# A/B test: a free shipping progress bar in the cart

> If the cart says "You're €12 away from free shipping" with a progress bar, then average order value will rise, because the goal is visible, it is close, and the shopper doesn't have to do the maths.

- Source: https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/free-shipping-progress-bar
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Bixlow

## Why it might work

You have €37 in your cart and shipping costs €4.95. If you knew that €12 more gets you free shipping, adding a €9 pair of socks would feel almost free. But to think that you need to know the threshold, remember it and subtract. Hardly anyone does.

The bar does the maths and turns it into something you can complete. Same logic as the threshold in the top bar, but at the moment the shopper is looking at their total.


## How to set it up

In Bixlow you describe the change to the agent, it builds it on your site and launches it as an A/B test once you approve it.

1. In the variant, add a line at the top of the cart (and the mini cart if you have one) with the amount left and a bar that fills up.
2. Once the threshold is passed, change the text to something like "You've got free shipping".
3. Make the text state the amount; a bar on its own means nothing to a screen reader.
4. Run it for all traffic that reaches the cart.


## What to measure

|  | Metric |
| --- | --- |
| Primary metric | Average order value |
| Metric that must not get worse | Orders per visitor |
| Where it is measured | Visitors who reached the cart |


> **When I would not test it.** If your typical basket is far from the threshold (people spend €15 and free shipping starts at €80), the bar reminds them how far off they are and can put them off. And if you have no cheap products to fill the gap, the bar points at a goal without offering a way there.


## Other variants worth trying

Under the bar, suggest two or three low-priced products that close the gap. It is a different test, because it adds an action as well as a message, and it gets its own page.


## FAQ

### Bar or just text?

The text carries the information; the bar makes it feel like something to complete. If you want to know which one helps, test them separately.

### In the mini cart too?

Yes, if that is what people see when they add a product. In many stores the mini cart gets seen more than the cart page.

### What if order value goes up but orders go down?

Work out revenue per visitor. If fewer people buy but they spend a lot more, it may pay off; if not, the variant does not win.

## Further reading

- [Next idea: cheap add-ons to reach the threshold](https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/cheap-add-ons-to-reach-threshold)
- [How to write a CRO hypothesis](https://bixlow.com/en/glossary/cro-hypothesis)
- [Sample size calculator](https://bixlow.com/en/tools/sample-size-calculator)