How to Do Free Shipping on Shopify? A Complete Guide

As a Shopify merchant, you may wonder how to enhance your customers’ experience. There are several tools and tactics to help you retain existing customers and attract new ones. One effective method is providing free shipping on Shopify.

Free shipping can give you an edge over competitors. About 88% of online consumers value free shipping more than fast shipping. It shows customers that you care about their finances while still generating revenue. It’s a win-win situation for both parties.

In this guide, we cover different methods of adding free shipping, the benefits for your e-commerce business, alternatives to free shipping, and helpful apps.

Let’s get started. 

Benefits of Offering Free Shipping on Shopify

Free Shipping can be really beneficial for your business. It offers perks that can unlock new customer segments, increase sales, and improve customer loyalty. Here’s how – 

To Build Loyalty Among Your Customers

Free shipping can foster customer loyalty. When customers know they don’t have to worry about additional shipping costs, they are more likely to return to your store for future purchases. This builds trust and satisfaction, encouraging repeat business and customer retention. 

To Create A Better Customer Experience

Free shipping promotes a positive customer experience by eliminating the surprise of extra costs at checkout. This transparency makes the shopping process smoother and more enjoyable for customers.

To Boost Brand Awareness &  Decrease Cart Abandonment

Offering free shipping can boost brand awareness as customers are more likely to choose your store over competitors who charge for shipping. Additionally, free shipping can reduce cart abandonment rates, as unexpected shipping costs are one of the main reasons customers abandon their carts.

Things To Consider Before Providing Free Shipping

Before diving into the different ways, let’s focus on what you need to consider while adding free shipping to your Shopify store –

• Cost Analysis: Evaluate the financial impact of absorbing shipping costs on your profit margins.
• Minimum Order Value: Determine if setting a minimum purchase amount can offset shipping costs.
• Target Audience: Understand your customer base and their expectations regarding shipping fees.
• Competitive Analysis: Analyze competitor shipping policies to ensure your offer is competitive.
• Geographic Constraints: Consider the costs and logistics of offering free shipping internationally versus domestically.
• Product Margins: Ensure your products have enough margin to accommodate free shipping without significant loss.
• Promotional Use: Plan how to use free shipping as part of sales promotions or seasonal campaigns.
• Shipping Partners: Negotiate rates with shipping carriers to minimize your costs.
• Shopify store: Lastly, ensure your Shopify store is set and eligible for selling. Your store must comply with Shopify’s rules.

How To Set Up Free Shipping To Shopify? 

It’s easy to add free shipping to both, Shopify and Shopify Plus. Let’s delve into the process of setting up free shipping. There are several ways to add it on your Shopify admin – 

• Using a flat rate for free shipping
• Applying Free Shipping To Order Price 
• Applying Free Shipping To Weight Based Items
• Free Shipping Discounts

Before we begin, ensure your product feed on Shopify is set.

Let’s explore them one by one. 

Using Flat Rate For Free Shipping 

To set up free shipping on Shopify, the default way is to simply set the flat rate shipping cost to $0 after selecting a regional zone. This enables customers in the specified regions where you provide free shipping to receive their orders without any additional shipping charges or conditions.

To do this, follow the instructions below –

Step 1: On your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping & Delivery. Click on the highlighted portion.

Step 2: Next, click on ‘Create Zone.’ Enter the Zone name or select from the list below. You can even choose ‘Rest of the World.’

Step 3: Select the country or the rest of the world. For this example, we’ve selected the United States. 

After selecting the country of your choice, click “Add Rate.”

Select ‘Flat Rate.’ Under ‘Shipping Rate,’ select Custom and give the Custom rate name ‘Free Shipping.’ Add $0 and click ‘Done’ to save the changes. 

Once everything is done, click ‘Save.’

This is the default way of adding free shipping to the store. 

Applying Free Shipping To Order Price 

It sure is an interesting heading, but it has a simplified procedure behind it. Order price-based free shipping means that customers get free shipping when their order reaches a certain amount.

For example, if you have set $50 as the minimum value to qualify for free shipping, then any customer who purchases products over $50 is eligible for free shipping. 

Let’s see how you can apply it –

Step 1: Like in the previous section, go to Settings > Shipping & Delivery. Then, locate ‘Add Rate.’

Select ‘Flat Rate.’

Step 2: Under ‘Shipping Rates,’ select the time stamp for delivery. Next, click ‘Add additional conditions.’

Step 3: After selecting ‘Add additional conditions,’ select ‘Based on order price’ and set the minimum value to how much ever you want.

For example, you can add over $35 to unlock free shipping. 

Click ‘Done’ to save changes.

Applying Free Shipping Based On The Weight Of The Items

Similar to adding the order price, you can also apply free shipping to customers who qualify for it when the order is above a certain weight.

To apply this, follow the instructions below –

Step 1: Like in the previous section, go to Settings > Shipping & Delivery. Then, locate ‘Add Rate.’

Select ‘Flat Rate.’

Step 2: Under ‘Shipping Rates,’ select the delivery time stamp. Next, click ‘Add additional conditions.’

Step 3: After selecting ‘Add additional conditions,’ select ‘Based on item weight’ and set the minimum value to how much whatever you want.

For example, we have added 25 lb as the minimum weight for the customer to qualify for free shipping. You can add any value that suits your business needs and also keep the customers satisfied. 

Free Shipping Discounts

Free shipping discounts on Shopify are offers where customers don’t have to pay for shipping costs on their orders. Merchants can set up these discounts in various ways, such as offering free shipping on all orders, on orders above a certain amount, or for specific products or collections.

These discounts are a powerful marketing tool that can drive sales, enhance customer satisfaction, and provide a competitive edge. They benefit businesses by increasing sales and customer loyalty while offering customers financial savings and a more appealing shopping experience.

To provide free shipping, you can either generate a free shipping discount code or establish an automatic free shipping discount that activates when specific conditions are fulfilled.

Let’s see how you add these discounts.

Steps To Add The Discount

Step 1: Navigate to ‘Discounts’ in your Shopify admin.

Step 2: Click on ‘Create Discount’ from the Discounts page.

Step 3: Choose Free shipping from the ‘Select discount type’ menu.

Step 4: In the Method section, opt for the Discount code. In the Discount code section, enter a name for the new discount code or click Generate code for a random one.

Step 5: In the Countries section, either keep ‘All countries’ selected or specify the countries where the discount should apply.

Step 6: In the ‘Minimum purchase requirements’ section, choose either the Minimum purchase amount or the Minimum number of items, then enter the required dollar value or item quantity for the discount code to be applied.

Step 7:  In the ‘Customer eligibility’ section, choose who the discount applies to – everyone, specific customer segments, or specific customers.

Use the search field to select the individuals or groups eligible for the discount. Customer listings will show the email used to register for your store or the phone number if no email was provided. To remove an individual or group from eligibility, click the X next to their name.

Step 8: Add ‘limit’ to the use of the free discount codes.

❗Note: By default, discount usage is unlimited. To limit discount usage, check one of the options in the Usage Limits section –  The “Limit number of times this discount can be used in total” option allows you to set a maximum number of times the discount can be used overall. Meanwhile, the “Limit to one per customer” option tracks a customer’s email address or phone number to ensure the discount is only used once per customer.

Step 9: In the Combinations section, check the categories of discount codes that you want to allow customers to combine with this free shipping discount code.

Step 10: In the ‘Active Dates’ section, use the calendar to set the discount’s start date. To set an end date, click Set End Date and choose the desired date from the calendar.

If you don’t set an end date, the discount will not expire. To make the discount valid for only one day, select the same date for both the start and end dates.

Finally, click ‘Save’ to save the changes. 

Display Free Shipping Bar On Website Or Product Pages

A free shipping bar is a promotional tool typically used on Shopify stores’ websites to inform customers about the conditions under which they can qualify for free shipping.

Here’s an example of how a free shipping bar looks like on your online store – 

Follow these steps to set a free shipping bar on your Shopify store: 

• Firstly, ensure you have set the free shipping on your Shopify store by following the previous section.
  
• Now, download any app (like Free Shipping Bear or Progressify) from the Shopify app store that helps display a free shipping bar on the front end of your online store. These bars can appear anywhere—on the main page of your store, product page, checkout, etc. You can apply them and place them strategically anywhere you want. 

• Next, set the app on your Shopify admin and connect it with your account. Once the onboarding is done, go to the app and enable it.
  
  Start designing the bar’s banner to your liking. Add the most important part – the free shipping goal.
  

The free shipping goal can be split like this – 

Main Text: Explaining the amount to unlock free shipping.

Goal Progress: How far are the customers from unlocking free shipping? 

Goal achievement: Once they reach the goal amount, they become eligible for free shipping. 

Here’s an example of adding goal progress using the Free Shipping Bear app. 

• Add the country where you want to display the bar and enter the placement of this bar. Ensure that you place it in such a way that the customer can easily spot the bar on their screens. 
• Customize the bar by adding custom CSS and add more designs and features to the bar. 
• Once done, click save.
  
  Now, you can easily view the bar appearing on your Shopify store. There are several apps that offer adding this feature to your store. The next section focuses on the apps that offer this functionality.
  

Best Free Shipping Apps On Shopify

Essential Free Shipping

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 4.9/5.0

Essential Free Shipping is a ‘Built for Shopify’ app that offers the ‘Free Shipping’ progress bar to help increase your sales. You can also provide a cart goal value and an award to customers when they reach a particular amount (free shipping, discount code, etc.). 

Features:

• Place the bar anywhere – product page, cart page, cart drawer, etc. 
• Easily tracks the additional revenue generated.
• Offers translations and multi-currencies.
• Lets you add product cross-sells and upsells. 
• Supports Online Store 2.0 themes. 

Pricing:

• Free up to 1000 monthly booster views. 
• Starter: $6.99/month up to 10,000 monthly booster views
• Essential: $9.99/month up to 50,000 monthly booster views. 
• Professional: $29.99/month unlimited booster views. 

Free Shipping Bear

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 4.8/5.0

Free Shipping Bear helps motivate customers to buy more by offering free shipping offers. It’s easy to set cart value goals and supports multiple cart goals by country. You can quickly set it up in 5 minutes and efficiently drive sales. It shows customers their progress as they add products to their carts. 

Features:

• Add multiple cart goals (by country).
• Set a unique cart goal per country. 
• Display free shipping offers through the cart progress bar. 
• Improves engagement with the help of progress bars. 
• Increases AOV. 

Pricing: 

• Completely free to use. 

Progressify: Free Shipping Bar

⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 4.4/5.0

Progressify offers a Free Shipping bar and upsells carts/product widgets. It is a straightforward app that generates results quickly. Easily show dynamic progress bars for custom offers like free shipping, free gifts, etc. The app encourages users to add more products to their carts. 

Features:

• Helps localize offers per market and displays three stacked progress bars. 
• Display different offer thresholds per market. 
• Option to place the app anywhere.
• Offers app block or app embed options. 

Pricing:

• Free plan lets you display up to 2 stacked offers.
• Scale: $5/month displays up to 3 stacked offers. 
• Free trial for 5 days. 

How To Cover Free Shipping Costs On Shopify?

Handling free shipping costs is crucial as you don’t want to miss out on big sale opportunities. To cover the costs that you feel you may have missed out on due to free shipping, you can follow these tips below:

Set Up Customer Loyalty Programs 

Offer free shipping as a perk for existing customers of your loyalty program. This encourages repeat business and can help justify the shipping costs with increased customer lifetime value.

Increase the Cost of Products 

Incorporate the average shipping cost into your product prices. Then, when customers buy from you, they won’t see a separate shipping fee, so it feels like they’re getting free shipping.

Reduce The Size of Your Packaging

To reduce shipping expenses, make your packages smaller and lighter. This could mean using smaller boxes or lighter packing materials.

Leverage Marketing & Promotions

Use free shipping as a promotional tool to increase sales during specific periods, such as holidays or special sales events. Increased sales volume can help offset the cost of offering free shipping.

Alternatives To Free Shipping 

There are alternatives to free shipping that are beneficial to both your business and your customers – 

Apply It To Specific Products

Offering free shipping on every item can be costly, but it can make financial sense to offer it on specific products. Businesses should carefully choose which items to ship for free. For example, free shipping can help move out-of-season items or surplus stock quickly to make room for new products.

Retarget The Same Customers

Repeating customers is a great way to show that you care about your existing customers. You can do so by offering promotional codes for free shipping. It is a good strategy to attract repeat customers.

Sending follow-up emails after a purchase is also a good practice. These emails can thank the customer, ask for feedback, or encourage another purchase. Including a special promo code for repeat customers in these emails prompts them to return and shop more, giving them a sense of exclusivity.

Setting A Threshold Amount

When a customer crosses the threshold amount (say, if they make a purchase of $190), you can clear them for free shipping. You can use apps that offer progress bars for this purpose that hover on any page of your online store. 

Add Limited Time Period

Offering free shipping with a deadline encourages immediate action. To ensure the success of such a promotion, announce it through your website or direct emails in advance. It’s crucial that customers are aware of the offer. Using the phrase “for a limited time only” can effectively motivate consumers to make a purchase.

Conclusion

Offering free shipping on Shopify can significantly boost sales by attracting customers and reducing cart abandonment. It provides a powerful incentive for shoppers, increasing the likelihood of completing their purchase. With Shopify’s flexible shipping settings, merchants can set up free shipping thresholds or offer it as a promotional feature.

This strategy can enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and overall shopping experience. Ultimately, implementing free shipping on Shopify can drive revenue growth and strengthen your brand’s competitive edge!

FAQs

Why should I offer free shipping on my Shopify store?

Offering free shipping can significantly increase your conversion rates, reduce cart abandonment, and improve customer satisfaction. Shoppers are more likely to complete a purchase if they don’t have to pay extra for shipping.

How do I set up free shipping on Shopify?

To set up free shipping on Shopify, go to your Shopify admin dashboard, click on “Settings,” then “Shipping and delivery.” Under “Shipping,” click “Manage rates” for the shipping profile you want to edit. Add a “Free Shipping” rate by setting the price condition to $0 or choosing to offer it for all orders.

Can I offer free shipping based on order value on Shopify?

Yes, you can offer free shipping based on order value. In the “Shipping and Delivery” settings, create a shipping rate with a minimum order value threshold. For example, you can set up free shipping for orders over $50.

Is it possible to offer free shipping only for certain products?

Yes, you can offer free shipping for specific products by creating a custom shipping profile. Assign the products you want to include and set the shipping rate to free for that profile.

How can I promote my free shipping offer to customers?

Promote your free shipping offer by highlighting it on your homepage, product pages, and checkout page. You can also use banners, pop-ups, email marketing, and social media to make customers aware of the offer.

Can I limit free shipping to certain countries or regions?

Yes, you can limit free shipping to specific countries or regions. When setting up your shipping rates, select the destinations you want to include in your free shipping offer.

Can I offer free shipping during a promotional period?

Yes, you can offer free shipping during a promotional period by creating a temporary shipping rate in your “Shipping and delivery” settings. Set a start and end date for the promotion and communicate it to your customers.

How do I calculate if I can afford to offer free shipping?

To determine if you can afford to offer free shipping, calculate your average order value (AOV), shipping costs, and profit margins. Analyze whether the increase in sales volume from offering free shipping outweighs the cost of shipping.

What are the common challenges of offering free shipping on Shopify?

Common challenges include increased shipping costs, potential impacts on profit margins, and the complexity of managing shipping logistics. It’s important to find a balance that works for your business and to continuously monitor and adjust your strategy as needed.

What are free shipping discounts on Shopify?

Free shipping discounts on Shopify are promotional offers that allow customers to receive their orders without paying for shipping. These discounts can be applied based on various conditions, such as order value, customer location, or specific product categories.

Does Shopify charge for free shipping?

No, Shopify does not charge for free shipping. You can quickly ship your products worldwide without any additional fee.

How to Offer Free Shipping on Everything? 

Shopify lets you add free shipping to all your orders. To do so, go to Shipping & Delivery, select the location and products you want, and proceed to add $0 to the flat shipping rate.