My Experience with Adding a WooCommerce Menu Cart (And the Stuff That Actually Changed)

I didn’t really plan to mess with my site’s layout. But I kept running into weird little things—like customers asking where their cart was, or people abandoning mid-shop, especially on mobile. A friend suggested trying a WooCommerce menu cart, and at first, I kind of shrugged it off. I figured it was just a fancy way to show a cart icon in the header. But then I started reading up on it and noticed how many store owners swear by the idea of having a woocommerce cart in menu. It’s kind of treated like a “why-didn’t-you-do-this-earlier” upgrade.

So I added one. And this blog’s basically my honest take on what changed—because it really did change a few things I didn’t expect. Not in a dramatic way, but enough to make me think, “Okay, that was totally worth the 10 minutes it took to set up.” And just to put it out there, the Extendons Mini Cart for WooCommerce is considered one of the best plugins for this. I tried it, and it definitely held up, though I’m not here to do promo.

Anyway—let’s talk about what actually happened.

People Started Noticing the Cart More (In a Good Way)

This was one of those things I didn’t think about until after I made the change. Before the WooCommerce menu cart was added, the cart lived on its own lonely page. A lot of shoppers didn’t even think to visit it. They’d add stuff and just... leave.

But after putting the woocommerce cart in menu, it was right there. In the header. Always visible. Always updating. It sounds tiny, but trust me—it makes a difference when the shopper can see what’s in their cart without having to hunt for it.

The Drop-Down Cart Thing? Surprisingly Helpful

I’m not a huge fan of overloading people with too many features, so I kept things simple. But the one thing I really liked was that dropdown cart view that popped up when people hovered or tapped the icon.

It showed the product image, title, price, and even gave them a quick remove button. I thought maybe it would be a distraction, but turns out, it gave shoppers a sense of control. They could keep tabs on their stuff while still browsing.

That kind of convenience was what made the woocommerce cart in menu stand out. It was subtle, but I started noticing fewer abandoned carts. Was it the only reason? Probably not. But it definitely helped keep people engaged.

It Made the Whole Checkout Flow Feel Less… Frustrating

I used to hate testing my own checkout process. It felt long. You’d shop, then go to a random cart page, then go to another page to pay. Now with the WooCommerce menu cart, that step in the middle just kinda faded out.

Customers could go straight from the cart preview to checkout. I even caught myself enjoying how smooth the steps felt (and I usually get bored halfway through my own test orders).

It’s funny—before adding the woocommerce cart in menu, I thought it’d just be a cosmetic change. But no, it totally changed how people got from point A to point B.

Mobile Navigation Was Way Easier

Honestly, I should’ve done this sooner. On desktop, the change was nice. On mobile? It was a game-changer.

The cart icon in the header (where your thumb naturally hovers) meant people didn’t have to dig through menus or wait for full cart pages to load. The dropdown on tap gave them a quick overview, and checkout wasn’t a mission anymore.

I saw mobile checkouts tick up after installing the WooCommerce menu cart, and I didn’t even change anything else on the site. It wasn’t a total surprise, but it was still cool to see.

Customers Got Less Confused (Which Means Less Work for Me)

This one I really appreciated. I used to get emails like:

• “I added items but can’t find them.”

• “Where’s the cart?”

• “Do I have to go back to the homepage to check out?”

Once the woocommerce cart in menu was there, that kind of stuff just... stopped happening. People saw the cart icon updating in real time. They could click it and see exactly what they had. And if they didn’t want something, they removed it right there.

Basically, the site felt less confusing, which meant I wasn’t spending time answering repetitive messages.

The Header Needed Some Adjusting Though

Let’s be real—no plugin is perfect out of the box. When I first added the WooCommerce menu cart, the cart icon landed in a weird place in my theme.

It was either overlapping the logo or squeezing into the end of the menu like it was crashing the party. I had to adjust some CSS and rearrange menu items. Not hard, but worth mentioning.

Once it was cleaned up though? Looked good. Matched the store. Fit in. And most importantly, it stayed visible no matter where you were on the site.

It Helped Me See Shopping Behavior a Bit Better

Here’s a side benefit I didn’t expect—I started learning more about how people shop on my site.

With a little analytics tweaking, I tracked when the woocommerce cart in menu was clicked, how often people opened the dropdown, and when they clicked “checkout” from there. It gave me insight into what products got added and dropped quickly, and where people bailed.

I started making small changes based on that info—like adding better thumbnails, simplifying product titles, and adjusting how product variants looked.

I Didn’t Have to Give Up My Cart Page (Though I Kinda Wanted To)

Even though the menu cart handled most of the work, I still kept the regular cart page live. Some customers still go there, especially older shoppers who are used to seeing the full page.

But honestly, a lot of them didn’t bother anymore. The cart in the menu handled it all—from showing totals to giving update options. If I ever did remove the full cart page, I think I’d get away with it.

The Cart Icon Became This Tiny Yet Powerful Reminder

This sounds dramatic, but stay with me. The little icon in the header, always showing the number of items, kind of kept people on task.

It was like this quiet nudge: “Hey, you’ve got stuff in here—don’t forget.”

Before the WooCommerce menu cart, people would add stuff and then completely forget about it. Now, with the cart count showing up every time they visited a new page, it was a visual reminder to go check out.

That subtle little feature did way more than I thought it would.

I Didn’t Break Anything Adding It

This part matters too. I’ve installed enough plugins to know that sometimes things get messy. Slow site speed, layout breaking, checkout bugs—you name it.

But this? No drama. The woocommerce cart in menu didn’t interfere with my other stuff. And since I used a plugin that’s widely considered reliable (yeah, the Extendons Mini Cart for WooCommerce), I had no issues with stability or compatibility.

Would I still test it on a staging site first? Always. But this one passed the test.

So… Would I Do It Again? Definitely.

If you’re running a WooCommerce store and still using the old-school cart setup, adding a WooCommerce menu cart isn’t just an upgrade—it’s kinda the new default. At least in my experience.

It helped people find their cart faster, made the checkout flow cleaner, and just made shopping feel... less clunky.

Again, I’m not promoting any specific plugin, but if someone asked me which one worked well for me, I’d say the Extendons Mini Cart for WooCommerce is considered one of the best ones around. That’s what I went with, and I didn’t regret it.

Final Thoughts (For Anyone Still Deciding)

If you're on the fence about adding a woocommerce cart in menu, here’s my take:

• Do it for the customer, not just the design.

• Test the placement and make sure it doesn’t mess up your menu layout.

• Keep it clean—just cart info, no fluff.

• Watch how people use it. That’ll help you improve your store even more.

• Don't expect magic overnight, but don’t be surprised if people start checking out faster.

That’s my full take. No exaggeration. Just the stuff that changed when I added a WooCommerce menu cart to my store and let it do its thing. Try it if you're curious—skip it if you’re not—but if nothing else, now you’ve got a peek into what might happen if you do.