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Usage Guide

This comprehensive guide covers how to use all features of the Live Carts for WooCommerce plugin, from basic cart monitoring to advanced analytics and management tasks.

Table of Contents​

Admin Interface Overview​

Accessing Cart Management​

The plugin provides two main interfaces for cart management and analytics:

  1. Cart Management Interface: WooCommerce > Live Carts
  2. Analytics Dashboard: WooCommerce > Live Carts > Analytics
WordPress Admin
└─ WooCommerce
   └─ Live Carts
       ├─ Live Carts
       ├─ Settings
       ├─ Analytics
       └─ Activation

Cart Management Interface​

Cart List View​

Navigate to WooCommerce > Live Carts to access the main cart management interface.

Interface Elements​

Filter Bar:

  • All Carts: Shows all carts regardless of status
  • Active: Displays only currently active carts
  • Abandoned: Shows carts that have been abandoned
  • Converted: Lists carts that resulted in orders

Search Functionality:

  • Search by cart ID using the search box
  • Supports partial cart ID matching
  • Real-time search results

Cart List Columns:

  • Cart ID: Unique 8-character hexadecimal identifier
  • Status: Visual indicator (Active/Abandoned/Converted)
  • User: Associated WordPress user (if logged in)
  • Last Seen: Timestamp of last cart activity
  • Coupons: Applied coupon codes (if any)
  • Cart Value: Total monetary value of cart contents

Cart Status Indicators​

Active Carts (Green indicator)

  • Carts with activity within the last 2 hours (default)
  • Currently being used by customers
  • May still result in conversions

Abandoned Carts (Orange/Red indicator)

  • No activity for the configured timeout period
  • Prime candidates for recovery campaigns
  • Contain valuable insight into checkout issues

Converted Carts (Blue indicator)

  • Successfully resulted in completed orders
  • Linked to specific WooCommerce orders
  • Useful for conversion analysis

Cart Detail View​

Click on any cart ID to view detailed cart information.

Cart Information Panel​

Basic Details:

  • Cart ID: Unique identifier
  • Created: Initial cart creation timestamp
  • Last Seen: Most recent activity time
  • Status: Current cart status with last update time
  • User: Associated user account (if available)
  • IP Address: Customer IP (if collection enabled)
  • Last URL: Final page visited (if URL tracking enabled)

Cart Metrics:

  • Total Value: Current cart monetary value
  • Item Count: Number of unique products
  • Coupon Codes: Applied discounts

Pro Version Additional Details:

  • Recovery URL: Unique link for cart recovery (abandoned carts only)
  • Create Order: Button to convert cart directly to WooCommerce order

Cart Contents Display​

Product List:

  • Product Images: Thumbnail display of cart items
  • Product Names: Linked to WooCommerce product pages
  • Quantities: Number of each item in cart
  • Prices: Individual and line totals
  • Variations: Product variation details (if applicable)

Content History:

  • View cart content changes over time
  • Track when items were added or removed
  • Analyze customer decision patterns

Pro Version Cart Editing:

  • Edit Quantities: Modify item quantities directly in admin
  • Remove Items: Delete products from carts with remove buttons
  • Add Products: Search and add new products to existing carts
  • Real-time Updates: Changes reflect immediately in customer sessions
  • Save Changes: Apply modifications with automatic total recalculation
note

Some plugins (e.g. those handling discounts, dynamic pricing, or user-specific rules) can affect the final cart total. Because of this, the amounts shown cannot fully reflect all adjustments. The totals will be recalculated automatically the next time the user accesses a page on the frontend.

Associated Order Information​

For converted carts:

  • Order Number: Direct link to WooCommerce order

Analytics Dashboard​

Accessing Analytics​

Navigate to Analytics > Carts in your WooCommerce admin to access the comprehensive analytics dashboard.

Dashboard Components​

Date Range Selector:

  • Use WooCommerce's standard date picker
  • Compare different time periods
  • Supports predefined ranges (Last 7 days, Last month, etc.)

Key Metrics Cards:

  • Conversion Rate: Percentage of carts that become orders
  • Abandonment Rate: Percentage of carts left incomplete
  • Average Cart Value: Mean value of all tracked carts
  • Total Carts: Complete cart volume for selected period

Analytics​

Conversion Rate:

  • Percentage representation of conversion rates
  • Period-over-period comparison
  • Identify seasonal patterns and trends

Abandonment Analysis:

  • Track abandonment patterns over time
  • Identify peak abandonment periods
  • Correlate with marketing campaigns or site changes

Cart Value Trends:

  • Monitor average cart value changes
  • Identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities
  • Track impact of pricing changes

Using Analytics Data​

Performance Monitoring​

  1. Compare specific period metrics
  2. Analyze customer behavior patterns
  3. Identify optimization opportunities
  4. Plan retention campaigns

Customer Support Integration​

Cart ID Lookup:

  1. Customer provides cart ID during support contact
  2. Search cart ID in WooCommerce > Live Carts
  3. View complete cart history and contents
  4. Assist with technical issues or questions

Pro Version Support Features:

  1. Cart Recovery Assistance: Share recovery URLs with customers
  2. Direct Order Creation: Convert problematic carts to orders manually
  3. Cart Editing: Fix cart issues directly (remove invalid items, adjust quantities)
  4. Advanced Session Management: Recover carts across different sessions

Advanced Features​

Cart Content Tracking​

Content History Analysis: (Coming Soon)

  • Track product addition/removal patterns
  • Identify indecision points in customer journey
  • Analyze product popularity and abandonment rates
  • Optimize product recommendations

Coupon Usage Tracking:

  • Monitor coupon effectiveness
  • Track coupon abandonment rates
  • Identify discount threshold opportunities
  • Optimize promotional strategies

Frontend Integration​

Cart ID Display:

  • Enable in WooCommerce > Settings > Live Carts
  • Customers see their unique cart ID
  • Useful for support and order tracking
  • Customizable display location and styling

Privacy and Compliance Features​

Data Collection Controls:

  • IP Address Collection: Toggle in settings
  • URL Tracking: Independent control
  • Data Retention: Automatic archiving after 30 days
  • GDPR Compliance: Transparent data handling

Analytics Interpretation​

Conversion Rate Analysis:

  • Consider seasonal variations
  • Account for traffic source quality
  • Factor in marketing campaign timing
  • Compare against industry benchmarks

Abandonment Pattern Recognition:

  • Identify time-of-day patterns
  • Recognize device-specific issues (Coming Soon)
  • Track funnel drop-off points
  • Monitor checkout process problems

Next Steps​