How to Create Shopify Free Shipping For Specific Products?

Setting up Shopify free shipping for specific products can be done in multiple ways to attract customers and boost sales. This blog post will explore 2 main methods: creating free shipping without any apps through Shopify’s built-in shipping settings and implementing it using a dedicated Shopify shipping app that offers more advanced features. 

We’ll also cover essential best practices to help you effectively manage your free shipping strategy, ensuring it benefits both your business and customers while avoiding common pitfalls.

1. How to create Shopify free shipping for specific products without using an app?

Shipping profiles are built-in tools in Shopify that let you set different shipping rules for specific products. Think of them as custom shipping settings that you can assign to particular items in your store. 

For free shipping on specific products, you can create a custom shipping profile without relying on third-party apps, which will save you money and complexity in your store management.

This method can also be applied if you are trying to create a Shopify free shipping discount for customers who spend over a certain amount of money.

What are the pros and cons of Shopify shipping profiles?

It’s cost-effective since you don’t need to pay for additional apps, gives you complete control over your shipping rules, and integrates smoothly with your store’s checkout process. 

However, every coin has two sides. The setup process requires careful attention to detail, and you’ll need to manage these profiles as your product lineup changes manually. Also, you can’t automatically switch profiles based on cart conditions as you might with some free shipping third-party apps.

With these benefits and limitations in mind, let’s dive into the step-by-step process of setting up both general and custom shipping profiles in Shopify. 

Setting Up a General Shipping Profile

Step 1: Access Shipping and Delivery Settings

Step 2: Create a New Shipping Profile (If Needed)

• In the Shipping and Delivery section, locate Custom shipping rates.
• Click on Create a new profile.

Step 3: Configure the Shipping Profile

• Profile Name: Enter a profile name like “Skateboard Shipping”.
• Add products to this profile. This ensures that the shipping rules will apply only to these ones.

Step 4: Set Up Shipping Zones

• In the profile setup, scroll to Shipping zones and click Add shipping zone.

• Zone Name: Enter a name for the zone based on your target shipping regions.
• Select Regions: Use the search bar to add countries or regions where this shipping rate will apply.

Step 5: Add a Free Shipping Rate

• After adding the shipping zone, click Add Rate.

• Rate Type: Choose Use flat rate (This is a fixed shipping fee that customers pay regardless of the order amount, weight, or destination).
• Custom Rate Name: Enter a name such as “Free Shipping on Orders Over $100”.
• Custom Delivery Description (Optional): Add delivery details, like “3-4 days”.
• Price: Set the price to $0 to make it free.

Step 6: Add Conditions for Free Shipping

• Click Add conditional pricing to set up a condition.
• Choose Based on order price.
• Set Minimum Order Price to $100 (or your preferred amount for free shipping eligibility).
• Confirm by clicking Done.

Creating a Custom Shipping Profile for Free Shipping

If you already have an existing profile for all products and just want to add or adjust free shipping conditions for skateboards:

• In Shipping and Delivery, under General shipping rates, click to manage your existing profile.

• Follow Steps 5 and 6 to add or modify the free shipping rate and conditions as needed.

2. How to create Shopify free shipping for specific products with Shopify free shipping app?

As someone who has been using this app for a long time, I highly recommend using Puco. This specialized Shopify app simplifies the process of creating free shipping discounts, including Shopify free shipping for specific products. 

What makes Puco stand out is its ability to create detailed shipping conditions based on 30+ different rules, including target-specific products and customer segments, or offer a percentage discount on the shipping rate.

The app integrates smoothly with your Shopify store and works directly within your admin panel, making it easy to manage all your shipping rules in one place.

Advantages of Puco Over Shopify Shipping Profiles:

• Advanced product targeting – Apply free shipping based on specific SKUs, product tags, or collections, ensuring precise control.
• Flexible shipping methods – Configure discounts for all shipping methods or specific ones using “contains” or “is exactly” conditions.
• Custom discount conditions – Use over 30 conditions, including cart attributes and shipping address details, for tailored promotions.
• Smooth testing and activation – Switch between testing and active modes to ensure discounts work flawlessly before going live.

Now, I will show you specific steps to work on this app:

Step 1: Open the App and Start a New Discount
– Navigate to the Puco app from your Shopify admin.
– Click on “Create Shipping Discount”.

Step 2: Choose between “Discount Code” or “Automatic Discount”:
You should select Automatic Discount for a smooth experience; customers won’t need to apply a code. This is particularly useful for promotions aimed at boosting conversions.

Step 3: Choose the shipping methods the discount applies to. You can select:
– All shipping methods: Applies the discount across all available shipping options.
– Contains: Applies only to specific shipping methods that match your criteria.
– Is exactly: Matches only the exact shipping methods specified.
– Does not contain: Excludes certain shipping methods.

Step 4: Configure Discount Conditions
Select one of the following:
– SKU: If targeting a specific product.
– Collection: If targeting an entire collection.
– Product Tags: If targeting products tagged with specific attributes.

Step 5: Set Usage Limits and Active Dates
– Usage Limits: Decide if you want to limit the discount to one use per customer or allow multiple uses.
– Active Dates: Schedule when the discount starts and, optionally, when it ends.

Step 6: Test and Activate
– Test the discount in Testing Mode to ensure it works as expected.
– Switch to Active Mode once confirmed, and the free shipping offer will be live for the specified products

3. Best practices for using Shopify free shipping for specific products

Below are 4 best practices to apply this strategy perfectly to your Shopify store.

Choose Strategic Product Combinations

When selecting products for free shipping discounts, pair high-margin items with low shipping costs. For example, if you sell jewelry and clothing, offer free shipping on jewelry items with a 70% profit margin and weighing less than 100g. 

This way, you can absorb the shipping cost while maintaining healthy profits. Avoid offering free shipping on heavy or bulky items like furniture or large home decor pieces unless their profit margins can cover the shipping expense.

Set Smart Minimum Order Values

Instead of offering blanket free shipping, create tiered free shipping based on product categories. For instance, set a $50 minimum for accessories, $100 for clothing, and $150 for premium items. 

This strategy encourages customers to add more items to their cart while ensuring you’re not losing money on shipping costs. You can also adjust these thresholds seasonally, lowering them during slow periods and raising them during peak shopping seasons.

Use Geographic-Based Rules

Customize your free shipping offers based on delivery locations to maximize profitability. For example, offer free shipping on all domestic orders over $75 but increase the threshold to $150 for international orders. 

Create specific zones – perhaps free shipping on any purchase of premium skincare products within major metropolitan areas where shipping costs are lower while maintaining standard shipping rates for rural areas with higher delivery costs.

Time Your Free Shipping Promotions

Align your free shipping offers with your inventory management strategy. For instance, if you have excess winter clothing stock in late February, offer free shipping on winter items to boost sales before the season ends. 

Similarly, when launching new products, provide free shipping for the first two weeks to encourage early adopters. Track which days of the week show higher cart abandonment rates and activate free shipping on specific products during these periods to improve conversion rates.

Combine your free shipping discount with other discounts

Shopify allows you to combine free shipping discounts with other types of discounts, such as product discounts and order discounts, using the Shopify Native Discount feature.

While combining different discounts can boost your conversion rate, it’s important to remember that excessive discounting can significantly impact your revenue. Therefore, you should carefully calculate potential profit and loss before applying discounts.

Read more: Shopify Discount and Free Shipping Combinations: 3 Best Methods

4. Conclusion

I hope this post has inspired you to take advantage of Shopify free shipping for specific products in a way that benefits both your store and your customers. By crafting thoughtful shipping strategies, you can turn simple promotions into powerful tools for driving sales and building loyalty. Remember, the key is to experiment, stay creative, and always put your customers’ needs first. Good luck!

5. FAQs