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Cart

The cart module turns the Shopify cart from a receipt into a conversion surface: a slide-out drawer with upsell slots, progress toward free shipping, cross-sell recommendations, purchasable add-ons, gift messaging and a terms checkbox. It is the last place before checkout where order value can still move.

Who this page is for​

  • Merchants whose average order value is close to a shipping threshold, or who sell natural add-ons.
  • Agencies adding a drawer to a theme that has none, without forking the theme's cart.
  • Anyone comparing cart-stage and post-purchase offers, which are genuinely different things.

What you get​

  • Cart drawer — a slide-out cart with slots for upsells, so adding an item does not navigate away from the page.
  • Free-shipping progress bar — how much more is needed to reach your configured threshold.
  • Cross-sell recommendations inside the drawer.
  • Cart countdown — a configurable urgency display.
  • Add-ons — shipping protection, gift wrapping and donations, each purchasable in the cart.
  • Gift messages — an optional message field with configurable placeholder copy.
  • Cart terms — an acceptance checkbox where your business requires one.

The drawer augments, it does not replace​

The drawer is a block you place. Your theme's native cart page keeps working, and a shopper who navigates directly to /cart sees it as normal. Nothing is removed from the theme and nothing overrides it.

This matters for two reasons. A theme update cannot break a cart you did not replace, and a shopper on an unusual path — a bookmarked cart URL, a browser without the drawer's JavaScript — still reaches a working cart.

Free shipping: the bar displays, Shopify charges​

The threshold is a number you set in the admin, and the bar renders progress toward it.

The bar does not create the shipping rate. Whether an order actually ships free is decided by your Shopify shipping settings. If the bar says £50 and your shipping profile says £60, the bar is wrong and the shopper finds out at checkout — which is a worse outcome than having no bar. Keep the two in step deliberately; nothing synchronises them for you.

Add-ons, and where the money goes​

Shipping protection, gift wrapping and donations are collected as part of the order.

For donations specifically: Growthify collects a configurable amount alongside the purchase. It does not disburse funds, hold a charity relationship, or provide any tax treatment. The payout arrangement is yours to make and yours to describe honestly to the shopper.

Cart-stage versus post-purchase​

Two different modules solve two different moments:

Cart cross-sell (this module)Post-purchase upsell
WhenBefore checkoutAfter the order is paid
Changes the order?Yes — it is still being builtNo — it is a separate offer
Risk if declinedPossible friction before conversionNone; the sale is already made
SurfaceCart drawerThank-you / order-status page

Cart-stage offers can raise the order that is happening. Post-purchase offers cannot jeopardise it. Most stores want both, for different products.

Surfaces​

  • Theme blocks: cart-drawer, cart-addons, cart-crosssell, cart-countdown, cart-donation, cart-terms, free-gift-notice, gift-message, shipping-protection.
  • Storefront API: gift-message configuration, donation and cross-sell configuration endpoints, behind the app proxy.
  • Admin: the Cart module configuration — drawer design, threshold, add-ons, countdown, gift-message copy.

Plan requirement​

The Smart Cart module requires Pro or higher and is off by default. Order-level add-ons that depend on a checkout extension carry additional Shopify-side requirements, independent of your Growthify tier.

What the cart module does not do​

  • It does not replace your theme's cart or its cart page.
  • It does not set shipping rates. The free-shipping bar displays a number you configure; Shopify decides what is charged.
  • It does not disburse donations or manage a charity relationship.
  • The countdown does not reserve inventory or expire a cart. It is a display element, and describing it as a hold would be untrue.
  • It does not modify checkout itself beyond Shopify's supported extension points.
  • It does not personalise cross-sell with a recommendation model trained on shopper behaviour.

FAQ​

Does the cart drawer replace my theme's cart?​

No — it augments it. The native cart page keeps working, and shoppers who navigate straight there are unaffected.

How does the free-shipping bar know the threshold?​

You set it in the admin and the bar renders progress toward it. The bar does not create the shipping rate — that stays in Shopify's shipping settings, and keeping the two in agreement is your job.

Can I collect donations in the cart?​

Yes, as a configurable add-on amount. Growthify does not disburse the money or hold any charity relationship; that arrangement is yours.

What is the difference between cart cross-sell and post-purchase upsell?​

Cross-sell happens before checkout and changes the order being built. A post-purchase upsell happens after payment and creates a separate offer. Different modules, different risk.

Does the cart module require a paid plan?​

Yes — Pro or higher, off by default. Order-level add-ons needing a checkout extension have further Shopify-side requirements.

Is the cart countdown a real deadline?​

No. It is a display element; it reserves nothing and expires nothing. Do not present it as a hold.

Will the drawer work if the app embed is off?​

No. Like every Growthify block, the drawer depends on the embed to define window.gfConfig and boot the loader. See App embed.

  • Bundles — raising order value through discount rules applied in checkout.
  • Upsells — the post-purchase counterpart to cart cross-sell.
  • Theme blocks — the nine cart-related blocks.
  • Billing plans — the Pro requirement and what each tier includes.