As an eCommerce store owner, you know that offering free shipping is one of the best ways to boost conversions. But many businesses fail to highlight their free shipping policy properly.
As a result, potential customers visiting your WooCommerce site abandon their carts due to unexpected shipping costs. This ends up costing you sales.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll show you how to add a prominent free shipping bar at the top of your store. Properly showcasing your free shipping offer can lead to higher conversion rates and more revenue for your business.
Contents
The Impact of Free Shipping on Online Sales
Let‘s first look at some data around how free shipping impacts online shopping behavior and sales:
- 91% of online shoppers say that free shipping makes them more likely to buy products online, according to BigCommerce.
- A study by PayPal found that free shipping is the #1 incentive for shoppers when buying online.
- Research by Barilliance shows that excessive shipping costs are the top reason for checkout abandonment, accounting for 24.66% of all abandoned carts.
It‘s clear that free shipping is highly desired by consumers shopping online. As an eCommerce store owner, you need to capitalize on this by prominently advertising your free shipping policy.
Doing so can significantly reduce cart abandonment rates while also boosting average order values. Let‘s look at some examples of free shipping bars in action:
ASOS highlights their free shipping minimum spend at the top
Backcountry.com advertises free shipping on orders over $50
These bars stick to the top of the page as users scroll down the site. They serve as a constant reminder about available free shipping offers.
Next, let‘s see how you can add a similar free shipping alert bar to your WooCommerce store.
Using OptinMonster to Create a Free Shipping Bar
The easiest way to add a free shipping bar to your WordPress and WooCommerce site is by using a tool like OptinMonster.
As an experienced WordPress user myself, I highly recommend OptinMonster. It‘s made by Syed Balkhi, the founder of WPBeginner, so you know it‘s top-notch.
OptinMonster allows you to quickly create floating bars, popups, slide-ins, and other conversion elements without needing to code. It‘s used on over 1 million websites to boost sales.
Here is how you can use OptinMonster to add a free shipping bar:
Step 1: Create an OptinMonster account
First, sign up for a free OptinMonster account. Their free plan lets you build campaigns for up to 1,000 subscribers which is plenty for most small businesses.
After signing up, install and activate the OptinMonster plugin on your WooCommerce site through your WordPress dashboard.
Then connect your OptinMonster account to your WordPress site by clicking the "Connect Your Account" button:
This allows OptinMonster to communicate with your WordPress site.
Step 2: Create a new floating bar campaign
Go to OptinMonster » Campaigns in your WP dashboard and click "Create Your First Campaign" or "+Add New":
On the next screen, select the "Floating Bar" campaign type:
You‘ll be taken to the campaign builder where you can select a template. Pick the free "Alert Bar" template to start designing your free shipping bar.
Give your campaign a name like "Free Shipping Bar" and click ‘Start Building‘.
Step 3: Customize the look and text
In the campaign builder, go to ‘Floating Bar Settings‘ on the left sidebar. Check the box to load your bar at the ‘Top of the Page‘.
This positions the bar at the top instead of the bottom by default.
Next, click on the text box to edit your free shipping message. Change it to something like:
"Free Shipping on Orders $50+. Shop Now!"
Customize the text font, color, and size to match your brand.
You can also edit the button by clicking on it. Change the text, color, and redirect URL here.
From the ‘Advanced‘ tab, tweak the background color of your whole bar too.
Step 4: Set display rules
Go to ‘Display Rules‘ in the top menu bar. This allows you to control who sees your bar.
Since you want everyone to see it, delete the delay rule. This makes your free shipping bar load instantly on all pages.
Step 5: Publish your free shipping bar
The last step is to publish your campaign. Go to the ‘Publish‘ tab and switch from Draft to Published mode.
Click ‘Save Changes‘, and your free shipping bar will now be live!
Once published, you‘ll see your bar appear instantly at the top of your WooCommerce store:
Optimize Your Free Shipping Bar for More Sales
Simply adding a basic free shipping bar is a quick win for reducing cart abandonment. But you can optimize it further to drive even more sales.
Here are some tips:
Highlight a minimum order value – Encourage customers to spend more to qualify for free shipping. For example: "Get Free Shipping on Orders $75+!"
Increase your minimum for higher order values – If you can afford it, setting a higher minimum spend like $100 can bump up average order value.
Run limited-time offers – Temporary callouts like "Free Shipping All Month!" create urgency.
Use trust seals – Add shipping badges like "Ships in 24 Hours" to build trust.
Make it visible across your site – Insert a small "FREE SHIPPING" reminder banner at both the header and footer.
Personalize it – With tools like OptinMonster, you can show dynamic bars to specific user segments.
Properly highlighting your free shipping policy helps your WooCommerce store reduce cart abandonment and boost sales. Along with a free shipping bar, leverage exit-intent popups, cart recovery emails, and other tactics to further increase conversions.
I hope this guide helps you successfully add a free shipping bar to your WordPress site. Let me know if you have any other questions!
