Add-to-cart rate is the percentage of website sessions in which the visitor added at least one product to the cart.
Add-to-cart rate = Sessions with an add-to-cart ÷ Sessions × 100
On the sample data below, six months come to 8.03%.
Why it matters
It isolates the product page from the checkout. If add-to-cart rate is healthy but conversion is low, the problem sits in the cart or checkout, not in the product or price.
Worked example
The table shows the columns this metric needs from six months of a made-up subscription brand. Add each column up over the six months, then put the totals into the formula:
| Month | Website sessions | Sessions with an add-to-cart |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 31,200 | 2,480 |
| 2026-02 | 33,800 | 2,700 |
| 2026-03 | 36,500 | 2,950 |
| 2026-04 | 34,100 | 2,690 |
| 2026-05 | 38,900 | 3,150 |
| 2026-06 | 41,600 | 3,380 |
| Total | 2,16,100 | 17,350 |
17,350 ÷ 2,16,100 × 100 = 8.03%
Add up first, then divide. Averaging the six monthly figures gives a slightly different answer, because it counts a small month the same as a large one.
Month by month
| Month | Add-to-cart rate |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 7.95% |
| 2026-02 | 7.99% |
| 2026-03 | 8.08% |
| 2026-04 | 7.89% |
| 2026-05 | 8.10% |
| 2026-06 | 8.13% |
Add-to-cart rate calculator
How to read it
Track it per product page. A product with many views and a low add-to-cart rate usually has a price, photo or description problem.
Common mistakes
- Count sessions with an add-to-cart, not add-to-cart events, or a visitor adding five items counts five times.
- Quick-add buttons on collection pages raise the rate without meaning more intent. Note when you change the design.
- Compare like with like: mobile and desktop rates differ a lot.
Calculate add-to-cart rate in Excel, SQL or Python
The quickest version, for the sample sheet laid out as in the CSV (headers in row 1, months in rows 2 to 7):
=SUM(L2:L7) / SUM(K2:K7)- Add-to-cart rate in Excel and Google Sheets — per-month formula and zero-safe version
- Add-to-cart rate in SQL — query by month and for the period
- Add-to-cart rate in Python (pandas) — pandas script with expected output
Related metrics
See all business metrics, or the statistics methods that sit behind them.
Questions people ask
- What is add-to-cart rate?
- Add-to-cart rate is the percentage of website sessions in which the visitor added at least one product to the cart.
- How do you calculate add-to-cart rate?
- Add-to-cart rate = Sessions with an add-to-cart ÷ Sessions × 100. For example, with six months of sample data: 17,350 ÷ 2,16,100 × 100 = 8.03%.
- What is the add-to-cart rate formula in Excel?
- With the sample data laid out as in the downloadable CSV, =SUM(L2:L7) / SUM(K2:K7) gives the figure for the whole period (format the cell as a percentage). For one month, use =L2 / K2 and fill it down.
- What is a good add-to-cart rate?
- There is no figure that is right for every business: it depends on your products, prices and channels. Track it per product page. A product with many views and a low add-to-cart rate usually has a price, photo or description problem.
Check how stable it is
A metric moves for ordinary reasons as well as real ones. These methods separate the two: the spread shows what a normal month looks like, the moving average smooths it, the z-score flags a month that is out of line and the trend line shows the direction.
Guides
About the data on this page
The figures come from a small made-up dataset, printed above in full so you can check every number by hand. Download it as monthly.csv. The results are computed from those rows when the page is built, and the Excel formulas, SQL and Python on these pages are run against the same rows before publishing, so the code and the answers agree.
To get these numbers from your own data without writing formulas, try AnalyzeIt: ask in plain words and it shows the working behind every figure.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in