Shopping Cart Page vs Added to Mini-Cart

Which is better from a usability standpoint

[hannamyluv]

I am currently trying to help a client figure out why their site does not convert. One of the things they have on the site is a mini-cart.

When the customer adds and item, it just shows up in the mini-cart on the same page. The customer does not go to a shopping cart page where they can see that the item has been added.

Intuitivly, I am thinking that the added to minicart without redisplaying on a shopping cart page is confusing for a customer, but I have never seen any data on one versus the other. I am also seeing some companies move to this format, though Amazon moved to it and then moved back away from it.

Anybody have any data? Tried one versus the other?

[BananaFish]

If the mini cart is clear and visible and it's obvious that the item has been added to the customers cart, it will not be confusing. You'll hear so called experts say the the cart page is a must, but it's a relic of times of cgi shopping carts and the like. You want to go with the most user friendly scenario, which I believe is the mini cart, if implemented properly.