Preview, Publish, and Testing Checklist
Why testing matters
Small changes in your cart drawer can affect sales. Use the steps below to test your updates safely before customers see them.
Safely test your changes
Option 1: Use theme preview (best for safe testing)
In Shopify, go to Online Store → Themes. Find the theme you are editing, then click Actions → Preview.
In the preview window, add a product to the cart and open the cart drawer. Check the main cart areas (items, totals, discounts, and checkout button).
Use your computer and your phone (or resize your browser) to confirm the cart drawer looks good on smaller screens.
Option 2: Use incognito/private browsing (best for fresh testing)
Open an Incognito (Chrome) or Private (Safari/Firefox) window.
Go to your store and test the cart drawer again. This helps you see the store without saved cookies, old scripts, or admin login changes.
Add 1 product, then 2–3 products, then remove items. Watch for any delays, wrong totals, or missing buttons.
What to verify before you go live
- Cart opens and closes smoothly (no stuck overlay, no blank drawer).
- Checkout button works and sends you to the correct checkout.
- Totals look correct: item prices, quantity changes, shipping/taxes shown by Shopify (if shown), and final total.
- Discounts behave as expected (automatic discounts, code discounts, and any cart-based offers you set up).
- Mobile layout is readable: buttons are not cut off, text is not overlapping, and scrolling works.
- No duplicate discount messages or repeated widgets (like two coupon areas or two checkout buttons).
Quick sanity checks (5 minutes)
Use this short checklist when you make a small change (like colors, text, or spacing).
1) Add-to-cart sanity checks
- Add a product from a product page (with variants if you have them).
- Add a product from a collection page (if your theme supports quick add).
- Increase and decrease quantity in the cart drawer. Confirm the total updates each time.
- Remove an item. Confirm it disappears and totals update.
2) Discount sanity checks
- Apply a valid discount code and confirm it shows as applied.
- Try an invalid code and confirm you see a clear error message.
- Check that the price and total match what you expect after the discount.
- If you use automatic discounts, add the right items/amount and confirm the discount appears.
TEST10 (10% off) and TEST5 ($5 off) so you can quickly confirm which discount is active.3) Checkout sanity checks
- Click Checkout from the cart drawer. Confirm it loads the checkout page without errors.
- If you require a checkbox (like terms and conditions), confirm checkout is blocked until it is checked.
- Confirm the checkout page shows the same items, quantities, and discounts you saw in the cart drawer.
Deeper testing (recommended before big changes)
If you changed offers, rewards, upsells, or discount logic, do these tests too.
- Small cart: 1 low-cost item.
- Medium cart: 2–4 items, mixed prices.
- Large cart: higher total, higher quantities.
- Out-of-stock item: confirm the cart handles it (if your store allows backorders or has limits).
- Variant change: add a variant product and confirm the right variant appears.
- Add items that are not eligible for your discount and confirm nothing applies.
- Try combining discounts that should not stack and confirm Shopify rules are followed.
- Test minimum spend rules (just below the minimum, then just above it).
- Open and close the cart drawer 3–5 times.
- Scroll the cart drawer with several items.
- Make sure buttons are easy to tap on mobile (no tiny buttons).
Before you publish: final checklist
- Tested in theme preview
- Tested in incognito/private
- Tested on mobile and desktop
- Confirmed add-to-cart updates the cart correctly
- Confirmed discounts apply (and do not apply) correctly
- Confirmed checkout works and matches cart totals