What the free shipping upsell does
The free shipping upsell shows shoppers how much more they need to spend to get free shipping, and gives them products to add to get there. It appears in the shipping step of your checkout, under the selected shipping rate.
Shoppers see:
A message like "Add $23.00 for FREE SHIPPING" with a progress bar.
A carousel of products they can add to their order with one tap.
A "You've unlocked FREE SHIPPING" banner once they reach your threshold. The carousel stays visible so they can keep adding products.
Free shipping applies when the cart subtotal meets your threshold and the order includes at least one product added from the carousel.
Before you start
You need a Shopify Plus store. Shopify only shows app content in the shipping step of checkout on Plus stores. If you are not on Plus, the Free shipping tab will not appear in your Onward settings.
Also keep in mind:
Free shipping is for domestic US orders only. Shoppers with an international shipping address do not see the upsell.
Set up the free shipping upsell
Setup has two parts: turn it on in Onward, then add the block to your Shopify checkout. Both are required.
Part 1: Turn it on in Onward
In the Onward dashboard, go to Settings > Upsells > Free Shipping.
Turn on the free shipping toggle.
Enter your free shipping threshold, for example $100. This is compared against the cart subtotal after discounts.
Choose the maximum shipping cost you want to offer for free once the threshold is met. For example, if you have multiple shipping options (i.e. Standard $10, Priority $20), you have the option to only allow one shipping option to qualify for free shipping.
Choose which products to show in the carousel:
Smart Recommendations (default): Onward picks products based on what is in the cart.
A collection: pick any collection from your store.
Click Save.
When you save, Onward creates an automatic discount in Shopify called Free shipping (Onward). You can see it in Shopify admin under Discounts. Do not edit or delete it. Onward manages it for you.
Part 2: Add the block to your checkout
You only need to do this once.
In Shopify theme editor, select your Checkout page
Click Add app block and choose Onward Shipping Upsell Carousel.
Place the block under the shipping method section.
Click Save.
The upsell is now live. If you skip Part 2, the setting shows as on in Onward but shoppers will not see anything at checkout.
Test it
Place a test order to confirm everything works.
Add products to your cart that total less than your threshold.
Go to checkout and enter a US shipping address.
On the shipping step, check that you see the progress message and the product carousel.
Add a product from the carousel that brings your subtotal over the threshold.
Check that shipping changes to free and the "unlocked" banner appears.
The carousel leaves out products that are already in the cart, out of stock, or do not need shipping. To change which products appear, go back to Settings > Upsells > Free Shipping and pick a different collection.
FAQs
FAQs
What if a customer arrives at checkout already having met the free shipping threshold?
The free shipping upsell carousel will not display if a customer enters checkout already surpassing the threshold.
Does it work with discount codes?
Yes, with one exception. The Onward discount combines with order and product discounts, but not with other shipping discounts. If a shopper uses a code that is not set to combine with shipping discounts, Shopify keeps their code and free shipping will not apply. To avoid this, turn on Combines with shipping discounts for your codes in Shopify admin.
The upsell is not showing at checkout.
Check that:
Your store is on Shopify Plus.
The toggle is on in Settings > Upsells > Free Shipping.
The Onward Free Shipping block is placed in the shipping step of your checkout editor (Part 2 above).
The shipping address is a US address.
The Free shipping (Onward) discount in Shopify admin is active.