Shopify has basic cart links, but you build them by hand from technical product IDs, and they can't add subscriptions. Cartsella Studio's campaign links let you pick products, quantities, subscriptions and a discount code, then give you one short link on your own domain that opens the cart, checkout or a product page.
Why send shoppers straight to the cart?
Every step between your message and checkout loses people: landing on a product page, picking a size, finding the other items, remembering a code. A link that arrives with the cart already filled and the discount already applied removes all of them.
Option 1: Build a Shopify cart permalink by hand
Shopify has a built-in link format, called a cart permalink, that fills the cart and opens checkout. It needs no app. You build it from your store's domain, the word cart, and each product variant's ID and quantity.
Step 1: Find each variant's ID
In your Shopify admin, open the product and click the variant (size, color…) you want. The number at the end of the page's address, after /variants/, is the variant ID. A product without options has one variant: open it from the product's variant list the same way.
Step 2: Put the link together
Write /cart/ after your domain, then variantID:quantity for each product, separated by commas:
https://yourstore.com/cart/70881412:1,70881382:2This link puts one of the first product and two of the second in a fresh cart and opens checkout.
Step 3: Add a discount code
Create the discount in Shopify (Discounts › Create discount) and add its code with ?discount=. Several codes go in one parameter, separated by commas, if your discounts can combine:
https://yourstore.com/cart/70881412:1,70881382:2?discount=SUMMER15Step 4 (optional): more parameters
| Add to the link | What it does |
|---|---|
storefront=true | Opens the cart page instead of checkout. |
payment=shop_pay | Opens Shop Pay checkout. |
note=newsletter-may | Adds a note to the order, so you can see where it came from. |
attributes[from]=instagram | Adds a cart attribute, shown in the order's notes. |
ref=creator-anna | Records a referral code on the order. |
checkout[email]=… | Pre-fills the shopper's email at checkout. |
Join several with &: /cart/70881412:1?discount=SUMMER15&storefront=true. For a store in several languages, put the language first: /fr/cart/…. The full list is in Shopify's cart permalink documentation.
What cart permalinks can't do
- Subscriptions. Shopify's documentation says it plainly: selling plans don't work with cart permalinks. A subscription product goes in as a one-time purchase. See how to link to a subscription checkout.
- Readable links. A string of IDs looks suspicious in an SMS or a post, and one wrong digit breaks it.
- Changes after you share it. To swap a product or end the offer, you have to change every place the link was shared.
- Dates, QR codes and clicks. There's no start or end date, no QR code and no click count.
Option 2: Campaign links with Cartsella Studio
- Pick the products and quantities — including the subscription option for products that have one.
- Add a discount code you've created in Shopify. The link applies it for the shopper.
- Choose where it opens: the cart, straight to checkout, or a product page.
- Set dates if you like. The link turns itself on and off; outside its dates it quietly opens your home page.
- Share it — copy the short link on your own domain or download its QR code.
Create your first campaign link in under a minute.
Join the waitlist: 50% off your first yearWhere to use cart links
- Creators and affiliates: one link per creator, with their code built in.
- Email and SMS: "shop the look" in one tap.
- Paid ads: send clicks to a ready checkout instead of a product grid.
- Packaging and print: a QR code on the box that reorders the refill.
- Launches: schedule the link before the drop so it goes live on time.
Measuring results
Each campaign link shows its clicks over the last 30 days, and every order it creates shows which link it came from — so you can see which creator, email or ad actually drives sales.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Shopify link add several products to the cart at once?
Yes. A campaign link can add several products and quantities in one tap.
Can a cart link apply a discount code automatically?
Yes. Create the discount in Shopify, add its code to the campaign link, and it's applied for the shopper.
How do I find a variant ID in Shopify?
Open the product in your Shopify admin and click the variant. The number at the end of the page's address, after /variants/, is its ID.
How do I make a cart link open the cart instead of checkout?
Add storefront=true to a Shopify cart permalink, for example /cart/70881412:1?storefront=true. In a campaign link, choose Cart as where it opens.
Can a cart link add a subscription product?
Shopify's cart permalinks can't: selling plans don't work with them, so the product goes in as a one-time purchase. Cartsella Studio's campaign links can add products with their subscription option selected.
Do campaign links change anything in my store?
No. Links live in Cartsella Studio; nothing is added to your products, discounts or theme.
Read next: Cart links for subscriptions · Everything campaign links can do · Pricing