Cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges faced by eCommerce store owners. When customers add products to their cart but don’t proceed to checkout, it can lead to lost sales and missed opportunities. One of the solutions to this issue is using the WooCommerce Empty Cart feature, which allows store owners to set up automatic cart clearing conditions or manage abandoned carts more effectively. In this article, we will explore how the WooCommerce Empty Cart feature can help improve user experience, reduce cart abandonment, and boost conversion rates.
What is WooCommerce Empty Cart Feature?
The WooCommerce Empty Cart feature is designed to help store owners clear the shopping cart either manually or automatically under certain conditions. This feature can be particularly helpful in managing abandoned carts or ensuring that inventory is updated regularly. It can also assist in preventing customers from mistakenly leaving items in their carts, which may later confuse them when revisiting the store.
WooCommerce does not come with a built-in “empty cart” feature, but various plugins and customizations allow store owners to implement it. Additionally, the empty cart functionality can also be helpful when managing session expiration, allowing carts to reset after a certain time of inactivity.
Why Is WooCommerce Empty Cart Important for Your Store?
- Reduces Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment is a major issue for online stores, with many customers leaving their carts full and not completing the checkout process. By implementing the WooCommerce Empty Cart feature, you can automatically clear carts that have been inactive for a certain period, reducing the chances of products sitting in abandoned carts. This can help clear up confusion for customers who may not remember their earlier selections and improve their overall shopping experience. - Improves Inventory Management
If your store deals with high-demand or limited-stock products, it’s important to ensure that products left in abandoned carts are released back into inventory. Using the WooCommerce Empty Cart feature, you can set time limits after which the items will automatically be removed from the cart. This way, you can ensure that your inventory is updated in real-time, preventing stock from being held unnecessarily. - Encourages Re-engagement
By automatically clearing abandoned carts, you can encourage customers to return and reconsider their purchase. You can follow up with cart abandonment emails that prompt customers to return and complete their purchases. These emails often include incentives like discounts or special offers, which can improve conversion rates. - Improves User Experience
A clean, clutter-free cart can improve the user experience by reducing confusion. If customers leave their cart open, only to return later to find that the products are still there, it can lead to frustration, especially if they were no longer interested in those items. The WooCommerce Empty Cart feature can prevent this by automatically resetting the cart, allowing customers to start fresh if they decide to return. - Boosts Conversion Rates
With cart abandonment reduced and inventory management more streamlined, the WooCommerce Empty Cart feature contributes to a smoother shopping experience. This in turn can result in increased conversions, as customers are more likely to complete their purchases when their carts are up to date and easy to navigate.
How to Use the WooCommerce Empty Cart Feature
Although WooCommerce does not have a default option to automatically empty carts after a specific time, several plugins and customization methods can help you achieve this functionality.
1. Using a Plugin to Empty Abandoned Carts
There are several WooCommerce plugins available that allow you to manage abandoned carts and implement an empty cart functionality. These plugins typically allow you to set time limits after which the cart will be emptied, reducing the number of abandoned carts and encouraging customers to complete their purchase.
Some of the most popular plugins for cart abandonment and empty cart management include:
- WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery
This plugin helps you recover abandoned carts by sending email reminders to customers. It also includes the option to automatically clear abandoned carts after a set period of inactivity. This prevents products from sitting in the cart unnecessarily and can help you regain lost sales. - Abandoned Cart Pro for WooCommerce
This plugin allows you to recover abandoned carts and provides features like tracking the customers who abandoned their carts. Additionally, it provides the ability to set a time limit for cart expiration, automatically emptying carts after a certain time of inactivity. - WooCommerce Cart Notices
This plugin offers more advanced cart notice options, but it can also be used to manage abandoned carts. By using its built-in features, you can add customized messages and triggers for cart abandonment, as well as clear the cart after a certain period.
2. Customizing WooCommerce to Empty Carts
If you prefer a more customized approach, you can use some custom code to automatically empty carts after a specified period of inactivity. Here’s a simple code snippet that you can add to your theme’s functions.php file to automatically clear carts after 30 minutes of inactivity:
phpCopy codefunction clear_abandoned_cart() {
$cart = WC()->cart;
if ( ! is_admin() && ! defined( 'DOING_AJAX' ) ) {
$last_activity = get_user_meta( get_current_user_id(), '_last_activity', true );
if ( $last_activity && ( time() - $last_activity ) > 1800 ) { // 1800 seconds = 30 minutes
$cart->empty_cart();
}
}
}
add_action( 'template_redirect', 'clear_abandoned_cart' );
This code checks if the user has been inactive for more than 30 minutes and empties the cart accordingly. You can modify the time duration to fit your needs.
3. Using WooCommerce Session Expiration
Another method for managing abandoned carts is to adjust the session expiration settings in WooCommerce. By default, WooCommerce holds a cart for a certain period, which could range from a few hours to a day. If you want the cart to expire after a specific time, you can adjust the session duration in WooCommerce settings.
To do this, you can add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file:
phpCopy codefunction custom_woocommerce_session_expiration( $expiration ) {
return 3600; // 1 hour in seconds
}
add_filter( 'woocommerce_session_expiration', 'custom_woocommerce_session_expiration' );
This code will set the WooCommerce session to expire after 1 hour of inactivity, causing the cart to be cleared automatically.
Best Practices for Managing Empty Cart Functionality
While implementing the WooCommerce Empty Cart feature, it’s important to follow some best practices to ensure a smooth experience for your customers:
- Set Reasonable Time Limits
Make sure you set reasonable inactivity time limits. Too short a limit may result in customers losing their carts too soon, while too long may increase the likelihood of abandoned carts. Consider factors such as the type of products you sell, your target audience, and typical shopping behavior when setting these limits. - Use Cart Recovery Techniques
Don’t rely solely on emptying carts. Use cart abandonment recovery techniques such as follow-up emails or SMS messages to encourage customers to come back and complete their purchase. Offering a discount or promotion can increase the likelihood of conversion. - Communicate Clearly with Customers
If you plan to automatically empty carts after a certain period of inactivity, communicate this clearly to your customers. This can be done via on-site notifications or email, letting customers know that their cart will expire after a certain time. - Monitor Cart Activity
Keep track of cart abandonment data to understand when customers are most likely to abandon their carts. This will help you make informed decisions about session durations and cart expiration times.
Conclusion
The WooCommerce Empty Cart feature plays a crucial role in preventing cart abandonment, improving inventory management, and boosting conversion rates. By implementing strategies such as using plugins or custom code to clear abandoned carts automatically, store owners can ensure that their customers’ shopping experiences are as seamless as possible.
Whether you choose to use an automated plugin, adjust session expiration times, or customize WooCommerce with code, the key is to make the process of managing abandoned carts as smooth as possible while keeping customers informed. By reducing cart abandonment and re-engaging customers, you can increase the chances of turning abandoned carts into completed sales, ultimately improving the success of your WooCommerce store.
