view_cart Event

The view_cart event captures when a user views the shopping cart page. This is a key step in the ecommerce funnel and helps identify drop-offs before checkout.

The view_cart model

This model describes the items in the cart at the time of viewing.

Properties

Name
event
Type
string
Description
Must be set to view_cart.
Name
user_id
Type
string
Description
Unique identifier for the user.
Name
session_id
Type
string
Description
Current session ID.
Name
ecommerce.currency
Type
string
Description
ISO 4217 currency code (e.g., USD).
Name
ecommerce.value
Type
float
Description
Total value of the items in the cart.
Name
ecommerce.items
Type
array
Description
Array of items currently in the cart.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_id
Type
string
Description
SKU or product ID.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_name
Type
string
Description
Name of the product.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_brand
Type
string
Description
Product brand.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_category
Type
string
Description
Product category.
Name
ecommerce.items[].item_variant
Type
string
Description
Variant such as size or color.
Name
ecommerce.items[].price
Type
float
Description
Price per unit.
Name
ecommerce.items[].quantity
Type
int
Description
Quantity of the item in the cart.

Push event to the dataLayer

dataLayer.push example

dataLayer.push({
  event: 'view_cart',
  user_id: 'user-1234',
  session_id: 'session-5678',
  ecommerce: {
    currency: 'USD',
    value: 129.98,
    items: [
      {
        item_id: 'SKU-1001',
        item_name: 'Noise Cancelling Headphones',
        item_brand: 'QuietTech',
        item_category: 'Electronics',
        item_variant: 'Black',
        price: 129.98,
        quantity: 1
      }
    ]
  }
});

Best Practices

Fire this event once when the cart page loads.
Keep your item metadata consistent with add_to_cart and purchase events.
Use this for funnel analysis and drop-off retargeting.

Use Cases

The view_cart event supports:

Checkout funnel tracking
Cart abandonment campaigns
Basket value insights
On-site behavior segmentation