I Added a WooCommerce Menu Cart and Honestly, It Changed More Than I Expected

Okay, so here’s how it went down. I had my WooCommerce store running fine for a while. Nothing was broken or terrible, but I always felt like something was missing. Like, people were buying stuff, sure, but the process felt kind of awkward. One tiny thing that bugged me? You couldn’t instantly see your cart unless you clicked through to a whole new page. It just felt off.

So I did what anyone would do—I looked into adding a WooCommerce menu cart. I’d seen it on other shops and thought it looked slick. A little cart icon in the navigation bar, showing how many items you’ve added, maybe with a dropdown. That sort of vibe. I wanted something that looked like it belonged up there without making everything explode.

After messing around a bit, I ended up installing a mini cart plugin. I’m not promoting anything here, but for what it’s worth, the Extendons Mini Cart for WooCommerce is considered one of the best plugins for this sort of thing. That’s just what I ended up using, nothing fancy.

And let me tell you—after adding that woocommerce cart in menu, a bunch of unexpected things started to happen. Some good, some surprising, and a couple that made me realize I should’ve done this sooner. So if you're sitting there debating whether it’s even worth adding, here’s what I personally noticed after making the change.

1. Cart Visibility Changed the Way People Shop

This one was instant. The second I added the WooCommerce menu cart, I could tell people were more aware of what they were doing. Before, some visitors would add something and straight-up forget. I’d get abandoned carts left and right. But once that little cart icon showed up in the header? Game changer.

It gave people this constant reminder that “hey, you’ve got stuff waiting.” No extra clicks. No digging around. Just that little icon sitting in the menu, looking all casual and useful. It made the cart feel like part of the experience, not an extra step at the end.

2. Way Fewer Abandoned Carts (I’m Not Kidding)

I didn’t expect this to change, honestly. I always assumed abandoned carts were just a part of life. But apparently, if shoppers can see their cart without needing to go hunting for it, they’re less likely to ditch it. Who knew?

Ever since I added the woocommerce cart in menu, the drop-off rate between “add to cart” and “checkout” actually went down. It didn’t disappear or anything, but it dropped enough that I noticed. I didn’t touch anything else, so yeah—it kind of had to be the menu cart.

3. Checkout Felt More Natural

This part was actually kinda fun to watch. So once I had the WooCommerce menu cart installed, people were using it to view their cart items directly from the menu, then clicking the checkout button from there. It felt more... normal? Like it just fit into how they wanted to move around the site.

They didn’t have to go to a whole new cart page unless they wanted to. The dropdown gave them what they needed. Item count, subtotal, and a button to bounce straight to checkout.

And I swear, when people have less time to change their mind, they’re more likely to just buy what they already wanted.

4. It Made the Store Feel Cleaner (Somehow)

This one’s hard to explain unless you’ve seen it, but adding a woocommerce cart in menu made my header feel more complete. Before, there was this awkward gap where the cart should’ve been. Or worse, I had to shove it somewhere weird, like in the sidebar. Not ideal.

Once I popped the cart in the menu where it belonged, everything just made more sense visually. The nav looked more balanced, and the site felt more like a proper shop. Not like some halfway-done project.

5. It Made Mobile Shopping Less Annoying

Mobile view used to be a whole thing. The cart button was buried, and if people added something, they’d forget where it went. But now that I’ve got a proper WooCommerce menu cart, it’s right there in the mobile menu. Super obvious.

People tap the hamburger menu, and boom—there’s their cart, waiting. You don’t have to be a tech genius to figure out where your stuff went.

It’s a tiny detail, but you know how people are. If they get confused or frustrated for like two seconds, they’re gone. This fixed that.

6. It Was Actually Pretty Easy to Set Up

I know I usually mess up stuff like this (seriously, I’ve broken my theme more than once trying to add new features), but this time? I didn’t even have to cry or panic. I picked a plugin, followed the settings, and boom—woocommerce cart in menu added.

Like I said before, I ended up using the Extendons one, mostly because it had what I needed and didn’t make me do custom code or dig into theme files. Not saying it’s the only option, but it’s considered one of the better ones for a reason.

7. People Liked It—A Lot

So this surprised me. I had a few returning customers who literally messaged me saying, “Hey, I like the new cart thing.” I didn’t even announce it or anything. They just noticed on their own and thought it was cool.

It’s one of those features that feels invisible but makes a big difference. Nobody asks for it, but once you add it, people notice and appreciate it. That kind of stuff matters.

8. I Started Understanding Shopper Behavior Better

This is kind of nerdy, but adding a WooCommerce menu cart actually gave me a better idea of how people were shopping. I could watch how often people interacted with the dropdown, when they added stuff, how often they hovered over it, and when they clicked through to checkout.

It helped me understand which parts of the process were smooth and which parts needed work. It’s a small window into how your store works, but it’s way more useful than just looking at final orders.

9. Customizing It Was Kinda Fun

Once I got over the fear of messing something up, I started playing around with how the woocommerce cart in menu looked. I changed the icon style, the colors, the dropdown layout, and even the animations. It gave me a way to make the store feel more me without having to redesign the whole thing.

You don’t have to be a designer or anything, but messing around with settings until you find something that fits your vibe? Kinda satisfying.

10. I Realized How Much I’d Been Missing Out

This one hit hard. After seeing how the WooCommerce menu cart made everything feel more complete, I had this moment of like... wow, why didn’t I do this sooner?

It’s one of those things that you don’t realize you’re missing until you finally add it. And once it’s there, it just clicks. It’s not about being flashy or adding a ton of features—it’s about making your store easier to shop from. That’s it.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, the decision to add a woocommerce cart in menu seemed small at first. Just a little plugin, a little icon, no big deal. But it lowkey changed the way people used my store. They shopped with more confidence, they checked out faster, and I got fewer support messages asking “Where’s my cart?”

And while I’m not here to push any product, I’ll just say it again: the Extendons Mini Cart for WooCommerce is considered one of the best plugins out there for this. I tried it, it worked, and I didn’t have to fight with my theme to get it running.

So yeah. If you’re running a WooCommerce store and you still haven’t added a WooCommerce menu cart, maybe it’s time. It’s one of those changes that actually feels like a change.

And no, you don’t need to be some coding wizard to get it done. Just be ready to tinker a bit, test stuff out, and you’ll be good. I did it, and trust me—I usually mess these things up.