WooCommerce: Set Up Free Shipping (Step-by-Step Guide)
Step 1: Accessing WooCommerce Shipping Settings
Navigate to WooCommerce Settings
From your WordPress dashboard, hover over “WooCommerce” in the left-hand navigation menu. A submenu will appear. Click on “Settings” from this submenu. This will take you to the main WooCommerce settings page.
Locate the Shipping Tab
Once on the WooCommerce settings page, you will see several tabs at the top: General, Products, Tax, Shipping, Payments, Accounts & Privacy, Emails, Integration, and Advanced. Click on the “Shipping” tab. This tab is dedicated to managing all aspects of your store’s shipping options.
Step 2: Adding a New Shipping Zone
Define Your Shipping Zone
On the Shipping settings page, you will see a section titled “Shipping zones”. Shipping zones allow you to define specific regions and assign different shipping methods and rates to them. To add a new zone, click the “Add shipping zone” button. This will open a new page where you can configure your zone.
Configure Zone Regions
First, enter a descriptive “Zone name” (e.g., “Domestic Free Shipping” or “Local Pickup Zone”). Next, in the “Zone regions” field, start typing the names of countries, states, or even specific zip codes/postcodes you want this zone to cover. WooCommerce will provide suggestions as you type. For example, to offer free shipping across the entire United States, you would type “United States” and select it. You can add multiple regions to a single zone. If you leave this field blank, the zone will apply to all unconfigured regions (a “Rest of the World” zone).
Step 3: Configuring Free Shipping Method
Add Free Shipping to the Zone
Once you have defined your shipping zone and its regions, scroll down to the “Shipping methods” section within that zone’s configuration page. Click the “Add shipping method” button. A dropdown menu will appear. Select “Free shipping” from this list and then click “Add shipping method” again. You will now see “Free shipping” listed as one of the available methods for this zone.
Set Free Shipping Requirements
After adding the Free shipping method, hover over it and click the “Edit” link that appears (or click the “Free shipping” title itself). This will open a modal window. Here, you’ll find a “Free shipping requires…” dropdown. Select your desired condition for free shipping. Common options include:
- N/A (Free shipping is available): Free shipping is always available for this zone, with no conditions.
- A valid free shipping coupon: Customers need a specific coupon code to get free shipping.
- A minimum order amount: Customers must spend a certain amount to qualify. If you choose this, a new field will appear where you enter the minimum amount.
- A minimum order amount OR a coupon: Either a minimum spend or a coupon will grant free shipping.
- A minimum order amount AND a coupon: Both conditions must be met.
Choose the option that best fits your store’s policy. If you select a minimum order amount, enter the numerical value in the field provided (e.g., “50” for $50). Click “Save changes” in the modal window when you’re done.
Step 4: Testing and Saving Your Settings
Test Free Shipping on the Frontend
It’s crucial to test your free shipping setup from a customer’s perspective. Open your website in an incognito or private browser window (to avoid cached data). Add products to your cart that meet the free shipping requirements you set (e.g., exceed the minimum order amount or apply the correct coupon). Proceed to the cart or checkout page. Verify that “Free shipping” appears as an available shipping option and that the shipping cost is shown as $0.00. Test scenarios where the requirements are NOT met to ensure free shipping doesn’t appear incorrectly.
Save Your Changes
After configuring your shipping zone and the free shipping method, make sure to save all your settings. If you are still on the individual shipping zone’s page, click the “Save changes” button at the bottom of that page. If you navigated back to the main Shipping zones list, ensure any changes made there are also saved. Failing to save will result in your configurations not being applied to your live store.
FAQs
Q: Why isn’t free shipping showing up even after I set it?
A: First, double-check that your products and cart total meet the exact “Free shipping requires…” conditions you set (e.g., minimum order amount, coupon code). Second, ensure the customer’s shipping address falls within the “Zone regions” you defined for the free shipping zone. Third, clear your website’s cache (if you use a caching plugin) and your browser’s cache, then try again in an incognito window.
Q: Can I offer free shipping only for specific products?
A: WooCommerce’s core free shipping method applies to the entire cart based on zone and total. To offer free shipping for specific products only, you would typically need a plugin that extends WooCommerce’s shipping capabilities, or you could set a “free shipping” class for those products and configure a flat rate of $0 for that class using a more advanced shipping method.
Q: How do I remove free shipping from a zone?
A: Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping, then click on the shipping zone you wish to modify. Under the “Shipping methods” section, hover over “Free shipping” and click the “Remove” link that appears. Confirm the removal, then remember to click the “Save changes” button at the bottom of the zone configuration page.
Q: What if I want to combine free shipping with other shipping methods?
A: You can add multiple shipping methods to a single zone (e.g., Flat Rate, Local Pickup, and Free Shipping). WooCommerce will display all applicable methods to the customer at checkout. You can also drag and drop the shipping methods within the zone’s settings to set their display order for customers. If free shipping is available, it will typically be offered as an option alongside other calculated rates.
