Shopify Sticky Add to Cart: The Complete Guide for 2025

If your product pages are long—think rich descriptions, reviews, and media—customers can lose the call‑to‑action as they scroll. A sticky add to cart keeps the purchase action visible at all times, especially on mobile, reducing friction and boosting conversions. In this guide, we’ll cover practical ways to add a Shopify sticky add to cart bar, UX best practices, performance considerations, and how to test it properly.

Why a Sticky Add to Cart Matters

Keeping the add to cart button visible reduces decision friction and helps shoppers convert faster. A well‑designed sticky bar improves mobile UX, keeps price and variant info handy, and can increase add‑to‑cart rate without cluttering the page.

Shopify’s Built‑In Options

Shopify doesn’t include a universal sticky add to cart in every theme, but many modern themes ship with a “sticky add to cart” or “sticky ATC” setting. If your theme lacks it, you can either install a focused app or add a lightweight custom implementation.

How to Add a Sticky Add to Cart in Shopify

You have three common approaches: enable a theme feature, use a Shopify app, or add custom code. Choose based on your theme’s flexibility, your need for custom UI, and performance budget.

Theme route: Check your product template and theme settings for a sticky add to cart option and enable it. App route: Install a reputable sticky ATC app, configure which elements to show (image, price, variant selector, quantity), and match your brand styles. Custom route: Create a small section that mirrors the product form, listens to variant changes, and posts to the cart endpoint while deferring heavy scripts.

Key UX Considerations

Keep your sticky bar helpful, not intrusive. Prioritize:

• Visibility: Show only after the main add to cart leaves the viewport.
• Mobile first: Ensure it doesn’t cover content or checkout buttons; account for safe areas.
• Variant sync: Reflect selected variant, price, compare‑at price, and availability.
• Performance: Use minimal JS, avoid layout shift, and lazy‑load assets.
• Accessibility: Provide clear labels, focus states, and adequate contrast.

These small decisions help your sticky bar feel native and trustworthy.

Implementation Steps (App or Theme)

1. Audit your theme for a built‑in sticky ATC toggle and enable it if available.
2. If not available, install a lightweight sticky ATC app and select the product templates to apply.
3. Style the bar to match your brand; include price, variant, and quantity where relevant.
4. Ensure the bar listens to variant changes and disables for out‑of‑stock variants.
5. Add click tracking events and verify they fire correctly in your analytics.

Example: Minimal Custom Code Approach

For full control, add a small section that mirrors your product form. Use IntersectionObserver to show the bar when the main add to cart scrolls out of view. Bind variant and price from the main form’s state or product JSON. Keep scripts tiny and defer non‑critical code to preserve performance.

Testing Your Sticky Add to Cart

Test on popular devices and browsers. Validate variant changes, stock states, price updates, and that the sticky button adds to cart correctly. Check that it doesn’t overlap chat widgets, cookie banners, or checkout buttons on mobile.

Wrapping Up

A sticky add to cart bar is a small UX enhancement that often delivers outsized conversion wins— particularly on mobile and for content‑heavy product pages. Whether you enable a theme feature, use an app, or implement a lightweight custom solution, focus on usability, performance, and accurate analytics.

Review your analytics after launch, A/B test where possible, and iterate on design and behavior to find what works best for your shoppers.

FAQs