# How to Add Free Shipping to Your WooCommerce Coupons: A Beginner’s Guide
Offering free shipping is a powerful incentive that can significantly boost your WooCommerce sales. Combining this with coupons allows you to create targeted promotions that drive conversions. This guide shows you how to easily add free shipping to your WooCommerce coupons, even if you’re a complete newbie.
Why Offer Free Shipping with Coupons?
Before we dive into the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” Free shipping is a highly effective marketing tool because:
- It removes a barrier to purchase: Shipping costs can be a deal-breaker for many customers, especially on smaller orders. Offering free shipping removes this obstacle and encourages them to complete their purchase.
- It increases average order value: Customers might add more items to their cart to reach the free shipping threshold.
- It improves customer perception: Free shipping makes your store seem more generous and customer-friendly.
- It creates a sense of urgency: Combine free shipping with a time-limited coupon for maximum impact.
- Coupon not working? Double-check the coupon code, expiry date, usage limits, and whether the customer meets any minimum order value requirements.
- Shipping still showing a cost? Ensure you’ve selected “Free shipping” as the discount type and that the coupon applies to the correct shipping zones and methods.
Imagine you sell handcrafted jewelry. A customer might be on the fence about buying a single pair of earrings, but if you offer free shipping with a coupon, they’re more likely to purchase, especially if the shipping cost alone would be more expensive than the earrings.
Method 1: Using WooCommerce’s Built-in Functionality (Easiest Method)
This is the simplest and recommended method. WooCommerce provides a built-in option to directly add free shipping to your coupons.
Steps:
1. Create a new coupon: Go to Marketing > Coupons in your WordPress dashboard. Click “Add new”.
2. Fill in coupon details: Give your coupon a name (e.g., “FREESHIP10”), a code (e.g., “FREESHIP”), and set a discount type.
3. Choose “Free shipping” as the discount type: This is the key step! Instead of selecting a percentage or fixed amount discount, select “Free shipping” from the dropdown menu.
4. Set other parameters: You can also set usage restrictions (e.g., minimum order value, expiry date, usage limits).
5. Publish the coupon: Click “Publish” to save your changes.
Now, when a customer uses the coupon code during checkout, they’ll get free shipping!
Method 2: Using a WooCommerce Shipping Plugin (More Control)
While the built-in method is sufficient for most situations, some plugins provide more granular control over your shipping rules. For example, you might want to offer free shipping only for specific shipping zones or methods.
This approach requires installing and configuring a plugin (Many are available in the WooCommerce plugin directory). Consult your chosen plugin’s documentation for detailed instructions.
*Note:* This method is more advanced and requires a better understanding of WooCommerce’s shipping settings.
Example Scenario and Reasoning:
Let’s say you’re running a “Back to School” sale. You want to incentivize customers to buy more than one item. Instead of just a general discount, you create a coupon that offers free shipping when the cart total is over $50. This encourages customers to add more items to their cart to meet the free shipping threshold, increasing your average order value.
Troubleshooting:
By following these steps, you can effectively leverage the power of free shipping to boost your WooCommerce sales. Remember to monitor your results and adjust your strategy as needed. Happy selling!
