Cart goals and free shipping thresholds: how to pick the number

How cart goals work

A cart goal unlocks a reward when the cart reaches a spend you choose: free shipping over $60, 10% off over $100, or both, one after the other. A progress bar in the cart shows how much is left, for example “Spend $12.00 more to get free shipping”.

The idea is simple: a shopper who is a little below the threshold adds one more item to reach it. Whether that happens depends almost entirely on where you put the threshold. Too low and you give the reward to orders that would have qualified anyway. Too high and nobody bothers.

Start with your own order data

You don't need industry benchmarks for this. Your own orders are a better guide. Export the last few months of orders from Shopify and look at the order subtotals:

• The median order, the value in the middle when all orders are sorted. It is less distorted by a handful of very large orders than the average.
• The spread. Group orders into $10 bands ($0–10, $10–20 and so on) and count them. You will usually see where most orders cluster.
• Typical add-on prices. Which items cost $10–25 and are often bought alongside something else? These are the products that will close the gap.

Pick a period without big sales in it, so the data shows normal behaviour.

Picking the number

A practical rule: set the threshold a little above where most orders already land, close enough that one typical add-on item gets the shopper there.

Round, memorable numbers help. “Free shipping over $60” is easier to remember than “over $57.50”.

Check that the reward pays for itself

A threshold has a cost: every order above it gets the reward, including orders that would have been that big anyway. The extra items have to cover that.

Free shipping

Say shipping costs you $7 per order and your products have a 50% gross margin.

• A shopper at $48 adds a $15 item to reach $63. The extra item earns $7.50 gross profit and the free shipping costs $7. You are slightly ahead, and you have a happier customer.
• A shopper who was already spending $70 now gets free shipping too. That costs $7 with no extra revenue.

So the threshold works when enough shoppers move up to cover the ones who were already above it. That is why it should sit above most current orders, not in the middle of them.

A percentage reward

Percentage rewards need a closer look, because they apply to the whole cart.

In this example, “10% off over $100” only makes money from shoppers who would otherwise have spent less than $80. Run the same sum with your own margin before choosing the percentage.

Two or three goals, not five

A short ladder can lift orders in steps: free shipping at $60, then 10% off at $100. Each step should be reachable from the previous one with an item or two. More than three steps makes the bar hard to read.

In Discount Easy the Free plan includes 1 cart goal, Basic up to 5 and Pro up to 10. Most stores will not need more than two or three at once.

Free shipping by country

Shipping costs differ a lot between destinations, so one threshold rarely fits everywhere. A threshold that is generous for domestic orders can be a loss on international ones.

Discount Easy's free shipping discount can apply to everyone or only to chosen countries. A common pattern is free domestic shipping over a lower threshold, and either a higher threshold or no free shipping for distant destinations. If you sell in several currencies, check how the threshold looks in each one: “free shipping over €55.37” does not read as a deliberate number.

Make the progress visible

• In the cart: a progress bar that updates as items are added, with the exact amount left. Discount Easy's cart goals bar does this.
• Before the cart: mention the threshold in the announcement bar or near the price, so shoppers can plan an extra item before they open the cart.
• When it is reached: confirm it clearly (“You've unlocked free shipping”) so the shopper knows it worked.

Cart goals work best as automatic discounts. The bar promises a reward when the cart reaches a number; asking for a code on top of that would break the promise.

Review it after a few weeks

Once the goal has run for a while, compare it with the period before:

• Has the median order moved towards the threshold?
• Are more orders now landing just above the threshold?
• Has average order value changed, and did revenue per order cover the reward?

On paid plans Discount Easy reports revenue, orders and average order value per campaign, and exports them to CSV for your own analysis. If most orders now sit comfortably above the threshold, it may be time to raise it.

Summary

• Use your own order data: the median order, the spread, and typical add-on prices.
• Set the threshold just above where most orders land, within one add-on item.
• Check the cost: every order above the threshold gets the reward.
• Keep to two or three goals, adjust by country, and show progress in the cart.
• Review after a few weeks and move the threshold if behaviour changes.

FAQ