Want to know one of the biggest conversion killers for WooCommerce stores?
Unexpected shipping costs.
In fact, a staggering 49% of shoppers abandon their carts because extra costs like shipping are too high. That‘s a huge chunk of sales you could be missing out on.
The good news is, you can eliminate this friction point by offering free shipping. 93% of online buyers are encouraged to buy more products if free shipping is included.
But simply offering free shipping isn‘t enough. You need to put your free shipping offer front and center where no one can miss it.
That‘s where a free shipping bar comes in.
A free shipping bar is an attention-grabbing website element, usually placed at the very top of your store, that highlights your free shipping offer. As visitors browse, the bar stays visible, constantly reminding them that they can get free shipping if they buy.
In this post, I‘m going to teach you step-by-step how to add a high-converting free shipping bar to your WooCommerce store without writing a single line of code. I‘ll also share 12 inspiring examples of effective free shipping banner copy and designs.
Ready to start boosting your WooCommerce sales with a free shipping bar? Let‘s dive in.
3 Reasons Every WooCommerce Store Needs a Free Shipping Bar
Still not convinced you need a free shipping bar? Consider these powerful benefits:
Reduce cart abandonment: As I mentioned, nearly half of all shoppers will ditch their carts if they‘re hit with unexpected shipping costs. Clearly promoting your free shipping offer with a sticky bar can keep more of those shoppers from bouncing.
Increase average order value: Use your free shipping bar to promote a minimum spend threshold for free shipping (e.g. "Free Shipping on Orders $50+"). This motivates customers to add more items to their cart to meet the minimum, increasing your average order value. Orders with free shipping are 30% higher in value on average!
Create urgency: Running a limited-time free shipping offer? Adding a sense of urgency and scarcity to your free shipping bar (like a countdown timer) compels shoppers to act fast and place their orders now before they miss out.
The bottom line is, if you want more WooCommerce sales, you need a free shipping bar. So let‘s walk through how to set one up on your store now.
How to Set Up a WooCommerce Free Shipping Bar in Under 5 Minutes
To add a free shipping banner bar to your WooCommerce site, you‘ll need OptinMonster:
OptinMonster is the #1 conversion optimization toolkit in the world. It lets you build all kinds of high-converting campaigns like popups, floating bars, slide-ins, fullscreen welcome mats, and more.
With 50+ pre-built templates and a drag-and-drop builder, you can create a custom WooCommerce free shipping bar in just a few clicks — no coding needed. Over 1.2 million websites use OptinMonster to turn more of their traffic into buyers.
Here‘s how to use it to create your free shipping bar:
Step 1: Create Your OptinMonster Account
Click here to visit the OptinMonster website and click "Get OptinMonster Now":
Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget. The Pro plan has everything you need to build an effective free shipping bar.
Step 2: Connect OptinMonster to Your WooCommerce Site
From your WordPress dashboard, install and activate the OptinMonster plugin:
Then go to the new OptinMonster tab and click "Connect Your Account":
Follow the prompts to connect your OptinMonster account.
Step 3: Create a Floating Bar Campaign
Next, head to the OptinMonster dashboard and click "Create New Campaign":
Select the Floating Bar campaign type:
Then choose a template for your free shipping bar. I‘ll use the Alert template:
Name your campaign and click "Start Building".
Step 4: Customize Your Free Shipping Bar
Now the fun part — designing your free shipping bar!
In the campaign builder, you can customize every part of your bar including the copy, font, colors, images, buttons, and more.
First, edit the copy to promote your unique free shipping offer. Here are some ideas of what to say:
- Free shipping on orders over $X
- Free shipping – this week only!
- Free shipping on all orders
- Get free 2-day shipping
- Free shipping + free returns
If you have a minimum order value for free shipping, put it front and center so shoppers know how much more they need to spend. Create a sense of urgency by mentioning if the offer is for a limited time only.
Next, customize the appearance of your bar to match your store‘s branding. Change the colors, fonts, button, and add your logo. OptinMonster‘s templates are all responsive and will look great on any device.
I made the background color of my bar red to really make it pop and added a contrasting white button:
Under the Display Rules, I set the bar to show up after 1 second on any page:
With OptinMonster‘s advanced targeting and trigger options, you can get super granular with where and when your free shipping bar appears. For example, you could show a special free shipping bar to repeat customers or when a shopper has more than $50 in their cart.
Once you‘re happy with your free shipping bar, click Publish and then Save.
Step 5: Publish Your Free Shipping Bar
To make your free shipping bar live, go to the Publish tab in the OptinMonster dashboard:
Select the "Publish" option and then click "Save".
Finally, go to your WooCommerce store and give your new free shipping bar a test drive! It should appear after 1 second and scroll with the user, staying sticky to the top of the screen:
Congrats, your free shipping bar is now live and ready to start driving more WooCommerce sales.
12 Inspiring Free Shipping Bar Examples to Boost Your Conversions
Need some inspiration for your free shipping bar‘s copy and design? Check out these high-converting free shipping banner examples from top ecommerce brands.
1. elf Cosmetics
elf Cosmetics alerts shoppers to their limited-time free shipping, no minimum offer in this orange banner bar. The "for a limited time" copy inspires shoppers to act now before the deal expires.
2. TOMS
TOMS highlights their year-round free shipping and returns policy in this clean, simple banner bar. The CTA button makes it easy for shoppers to learn more or start shopping right away.
3. Fashion Nova
Fashion Nova promotes a limited-time free shipping promo code in this banner bar. Including a promo code right in the bar makes the offer feel more exclusive and motivates shoppers to take advantage of it.
4. Omaha Steaks
Omaha Steaks nudges shoppers to hit a minimum spend for free shipping in this banner bar. Ending the copy with a question is a nice touch that prompts shoppers to reflect on whether they want to add more to their order for free shipping.
5. Thrive Market
Thrive Market‘s free shipping bar has a progress bar that shows how much more you need to spend to qualify for free shipping. This dynamic element is a powerful motivator to encourage higher order values.
6. Rugs.com
Rugs.com grabs your attention with this brightly-colored free shipping and free return banner. Breaking up the copy into two lines makes it easy to read and absorb the offer quickly.
7. Solo Stove
Solo Stove‘s free shipping banner is bold but clear — shoppers can immediately see they get free shipping and the code to use. This strong color contrast and minimalist design work well.
8. Ridge Wallet
Ridge Wallet‘s free shipping bar uses conversational, on-brand messaging and emojis to highlight additional perks like easy returns and a lifetime guarantee. The result is a banner that‘s informative but still fun and friendly.
9. Target
Target‘s red free shipping banner is impossible to miss. Putting the $35 minimum order value front and center is a smart way to boost their AOV.
10. Cutter & Buck
Cutter & Buck emphasizes how easy it is to get free shipping with a "no minimums, no catches" banner bar message. The eye-catching green color ensures all visitors see the offer.
11. Winc
Wine subscription brand Winc teases their limited-time free shipping offer to pique shoppers‘ interest, then directs them to a landing page with full details. This is a smart way to promote a special offer without cluttering your banner bar.
12. J.Crew
J.Crew‘s subtle free shipping banner matches their minimal site design. The "details" link is helpful for curious shoppers who want more info on terms and exclusions.
More WooCommerce Free Shipping Tips to Drive Sales
A free shipping bar isn‘t the only way to promote your offer. For maximum impact, make sure you‘re highlighting free shipping across your site and marketing channels.
Here are a few more ideas:
- Mention free shipping on your homepage banner, headlines, and graphics
- Add a free shipping callout on product pages (or even in product names)
- Feature your free shipping offer in popups and other OptinMonster campaigns
- Create a dedicated free shipping information page and link to it in your website footer, FAQ, and shipping policy pages
- Set up free shipping messaging on the WooCommerce cart and checkout pages
- Add a free shipping bar to the WooCommerce thank you page to encourage repeat purchases
- Share your free shipping promo on social media with a "Shop Now" call-to-action
- Highlight free shipping in abandoned cart recovery emails to win back shoppers who bounced due to shipping costs
By making your free shipping offer impossible to miss, you‘ll remove one of the top reasons shoppers abandon their carts and set your store up for more successful sales.
Get Started with WooCommerce Free Shipping Bars Today!
There you have it! You now know why offering free shipping is so important for boosting your WooCommerce store‘s sales and how to promote your free shipping offer to maximize conversions.
The key takeaway? If you want more sales, you need to put your free shipping front and center with a banner bar.
And the easiest way to do that is with OptinMonster. Just connect it to your WooCommerce store, customize one of the high-converting floating bar templates, and publish!
Plus, with OptinMonster‘s built-in analytics, you can track the results of your free shipping bar to see exactly how many extra orders and revenue it generates for you.
So what are you waiting for? Get started with OptinMonster today and put your free shipping offer to work. Your conversions will thank you.
){kind=link}