If your WooCommerce store is experiencing slow cart performance—especially when customers have 50 or more items in their cart—the issue might be that you’re still using the legacy shortcode-based Cart page. WooCommerce now includes a faster, more modern Cart experience using blocks. Switching to the Block Cart can significantly improve load times and compatibility with newer features. Block Cart in conjunction with a hosting provider that supports persistent object caching will make all the difference in the world to your customer’s shopping cart experience.
Automatic Switching
To check what you’re using, edit your Cart page in WordPress. If you see the shortcode , woocommerce_cart or if the page is using the “Classic Cart” block, then you haven’t yet switched to the modern Block Cart. In recent versions of WooCommerce, selecting the Classic Cart block shows a clickable option to immediately convert it to the Block Cart.
Manually Switching
If your store was set up a while ago, it may still be using the older setup.To switch manually, delete the shortcode or classic block.
And insert the “Cart” block from the WooCommerce blocks section.
Designing the Block Cart
The block cart allows a WYSIWYG design, allowing you to layout the cart according to your needs. You can delete sections that you do not wish to see, such as the Cross Sells section.
Final Considerations
Not every site can make the switch to Block Cart easily. Some themes override the default WooCommerce Cart layout or control its behavior through theme options. For example, if you’re using the somewhat popular Astra Pro Theme, the cart is managed by the theme itself. You’ll need to go to Customize Theme, select WooCommerce, then Cart, and turn off the “Use Modern Cart” option. Once disabled, WooCommerce regains control and allows the Block Cart to be used. For this reason, we do not recommend Astra Pro (or any other theme that uses the older Classic Cart or forces you to jump through hoops). The new WooCommerce Block Cart is superior in almost every way and all themes should embrace this.
If your theme doesn’t allow switching or causes layout issues with the Block Cart, check for theme updates, contact the developer to ask about block compatibility, or simply pick another theme that does offer full Block Cart compatibility.
Switching to the Block Cart not only improves performance but also ensures future compatibility with WooCommerce’s evolving block-based system. It’s a simple step that can make a big difference for customers with large cart orders.
