Free-shipping threshold by add to cart: +0.3% conversion, flat
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsShowing the free-shipping threshold prominently next to the add-to-cart button barely moved conversion rate (+0.3%).
Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store and published it in its A/B test library.
Average order value rose 12.8%, but that gain was not significant, so we treat the whole test as inconclusive.
- Conversion rate: +0.3%, flat. The variant had a 51.3% probability of beating the original, about a coin flip.
- Average order value: +12.8%. Clean Commit links this to shoppers adding items to reach the threshold, but it was not significant.
- Revenue per visitor: +13.1%, driven by the order value change rather than more buyers.
- Orders: +0.7%. The largest order value gain was on mobile, at 15.3%.
The change
The variant shows the free-shipping threshold right beside add to cart.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The product page had no prominent message about how much a shopper needed to spend to get free shipping.
Variant
The free-shipping threshold was highlighted on the product page, placed right next to the add-to-cart button.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- A threshold doesn't remove the shipping cost for a single cheap item, so it gives no new reason to buy. That fits a flat conversion rate.
- For shoppers who were already buying, the threshold gives a reason to add one more item. That would lift order value, which is what the numbers hint at.
- 13,119 visitors is not enough to confirm a change in order value, which varies a lot from order to order.
Caveats: Based on 13,119 visitors, and neither the conversion rate nor the order value change reached significance. The order value lift needs a longer test to confirm.
Who ran it
Clean Commit ran this test for a Shopify store (anonymized) and published the results (Clean Commit A/B test library). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Clean Commit →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show the free-shipping threshold next to the add-to-cart button, then average order value will rise because shoppers add items to avoid paying for delivery.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor (or average order value, if that is the goal)
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Add-to-cart rate
- Return rate on top-up items
- Who should test it
- Stores with a free-shipping threshold set a little above their typical order value, and a catalog with cheap add-on items. It is unlikely to help if most orders already clear the threshold, or if it is far above a normal basket.
Questions
Does showing a free-shipping threshold raise conversion rate?
Not in this test. Conversion stayed flat, though order value moved up without reaching significance.
What should I measure when testing a shipping threshold?
Revenue per visitor and average order value, not just conversion rate.
A threshold mostly changes how much people buy, not whether they buy.
How long should a threshold test run?
Longer than a conversion test, because order value swings a lot.
This one had 13,119 visitors and still could not confirm the order value gain.
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@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederenClean Commit