Free shipping line under add to cart: no change in conversion
Test run byGrowthRockCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a 'Free US Shipping & Returns' line under the add-to-cart button made no difference to conversion rate for a niche supplement company.
GrowthRock ran this A/B test for two weeks with over 5,000 conversions.
The two versions converted at almost the same rate.
- Conversion rate: no difference. The two versions were nearly identical.
- The test ran for two weeks and recorded over 5,000 conversions, so a large effect would likely have shown up.
- Other placements tested for this brand, including a promo bar, also showed no difference.
The change
A free shipping and returns line, with a returns dropdown, goes under add to cart.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Free shipping was mentioned only in the fine print on the site.
Variant
A 'Free US Shipping & Returns' line sat under the add-to-cart button, with a collapsed dropdown that explained the 30-day return policy.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- In this niche, most sellers offer free shipping, so shoppers may already expect it.
- Supplements cost far less than furniture, so shipping cost is a smaller worry.
- The brand's content-heavy pages may have convinced buyers before shipping details mattered.
- Shoppers in this niche may be less price sensitive. Later pricing tests for the brand also showed little difference.
Caveats: The test dates from around 2019. A similar test by the same agency for a furniture store lifted orders by 19%.
Who ran it
GrowthRock ran this test for a niche supplement company and published the results (GrowthRock blog). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on GrowthRock →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show free shipping and returns right below the add-to-cart button, then more visitors will buy because the offer removes a cost worry at the point of decision.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Return rate
- Add-to-cart rate
- Who should test it
- Stores whose shoppers may not know shipping is free and where shipping cost is a real concern. In a low-price niche where free shipping is standard, expect little change.
Questions
Why didn't free shipping messaging improve conversions?
Likely because shoppers in this niche already expected free shipping and the products were low priced.
The agency also listed content-heavy pages and low price sensitivity as possible reasons.
Should I still show free shipping if a test is flat?
A flat result means it did not hurt either.
Many stores keep the message for clarity, but it is not a reliable lever on its own.
Does placement of free shipping copy matter?
It can. Here several placements made no difference, but for a furniture store the same idea lifted orders by 19%.
Similar tests
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