How the cart works across many shops
One cart, many shops, several orders at checkout — and what happens when items or prices change while you shop.
One cart, lots of shops
KampalaSnap's cart is built around a real-life shopping habit: you browse, you find one thing here, another there, and you want to pay for all of it at once.
Other apps make you check out from each shop separately. We let you add things from as many shops as you want into a single cart — and at checkout, we automatically split the cart into one order per shop, so each seller is paid and tracked separately.
This guide explains the small surprises you'll see along the way.
You don't need an account to use the cart
Even if you're not signed in, you can add items to your cart and they stay there for a while (about a day). This is called a guest cart.
When you sign in or sign up later:
- The guest cart is merged with your account's main cart automatically.
- If you already had an account cart with the same item, the quantity is combined.
This means you can browse on your phone, lose your signal, come back later, and your cart is still there as long as you didn't switch phones or clear the app.
How to add things
Three ways:
- From a product page — tap Add to cart. Pick a quantity if prompted.
- From the shop page — tap the small + icon on any product card.
- From a video — tap on the product link the seller tagged in the video.
The little cart icon at the top of the screen shows a badge with how many items are in it.
What you see in the cart
Tap the cart icon. You'll see your items grouped by shop.
For each item, there's:
- A photo and name.
- The price (in UGX).
- The quantity, with + and − buttons.
- A small delete icon (or swipe left to remove).
At the top of each shop's group:
- The shop name.
- Their verified badge if they have one.
- A subtotal for just that shop.
At the bottom of the cart:
- A total of all subtotals (no delivery fees yet — those land at checkout).
- A big Checkout button.
Why items are grouped by shop
Because each shop fulfills your order separately. If you have:
- 2 items from Shop A
- 1 item from Shop B
- 3 items from Shop C
Then at checkout, we'll create 3 separate orders (one per shop). Each order gets:
- Its own Delivery PIN.
- Its own delivery fee.
- Its own delivery option (Shop A might offer pickup; Shop B standard delivery; etc.).
- Its own dispute window after delivery.
You pay once. Behind the scenes, each shop sees their part of the order and handles their part of the delivery.
What happens at checkout with multiple shops
Tap Checkout. The flow walks you through:
- Pick a delivery address — same address used for all the orders (most people want their items at one place anyway).
- Pick a delivery option per shop — each shop has different options. You'll see them grouped. Pick standard or pickup or whatever each shop offers.
- Review — every shop's items, fees, and your address all in one summary.
- Pay — one Pesapal payment for the full total.
After payment, you get one Delivery PIN per shop (so 3 different PINs for 3 shops). The PINs land in your WhatsApp or SMS.
When each shop's items arrive, you give that shop's specific PIN. Don't mix them up — if you give Shop A's PIN for Shop B's delivery, neither gets resolved cleanly.
The cart is self-healing
Items can change while sitting in your cart. To keep things from breaking at checkout, the cart fixes itself behind the scenes.
If the price changes
The seller might bump a price between when you added the item and when you check out. The cart updates to the current price at checkout — not the old price. A small "Price updated" notice appears above the item. You can remove the item if the new price isn't acceptable.
If the seller runs out of stock
The cart shows a "Out of stock" badge on the item. You can:
- Remove it manually.
- Wait and check back (some sellers restock fast).
- Leave it in the cart — it'll be skipped at checkout and won't block the rest of your order.
If the seller pauses or deletes the item
Same treatment. The item shows as unavailable and is skipped at checkout. The rest of your cart continues normally.
If the seller goes on vacation
The whole shop's group shows a "Shop on vacation — back on [date]" banner. You can keep their items in the cart for when they return, but you can't check those out until they're back.
If the seller's shop is removed
The items disappear from your cart. We don't keep ghost lines around.
Saving items for later
Don't want to buy now but don't want to lose the item? Tap the heart icon instead. The item goes to Saved — a separate list from your cart, where you can browse later without it counting toward checkout.
You can move things from Saved to Cart with one tap when you're ready to buy.
Common questions
Can I have items from a vacation shop AND a regular shop in the same cart?
Yes. The vacation shop's items are held until they return. The regular shop's items check out normally. You'll only be charged for what you actually buy.
What happens to the cart if I delete my account?
Your account cart is deleted with your account. A fresh signup creates a fresh cart.
Can I share my cart with someone else?
Not directly. But you can share individual product links via WhatsApp (tap the share icon on a product page → choose WhatsApp).
The cart total doesn't include delivery?
Right — delivery is added at checkout, after we know your address and which delivery option each shop offers. Some shops have flat fees, some are zone-based, some offer free delivery for orders above a certain amount. The cart shows just the item subtotal for clarity.
A seller's price went up after I added — do I have to buy at the new price?
No. The cart will warn you with a "Price updated" notice. If the new price isn't worth it, swipe to remove the item before you check out. We never charge you more than what's shown on the final checkout screen.
What if my cart is empty when I open it but I added items yesterday?
Two possible reasons:
- Guest cart expired. Guest carts (not signed in) only last about a day. Sign in before adding items if you want them to stick around.
- The items were removed by the seller. If every item in the cart got pulled by its seller, the cart can end up empty. Sad but it happens.
If you're signed in and the cart is empty but you remember adding recent items, email us with the order — it's a bug worth investigating.
I tried to check out and one shop's items disappeared.
That shop probably paused, ran out, or removed the items between your "add to cart" and your "checkout" tap. The rest of your cart should check out normally. Re-check that shop later to see if items are back.
Can I check out only some of the cart?
Not directly — checkout takes everything in the cart that's available. If you want to buy some now and others later, just remove the "later" items before checking out. You can re-add them afterward.