you clear feedback on what works.
• Strategic planning tool: AOV influences crucial business decisions. Should you offer free shipping? Adjust product prices? Launch a new marketing campaign?
• Connection to other metrics: AOV works alongside conversion rate (CR) and revenue per visitor (RPV).
• Competitive advantage: A higher AOV means you’re extracting more value from each customer. This extra revenue can fund better marketing, product development, or lower prices.

14 Strategies To Increase Average Order Value

If those benefits have convinced you that AOV is worth the effort, here are 14 strategies that you can implement starting today.

1. Product Bundling

Product bundling is a strategy that has been applied since the brick and mortar days of commerce.

Buy a combination of bundled products and get a discount on the price. This strategy is great at encouraging customers to buy more than they originally planned.

Think of how Amazon regularly suggests products that are frequently bought together.

This is Amazon’s version of bundling.

It works because they have algorithms powering the searches and a lot of user data which they can use to suggest the most relevant product.

You can do it in a much different way and still get the same AOV boosting benefits.

How to implement:

• Install the Product Bundles extension from WooCommerce
• Go to Products → Add New → select Grouped Product type
• Add your individual products to the bundle
• Set a bundle price that’s slightly lower than buying items separately
• Enable Grouped Product Display settings for optimal presentation

Bundling works because it offers convenience and value. Customers get everything they need in one click, usually at a better price than buying separately.

This removes decision fatigue and creates a win-win for both you and your customers.

2. Free Shipping Thresholds

95% of the surveyed US consumers want free shipping. So, it’s no surprise that free shipping thresholds are extremely effective at increasing the order of average values.

When a customer sees they are just $10-20 away from free shipping, they’d rather add $10 worth of product than pay $10 dollars for delivery.

And it’s not a one-to-one. Sometimes if they go back trying to add more products, they may end up adding a lot more.

How to implement:

• Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping → Shipping Zones
• Add a new shipping method and select Free shipping
• Check A minimum order amount is required
• Set threshold approximately 30% above your current AOV
• Install the WooCommerce Free Shipping Bar plugin to display progress
• Configure messaging in the plugin settings

A Reddit store owner shared: “My AOV is $94. I set my free shipping threshold at $100. During free shipping promos, AOV rises to $125 and orders increase considerably.”

The psychology is clear, people hate paying for shipping more than they hate spending extra on products.

Use this quirk of human nature to your advantage!

3. Limited-Time Offers

Limited time offers induce FOMO. All you need to do is induce enough fear of missing out to push a consumer on the edge of a purchase to make a decision.

How to implement:

• Install the YITH WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discounts plugin
• Create a time-limited sale under the Dynamic Pricing section
• Set start and end dates for your promotion
• Add the Checkout Countdown Timer plugin
• Place timers on product pages and cart
• Schedule email reminders

Limited-time offers work because they leverage the very powerful fear of missing out.

When customers know a deal won’t last forever, they’re more likely to act on impulse rather than risk missing out on a potential saving or good deal.

4. Loyalty Programs

Starbucks’ business model is based on loyalty programs. Once a consumer loads cash onto the membership card, they are more likely to go back and spend it with Starbucks.

Even better, Starbucks gets the money before a product is purchased. That’s the power of membership and loyalty rewards!

You may or may not be able to integrate wallets in your loyalty program depending on how large your current company is.

But you can definitely integrate loyalty discounts.

How to implement:

• Install the Advanced Coupons plugin
• Configure point values (e.g., 1 point per dollar spent)
• Create tiered rewards based on purchase values
• Set up automated emails to notify customers of points earned
• Add a points dashboard to the My Account page
• Enable point multipliers for higher-value orders

Loyalty programs tap into our desire for status and rewards.

The prospect of reaching the next tier or earning a special perk can motivate customers to add just a bit more to their orders each time.

5. One-Click Upsells and Order Bumps

Think of how large stores like Walmart and Costco keep chocolates or mini items at the checkout. 

If you have been shopping for products, picking up a couple sweets at checkout becomes a mindless purchase. 

These mindless purchases quickly add up for the business.

Here’s how Bathpack emulates one-click upsells and order bumps.

One click upsells aim to emulate that on eCommerce websites by showing relevant offers during checkout.

They make it incredibly easy for customers to add complementary items with minimal friction.

How to implement:

• Install CartFlows and create a one click upsell
• Select dynamic upsells that change based on the products in the cart
• A/B test static upsells where you add specific products and see which one sells better
• Try different types of upsells to find what works best for your brand or your website.

This strategy works because it catches customers when they’re already in buying mode.

They’ve decided to purchase, so they’re more receptive to related offers that enhance their original purchase.

6. A/B Testing Sales Funnels

Sales funnels are essential for guiding customers towards a purchase. But how do you know whether funnels are working or not?

Testing.

Systematic A/B testing helps identify the most effective page layouts, copy, and offers to maximize AOV.

You can create a funnel, test it and use the results of that testing to refine and improve your store.

CartFlows makes it easy with powerful split testing features built specifically for WordPress.

How to implement with CartFlows:

• Create multiple versions of your checkout flow with different upsells
• Let CartFlows automatically split traffic between versions
• Track which funnel version drives the highest AOV
• Keep the winner and continuously test new variations

CartFlows is a lot more than just another plugin. It’s designed to turn your website into a selling machine!

Over 200,000+ users already use it to help sell more on eCommerce websites. You could too!

As Troy Dean from WP Elevation noted, “CartFlows is probably the most exciting product in the WP space in recent years. Totally a game changer!” 

It removes the guesswork from store optimization by providing clear, data-driven insights into what actually works.

7. Dynamic and Personalized Offers

CartFlows excels at creating personalized offer sequences based on customer behavior.

The Dynamic Offers feature turns regular order bumps and upsells into highly relevant offers that entice buyers to purchase more.

How to implement with CartFlows:

• Set up conditional upsells based on what’s in the customer’s cart
• Create multi-step checkout flows with targeted offers
• Design one-click upsell pages that convert like crazy
• Customize every aspect of the offer presentation to match your brand

As Chris Lema from Liquid Web mentioned, “CartFlows brings the post-purchase features to WooCommerce that it’s always needed!”

CartFlows’ dynamic offers work because they make customers feel understood rather than just sold to.

The right product at the right time significantly increases the chances of additional purchases, boosting your AOV without feeling pushy or aggressive.

8. Realtime Cart Updates

Modern Cart for WooCommerce transforms the standard cart experience into a sleek, interactive shopping journey with real-time updates.

As customers add or remove items, they see their cart summary update in real-time, creating a seamless experience that keeps them engaged rather than abandoning their purchase.

This frictionless experience leads to faster checkouts, higher customer satisfaction, and ultimately, more completed purchases with higher values.

How to implement with Modern Cart:

• Replace your outdated WooCommerce cart with Modern Cart’s fast, modern interface
• Enable real-time quantity adjustments without page refreshes
• Configure the cart to update totals instantly when items are added or removed
• Choose from multiple cart styles including slide-out, popup, and floating options

Modern Cart eliminates the frustration of slow-loading carts and confusing checkout flows.

Customers instantly see how their choices affect their total, available discounts, and potential savings, giving them a big-brand experience in any size of store.

9. Smart Product Recommendations

Modern Cart’s smart recommendation engine presents customers with complementary products that enhance their current selections.

These smart suggestions significantly increase the likelihood of additional purchases.

How to implement with Modern Cart:

• Enable Modern Cart’s product recommendation feature
• Show relevant items that complement what’s already in the cart
• Present suggestions that feel helpful rather than pushy
• Integrate recommendations seamlessly into the cart experience

Modern Cart makes it easy to boost average order value with relevant product suggestions.

When a customer adds a product to their cart, they instantly see related items that complement their purchase, creating natural opportunities to increase basket size.

Smart recommendations help customers discover products they might have missed while improving their overall shopping experience

It’s a win-win for both you and your customers.

10. Simplified Coupon Application

Modern Cart’s streamlined coupon system makes it incredibly easy for customers to apply discounts and instantly see their savings.

It’s easier for customers as there’s less copy and pasting. It’s easier for stores as you have more control over coupons.

How to implement with Modern Cart:

• Enable Modern Cart’s simplified coupon form
• Allow customers to enter and remove coupon codes without leaving the cart
• Make your discount process compatible with popular WooCommerce coupon plugins
• Create a frictionless discount experience that keeps customers shopping

With Modern Cart, applying discounts becomes a breeze. Customers can enter coupon codes directly in the cart and see their savings applied instantly.

This seamless coupon experience removes a major friction point during checkout, helping you convert more visitors into paying customers who spend more per order.

11. Free Shipping Progress Bar

Remember how we added the free shipping thresholds to WooCommerce? Modern Cart takes that a step further.

Modern Cart’s visually appealing progress bar shows customers exactly how close they are to qualifying for free shipping.

This simple yet powerful feature is proving incredibly effective at motivating customers to add more items to reach the threshold.

How to implement with Modern Cart:

• Enable Modern Cart’s free shipping progress bar
• Set your free shipping threshold to slightly above your current AOV
• Customize the progress bar message to match your brand voice
• Watch as customers add more items to qualify for free shipping

The psychology is simple but effective. Customers hate paying for shipping more than they hate spending extra on products.

Modern Cart’s progress bar capitalizes on this quirk of human nature by clearly showing how close they are to “winning” free shipping.

This gamified element creates a powerful incentive to add more items to their cart, significantly boosting average order value with minimal effort on your part.

12. Highlight Premium Versions (Upselling)

Upselling encourages customers to purchase higher-end versions of products they’re considering.

It’s another incredibly useful way to increase average order value without being too pushy.

For example, if the customer adds a laptop to their basket, you can highlight a faster, more expensive laptop while highlighting why it could be a better option.

If they are already in a buying mood, the chances of them choosing the more expensive option is high.

With CartFlows, you can highlight a product, or additional features and benefits and increase perceived value and justify higher prices.

How to implement:

13. Post-Purchase Cross-Sells

Post-purchase cross-selling offers complementary products immediately after a purchase.

Since customers have already committed to buying, they may be receptive to additional offers that enhance their original purchase.

How to implement:

• Present offers on the thank-you page
• Send follow-up emails with complementary suggestions
• Offer special discounts for recent customers
• Focus on accessories or consumables related to their purchase

This strategy extends the customer journey beyond the initial purchase, potentially increasing AOV across multiple transactions and building stronger relationships.

14. Social Proof and User Reviews

72% of people trust online reviews as much as real people. So there is no denying the fact that social proof is absolutely critical for eCommerce success.

Using social proof through reviews, ratings, and testimonials builds trust and confidence, especially for first time buyers.

When customers see positive experiences from others, they feel more comfortable making larger purchases.

How to implement:

• You first start with implementing the basics like star ratings, customer reviews for individual products.
• If you’re selling to brands, display the brand logos.
• We would also recommend asking for video testimonials as they are very effective
• Embed Instagram videos from people who are using your product and showing them online.

In a world saturated with marketing and sales messages, hearing from real people with real experiences is incredibly important and can make or break a purchase decision. Using Instagram IPs ban solutions can help businesses avoid access issues and keep their marketing campaigns running smoothly.

Use the power of social proof to your own advantage and watch your sales soar!

Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement

If you follow through with these tips, your website has a strong foundation to boost average order value over time.

So, how do you measure success and keep iterating on these techniques to get the most out of it?

Key Metrics to Track

Beyond overall AOV, monitor these related metrics:

• AOV by marketing channel
• AOV by product category
• AOV by customer segment
• Items per order
• Profit margin per order

Regular Analysis and Reporting

Develop a consistent reporting schedule to review AOV performance. Weekly or monthly reports help identify trends and improvement opportunities.

Use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to track these metrics automatically.

Customer Feedback

Collect and analyze feedback related to your AOV strategies. This qualitative data provides insights that numbers alone can’t reveal.

Ask questions like:

• Were product recommendations helpful?
• Did the free shipping threshold motivate additional purchases?
• Did bundle offers provide enough value?

Competitive Benchmarking

Regularly compare your AOV against industry standards and competitors.

This will help you understand whether performance is exceptional or merely average, inspiring new improvement strategies.

Balancing AOV With Customer Experience

While increasing AOV matters, it should never harm customer experience. Aggressive upselling or confusing promotions can drive customers away, damaging your business long-term.

As Tony Hsieh wisely stated, “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department; it should be the entire company.”

Every AOV optimization strategy should enhance the overall customer experience, not detract from it.

The best AOV strategies feel helpful rather than pushy. They should give customers genuine value while naturally increasing their order size.

Conclusion

Increasing your AOV is one of the most cost-effective ways to boost revenue without spending more on customer acquisition.

The 14 strategies we’ve covered, from product bundling and free shipping thresholds to personalization and social proof, can significantly increase how much customers spend per transaction.

Remember to continuously test and refine while also keeping customer experience in the forefront of your mind.

So go forth, start analyzing your current average order values, and implement one or two strategies to begin with.

Then, refine and improve as you see success!

Average Order Value – Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re running a WooCommerce store, you know how frustrating it can be when customers abandon their carts or struggle with a clunky checkout.

Whether it’s the slow loading times, outdated design, or lack of smart upsells, the cart experience can make or break a sale.

Many store owners face challenges like these:

• High cart abandonment due to a confusing checkout flow.
• Frustrated customers who can’t easily update their cart.
• Missed opportunities to increase sales with smart upsells.
• Unfriendly coupon management that turns away buyers.

Say Hello to Modern Cart – Your Sales-Boosting Shopping Cart Solution!

We built Modern Cart to tackle all of these challenges.

Our mission was simple: create a cart that loads instantly, keeps customers engaged, and helps you convert more visitors into paying customers without complicated setup.

Why Modern Cart?

Your shopping cart isn’t just a step in the buying process. It’s the crucial moment where customers either complete their purchase or go somewhere else.

If your cart is slow, confusing, or lacking in features, it’s very likely to be the latter.

Modern Cart replaces the outdated WooCommerce cart with a fast, customizable, and engaging shopping cart experience that your customers will love.

Let’s explore how Modern Cart is a game changer for your WooCommerce store.

Give Customers a Seamless, Enjoyable Shopping Experience

Here’s what you get when you add the Modern Cart to your WooCommerce store.

1. A New Shopping Cart Experience

Imagine a sleek, modern cart interface where customers can:

• Add or remove items with a click.
• Adjust quantities without refreshing the page.
• See their cart summary update in real-time.
• Complete checkout with a single click.

A better cart experience means fewer abandoned carts and more completed purchases and Modern Cart makes it happen!

2. Boost Sales with Smart Product Recommendations

Imagine this: A customer adds a product to their cart, and instantly, they see related items that complement their purchase.

Modern Cart makes it easy to boost average order value with relevant product suggestions that feel helpful, not pushy.

3. Simplified Coupon Management

Coupons are fantastic for driving sales, but a confusing coupon process can drive customers away.

With Modern Cart, applying discounts is a breeze.

Your customers can:

• Enter and remove coupon codes without ever leaving the cart.
• Use Modern Cart’s coupon form, compatible with popular WooCommerce coupon plugins.
• Enjoy a frictionless discount experience that keeps them shopping.

4. Entice Shoppers With a Free Shipping Progress Bar!

Who doesn’t love free shipping? Modern Cart’s live progress bar shows customers how close they are to qualifying for free shipping, motivating them to add a few more items to their cart.

It’s a small touch that makes a big difference.

5. Multiple Cart Styles to Match Your Brand

No two stores are alike, so why settle for a generic cart design?

With Modern Cart, you can choose from multiple cart styles, including:

• Slide-out cart: Smoothly appears from the side for quick access.
• Popup cart (Coming soon): Pops up when an item is added, keeping customers engaged.
• Floating cart (Coming soon): Stays visible as customers browse, allowing quick access anytime.

Pick the style that best suits your store’s look and customer preferences.

6. Fully Customizable Cart Labels

Your brand deserves a cart that speaks your language. Modern Cart lets you easily customize labels and headings, including:

• Main title text.
• Coupon field placeholder.
• Checkout button label.
• Free shipping bar message.

Make your cart feel like a natural part of your store!

Quick and Easy Setup – No Coding Required!

Setting up Modern Cart is a breeze. With just a few clicks, you can:

1- Install and activate Modern Cart in your WooCommerce store.

2- Customize settings to match store branding.

3- Enable smart product recommendations, coupon management, and free shipping incentives.

4- Start delivering a modern cart experience that drives conversions.

No coding or complex setup. Just enable it and watch your sales grow!

7. Remove Friction and Increase Purchases

Modern Cart eliminates unnecessary steps in the shopping process. Customers can add, edit, and manage their cart items without leaving the page.

This seamless experience leads to:

• Faster checkouts.
• Higher customer satisfaction.
• More completed purchases.

8. Mobile-Friendly for Shoppers on the Go

Your customers aren’t just shopping from their desktops. That’s why Modern Cart is 100% responsive and works flawlessly on any device.

Whether they’re using a tablet, smartphone, or laptop, your cart will look great and work even better.

9. Integrates With Your Favorite Plugins

Your store likely uses multiple plugins to add features or improve the customer experience.

You’ll be pleased to know that Modern Cart works seamlessly with popular WooCommerce extensions, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility.

How Modern Cart Helps You Sell More

Modern Cart is built to increase your store’s revenue by:

• Encouraging customers to add more items with personalized recommendations.
• Making discount coupons easy and frustration-free.
• Removing friction from checkout, leading to higher conversions.
• Motivating customers to increase cart sizes so they reach free shipping thresholds.
• Providing a smooth, enjoyable shopping experience that reduces cart abandonment

Ready To Transform Your WooCommerce Cart?

Don’t let a clunky cart hold your store back. Modern Cart for WooCommerce is designed to make your cart fast, intuitive, and profitable.

• Boost sales with smarter product recommendations.
• Keep customers happy with a seamless cart experience.
• Reduce abandoned carts and lost revenue.
• Customize every aspect of your cart to fit your brand.

Your customers will thank you, and your sales will prove it!

• Product displays suddenly appearing on their blog posts.
• Strategic sale items shown on their homepage.
• Customers breezing through a streamlined checkout process.

They discovered the power of WooCommerce shortcodes.

These snippets of code are changing how savvy store owners sell online.

You don’t need expensive developers or complex coding either. Just simple, strategic implementation that could seriously boost your conversion rates.

Let us walk you through the shortcode revolution that’s happening right under your nose.

What Are WooCommerce Shortcodes?

WooCommerce shortcodes are small pieces of code wrapped in square brackets. They perform specific functions when added to your WordPress pages or posts.

This is what a shortcode looks like: [product_category]

Shortcodes help you customize their shops without diving into complex PHP or hiring expensive developers.

Think of shortcodes as magical commands that instantly transform ordinary pages into powerful selling tools.

They bridge the gap between what your standard WooCommerce setup offers and what your unique business actually needs.

Why Use WooCommerce Shortcodes?

Shortcodes let you:

• Display products exactly where you want them
• Create custom shopping experiences
• Strategically highlight products
• Streamline the purchase process
• Guide customer attention precisely

There’s a lot more you can do once you understand how flexible they are.

When combined with a dedicated funnel builder like CartFlows, shortcodes become even more powerful as part of structured customer journeys.

How Do Shortcodes Work?

WooCommerce shortcodes function through two key components: the body (the main command) and the parameters (the customization options).

The body tells WordPress what function to perform, while the parameters specify exactly how that function should behave.

The anatomy of a shortcode:

A complete shortcode might look like this: [products limit=”4″ columns=”2″ category=”featured”]

This tells WooCommerce to display 4 products arranged in 2 columns from the featured category.

See? Shortcodes are easy once you know how they work!

Where Can You Place Shortcodes?

Shortcodes work almost anywhere in a WordPress environment:

• Pages and posts
• Widget areas (sidebars, footers)
• Product descriptions
• Page builder elements

For the classic editor, simply paste the shortcode anywhere and WordPress will display the required content.

If you use the block editor, add a Shortcode block anywhere on the page and paste the shortcode into it.

Essential WooCommerce Page Shortcodes

There are a few fundamental shortcodes that form the backbone of a smoother WooCommerce experience.

They can control major functionality like your cart, checkout, and account pages.

Cart Page Shortcode [woocommerce_cart]

What: [woocommerce_cart]

Where: Add it anywhere it makes sense. For example, if you blog about a new product release, you could add a cart where the reader can buy that product directly from the post.

Why: You’re adding a chance to buy the product while a visitor is in a buying mood or to take advantage of impulse buys to increase conversions.

The cart shortcode displays the full shopping cart, including product images, quantities, pricing, and the checkout button.

You can place the shortcode on different pages so there are multiple points for the user to pay, which can help reduce abandoned carts.

Checkout Page Shortcode [woocommerce_checkout]

What: [woocommerce_checkout]

Where: Try this shortcode on product landing pages, at the bottom of high-converting blog posts, within promotional campaign pages, or even paired with curated product collections.

It’ll add the complete checkout functionality to the page wherever it’s placed.

Why: It creates opportunities for one-page shopping experiences where discovery and purchase happen in a single, frictionless process.

For store owners serious about optimizing checkout conversions, CartFlows extends capabilities with specialized checkout editors and pre-designed high-converting templates

Placing this on any page will turn it into a dynamic, full-fledged checkout page for your WooCommerce store.

My Account Shortcode [woocommerce_my_account]

What: [woocommerce_my_account]

Where: Consider adding this shortcode to membership areas, customer resource sections, post-purchase confirmation pages. Or even strategically place it in sidebars for logged-in users.

Why: Adding account access throughout your site lets you create a more integrated experience. It helps customers stay connected to their purchase history, downloads, and account details without disrupting the journey.

For non-logged-in users, the shortcode displays a login form.

For logged-in customers, it shows their account dashboard with orders, downloads, addresses, and account details.

It’s that simple

Order Tracking Shortcode [woocommerce_order_tracking]

What: [woocommerce_order_tracking]

Where: Consider embedding this WooCommerce shortcode in your FAQ section, customer service areas, post-purchase email templates (via links), or where order status adds value.

Why: 69% of consumers feel real-time order tracking is a top factor when shopping online. This shortcode makes tracking instantly accessible.

The shortcode generates a simple form where customers can enter their order ID and email address to view the status of a purchase.

Easy access to information is important for building trust in your fulfillment process.

WooCommerce Product Display Shortcodes

Now let’s look at how to showcase products across your store using powerful display shortcodes.

The Versatile [products] Shortcode

What: [products]

Where: The product shortcode belongs anywhere they can drive engagement or conversions.

Add it to blog content where products complement your storytelling. Place it strategically in email newsletters, category descriptions, 404 pages, or as part of your about page to showcase flagship products.

Why: This shortcode can adapt to different contexts. You can easily adapt it to show products you feel are the most relevant to the page, improving the shopping experience.

[products limit="8" columns="4" orderby="date" order="DESC" visibility="visible"]

This example displays the 8 most recent products in 4 columns. But this is just scratching the surface of what this shortcode can do.

Here’s a table of the most useful parameters for the products shortcode:

Product Categories Shortcode [product_categories]

What: [product_categories]

Where: Since this shortcode displays product categories and not individual products, place it where a customer could find it helpful if they know what other product categories you offer.

This can be a blog post, sidebar widget, or maybe even display the categories when a customer is switching between different product pages.

Why: Strategically placing category lists throughout your site increases the likelihood that a potential buyer would click through, browse and add more products to their cart.

You create multiple pathways for discovery that a standard menu navigation simply can’t match.

[product_categories number="6" columns="5" hide_empty="1" orderby="name" parent="0"]

This example displays 6 top-level product categories in 3 columns, hiding any empty categories.

Key parameters include:

Single Product Display Options [product_page]

What: [product_page id=”123″]

Where: Add the product page shortcode to a blog post that features a specific product as the hero of the content. You can also feature it in some of the tutorial pages or landing pages where sending a user to that product would add value.

It’s also useful in comparison guides when readers are deciding between options, seeing full product details. The shortcode gives them a way to add items to the cart without extra clicks.

Why: Instead of sending people off to another page when they’re interested, this brings the full product experience into the content.

It’s not just about displaying a product,but giving people the option to buy exactly when they’re most engaged.

This shortcode displays everything from the standard product page including images, price, description, add to cart button, and even reviews.

Strategic WooCommerce Product Showcase Shortcodes

Your secret weapon is strategically showcasing specific product collections throughout your customer journey.

Here’s how to do it using specialized shortcodes:

Featured Products Shortcode

What: [featured_products]

Where: This spotlight-worthy shortcode deserves prime placement anywhere you need to direct customer attention.

Your homepage is the obvious start, but weave it into about pages, post-purchase thank you pages for cross-selling opportunities, even empty cart pages to inspire initial purchases.

Why: Featured products represent you as a brand so you want to be thoughtful about where they appear.

To mark products as featured, just click the star icon in your Products dashboard.

This shortcode then automatically displays them wherever you place it.

On-Sale Items Shortcode

What: [sale_products]

Where: Add the sale_products short code to capture hesitant shoppers. You can add it to your email newsletter templates or your sidebar widgets on some of the high traffic blog content.

Maybe even show on sale products as interstitial content when people click between different categories.

Why: Price sensitivity drives a lot of decision making for shoppers. This auto updating showcase of on sale products creates urgency and opportunity without requiring constant maintenance.

[sale_products per_page="8" columns="4" orderby="date" order="desc"]

This shortcode is particularly powerful during sales events. Any product you mark as on sale in your dashboard automatically appears wherever you’ve placed this code.

Best-Selling Products Shortcode

What: [best_selling_products]

Where: The best_selling_products shortcode works beyond just homepage or hero sections.

Integrate this into product category pages as “Category Bestsellers”. Or maybe even product detail pages under “Others also bought”.

Abandoned cart emails are also a good place to integrate the bestselling products shortcode.

Why: Showing best selling products is like displaying social proof.

If potential buyers see that a product has been purchased by others, it creates a psychological trigger that simplifies the buying decision while also building confidence in your brand.

[best_selling_products per_page="4" columns="4"]

The shortcode automatically updates the list of products based on sales data, always showing your current top performers.

Recent Products Shortcode

What: [recent_products]

Where: If you add new products frequently, you’ll want recent visitors to see them. Your homepage is a great place to integrate the recent_products shortcode.

You can also integrate it in customer account dashboards to encourage customers to explore the new additions.

Why: For returning customers especially, highlighting your latest additions can become a compelling reason to browse again and turn their routine visits into anticipation of what’s new in your inventory.

[recent_products per_page="8" columns="4" orderby="date" order="desc"]

For stores that regularly add new inventory, this shortcode ensures visitors always see your freshest products.

Related Products Shortcode

What: [related_products]

Where: Integrate the related_products shortcode on product focused blog content, category descriptions to show complementary items, or in how-to guides where you’re talking about multiple products.

You can also consider it for FAQ pages where product questions necessarily lead to related offerings.

Why: The related_products shortcode provides contextual relevance and transforms basic product browsing into a product discovery journey.

This shortcode works best when products have proper categories and tags assigned, as these determine which products are considered “related.”

Top-Rated Products Shortcode

What: [top_rated_products]

Where: Showcase top-rated products where trust-building is the final push required for conversion.

You could feature it on landing pages where new visitors form their first impressions. You can even integrate it into comparison guides or other hesitation points in your sales funnel.

Also consider it for customer service pages to highlight consistently successful products, or even in win-back emails to remind lapsed customers of your quality offerings.

Why: Top rated products generally show that other customers are satisfied with your products and that creates a powerful social proof.

If you can consistently show your products earn high ratings, new customers know that you’re not making random claims about quality.

Instead, you’re letting satisfied customers make those claims for you.

[top_rated_products per_page="4" columns="4" orderby="rating"]

For stores with active review systems, this automatically showcases products with the highest ratings.

Purchase Action Shortcodes

The most powerful shortcodes in your arsenal directly drive conversions by making purchasing frictionless.

Add to Cart Button Shortcode

What: [add_to_cart]

Where: add_to_cart belongs pretty much anywhere your products are discussed. All you need to do is embed the shortcode within product pages or tutorials where you are talking about a product.

The idea is to give customers easy access to add a product to their cart and take a step further into the buying journey.

Why: Allowing customers to act on impulse is a sure way to improve sales!.

Single Product Price Display

What: Single product price display.

Where: You could incorporate it in posts or pages where you talk about the products. It’s also useful when you want customers to see the price but don’t want them to be static.

Why: Selective price transparency serves different functions throughout the buying journey. Sometimes customers want the price without the distraction of full product pages or purchase options.

This approach lets you control exactly when and how price factors into the customer’s decision-making process.

While there isn’t a dedicated shortcode just for prices, you can use:

[product_page id="123" show_price="true" show_add_to_cart="false"]

Advanced WooCommerce Shortcode Techniques

After mastering the basics, implement these advanced techniques to truly elevate your store’s performance.

Combining Multiple Shortcodes

You can enhance the shopping experience by combining multiple shortcodes on the same page.

Here’s how:

<h2>Latest Arrivals</h2>

[recent_products per_page="4" columns="4"]

<h2>Bestsellers This Month</h2>

[best_selling_products per_page="4" columns="4"]

<h2>Complete Your Order</h2>

[woocommerce_checkout]

Notice that you don’t need the shortcode block to add shortcodes. Simply paste the shortcode as part of a paragraph block and it will work perfectly.

Using Shortcodes in Widgets and Blocks

The best part about shortcodes is that you can use them in widgets, pages, blocks, posts and anywhere you can add text in WordPress.

1. In widgets: Add the Shortcode widget to your sidebar, displaying best-selling products alongside blog content.
2. In WordPress blocks: Use the dedicated Shortcode block to embed product displays in complex page layouts.
3. In custom HTML blocks: For more control, place shortcodes within Custom HTML blocks:

<div class="featured-product-highlight"> 
<h3>Product of the Month</h3> 
[product_page id="123"] 
</div>

Troubleshooting WooCommerce Shortcodes

Short codes aren’t always perfect and they can fail and can cause errors.

Let’s see some examples of common syntax errors that you might come across and how to fix them.

Common Syntax Errors

The most frequent problems come from simple syntax mistakes:

Solutions for Display Problems

When shortcodes don’t display as expected, use these troubleshooting steps:

1. Test using a default theme and see if it’s your customized theme that’s causing a problem or whether it’s just the shortcode that’s not working.
2. Disable all plugins except WooCommerce to check if it was a plugin causing an issue. If the shortcode works with the plugins disabled, you can start enabling them one by one to see which caused the issue.
3. Often caching plugins can conflict with shortcodes and break them. So if a shortcode is not working try disabling the caching plugin and check if the shortcode now loads.

Build a Beautifully Dynamic Store With WooCommerce Shortcodes

WooCommerce shortcodes can turn static eCommerce stores into flexible, dynamic, and conversion focused ones.

We have covered a lot here but you don’t need to implement everything at once.

Start small. Implement one shortcode today to showcase your best-selling products on your homepage.

Then add an add to cart button to your most popular blog post. Watch your analytics and build from there.

For those looking to save time and maximize results, CartFlows puts all your ecommerce conversion needs into ready-to-use sales funnels.

It includes features like one-click upsells and order bumps to automatically, and dramatically, increase store performance.

What will you build with your new knowledge? Tell us about it in the comments below!

WooCommerce Shortcodes – Frequently Asked Questions