Would you like to nudge customers toward bigger orders with free shipping? The Free Shipping Bar module in Merchant Pro shows a progress bar and message that tell shoppers how much more they need to spend to qualify for free shipping at your WooCommerce store.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to configure and enable the Free Shipping Bar module in Merchant Pro.
Before you get started, make sure you’ve installed and activated the Merchant plugin on your WordPress site. If you’re using premium modules, ensure you have Merchant Pro installed and active. This feature requires Merchant Pro.
The module is fully customizable. You can choose where it shows, configure its content and design, and control which devices and user groups see it. Here’s a free shipping bar on a WooCommerce shop page:
1. Open the Free Shipping Bar module
Open your Merchant dashboard by clicking the Merchant menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area. Find the Boost Revenue section, then click the Free Shipping Bar module to open its settings page.
2. Set up a free shipping rule in WooCommerce
First, create a free shipping rule with a minimum order amount in WooCommerce. When the module opens, click the Add Shipping button to go to the relevant WooCommerce page. You can also reach it from the WooCommerce » Settings » Shipping menu:
On WooCommerce’s Shipping page, click the Add shipping zone button:
On the new shipping zone’s page, enter a Zone name, select the Zone regions, then click the Add shipping method button:
When the Create shipping method modal appears, choose Free shipping. Set the Free shipping requires field to A minimum order amount, define the amount, then click the Create and save button:
3. Customize the content of your shipping bar
Return to the module’s admin page by clicking Merchant » Free Shipping Bar. Find the Content section, review the default messages, and adjust them to match your brand voice:
- Initial Message: Shown when the cart is empty. Use the
{amount}variable to pull the minimum order amount from your WooCommerce shipping settings (default value: “Free shipping for orders over {amount}”). - Free shipping text: Shown when there’s at least one product in the cart but the minimum hasn’t been reached. Use the
{amount_left}variable to calculate how much more the customer needs to spend (default value: “You are {amount_left} away from free shipping.”). - Qualified free shipping text: Shown once the customer reaches the minimum (default value: “You have qualified for free shipping.”).
- Include tax in calculation: Include tax when calculating the minimum order amount.
- User Condition: Choose who sees the bar: All Users, Selected Users, or Selected Roles.
If you changed any default values, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
4. Configure the placement of the module
Find the Placement panel below Content. It lets you place the free shipping bar across different areas of your store:
- Top and bottom bar: Show or hide the bar at the top or bottom of your site. When enabled:
- Position: Sticky (always visible) or Fixed (hidden on scroll).
- Show on: The device types that see the bar: Both, Desktop Only, or Mobile Only.
- Desktop Placement: Top or Bottom for desktop users.
- Custom vertical offset: A custom distance from the top or bottom of the page on desktop.
- Mobile Placement: Top or Bottom for mobile users.
- Custom vertical offset: A custom distance from the top or bottom of the page on mobile.
- Close (x) icon: Enable or disable a close icon for the bar.
- Session Expiration Time: If you show a close icon, the number of hours before the bar reappears after a user closes it.
- Progress Bar: Enable or disable a progress bar inside the free shipping bar.
- Show on Shop page: Show or hide the bar on your Shop page.
- Single Product Page: Show or hide the bar on single product pages. When enabled:
- Use Shortcode: A developer option to fine-tune the bar’s position. Only activate it if you understand how shortcodes work in WordPress. The shortcode is
[merchant_module_free_shipping_progress_bar_single_product_page]. - Position: Shown only when the shortcode is off. The bar’s location: Before Add to Cart Form, After Add to Cart Quantity, After Add to Cart Form, After Single Product Summary, or After Single Product.
- Progress Bar: Enable or disable a progress bar on single product pages.
- Use Shortcode: A developer option to fine-tune the bar’s position. Only activate it if you understand how shortcodes work in WordPress. The shortcode is
- Mini Cart: Show or hide the bar in your mini cart. When enabled:
- Position: Before Cart Items or After Subtotal.
- Progress Bar: Enable or disable a progress bar in the mini cart.
- Side Cart: Show or hide the bar in your side cart. When enabled:
- Position: Before Cart Items, Before Cart Buttons, or After Cart Buttons.
- Progress Bar: Enable or disable a progress bar in the side cart.
- Cart Page: Show or hide the bar on your Cart page. When enabled:
- Use Shortcode: A developer option to fine-tune the bar’s position. The shortcode is
[merchant_module_free_shipping_progress_bar_cart_page]. - Position: Shown only when the shortcode is off. The bar’s location: Before Cart, After Order Total, or After Cart Table.
- Progress Bar: Enable or disable a progress bar on the Cart page.
- Use Shortcode: A developer option to fine-tune the bar’s position. The shortcode is
- Checkout Page: Show or hide the bar on your Checkout page. When enabled:
- Use Shortcode: A developer option to fine-tune the bar’s position. The shortcode is
[merchant_module_free_shipping_progress_bar_checkout_page]. - Position: Shown only when the shortcode is off. The bar’s location: Before Checkout Form, Checkout Billing, Checkout Shipping, Before Payment, After Payment, or After Checkout Form.
- Progress Bar: Enable or disable a progress bar on the Checkout page.
- Use Shortcode: A developer option to fine-tune the bar’s position. The shortcode is
Once the placement options are configured, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
5. Customize the look and feel of your free shipping bar
Find the Look and Feel panel below Placement, where you can customize the design of your bar:
- Template: Choose from pre-designed templates (Solar Night, Lively Breeze, Midnight Tide, Clean Slate, Fresh Frost, Sky Harmony, and Ocean Breeze), or create a custom one with the options below.
- Close (x) icon color: The color of the close icon.
- Text color: The color of the static text in the bar.
- Variable Text color: The color of the dynamic text inserted from your content variables.
- Font Size: The font size of the text in the bar.
- Background Color: The background color of the bar.
- Spacing Inside Top: The top padding.
- Spacing Inside Bottom: The bottom padding.
- Spacing Inside Right: The right padding.
- Spacing Inside Left: The left padding.
- Text Bottom Spacing: The space below the text in the bar.
- Corner Radius: The border radius of the bar.
- Border Size: The border width of the bar.
- Border Color: The border color of the bar.
- Progress Bar Background Color: The background color of the progress bar.
- Progress Bar Foreground Color: The color of the progress bar’s fill.
- Progress Bar Height: The height of the progress bar.
- Progress Bar Width: The width of the progress bar.
- Corner Radius: The border radius of the progress bar.
If you changed any default values, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
6. Enable the module
Your Free Shipping Bar module is now configured. To activate it, click the Enable button at the top of the page:
Video walkthrough
For a live demo of the Free Shipping Bar module, watch the video below:
Frequently asked questions
Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about the Free Shipping Bar module.
Do I need a WooCommerce free shipping rule first?
Yes. The bar reads the minimum order amount from a WooCommerce free shipping method, so set up a shipping zone with a free shipping rule before configuring the module.
Can I show the bar in more than one place?
Yes. The Placement panel lets you enable the bar independently on the top or bottom of the site, single product pages, the mini cart, the side cart, the Cart page, and the Checkout page.
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up the Free Shipping Bar module in Merchant Pro to encourage bigger orders with free shipping.
Next, would you like to sell more by grouping products together? Check out our guide on the Product Bundles module to learn more.
