A basket that blocks small orders but suggests things that don't go with the plant
What they do
Add the smallest Susie (35-45cm, £12) and the basket slides out from the side: subtotal £12, delivery £4.90, total £16.90. Under that, "You might also love" scrolls through eight items: a mini Bertie and speckled pot set (£8), three small plants at £5 and £6, two 6.5cm ceramic pots at £6, a candle and a tote bag at £10 each. At the bottom a progress bar reads "Add £13 to reach our minimum order of £25", and the Checkout button is greyed out until you do. None of the pots the product page offered for Susie appear, and the two pots that do are 6.5cm, too small for her 12cm nursery pot.
Why it holds them back
This is the one moment the shopper has to add something, and the drawer isn't helping them pick the right thing. The product page has already worked out which pots fit the plant in the bag and which gift add-ons suit it, and the basket forgets all of that. To be fair, the £5 to £10 items are cheap enough to close the gap, and a progress bar is the right way to show a minimum. But making the shopper go back to the product page for the pot they nearly bought, or bulk up with a tote bag, is a weaker offer than "this pot fits Susie, add it and you're there". Someone who only wants one £12 plant can't buy it at all, even though they're already paying £4.90 delivery.
What to do instead
Fill the basket's recommendations from the product in it: the pots that fit, then the product page's add-ons, each with one-tap add, and show the gap closing as they're added. Then weigh up whether a hard minimum is worth more than a small-order charge. Letting a £12 order through with a couple of pounds added to delivery keeps a customer who might otherwise leave. Small baskets cost money to pick and ship, so the minimum may well be right, but it should be tested against the sales it turns away.
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