What counts as a free shipping threshold test
This collection covers the threshold amount itself, removing it in favour of a fee, the shipping price, the copy that tells shoppers they qualify, and tiered cart rewards that start with free shipping.
The win/loss record
13 wins, no losses or flat results recorded. One result is close to a loss for threshold messaging: in Dave Diederen's announcement bar test, a countdown timer beat a free-gift threshold callout by +1.59% conversion rate and +2.82% revenue per visitor.
Where the tests ran
- Cart: 4
- Site-wide: 4
- Checkout: 3
- Product page: 2
Biggest wins: charging more
Dave Diederen ran seven tests that raised the price of shipping or the bar for free shipping:
- $9.49 shipping fee: +23.40% CVR, +43.81% RPV, +16.54% AOV
- Removed the threshold, charged shipping on every order: +7.02% CVR, +9.17% RPV
- Removed the threshold for a flat fee: +5.45% CVR, +7.90% RPV
- Raised the threshold to $165: +6.29% CVR, +6.27% profit per visitor, AOV flat
- $2, $5 and $7 fees against free shipping: $5 won, +$59,894/month
- Raised shipping to $6.95 and $7.95: conversion unchanged, +A$20,478/month
- Volume-grab vs margin-grab rates: +$28K/month
In several of these, conversion rate went up as well as revenue, so a fee did not scare buyers away in these stores. The posts don't say why, so treat the mechanism as unknown.
@oliverkenyon
@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen
@kasper_dolkWins from threshold messaging
- Dave Diederen's "Ships by [date]" plus "Free shipping over $X" under Add to Cart: +26.62% CVR
- Dave's "Congrats! You unlocked FREE shipping!" instead of "Free shipping will be applied at checkout": +11.08% CVR, +13.93% RPV
Wins from rewards above the threshold
Oliver Kenyon's tiered cart rewards (free shipping, then bonus items) added +$57k per month. Kasper Dolk's second-threshold mystery gift added +€30,578 revenue at 99% confidence across 9,868 visitors.
Design patterns that won
- State the threshold next to Add to Cart, not only in the cart.
- Celebrate when the shopper qualifies.
- Add a second reward once free shipping is unlocked.
- Test the threshold above your average order value, or a modest fee.
Ideas not yet measured
The idea list leans heavily on cart progress bars with stacked milestones, from Kasper Dolk, Milos and Dave Diederen. Elevate A/B Testing suggests raising the threshold above average order value, which Dave's $165 test supports.
How to change free shipping thresholds on Shopify
The threshold is a shipping rate condition in Shopify's shipping settings. Progress bars and unlock messages come from the theme's cart drawer or a cart app. Testing different thresholds or fees needs a tool that can split shipping rates between visitors.
How to test it on your store
Hypothesis: a threshold just above average order value, or a small flat fee, will raise profit per visitor without hurting conversion. Measure profit per visitor, not conversion rate alone. Size it with the sample size calculator and read price testing first.