How to Setup WooCommerce Shipping Discount (Easy Steps)

Do you know what the leading reason is for people to abandon their carts after adding your products?

High shipping cost and tax (48%).

Do you know how much that 48% is worth a year?

According to our research, that’s worth a staggering 1.92 trillion USD!

In our research, we have also found that by simply offering Free shipping or shipping discounts, businesses can potentially recover a whopping $108 billion from that abandoned cart loss amount. As a result, this can significantly increase your conversions and revenue.

When it comes to configuring and offering shipping discounts, there’s no better platform than WooCommerce. If you have a WooCommerce store, you are in the right place.

This guide will walk you through how to generate a WooCommerce shipping discount in your online store to boost your sales.

Let’s begin.

Setting up WooCommerce Shipping Discount with Core Functionality

WooCommerce comes packed with decent shipping tools and features that allow you to offer multiple shipping methods in your store. The built-in tool lets you create shipping rates for different locations and also allows you to offer free shipping based on different conditions.

You can also combine free shipping settings with a coupon using the default tools. Moreover, you can even offer table rate shipping to some extent using these tools.

Check out our complete guide on WooCommerce shipping setup for a complete walkthrough. Now, let’s talk about our topic of discussion – WooCommerce add discount to shipping.

WooCommerce allows you to offer free shipping to your customers using its shipping tool. You cannot, unfortunately, create or apply discounted shipping rates WooCommerce using the core features. To achieve that, you will need to use a dedicated plugin.

You can apply a WooCommerce shipping discount or free shipping, to be exact, based on the following conditions,

1. Location-based free shipping
2. Free shipping based on minimum spent
3. Free shipping using a WooCommerce shipping discount coupon

Let’s check out how to achieve these.

How to Offer Free Shipping Discounts in WooCommerce

Let’s say you want to offer a free WooCommerce shipping discount to customers from some specific cities in Florida and New York.

Jump to WooCommerce >> Settings and click the Shipping tab. Hit the Add Zone button.

From the zone creator page, you need to set your location and create the shipping methods.

Let’s name the zone Free Shipping Discount so you can find it easily among other zones. From the Zone Regions, select your locations.

First, search for and select the states, then enter the city zip codes where you want to offer a free shipping discount.

Next, click on the Add Shipping Method button.

Select Free Shipping and click Continue.

WooCommerce allows you to offer free shipping based on the following conditions.

1. No Requirements: Free shipping is automatically applied, and the customer does not need to take any manual action. It’s like getting a gift with every purchase, hassle-free.
2. Free Shipping Coupon: Customers must enter and apply a shipping discount WooCommerce coupon code during checkout to receive free shipping.
3. Minimum Order Amount: Free shipping is granted when the total order amount reaches a certain threshold, e.g., $200. It’s an incentive to spend more to save on shipping costs.
4. Coupon OR Minimum Order Amount: Customers can qualify for free shipping by either using a specific coupon code or by meeting a minimum order value.
5. Coupon AND Minimum Order Amount: Customers must meet both criteria: have a specific coupon code and reach a minimum order value. This ensures that only qualifying customers receive free shipping.

Setting Up the “A Minimum Order Amount” Option

Let’s say we want to offer free shipping to customers who add $200 or more worth of products to the cart.

To offer this WooCommerce shipping discount:

• Step 1: Choose the “A Minimum Order Amount” option.
• Step 2: Set the minimum order amount to $200.

• Step 3: Checkmark the option “Apply minimum order rule before coupon discount.” This ensures the order total is evaluated before any discounts are applied, so even if a coupon reduces the total below $200, the customer still gets free shipping if the pre-discount amount is $200 or more.
• Step 4: Save the settings.

By following these steps, you can ensure your customers get a free shipping discount WooCommerce if they spend $200 or more or if they have a valid coupon. For any other place in the world, let’s set a standard shipping flat rate of $30.

Let’s test it out from the front end.

As you can see, when the address and zip code match one of our selected areas, and the cart total is $200+, then the system auto-applies the free shipping WooCommerce shipping discount.

If the zip code or location doesn’t match our shipping zone set locations, the cart will show the flat rate we configured.

In addition to free shipping, you can offer discounted shipping locally WooCommerce.

You can set up a local pickup shipping zone and offer a free shipping WooCommerce shipping discount to customers who pick up their orders from your physical store locations.

WooCommerce Shipping Discount Coupon Using Core Features

The default WooCommerce coupon tool allows you to create free shipping coupons. Let us demonstrate the process.

Let’s say for the holiday season, you want to offer special free shipping coupons to customers from Chicago. Create a new shipping zone, set the location zip code, and add a free shipping method.

Select the option “A Valid Free Shipping Coupon” from the Free Shipping Requires dropdown.

Create and save all your changes. Next, go to Marketing >> Coupons and add a new coupon.

Checkmark the option Allow free shipping. Set a coupon code and publish the coupon.

From the front end, add some products and input an address from Chicago matching our set zip code.

Click the Add A Coupon option and enter your WooCommerce shipping discount coupon code. The system will apply free shipping if everything matches according to your settings.

In addition to just plain free shipping, you can also apply free shipping based on different conditions, such as –

• Percentage/fixed cart/fixed product discounts along with free shipping
• Free shipping based on –
  • Minimum spend
  • Specific categories
  • Maximum spend
  • Specific products
  • Customer email addresses

Setting up WooCommerce Shipping Discount Using A Plugin

We suggested multiple plugins in your complete guide on setting discounts on WooCommerce. Almost all of them allow you to offer WooCommerce discount to shipping only.

For this article, we will review a dedicated shipping plugin to create WooCommerce shipping coupons & discounts. This WooCommerce shipping discount plugin is called Table Rate Shipping Method for WooCommerce by Flexible Shipping.

Using the plugin, you can apply a wide range of conditional logic to your free shipping discounts. For example, you can offer a WooCommerce shipping discount based on –

• Cart subtotal
• Total items in the cart (quantity-based shipping)
• Cart line item
• Weight-based shipping
• Specific products
• Dimensional weight
• Volume
• Total overall dimensions
• Length
• Width
• Height
• Product tags
• Categories
• Shipping class
• User roles (for customer-specific discounts)
• Duration and time

Setting Up Free Shipping Discounts Using a Plugin

Let’s say you want to offer free shipping when a customer spends a minimum of $200 using the plugin. Create a new zone or edit your existing zones.

For example, we want to offer free shipping to customers in London. Create the zone, set location zips, and add a shipping method.

You will see a new shipping method called Flexible shipping. Select that and continue.

Next, click on edit.

It will take you to the following page, where you can configure all the shipping settings.

You will notice the plugin has a dedicated free shipping section.

The plugin has the same Free Shipping Requires dropdown as like the default method. Let’s review other settings as we configure free shipping on a minimum of $200 spent.

Coupons Discounts—Applying the checkmark “Apply minimum order rule before coupon discount” means that if a discount code lowers the customer’s total order value below the free shipping threshold, they will still get free shipping based on the original order amount before the discount.

‘Left for Free Shipping’ Notice (LFFS): When a customer adds items to their cart, the plugin shows a message and a progress bar, letting them know how much more they need to spend to qualify for free shipping.

Scroll down to the Shipping Cost Calculation Rules section. We need to select the price condition.

Set the minimum price and leave the cost blank or input 0.

Save your settings and jump to the front end. Add some products worth $200+ and enter an appropriate address.

As you can see, the cart page applied the WooCommerce shipping discount. If the customer’s cart total is below the free shipping threshold, the plugin will display the ‘Left for free shipping’ (LFFS) notice like this –

Setting Up WooCommerce Shipping Discount Based On Different Conditions

So far, we have reviewed the basic free shipping discount rules. To apply different conditions to the WooCommerce shipping discount, you need to use the Conditions fields.

For example, let’s say you want to offer free shipping only on Friday. You need to set the Day of the Week condition.

You can apply multiple rules to the same discount. For instance, you want to offer free shipping to specific categories.

Let’s say your regular shipping rate is $30, but you want to offer a discounted shipping rate of $10 for your loyal members.

One of the most common scenarios is a WooCommerce shipping discount for multiple items. For that, select the select Item from the conditions dropdown.

Set your quantity and shipping cost to enable the WooCommerce shipping discount.

You can also set shipping discounts for shipping classes as well using the plugin.

Why Offer A WooCommerce Shipping Discount In Your Store?

In the competitive world of eCommerce, attracting customers and driving sales requires a strategic approach. Shipping costs can be a significant factor influencing customer purchase decisions.

Offering strategic shipping discounts in your WooCommerce store can be a powerful tool to boost sales, enhance customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive edge. Let’s delve deeper into the multifaceted advantages of implementing shipping discount strategies:

1. Increased Sales Conversion Rates

• Reduced Barrier to Purchase: As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, high shipping costs are a major deterrent for customers at checkout, leading to abandoned carts. A WooCommerce shipping discount can significantly reduce this barrier, making the overall purchase more attractive and encouraging customers to complete their transactions.
• Psychological Appeal of “Free”: Customers are highly responsive to the concept of “free shipping.” Even a small discount on shipping costs can trigger a perception of a better deal. This can psychologically nudge your customers towards completing the purchase.
• Incentivize Higher Order Values: You can structure your shipping discounts to encourage customers to spend more. For instance, offer “Free Shipping” for orders exceeding a specific amount. This strategy motivates them to add more items to their cart to qualify for the discount, ultimately increasing your average order value.

2. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty

• Positive Perception and Brand Image: Offering shipping discounts demonstrates a customer-centric approach, fostering goodwill and a positive perception of your brand. Customers appreciate the effort to make their purchases more affordable. This leads to increased satisfaction and loyalty.
• Rewarding Loyal Customers: Implement exclusive shipping discounts for returning customers or reward program members. This shows appreciation for their continued business and incentivizes repeat purchases, strengthening customer relationships.

3. Standing Out from the Competition

• Gaining a Competitive Edge: In a crowded marketplace, offering attractive shipping discounts can set your store apart. Customers are more likely to choose your store if they perceive they’ll save on shipping costs compared to your competitors.
• Targeted Promotions for Specific Products: Use strategic shipping discounts to promote specific products or categories. For instance, offer free shipping on new product launches to generate excitement and encourage early adoption.

4. Gaining Valuable Customer Insights

• Understanding Customer Behavior: By analyzing how customers respond to different shipping discount structures (e.g., free shipping thresholds, tiered discounts), you gain valuable insights into their purchasing habits and preferences. This data can be used to further refine your shipping strategies and optimize your offerings for maximum impact.

5. Improved Inventory Management

• Encouraging Clearance of Slow-Moving Stock: Consider offering free or discounted shipping on slow-moving inventory. This can help clear out stagnant stock and free up valuable storage space, improving your overall inventory management and cash flow.

Wrap up

While shipping discounts offer a multitude of benefits, it’s crucial to implement them strategically. Carefully analyze your profit margins and ensure the discounts you offer don’t significantly erode your bottom line.

By effectively utilizing WooCommerce shipping discount strategies, you can transform your WooCommerce store into a magnet for satisfied customers and achieve long-term success in the competitive world of eCommerce.