How to integrate a free shipping calculator in my online store?

[memax]

Hi there everyone,

I hope you're all having a great day.
I was wondering if anyone knows of a free shipping calculator that I can integrate into my shop so that my customers can get an idea of how much extra they might need to spend to get their item to them?

This is pretty much the only thing preventing me from opening my store so any help would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance,

Max

[Luna]

Hey, @SecondSlumber!

Thanks for taking the time to post your query here on our forums. I can definitely see why this feature is important for your storefront. I’ve done some digging and found an app that could help you achieve this, here:

• FREE Shipping Calculator: This app will allow your clients to see a free shipping box and the amount they need to add to get free shipping. After they add any product to the cart, the free shipping box will update itself automatically.

I recommend looking for an app with great ratings, like the one above. Browsing the reviews on an app can be a great way to learn more about what the app offers, and how other businesses have benefited from using the app.

It’s important to consider that most apps offer a free trial period so that you can test it out before committing. If the app doesn’t suit your needs, just ensure that you delete it from your apps as outlined in this help document, before the trial ends to avoid getting charged. 

You could also consider hiring a Shopify Expert to help you customize this on your theme. I suggest browsing the list of Experts that specialize in development and troubleshooting.

Congrats on getting your store ready for launch! I’d love to hear more about your business, and the products you will be selling. 

Warmly, 

[Luna]

Hey, @memax.

Just checking in with you here to ensure that you receive all the help you need. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Warmly, 

[memax]

Hi there Luna,

There is lots of helpful advice, so that's great. However, I'm wondering whether or not it might be simpler to adjust my prices slightly and offer free shipping. I wondered if you might be able to advise me on the plusses and minuses of this approach? 

Max

[Luna]

Hey, @memax.

Thanks for getting back to me. Offering free shipping to all your customers can have great benefits. I think that it would definitely be worth considering. Let's begin by reviewing some of the advantages of offering free shipping: 

• Customers will choose you over another business 
• Customers won't abandon their carts as often 
• Customers may buy more products as they're saving on shipping costs 

You can read in more detail about these points, here: Should you offer Free Shipping? To offer free shipping on all products, you’ll either need to pay out of your own margins or increase the cost of your products to cover the cost. But if done right, absorbing this cost can have a huge pay-off. If you decide to go this route, this document has a great pricing strategy to consider: How to Calculate your Free Shipping Threshold.  The document also outlines some great points to consider, such as: 

• Your standard shipping costs: These can be affected by average box size, geography (whether you’re shipping domestically or internationally), and the weight of the products you’re sending out. Determine both what you’re charging customers, as well as what’s being charged to you by carriers.
• Any other fees you pay on transactions, such as customs duties or credit card fees.
• The cost of the products, packaging, and your profit margin: How much of a hit are you willing to take to your overall profit?
• Your AOV: Keep in mind that there may be outliers, such as extremely high or low-price SKUs that can distort the value of your average cart.

If you decide to use this method, feel free to follow this guide to set up your shipping profiles: Create Free Shipping Rates. Let me know if you have any questions about that! I'm more than happy to continue working on this together. 

[SR_Author]

Hello Max,

You have raised a very relevant and very correct question. Let me express my opinion - such an application cannot be free because a server infrastructure is required to calculate the delivery cost (this is how Shopify works now).
On the other hand, if the service price is negligible compared to the average cost of the order, and considering that by making the price more transparent, you will definitely increase the store's conversion rate, these costs can be regarded as zero.

I invite you to try our widget in action, and I hope you agree with what I said above.