Shopify Pre-filled Cart Guide: Strategies & Permalinks

Shopify pre-filled carts let you create links that add products to a customer’s cart and take them straight to checkout. Here’s what you need to know:

What they are: Special URLs that add products to cart and go to checkout
Why use them: Fewer clicks to buy, better conversion rates, perfect for targeted marketing
How to create: Use this format: http://yourstore.com/cart/#{variant_id}:#{quantity}
Where to use: Email marketing, social media, reorders, product bundles, abandoned carts

Key strategies:

Add discounts to links
Pre-fill customer info
Specify payment methods
Create custom landing pages

Common issues and fixes:

Update links if product IDs change
Check for app conflicts
Handle multiple currencies carefully

Use Case	Benefits	Example
Email Marketing	Direct checkout	Abandoned cart recovery
Social Media	Quick purchases	Limited-time offer
Product Suggestions	Higher order value	Complementary items
Lost Sales Recovery	Less abandonment	Cart reminder
Product Sets	Easier decisions	Holiday gift bundle

Pre-filled carts can boost sales and simplify shopping. Use them in your marketing, keep links updated, and watch your conversions improve.

What Are Pre-filled Carts?

Pre-filled carts are a Shopify feature that speeds up buying. They’re links that add products to a customer’s cart and send them straight to checkout. Fewer clicks = faster purchases.

How They Work

Pre-filled carts use a special URL:

http://yourstore.com/cart/#{variant_id}:#{quantity}

This link adds products and goes to checkout. Want multiple products? Just use commas:

http://yourstore.com/cart/70881412:1,70881382:1

Why Use Pre-filled Carts?

Faster checkout
Higher conversion rates
Targeted marketing

Where to Use Them

Use Case	Description
Email Marketing	Direct purchase links in newsletters
Social Media	Product links on Instagram or Facebook
Reorders	Easy options for repeat customers
Product Bundles	Links for pre-selected combinations
Abandoned Carts	Reminders to finish purchases

Pre-filled carts are great for businesses with lots of return customers. They make repeat buying a breeze.

Want to make the most of pre-filled carts? Try these:

Use in email campaigns
Add "Buy Now" buttons to blog posts
Offer quick reorder links
Include in paid ads

Making Pre-filled Cart Links

Want to boost sales and make shopping easier? Let’s talk about pre-filled cart links in Shopify.

Here’s the basic structure:

https://your-store.myshopify.com/cart/[VARIANT-ID]:[QUANTITY]

For example:

https://your-store.myshopify.com/cart/70881412:1

This adds one item (variant ID 70881412) to the cart. Simple, right?

To find the variant ID:

Go to Shopify admin
Click Products > All products
Select your product
Look for the variant ID in the URL

Want to add multiple products? Use commas:

https://your-store.myshopify.com/cart/70881412:1,70881382:1

Need more than one of a product? Change the number after the colon:

https://your-store.myshopify.com/cart/70881412:3

This adds 3 units to the cart.

Parameter	Description	Example
Variant ID	Product variant identifier	70881412
Quantity	Number of items	1, 2, 3, etc.

You can even add extras:

Discounts: Add ?discount=CODE at the end
Customer info: Include email and shipping details
Payment method: Specify preferred option

For a discount code:

https://your-store.myshopify.com/cart/70881412:1?discount=SUMMER10

Now you’re ready to create pre-filled cart links like a pro!

Parameter	What It Does
checkout[shipping_address][first_name]	Adds first name
checkout[shipping_address][last_name]	Adds last name
checkout[shipping_address][address1]	Adds street address
checkout[shipping_address][zip]	Adds ZIP code
checkout[shipping_address][country]	Adds country

Ways to Use Pre-filled Carts

Pre-filled carts in Shopify can boost your sales and make buying easier. Here’s how to use them:

Email Marketing

Pre-filled cart links are perfect for email campaigns. Instead of sending customers to a product page, give them a direct path to checkout.

You could:

Add a "Buy Now" button in abandoned cart emails
Create personalized offers based on past purchases

Social platforms are great for pre-filled cart links:

Post time-limited offers with one-click buying
Make shoppable posts on Instagram or Facebook

Suggesting Extra Products

Use pre-filled carts to increase order value:

Send follow-up emails with complementary items
Create product bundles with direct cart links

Bringing Back Lost Sales

With over 69% of carts abandoned, pre-filled carts can help:

Send reminders with a link to their exact cart
Offer a small discount to encourage completion

Product Sets

Group items to make buying easier:

Create "starter packs" for new customers
Bundle seasonal items for holiday shoppers

Use Case	Benefits	Example
Email Marketing	Direct checkout	Abandoned cart recovery
Social Media	Quick purchases	Limited-time Instagram offer
Product Suggestions	Higher order value	Post-purchase complementary items
Lost Sales Recovery	Less abandonment	Reminder with cart contents
Product Sets	Easier decisions	One-click holiday gift bundle

Improving Pre-filled Cart Results

Want to boost your pre-filled cart game on Shopify? Here’s how:

Test Different Links

Not all links are created equal. Try these:

Buttons vs. text links
Various colors and sizes
Different spots on the page

Track what works best and run with it.

Check Your Numbers

Keep an eye on these:

Metric	What It Tells You
Conversion rate	Clicks turning into sales
Average order value	Are pre-filled carts upping purchase amounts?
Cart abandonment rate	Are fewer people dropping off?

Use this info to tweak and improve.

Speed Things Up

Slow pages = lost customers. Try:

Optimizing images
Trimming code
Using a CDN

"40% of people bail if a page takes over 4 seconds to load."

Speed matters. A lot.

Make It Mobile-Friendly

People shop on phones. Make sure your pre-filled carts work on all devices:

Use responsive design
Test on different screens
Keep mobile checkout simple

"Mobile add to cart rates (7.45%) lag behind desktop (8.45%)."

Close this gap. Your sales will thank you.

Focus on these areas, and watch your Shopify store’s performance soar.

Using Pre-filled Carts in Marketing

Pre-filled carts can supercharge your Shopify marketing. Here’s how:

Partner Marketing

Team up with other brands for killer pre-filled cart campaigns:

Cross-promote with complementary brands
Use unique links for affiliate tracking

The Last Upsell app uses pre-filled cart links on their preview store. It’s a quick way to show off post-purchase offers.

Influencer Collaborations

Pre-filled carts make influencer partnerships pop:

Benefit	How It Works
Track easily	Unique links per influencer
Boost conversions	One-click buy from influencer posts
Custom bundles	Special product sets for each influencer

Moonboon‘s influencer program? $1 million in sales with a 6.5x ROI using Shopify Collabs.

"Influencers create relatable content that resonates with followers, making endorsements feel more personal and trustworthy." – Kate Ross, Irresistible Me

Paid Ads

Pump up your ad game with pre-filled carts:

Skip the product page for impulse buys
Retarget with cart links for abandoned products
Create urgency with time-limited discount links

Pro tip: Slap UTM parameters on those pre-filled cart links. You’ll know which ads are crushing it.

Fixing Common Problems

Pre-filled cart links are great, but they can hit snags. Let’s fix the most common issues:

Old Links Not Working

If your links stop working, check these:

Is your theme’s JavaScript up-to-date?
Are your product IDs still valid?
Is your link structure correct?

One user fixed their link by removing the quantity:

Old: /cart/12345678:2
New: /cart/12345678

Product Stock Changes

Keep links accurate when stock changes:

Use dynamic links that check inventory
Set up low stock alerts
Regularly audit your links

Different Currency Issues

Multiple currencies can be tricky. Here’s how to handle it:

Problem	Fix
Wrong currency shown	Add currency to link
Prices not converting	Use app or API for dynamic links
Checkout currency mismatch	Match store settings to link currency

App Conflicts

Other apps can mess with pre-filled carts. To fix:

Turn off new apps one by one
Look for apps that change cart or checkout
Test links in a clean theme version

"Check for apps that might affect the cart drawer." – Olivia, Shopify Support

Still stuck? Share your store URL and screenshots with the Shopify community.

Tips for Using Pre-filled Carts

Pre-filled carts can boost sales, but they need to be done right. Here’s how:

Be Clear with Customers

Show what’s in the cart and how much it costs right away. No surprises = happy customers.

Show This	Why
Product names	So they know what they’re getting
Quantities	No mix-ups
Individual prices	Clear costs
Total cost	No shock at checkout

Make Checkout a Breeze

Keep it simple, but give enough info. The easier it is, the more likely they’ll buy.

Short forms
Guest checkout option
Progress steps
Clear error messages

Let Customers Choose (But Keep It Simple)

Give control without making it complicated:

Change quantities
Easy add/remove
Product options (size, color)
"Keep shopping" button

"You can edit the quantity when you add a product to your cart." – Beardbrand

Play by the Rules

Stay legal and build trust:

Show taxes and shipping costs early
Link to policies
Use trust badges
Follow data protection laws

"48% of people feel safer when they see trust badges." – Cart Optimization Study

IMPORTANT: Speed matters. If your page takes more than 4 seconds to load, 40% of shoppers will leave. Keep those pre-filled cart pages FAST.

What’s Next for Pre-filled Carts

Shopify’s upping their game with smarter pre-filled carts. Here’s what’s coming:

New Developments

Shopify’s new checkout system will spot buyers before they hit the cart page. What does this mean?

Faster checkouts
Less typing for customers
Fewer abandoned carts

Plus, Shopify’s working on a "one-page" checkout. It’ll auto-fill customer info, making the process even quicker.

Possible Shopify Updates

But wait, there’s more:

Checkout Editor: Customize your checkout page, no coding needed
AI Shopping Assistants: Help customers find products faster
Voice-Enabled Search: Shop by talking, not typing

These updates? They’re all about boosting sales and making shopping a breeze.

Changing Shopping Habits

Shoppers are switching things up. Here’s what’s trending:

Trend	What It Means for You
Mobile Shopping	Make your site mobile-friendly
Voice Shopping	Optimize for voice search
Social Commerce	Sell directly on social media
Sustainability	Show your eco-friendly side

Keep an eye on these trends. They’ll shape how you use pre-filled carts down the road.

Speed’s key here. Shopify’s new system? It can handle 100,000 checkouts per minute. Make sure your site keeps up!

"The look and feel and consistency of the experience for the buyer journey is important. But so too, are the elements that make that checkout unique to the business needs and business processes of that merchant." – Mani Fazeli, Director of Product at Shopify

These changes are coming. They’ll make pre-filled carts even more powerful for your Shopify store. Get ready!

Conclusion

Pre-filled carts are a game-changer for Shopify stores. They make buying easier and boost sales. Here’s why they’re so powerful:

1. Higher conversion rates

Pre-filled carts can bump up your store’s conversion rate. The global average add-to-cart rate for ecommerce was 7.9% in August 2023. Pre-filled carts give you an edge.

2. Marketing Swiss Army knife

These carts fit into all kinds of marketing plans. Use them for email campaigns, social media sales, suggesting extra products, and recovering lost sales.

3. Smoother shopping

By cutting checkout friction, pre-filled carts make shopping a breeze. It’s all about making ecommerce faster and easier.

Don’t just take our word for it. Check out what this expert says:

"For one of our first acquisitions, before buying the brand it was posting 12% of revenue attributed to email. After we implemented flows and customer segmentations with Klaviyo campaigns, we’ve seen that figure skyrocket to 20%. What’s even better is that now roughly half that retention revenue is coming from automated emails called ‘flows’." – Seijin Jung, Marketing Expert at OpenStore

While this isn’t about pre-filled carts specifically, it shows how streamlined, automated processes can supercharge ecommerce. That’s exactly what pre-filled carts do.

To squeeze the most out of pre-filled carts:

Plug them into your email marketing
Mix them into your social media strategy
Use them to suggest related products
Deploy them to rescue abandoned carts

And don’t forget: a slick checkout page is key. Top brands like Allbirds and Glossier use Shopify checkout pages with quick options and clear pricing to seal the deal.

FAQs

How to create a cart permalink in Shopify?

Creating a cart permalink in Shopify is easy. Here’s how:

Go to Shopify admin > Products
Click on your product
Select "Create checkout link" from More actions
Pick the product variant
Click "Copy link"

That’s it! You’ve got a pre-filled cart link for marketing.

Want to level up? Add checkout query parameters. You can include discount codes or pre-fill customer info.

Here’s a quick guide for cart permalinks with multiple products and discounts:

Scenario	URL Format
One product	`https://YOURSTORE.com/cart/VARIANTID1:1?discount=DISCOUNTCODE`
Two products	`https://YOURSTORE.com/cart/VARIANTID1:1,VARIANTID2:1?discount=DISCOUNTCODE`

Just swap out YOURSTORE, VARIANTID, and DISCOUNTCODE with your details.

Cart permalinks can boost your:

Email campaigns
Social media promos
Product bundles
Influencer marketing

They’re a simple way to smooth out the buying process. Less friction = more sales and happier customers.

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