Shipping Message Tests in the Cart: 9 Results, 35 Ideas

Why shipping messaging matters in the cart

By the time someone opens the cart, they want the product.

What's left is doubt about delivery time, extra costs and returns.

The cart is also the first place many stores show shipping costs, so the wording there carries weight.

Measured results

Delivery promises under the checkout button

Oliver Kenyon's fashion store test put "Tracked next-day dispatch", "14-day easy returns" and payment logos directly under the checkout button, plus free shipping in the cart header and a size dropdown.

Revenue per visitor rose +23.8% and conversion rate +21.9%, at 99.4% confidence.

Dave Diederen's "Ships by Tomorrow" callout under the checkout CTA won +6.65% conversion rate, +9.04% revenue per visitor and +9.31% profit per visitor.

Oliver's delivery window line, tested alongside arrows on upsells, added +$127,867/month.

How free shipping is shown

Dave changed "Free shipping will be applied at checkout" to "Congrats! You unlocked FREE shipping!": +11.08% conversion rate and +13.93% revenue per visitor.

Dave also showed free shipping as a line-item discount next to a crossed-out price: +2.96% conversion rate, +478 orders/month and +$15,242/month.

Thresholds and rewards

Dave raised the free shipping threshold to $165 and profit per visitor rose +6.27%, with AOV flat.

Oliver's tiered rewards (free shipping, then bonus items) added +$57k/month, and a cart redesign with a free shipping incentive added +$27,000/month.

A

→

B

+23.8% revenue per visitor

Cart drawer: dispatch/returns/payment block under checkout, size dropdown

CartMoney-back guarantee & returns@oliverkenyon

A

→

B

+13.93% revenue per visitor

Changed cart copy from 'Free shipping will be applied at checkout' to 'Congrats! You unlocked FREE shipping!'

CartShipping & delivery messaging@DaveDiederen

A

→

B

+3.74% revenue per visitor

Hid the pre-ticked shipping protection checkbox in the cart

CartShipping & delivery messaging@DaveDiederen

A

→

B

+9.04% revenue per visitor

Added a 'Ships by Tomorrow' callout under the checkout button in the cart drawer

CartShipping & delivery messaging@DaveDiederen

A

→

B

+1.60% revenue per visitor

Showed free shipping in the cart as a line-item discount next to the crossed-out original price

CartShipping & delivery messaging@DaveDiederen

A

→

B

+5.79% revenue per visitor

Raised the free shipping threshold to $165

CartShipping & delivery messaging@DaveDiederen

Losing or flat tests

None of the nine lost. The one negative number came from a removal: Dave hid the pre-ticked shipping protection checkbox.

Conversion rate rose +6.39%, but AOV fell -2.49% because fewer people paid for protection. Profit per visitor still rose +2.33%.

Three of Oliver's results bundle shipping copy with other changes, so they show the package worked, not the line alone.

Untested ideas

• Delivery and costs: Dave Diederen suggests shipping estimates in the cart, plus shipping times and payment icons in the side cart. Kasper Dolk suggests stating shipping time and cost plainly next to returns.
• Shipping protection: Kasper suggests letting shoppers choose with or without protection, rather than pre-ticking it.
• Progress and rewards: Kasper, Milos and Dave suggest progress bars with milestones and a second reward, such as a mystery gift, after free shipping.
• Threshold level: Elevate A/B Testing and Dave suggest a threshold just above average order value.

Placement and design patterns that won

• Delivery and returns answers directly under the checkout button.
• Specific promises ("Ships by Tomorrow", "next-day dispatch") over vague ones.
• Free shipping shown as something the shopper has earned or saved.
• No pre-ticked add-ons right before checkout.

Related tests elsewhere on the store

See shipping messaging on product pages, shipping messaging at checkout, cart free shipping thresholds and the cart drawer collection.