Why it isn't converting
Add to cart but no sales Shopify: find the cause
Shoppers add the item, the number in the corner goes up, and then nothing happens. Mimiq sends simulated shoppers through the same add to cart and checkout path on a phone and a laptop, and shows where they stopped.
Why do shoppers add to cart on Shopify but never buy?
When shoppers add to cart on a Shopify store and never buy, the cause is usually before the checkout button: the add to cart step, the cart drawer or cart page, or a widget covering the button. Shopify runs the checkout pages itself, so your theme cannot change the payment step. Test the add to cart path on a phone, then check the cart drawer, the cart page and the button that leads to checkout. Mimiq sends a simulated shopper through that path and reports the step where they stopped, and why.
What this looks like in a report
“The number in the corner went up, so the add worked. The cart drawer is empty, and the checkout button sits under a chat bubble I cannot close. I will probably forget this by tonight.”
The fix. Move the chat bubble above the sticky footer on phones, and make the cart drawer redraw from the cart data after each add to cart. Test the add to cart flow on an iPhone and an Android phone before publishing.
An illustration. Run a test to see your own.See a real sample report
The cart count says yes while the cart stays empty
A Shopify store has parts you control and one part you do not. The product page, the add to cart button, and the cart drawer or cart page are shaped by your theme and the apps you install. Shopify runs the checkout pages itself, so your theme cannot change the payment step. A shopper who adds to cart and never checks out has usually hit a fault in the first group: a button that updated the count but not the cart, a cart that shows a stale line, or a widget that covers the checkout button on a phone. The failure looks like a sale that never happened.
- Add to cart on a phone: does the count change, and does the cart open without a reload?
- Sticky bars, chat bubbles and review widgets: does any of them cover the checkout button?
- Cart drawer against cart page: do both list the same item, size, quantity and price?
- Totals at the cart and on the first checkout screen: do the currency and the amount match?
How it works
- 01
Add the item on a phone, then read the count
Open a product page on a phone over mobile data, choose a size, and tap add to cart. Note whether the number in the header changes, and whether anything else happens. Do not trust the number alone.
- 02
Open the cart both ways
If the store has a cart drawer, open it from the header, then open the cart page from its link. Both should list the same item, size, quantity and price. A drawer that shows an old line points at the code that draws it, not at the checkout.
- 03
Tap checkout without scrolling past a widget
From the cart, find the checkout button without scrolling. If a sticky bar, a chat bubble or a review badge sits on top of it, the shopper cannot reach checkout on that screen size, and the fix belongs to whichever app or section added it.
The count moves but the cart does not open
The header number is only a counter. It can update when the add to cart request returns, even if the cart drawer fails to open or redraw afterwards. A theme or an app may update the number from one script and draw the drawer from another, so the two can disagree. Check the cart after each add, from a fresh page load, and count the items. If the number and the drawer disagree, the fault is in the cart code, and the checkout is not to blame.
A sticky bar or widget covers the way to checkout
Store apps add sticky footers, chat bubbles, review badges, upsell pop-ups and cookie notices. On a phone each one takes space at the bottom of the screen, where the checkout button usually sits. A shopper scrolls to the cart, finds the button half covered, and taps the widget instead. Test the bottom of the cart on a phone at a normal scroll position, and try to tap the checkout button without scrolling further. If you cannot reach it cleanly, list every app that adds a fixed element to the cart page, and turn them off one at a time to find the one that covers the button.
Currency and totals must match between cart and checkout
A shopper who sees one total on the cart and a different one on the first checkout screen assumes something went wrong. Currency is a common reason: a store that shows prices in one currency on the storefront and another at checkout can show a new amount at the handoff. A discount can have the same effect if it applies to the cart total but not to the first checkout screen. Compare the two totals for the same item and code. Then open the checkout link from the cart on a phone and read the total before entering any details.
What you get with Mimiq
- 01
Run it by hand, or on every pull request
Paste a link and a task in the app and watch the visitors work. Or run them on every preview deploy: the GitHub Action comments on the pull request, any other CI can call the MCP endpoint, and your coding agent can run it too.
- 02
Bugs and usability problems in one report
The browser records errors and failed or slow requests on the step they happened. The visitors say where the wording or the steps confused them, and where they left.
- 03
Visitors that behave like your audience
Each visitor is a different profile with a reason to be there, matched to who the page is for, described by you, or built from your own customers.
- 04
A prompt to fix each problem
Every problem comes with a fix to paste into Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable or any coding agent, and one prompt hands over the top problems at once. Then send the same visitors through again.
- 05
Follow every visitor
See each visitor's whole path, step by step with screenshots, and what it was thinking at every step. Ask any visitor a question.
The browser records relevant JavaScript errors and failed or slow app requests encountered during the run, attached to the step where they occurred. The visitors are simulated: they find problems, they do not predict how many real people will convert.
A new app or theme update can cover the checkout button again
Apps add widgets and sticky bars, and a theme update can change how the cart drawer draws. Either can put the checkout button under something on a phone, with no change you made. After each app install or theme change, rerun the add to cart path on a phone, and check that the checkout button is reachable without scrolling past a widget.
Starter
Try it on one launch
About 4 tests of 5 visitors
- Visitors on your landing page, signup and checkout
- Where they left and why, with a fix to copy for each problem
- Run it in the app or on every pull request
- Ask any visitor a question, included
- Test accounts and protected previews
Builder
Test every build
About 20 tests of 5 visitors
- Everything in Starter
- Credits refill each month, and what is left rolls over once
- Cancel anytime
Pro
Test every release, as a team
About 60 tests of 5 visitors
- Everything in Starter
- Credits refill each month, and what is left rolls over once
- Cancel anytime
Scale
Test at scale, every day
About 240 tests of 5 visitors
- Everything in Starter
- Credits refill each month, and what is left rolls over once
- Priority support
- Cancel anytime
Questions
Why do I see carts but few checkouts?
Carts that do not reach checkout usually have a problem before the checkout button, on the cart page or in the drawer. Compare cart step counts with checkout step counts for the same days. A simulated test shows the same cart on a phone and the step where the shopper stopped.
Can a test place a Shopify order?
A simulated shopper can add an item, open checkout and go up to the payment screen. The card step needs a real person, so the test cannot place the order. Run the final payment yourself in your payment provider's test mode, if your store offers one.
Does the test show my add to cart rate?
No. It does not predict how many visitors will add something to the cart, and it does not forecast your sales. It shows whether a shopper who wants one item can add it, see it in the cart and reach checkout on the device they used.
Do I need to test the theme or each app?
Test the path, not the parts. Run the add to cart path after each install. If it fails, the report shows the step and the errors recorded there, so you know which app or section to check first.
Will a test use my discount code?
Only if the task gives it one. A simulated shopper follows the task you write, so put a code in the task as a line a shopper would type. Without a code, the test does not try one, and the total on the payment screen is the one a stranger sees.
Keep reading
Send visitors and see what breaks first.
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