Free shipping over a certain amount

You can offer free shipping to customers who spend over a certain amount. This is one of the most effective ways to increase the average order value, because many customers add a little extra to their cart to reach the threshold.

How Free Shipping Works in Shoporama

When a customer’s cart total exceeds the amount you’ve set for the delivery country, all shipping methods for that country become free at checkout. If a shipping method has its own limit in the “Free Shipping” field, that method follows its own limit instead of the country’s. You can exclude individual shipping methods by marking them as “Never Free Shipping,” so they always incur a charge, regardless of the order size. This is typically relevant for express delivery or other value-added services.

Because the threshold is set at the country level, you can have completely different thresholds for, say, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany without having to create duplicate shipping methods.

How to Set Up Free Shipping

1. Go to Shipping → Countries in the left-hand menu
2. Click on the country where you want to offer free shipping (e.g., Denmark)
3. Find the Free Shipping field in the “Shipping” tab
4. Enter the amount in your store’s currency (e.g., 499)
5. Click Save

The amount also appears as a column in the country overview under Delivery → Countries, so you can quickly see which countries have free shipping enabled. Leave the field blank if free shipping is not available for that country.

Does VAT count toward the threshold?

Yes. The threshold is compared to what the customer pays for the items after discounts. For regular customers, this includes VAT, even if you’ve entered your product prices excluding VAT. Shipping costs do not count toward the threshold. Therefore, enter the threshold including VAT. If a business customer with a VAT number pays without VAT, the threshold is compared to the amount excluding VAT.

Do add-ons count toward the limit?

By default, yes. If you sell add-ons in the cart via an add-on profile—such as gift wrapping or a greeting card—they count toward the cart total just like any other item. If you offer free shipping on orders over 460 kr., and the customer has items totaling 449 kr., adding gift wrapping for 25 kr. will therefore qualify for free shipping.

If you want to prevent a customer from qualifying for free shipping solely because of an add-on, go to Delivery → Shipping Rates, check the box for “Add-ons do not count toward the free shipping threshold” on the “Add-ons and Free Shipping” tab, and click Save at the bottom of the page. The card is only displayed when the store has add-ons. When comparing the cart total to the free shipping threshold, the add-ons are deducted at the price listed in the cart before any discount codes are applied. In the example, only the 449 kr. counts, so the customer pays for shipping. The customer still pays for the add-on, and the cart total remains unchanged.

This setting applies to the entire store, in all countries, and for all shipping methods, and the free shipping message in the built-in themes is included. It does not apply to the minimum amount required for a discount code offering free shipping. Items you display as add-ons on the product page count as regular items. Read more in Add-ons in the Cart and Checkout.

Different Amounts by Country

Because the threshold is set per country, you can have, for example:

• Denmark: Free shipping on orders over 499 kr.
• Sweden: Free shipping on orders over 600 kr.
• Germany: Free shipping on orders over 600 kr.
• Norway: Free shipping on orders over 800 kr.

The amounts are entered in the store’s currency—in this case, Danish kroner. If you’ve set up a country with its own currency, the threshold is automatically converted to that country’s currency in the cart.

This allows you to account for the fact that shipping typically costs more internationally, so the threshold can be set higher for those countries.

Exclude a specific shipping method

If you want a specific shipping method (e.g., express delivery) to never be free—regardless of the order value—you can check the “Never free shipping” box for that individual shipping method. You can do this under Delivery → Shipping Methods by opening the shipping method and finding the checkbox on the Settings card.

Items That Never Qualify for Free Shipping

You can also exclude individual products. If you select “Never free shipping” for a product on the “General” tab, the cart will never offer free shipping above the amount threshold as long as that product is in it. However, discount codes with free shipping and free shipping for members of the loyalty program will still work.

Display a free shipping message in the theme

Montana and MontanaB2B automatically display a bar in the small shopping cart that slides in from the side when the customer’s country has a threshold. It reads “Only X left until free shipping!” and, once the threshold is reached, “You’ve earned free shipping!”

In DelawareDK, you enable the message under Design → Theme Settings in the Shipping group by selecting “Enable Free Shipping Notice” (in Delaware, it’s called “Enable Free Shipping Notice” in the Shipping group). It displays “You need X more for free shipping” in the cart, on the product page, in the small cart icon, and at the checkout step. Both the bar and the message use the threshold set by the checkout: the customer’s shipping country, or your default country if the customer hasn’t selected a country yet, and the shipping method’s own threshold once the customer has selected a shipping method. They first indicate that free shipping has been reached when the cart total exceeds the threshold.

If you’ve enabled “Add-ons don’t count toward the free shipping threshold,” the message in all four themes will also exclude add-ons. If you’re using a different theme or a customized version of one of the built-in themes, a developer will need to add the message.

How to Test the Setup

1. Add products to the cart until the total is below the threshold, then proceed to checkout. Check that the shipping cost is listed.
2. Add more products so that the cart total exceeds the threshold. Verify that the shipping cost is now 0 kr.
3. If you’ve selected a shipping method marked “Never Free Shipping,” check that it still charges a fee.
4. Remember to select the country you’re testing for at checkout. The threshold is set per country.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find “Free Shipping Over” in the admin panel?

The field is located on the individual country page. In the left-hand menu, go to Delivery → Countries, click on the country, and find the “Free shipping over” field in the Shipping tab. If you want to set a specific threshold for a single shipping method, you’ll find a field with the same name for that shipping method under Shipping → Shipping Methods in the Settings tab. If it’s left blank, the country’s threshold will be used.

What happens if the customer uses a discount code that brings the order below the threshold?

Regular discount codes and promotional discounts are deducted before the cart total is compared to the threshold. If the discount brings the cart total below the threshold, the customer pays standard shipping. Gift cards and other discount codes marked “Do not count toward the free shipping threshold” are not included, so they cannot cause the customer to lose free shipping. If the customer uses points from the loyalty program, the value of the points is deducted before the threshold is checked.

Do gift wrapping and other add-ons count toward the threshold?

Yes, by default. You can disable this by selecting “Add-ons do not count toward the free shipping threshold ” under Delivery → Shipping Rates; see “Add-ons in Cart and Checkout.”

Can I offer free shipping on standard delivery but not on pickup or express delivery?

Yes. The country’s order value threshold applies to all shipping methods in that country, but you can mark specific shipping methods as “Never Free Shipping” under Delivery → Shipping Methods. That way, the shipping cost for those methods will never be 0 kr., regardless of order size. If you simply want a higher threshold for a specific method, you can enter it in the “Free Shipping ” field for that method instead.

Do I have to set the same threshold for all countries?

No. You can and should set it individually. Shipping costs and customer behavior vary from country to country, and international markets typically require a higher threshold than the domestic market.

How do I test whether the setup works before customers see it?

Add items to the cart in your own store, select the country you’re testing, and check the shipping costs with a cart total below the threshold and one above it. The steps are outlined in the “How to Test Your Setup” section above.

Can I display a “You need X kr. more for free shipping” message?

Yes. The built-in themes already have this feature. Montana and MontanaB2B display the bar in the small cart automatically, and in DelawareDK, you enable the message by selecting “Enable Free Shipping Notice” under Design → Theme Settings in the Shipping group (in Delaware, it’s called “Enable Free Shipping Notice” in the Shipping group). It’s an effective conversion booster because it gives customers a concrete incentive to add more items to their cart. If you’re using a different theme or a customized version of one of the built-in themes, a developer will need to add the message.

Does free shipping affect my profits?

It depends on your shipping costs and how high the threshold is set. Most stores find that the increased order size more than offsets the shipping costs the store pays itself. Feel free to test different thresholds over a couple of weeks and keep an eye on both conversion rates and contribution margins.

How does this appear in the books when I offer free shipping?

The shipping price is listed as 0 DKK on the order and is therefore not recorded as shipping revenue. You cover the shipping costs yourself through the price of the goods. In your accounting system, you’ll see lower shipping revenue and, at the same time, a higher order value per order.

Can I turn free shipping off again?

Yes. Go back to the country under Delivery → Countries, clear the “Free Shipping” checkbox, and save. If you’ve also set a threshold in “Free Shipping Over” for a shipping method, you’ll need to clear it there as well. Then there will no longer be an amount threshold, and the customer will always pay the standard shipping rate.

See also: Create a New Shipping Option, Shipping Rates by Country, and Countries and Currencies.

Need help? Contact us at support@shoporama.dk.