How to add a Shopify free shipping bar (Real store examples + best practices)

A free shipping bar helps customers see how close they are to getting a free shipping with a gamified progress bar.

This encourages them to add more items to their cart and reduces cart abandonment by providing clear navigation through the checkout process. 

In this blog, you’ll learn how to use a Shopify free shipping bar app to get this feature to your store. 

We'll also explore why and how a free shipping bar works,  real examples from popular Shopify stores and highlight the best practices.

7 Real Shopify store examples of Shopify free shipping bar

A free shipping bar is an effective strategy to enhance your customer experience. There’s no doubt popular Shopify brands use free shipping bar in their stores. 

Here are 7 popular brands that use a free shipping progress bar:

1. MrBeast.Store 

2. Huel

3. Colour Pop

4. Jeffree Cosmetics 

5. Fashion Nova

6. Red Dress

7. Gymshark

5 Reasons why you should add a Shopify free shipping bar

Adding a free shipping progress bar to your Shopify store can have a powerful impact on the shopping experience and significantly boost conversions. 

Here are 5 reasons why you should have a free shipping progress bar on your store:

1. Clear navigation and comfort

A free shipping bar gives customers a clear view of their place in the checkout process, helping them feel more in control. 

Knowing exactly how many steps are left reduces uncertainty and creates a smoother, more enjoyable journey.

2. Reduced cart abandonment

Most online shoppers abandon their carts due to a lack of clarity in their progress to get free shipping. 

A Shopify free shipping bar provides clear steps, reducing confusion and improving completion rates.

3. Increased customer engagement

Progress bars add a layer of interaction that can make the shopping experience more engaging. 

When combined with incentives, like discounts, free gifts and free shipping,  it motivates customers to enjoy the shopping experience.

4. Created urgency

A progress bar can help create urgency by showing customers how close they are to unlocking benefits, such as free shipping or discounts. 

This gentle nudge often results in quicker purchases and lower abandonment rates.

5. Boost in average order value

When customers see how close they are to qualifying for free shipping or a discount, they’re more likely to add extra items to their cart. 

Of course, you will see an increase in your store’s AOV. 

How to add a Shopify free shipping bar to your store?

For this, I’ve installed a Shopify free shipping bar app -  Volume Discounts - Dealeasy app. This Shopify app is easy to set up and it only takes minutes to create the first offer.

The Dealeasy app has a free plan for stores getting less than 50 orders. 

It also has a free plan for stores that get less than 50 orders per. Beyond that, the pricing starts at just $6.99/month.

You can try the app to create offers on a 30-day free trial period.

With this app, you can display a progress bar for free shipping along with free gifts and discounts. 

Step 1: Let’s start by creating a free shipping bar offer. 

Step 2: Select the ‘Free Shipping bar’ from the Dealeasy app.

Step 2: Enter a cart value goal here. I’ll set it as $100 and give a 100% discount that is - 'Free Shipping’. You can also give partial free shipping by adjusting the percentage lesser than 100%.

You can also choose a fixed amount discount instead of percentage discount. 

Here’s how it looks in the store. When I’ve added a product worth $ 36, the progress bar highlights and notifies me how much to spend to get free shipping.

Watch the full video tutorial here

Tip: You can also display free shipping, free gift, and product discounts in one single progress just the picture below. 

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7 Mistakes to avoid when adding a Shopify free shipping bar

1. Static progress bar‍

A progress bar that only updates on page reload can frustrate users who don’t see real-time changes as they adjust their cart.

Avoid this by implementing real-time updates using Shopify's Ajax API, so the bar refreshes automatically when items are added or removed.

2. Poor placement‍

If the progress bar isn’t prominently displayed, customers may overlook it, reducing its motivational effect. 

Position it at the top of the cart page or drawer, making it one of the first elements customers see when they check their cart.

3. Unclear messaging‍

Vague or confusing language may frustrate customers if they don’t understand how much more they need to spend to reach their goal. 

Use clear, direct language, such as "Spend $20 more for free shipping!" for a straightforward call to action.

4. Lack of visual appeal‍

A generic or poorly designed progress bar can clash with your store’s branding and detract from the shopping experience. 

Customize the bar’s colors and style to match your store’s aesthetic, balancing brand consistency with easy visibility.

5. Ignoring mobile users‍

A progress bar that isn’t mobile-optimized can result in a frustrating experience for shoppers on smartphones. 

Ensure the bar is responsive, with smooth functionality and clear visibility on all screen sizes.

6. Not testing functionality‍

Failing to test the progress bar across devices and browsers can leave unnoticed bugs that harm the user experience. 

Conduct thorough testing to ensure it updates correctly and performs well in all scenarios.

7. Overcomplicating the design‍

A cluttered or overly complex progress bar can confuse customers instead of helping them. 

Keep the design simple, highlighting only essential information to maintain a user-friendly experience.

7 Best practices to display a Shopify free shipping progress bar

1. Prominent placement

Position the progress bar in a highly visible spot on the cart page or drawer, ideally where it’s one of the first elements customers see. 

This visibility ensures that customers are aware of how close they are to unlocking benefits from the start, increasing motivation to complete their purchase.

Position it above the cart summary or item list to grab immediate attention.

2. Add dynamic text

Display simple, direct messages that show how much more customers need to spend to unlock benefits, like "Add $20 more for free shipping!"

3. Add encouraging phrases

Add motivating phrases like "Almost there!" or "Just a bit more to save!" to encourage customers to add more products to the cart.

4. Maintain brand consistency

Use your store’s colors and styles, but make the bar visually distinct with contrasting colors. You can either use either customize with the app settings or use custom codes.

5. Ensure responsive design

Ensure the progress bar looks great on both desktop and mobile devices; test it across different screen sizes.

Check the visibility and functionality on mobile, with touch-friendly elements that don’t obstruct other parts of the screen.

6. Define thresholds

Mark thresholds for discounts or free shipping, like ‘spend $50 more for free shipping’ or ‘spend $50 to get a free gift’.

This will help customers to know how close they are to getting a free gift or free shipping.  

7. Consider A/B testing

Experiment with various designs, placements, and messaging to see what resonates best with customers.

Wrapping up

We covered how a Shopify free shipping bar can enhance customer experience and boost your store's performance. 

With real-world examples, best practices, common mistakes, and the benefits discussed here, start adding an engaging free shipping bar to your Shopify store. 

Try the multi-featured Dealeasy app to create an effective progress bar that enhances every checkout experience.

You will find this blog helpful too - https://www.logbase.io/blog/best-shopify-progress-bar-apps 

Watch this video to learn how to display a 3 in 1 progress bar on your Shopify store.