Cart Abandonment Starts at the Cart Page
A customer clicks Add to Cart. A moment later, they click View Cart. Now they’re on a page they didn’t intend to navigate to. They’re reviewing an order they haven’t committed to yet. And on that page, they see shipping costs, tax, maybe they notice the price is higher than expected, or they get distracted by site navigation and wander off.
The cart page is a common place where customers abandon their purchases. They added the item, but seeing the full order and the shipping costs can trigger second thoughts. Some change their mind. Others leave the page and never come back.
How Skipping the Cart Reduces Abandonment
If you remove the cart page entirely, you remove one more step and one more point of exit. A customer adds an item and goes straight to checkout. They see their shipping address form and payment options. The order is already committed in their mind—they’re just filling in details to complete the purchase.
This isn’t about hiding information from customers. They still see shipping costs, taxes, and everything else at checkout. The difference is they see it after they’ve decided to buy, not before. That psychological shift can reduce the number of people who bail out.
Setting Up Direct Checkout in WooCommerce
You can enable this behavior through WooCommerce settings or, for more control and additional features like a Buy Now button, through a plugin.
Using WooCommerce Settings (Built-In)
Go to your WordPress admin, navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced, and look for the Checkout page option. You can set WooCommerce to bypass the cart page and go straight to checkout. This is the simplest method and requires no additional plugin.
Using a Plugin for More Control
If you want a Buy Now button in addition to the standard checkout flow, ReadyGo’s Buy Now button provides both features. The plugin lets you offer Buy Now for immediate checkout while keeping the standard Add to Cart option for customers who prefer to compare.
What Customers See
When you enable direct checkout, here’s what happens:
- Customer clicks Add to Cart
- They’re taken directly to the checkout page (no cart page)
- Their product is already added to the order
- They see their shipping address form and payment options
- They complete the purchase
The process is shorter and the customer feels less friction. They’re one page away from completing the order instead of two pages away.
Frequently Asked Questions About Skipping the Cart
Will customers feel like something is missing?
No. Customers still see everything they need: the product they selected, the price, shipping costs, and tax. They’re just seeing it at checkout instead of on a separate cart page.
Can customers still edit their order before paying?
Yes. At checkout, before they submit payment, they can see their items and make changes. They can also go back to the shop and add more products; those will be added to their current checkout session.
Does this work with coupon codes?
Yes. Customers can still enter coupon codes at checkout, and the discount will be applied to their order.
What if a customer wants to add multiple items?
Each Add to Cart click adds the product to their current checkout session. If they add three items before checking out, all three will be in their order at checkout. They’ll see the full list before they pay.
Should I skip the cart for all products?
That’s your choice. Some stores skip the cart entirely. Others keep it for most products but use a Buy Now button for specific items. There’s no single right answer—it depends on how your customers shop and what works best for your business.
A/B Testing to See What Works
If you’re unsure whether skipping the cart is right for your store, test it. Enable direct checkout for a week or two and track your conversion rate. Compare it to your baseline. If your conversions improve, keep it. If they drop, revert to the cart page. You might also survey customers to see if they notice or care about the change.
The Bottom Line
Removing the cart page is a small change with potential impact. It reduces friction, removes a point of abandonment, and gets customers to checkout faster. It’s especially useful if your analytics show significant cart abandonment. Try it, measure the results, and adjust based on what works for your store.