Why add a progress bar on the shopping cart?

Question

10 years ago it was common to see a progress bar on the shopping cart. Nowadays is not so common. Why?

Are we still needing to add progress bar on shopping carts?

My new shopping cart template.

Answer 1

In today's reality, many processes are limited to the minimum amount of interaction.

The progress bar function is to show progress or signal at what stage the task is being performed.

If the task is short or easy, it isn't required to create something that indicates its state.

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EDIT:

If you consider Shopping-cart as first step of process - I think it's more comprehensive issue now.

You should have a holistic view of the process and design it taking into account many variables (and sometimes roles in the B2C, B2B system)

The diagram above shows the overall operation of the system - however, in this context, I think that the progress bar is useful for a person who wants to be found in the whole process.

As for the aesthetics and the overall look of the progress bar - I recommend something like this

And after all these considerations, my answer is:

Like you consider the shopping-cart as the first step of the process, you should show the progress bar to help users understanding the next steps and where they are.

Credit:

• Ux Planet: Progress Trackers in UX Design

• EPI Server AB: Shopping process flow

Answer 2

OP could have added a picture to illustrate the context of use of progress bar. In this answer, I will assume it's the kind that indicates which checkout step the user is at, and each checkout step is on a different page instead of the same page.

Progress bars are good for breaking down a long, complex form into shorter, digestible sections. E.g. a university application form would have a few parts: personal information, grades, extracurricular activities, application essay. Such complex forms are tiring and dreadful to fill in. Thus, progress bars provide "short wins" to keep users motivated.

10 years ago it was common to see a progress bar on the shopping cart. Nowadays is not so common. Why?

In the past, checkout forms were really long. Over time, people have realised that forms should be kept short and relevant to improve conversion rates. Therefore, checkout forms have been striped bare, to the minimum. For example, no more shipping AND billing address required, just shipping address. Allowing guest checkout instead of forcing people to sign up for an account to buy goods.

Lesser form fields means lesser steps. Lesser steps means there is a possibility to incorporate all the fields into one page, which makes a progress bar redundant.

Are we still needing to add progress bar on shopping carts?

It depends on what you are selling and what kind of essential information you need from your users.

If you're selling a product that is customisable upon checkout, it makes sense to add a progress bar and split the checkout experience into, say, "step 1. customisation" and "step 2. payment".

Answer 3

• if the process is short, unnecessary
• solicitation feeling
• less = better
• Users must feel that they can turn back and buy more.