How to Set Free Shipping on Your Shopify Store

Did you know, according to a survey by Forbes, 84% of online shoppers made a purchase because the shipping was free.

Free shipping is one of the best tools you can use to urge your customers to complete the purchase.

However, it is important to be cautious when you offer free shipping, as it can affect your profit margins if you don’t manage them properly.

In this article, you will learn about the benefits and how to set free shipping on your Shopify Store. 

You will also learn about the strategies on how to optimize free shipping for best results.

5 Benefits of Offering Free Shipping on Shopify

Here are the top 5 benefits of offering free shipping on your Shopify store.

1. Increased Conversions

Customers are more likely to complete the purchase when you offer free shipping. This will increase the conversion rate.

2. Reduced Cart Abandonment

Your customers are less likely to abandon their cart because there are no unexpected charges in the checkout page.

3. Boost Sales

When you offer free shipping, customers are more likely to purchase more items than they actually intend to.

4. Improved Customer Satisfaction

Free shipping can improve customer satisfaction. Your customers will actually feel they got a better deal.

5. Competitive Advantage

Offering free shipping can offer competitive advantage over your competitors if they charge for shipping.

Types of Free Shipping

There are three types of free shipping on Shopify:

1. Free shipping for all products
2. Free shipping over a certain cart value
3. Free shipping for specific products

Type 1: Free Shipping for All Products

Follow the steps below to set free shipping for all products on your Shopify store.

• Sign in to your Shopify dashboard, click on “Settings” and select “Shipping and Delivery”.

• Under “General Shipping Rates”, click on “General” and then click on “Create Zone” under the shipping zone section.

• Enter a zone name, select the countries and regions and click “Done” to create a zone.

• Click “Add Rate”, select “Use Flat Rate” under Rate Type, ensure the price is set to $0.00 and click “Done”.

Type 2: Free Shipping Over a Certain Cart Value

Follow the steps below to set free shipping over a certain cart value on your Shopify store.

• Go to “Settings” and select the “Shipping and Delivery” option.

• Under “General Shipping Rates”, click on “General” and then click on “Create Zone” under the shipping zone section.

• Click “Add Rate” under the zone you want to select the “Use Flat Rate” option.

• Select the Shipping Rate option of your choice and enter the shipping price.

• Now, click “Add conditional pricing” and select the “Based on order price” option.

• Enter the price up to which you want to charge the customers for shipping. For example, if you want to offer free shipping for orders over $100, enter $100 under Maximum price and click “Done”.

• Click “Add Rate” again, select “Use flat rate”, set price as $0.00, and click “Add Conditional pricing”.

• Select “Based on order price”, enter the Minimum price as $101 and click “Done”.

Type 3: Free Shipping for Specific Products

This type of free shipping allows you to set different shipping rates or free shipping based on the products. Follow the steps below to set free shipping for specific products on your Shopify store.

• Head to “Settings” and select “Shipping and delivery”

• Click on “New profile” and enter a profile name.

• Under the Products section, click on “Add products”, add the products to which you want to offer free shipping and click “Done”.

• Scroll down to Shipping zones, click “Create zone”, add the countries, and click “Done”.

• Then click on “Add rate”, select “Use flat rate” as Rate type, enter name for the rate, and type in an optional description.

• Ensure the price is set to $0.00 and click “Done”.

Inform Your Customers About Free Shipping

Once you set free shipping, it is necessary to inform your customers that you offer free shipping to your store. Here are two different ways to announce free shipping.

1. Custom liquid codes

You can use the liquid and CSS code below to set a free shipping banner on your Shopify store.

Liquid Code

<div class="free-shipping-banner"><span>Free shipping for all products </span></div>

CSS Code:

.free-shipping-banner {

  width: 100%;

  height: 60px;

  display: flex;

  align-items: center;

  justify-content: center;

  background: #121212;

  color: #fff;

  font-weight: 500;

  font-size: 18px;

}

2. Free shipping bar app

You can install a free shipping bar app from the Shopify app store to inform your customers about free shipping using a banner or progress bar.

9 Effective Strategies to Offer Free Shipping Without Cutting into Profits

Here are nine effective strategies you must incorporate if you are considering offering free shipping on your Shopify store.

1. Limit free shipping to selected products: Offer free shipping on smaller and less expensive products that are easy to ship. You can avoid high shipping costs by not offering free shipping for larger products.

2. Set a minimum order value: Use free shipping as an incentive to make your customers purchase more products. Set a threshold that your customers should meet to avail free shipping. Doing this will increase your sales and average order value.

3. Increase product prices marginally: Charge your customers subtly for shipping by slightly increasing the prices of your products. 

4. Limited time free shipping: Offer a limited-time free shipping on your products. Limited-time offers will urge your customers to complete the purchase, increasing your sales.

5. Calculate profit margins: Calculate the total your profit margins to know how much you will pay for the shipping to offer free shipping. 

6. Limit free shipping to specific geographic areas: Offer free shipping only within a certain area to spend less on the shipping cost from your end. 

7. Reserve free shipping for loyalty programs: You can offer free shipping as a reward to make your customers sign up for your marketing campaigns. 

8. Negotiate with shipping carriers: Work with shipping carriers that offer discounts and reduce the shipping cost.

9. Consider free local delivery or pickup: If you have a physical storefront, use local delivery and curbside pickup as an alternative for free shipping.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, free shipping can be quite profitable if done right on your Shopify store.

By following the steps and strategies outlined in this article, you can:

• Boost sales
• Increase conversion rates
• Reduced cart abandonment
• Improved customer satisfaction

Whether you choose to offer free shipping for all products or over a certain cart value, make sure to inform your customers about it.

Also, if you think the default Shopify shipping setting is not sufficient for your needs, you can install the Shipping Rates — Shipeasy app from the Shopify app store. Shipeasy lets you set shipping rates based on advance shipping rules and 30+ parameters

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does offering free shipping mean I’ll lose money on shipping costs?

No, you can marginally increase the prices of your products to accommodate free shipping.

2. How do I change the free shipping amount on Shopify?

Go to “Settings” > “Shipping and delivery” > “General”, click on the three-dot icon next to the rate you wish to edit and select “Edit rate” to change the free shipping amount.

3. Can I set up free shipping for specific products only?

Yes, you can set up free shipping for specific products by creating custom shipping profiles. 

4. How to offer free shipping for one product when my customer purchases multiple products?

You can set combined shipping rates on your Shopify store, using a shipping rate app like the Shipeasy. This app allows you to combine shipping rates and offer free shipping while the customer purchases multiple products.

5. How do I communicate free shipping to my customers?

You can announce free shipping to your customers by adding a banner. You can use custom liquid codes or install a free shipping bar app to add banners to your Shopify store.

6. Can I set up free shipping on international orders?

Yes. You can create shipping zones and set free shipping for international orders.

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