Cart Drawer Checkout Button Price: $389K/Month Case Study

Sometimes the smallest change drives the biggest lift.

We tested cart drawer variations for an 8-figure luxury pajama brand. We tried removing shipping clutter, adding size editing, adding "save for later" functionality. All reasonable ideas.

The winner? Adding the total price and a lock icon to the checkout button. That's it.

Results: +$389,565/mo revenue.

Nearly $400K per month from putting the price where customers were already looking.

The Problem With Hidden Totals

The control cart drawer had everything in the right place: product details, upsells, shipping protection, subtotal. The checkout button said "CHECKOUT."

But customers had to look at the subtotal line to know what they were about to pay. Then look at the button to click. Two different places. Extra cognitive load.

Small friction. But at $168 average order value, small friction costs real money.

The Hypothesis

Simplifying cart drawer content and actions (e.g., removing shipping/tax clutter, adding save for later, size edit, and secure checkout cues) will reduce friction, increase proceed-to-checkout clicks, and improve conversion rate.

We tested multiple simplification approaches to find what actually moved the needle.

Test Setup

Page: Cart Drawer
Location: Sitewide
Platform: Intelligems
Test Type: A/B/n with 5 variations

Control

Standard cart drawer:

• "YOUR PICKS" header with free shipping progress
• Product card with image, name, price, color, size, quantity
• "Frequently Bought Together" upsells with "ADD" buttons
• "ADD CUSTOM GIFT WRAPPING" expandable section
• Delivery: $8.00
• Subtotal: $168
• "PF Shipping Protection: $3.75" toggle
• "CHECKOUT" button (no price)
• "Checkout with Shop Pay"
• "Over 27,000 ★★★★★ reviews" trust badge

Variation 1: Price in Checkout Button + Secure Checkout (Winner)

Same layout as control. Two changes: "🔒 CHECKOUT $176" button shows the total including delivery, plus a lock icon indicating secure checkout.

The price and security cue are now on the action itself.

Variation 2: Removed Delivery Line

Removed the separate "Delivery: $8.00" line item. Shows only "Subtotal: $168." Added "Shipping & taxes calculated at checkout" text. "CHECKOUT $168" button.

Testing whether hiding delivery cost until checkout reduced friction.

Variation 3: Added Size Selector

Added visible size dropdown (XXS, XS, S, etc.) on the product card in cart. Same "CHECKOUT $168" button with price.

Testing whether letting customers change size in cart reduced abandonment.

Variation 4: Added Save for Later

Added "Remove | Save for later" links on the product card. Same "CHECKOUT $168" button with price.

Testing whether save-for-later functionality helped undecided customers.

Results

Winner: Variation 1 (Price in Checkout Button)

Metric	Improvement
Monthly Revenue	+$389,565

The simplest changes won. Price plus lock icon on the button. Variations 2, 3, and 4 didn't outperform this combination.

Why It Worked

1. The button is where eyes go

Customers scanning a cart drawer look at: their product, the total, and the checkout button. In that order.

Putting the price on the button means they see the total exactly when they're deciding to click. No searching. No mental addition. Just see and act.

2. The lock icon adds subtle security reassurance

A lock icon on a checkout button is a small thing. But small things compound.

For customers about to enter payment details, any security signal helps. The lock says "this is safe" without requiring conscious processing. It's a trust cue that works subconsciously.

3. Price transparency builds confidence

"CHECKOUT $176" tells customers exactly what they're committing to. No surprises. No "what's this going to cost me?" hesitation.

For premium products at $168+, price confidence matters. Customers spending that much want to know exactly what they're paying.

4. It reduces the "one more look" behavior

With a generic "CHECKOUT" button, customers often glance back at the subtotal before clicking. That glance is a decision point. A moment to reconsider.

"CHECKOUT $176" eliminates that glance. The information is already there. Click or don't.

5. The other simplifications added complexity

Variation 2 removed the delivery line but added "Shipping calculated at checkout." That's not simpler—it's uncertainty.

Variation 3 added a size selector. More options, more decisions, more friction.

Variation 4 added "Save for later." Another choice to make. Another reason not to checkout now.

The winning variation didn't add or remove features. It just moved information to a better place.

6. The $176 total included delivery

The winning button showed $176 (subtotal $168 + delivery $8). Complete transparency.

Customers knew the full amount before clicking. No surprise charges at checkout. That's the kind of clarity that converts.

What This Means for Cart Optimization

Before adding features, optimize what you have. The highest-impact change might be the smallest one.

Principles from this test:

• Put information where decisions happen: Price on the button, not above it
• Show the real total: Include all fees in the displayed price
• Don't add complexity to "simplify": More options isn't always better
• Test the obvious stuff: Button copy is worth testing

FAQ

Should the button show subtotal or total including delivery?

Total including all known fees. No surprises is the goal.

If shipping varies by address, you can show subtotal with "+ shipping" or calculate based on default/detected location.

Why didn't "Save for later" help?

It gives customers permission to not buy now. For a cart drawer, the goal is conversion, not wishlist building.

"Save for later" might help with email remarketing, but it doesn't help cart completion rates.

Why didn't the size selector help?

Most customers who added the right size don't need to change it. For the few who do, opening the product page isn't a major barrier.

Adding the selector for everyone created noise that didn't help the majority.

Should we remove the delivery line item entirely?

No. Variation 2 tried this and didn't win. Customers want to see the breakdown. They just also want the total on the button.

Show both: itemized breakdown for transparency, total on button for action.

Does this apply to lower-priced products?

Yes, though the impact may scale with price. For a $20 purchase, the difference between seeing "$20" and searching for it is smaller.

For premium products where customers are more price-conscious, the effect is larger.

This test was run using Intelligems as part of a CONVERTIBLES personalization program. Want to see what cart drawer optimizations could do for your store? Book a call to get 3 personalized recommendations for your store.