Free Shipping Statistics for Ecommerce

Why shipping costs stop a checkout

A high charge and a charge revealed late are different problems. Use an abandonment survey to understand what shoppers remember, then check how early your own cart shows the amount they will pay.

How often do shoppers cite high costs versus slow delivery?

In Baymard’s 2026 US abandonment breakdown, 40% cited high extra costs and 20% cited slow delivery. Extra costs were cited 20 percentage points more often.

US online shoppers in Baymard’s abandonment research. Published October 28, 2026. Zobi calculation: 40% citing high extra costs − 20% citing slow delivery = 20 percentage points. The extra-costs item groups shipping charges, taxes and other fees. The 40% cannot be assigned to shipping alone or interpreted as a share of all carts.

Baymard Institute, US cart abandonment reasons · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

At what shipping charge do shoppers say they leave?

About two in three US consumers in the 2026 AlixPartners survey said they would abandon a cart when the shipping fee exceeded approximately $10.

US adults in the AlixPartners 2026 Home Delivery Survey. April 28 to May 4, 2026. The reported threshold is approximate. It describes survey responses and gives no measured conversion rate at a given fee.

AlixPartners 2026 survey, shipping-fee threshold · AlixPartners 2026 survey, samples · Link to this statistic

How many shoppers cite trouble seeing the total cost up front?

Baymard’s 2026 US abandonment breakdown lists 12% for difficulty seeing or calculating the total order cost up front.

US online shoppers in Baymard’s abandonment research. Published October 28, 2026. This is a separate reason that can coexist with a high fee. The study’s figures cannot be added to isolate shipping-related abandonment.

Baymard Institute, visibility of total order cost · Link to this statistic

When shoppers choose free delivery over speed

People can prefer free shipping in one question and still pay for a rush order later. Read each result against the choice the survey actually offered.

What share of shoppers prioritize free shipping over delivery speed?

In an October 2025 survey of 1,057 online shoppers, 73.9% named free shipping and 58.9% named delivery speed as important when choosing where to buy. Free shipping led by 15.0 percentage points.

Online shoppers surveyed by Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights. October 2025. Zobi calculation: 73.9% naming free shipping − 58.9% naming speed of delivery = 15.0 percentage points. Respondents could value both options. The gap compares how often each answer was selected, rather than a forced choice or the effect of either option on sales.

Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights, shopper survey · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

How many US consumers say free shipping affects an order?

In the 2026 AlixPartners US consumer survey, 70% said free shipping greatly affects their ordering decision and 24% said it somewhat affects it. Together the two responses account for 94%.

US adults in the AlixPartners 2026 Home Delivery Survey. April 28 to May 4, 2026. The item measures stated influence. It does not measure how many orders a retailer would gain by changing its fees.

AlixPartners 2026 survey, purchase impact chart · AlixPartners, 2026 survey field dates · Link to this statistic

Why do some online shoppers collect orders in store?

Ryder reported that 71% of surveyed US shoppers who picked up online orders in store did so to avoid shipping costs.

US shoppers in Ryder’s 2025 consumer study. 2025 study edition. This is a pickup subgroup. The public summary does not provide the number of people in that subgroup.

Ryder, 2025 purchase and pickup findings · Link to this statistic

What order data show near a free shipping threshold

A threshold can change which item a customer buys, how many items go into the cart and whether an order goes through. Separate those outcomes before choosing a minimum.

Do completed baskets cluster near a free shipping minimum?

In a study covering 2,116,320 completed orders at a Philippine apparel retailer, single-item baskets spiked and multi-item baskets rose near the PHP 995 free-shipping minimum. Below that minimum the delivery charge was PHP 100 under the policy examined.

Completed transactions at a Philippine online clothing and accessories retailer. September 2012 to October 2016. The figures describe one retailer. The study documents a pattern near the threshold and gives no percentage of customers who added items because of it.

Chen and Ngwe, Table 1 and transaction sample · Link to this statistic

What happened to daily order counts after a fee and threshold change?

At one European online retailer, average daily orders rose from 17,313 under fixed fees to 24,786 under its new threshold policy. That was 7,473 more orders per day, or 43.16% higher in the raw comparison.

Completed orders at one large European online retailer. Study data dated July 2017 to June 2019. Zobi calculation: 24,786 − 17,313 = 7,473 orders per day. Divide by 17,313 to get 43.16%. This before-and-after comparison does not control for seasonality. The retailer introduced a €20 minimum and changed the fee charged below it.

Hirche, Gijsenberg and Bijmolt, order data · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

Where did the adjusted order increase show up?

The same European study estimated 43.58% more daily orders in the group whose shipping fees fell. The group whose fees rose showed no statistically significant change in order count.

Completed orders at one large European online retailer. Study data dated July 2017 to June 2019. The policy changed the threshold and the fee schedule together. This model estimate applies to the retailer and group studied.

Hirche, Gijsenberg and Bijmolt, policy switch · Link to this statistic

Did the new policy raise average order value?

Raw average order value moved from €148.12 to €132.22 at the European retailer, a €15.90 drop. The authors found no statistically significant change in average order value after adjustment.

Completed orders at one large European online retailer. Study data dated July 2017 to June 2019. Zobi calculation: €132.22 after the policy change − €148.12 before it = −€15.90 per order. The raw difference and adjusted result answer separate questions. Neither establishes that another store will see the same result.

Hirche, Gijsenberg and Bijmolt, observed before-and-after averages · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

How much did the items that crossed the threshold cost?

At the European retailer, the median price of items identified as taking orders over the free-shipping threshold was €17.95. The median for regular purchases was €29.95, a €12.00 difference.

Completed orders at one large European online retailer. Study data dated July 2017 to June 2019. Zobi calculation: €29.95 median regular purchase − €17.95 median filler purchase = €12.00. These are observed item prices at a store with a €20 threshold. The two groups also differ in their product-category mix.

Hirche, Gijsenberg and Bijmolt, price of filler items · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

Did threshold-crossing items come back more often?

For items in the European study’s group facing lower shipping fees, modeled return probability for threshold-crossing purchases fell from 52.17% to 43.14%. For regular purchases in that group it rose from 52.17% to 54.61%.

Completed orders at one large European online retailer. Study data dated July 2017 to June 2019. Zobi calculation: 43.14% after the policy change − 52.17% before it = −9.03 percentage points for threshold-crossing items. These are modeled item-level probabilities, not the return rate for all orders. The results can reflect the different products in the two groups.

Hirche, Gijsenberg and Bijmolt, policy switch · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

How common free shipping is among retailers

A retailer counted as offering free shipping may still charge on smaller orders. Policy coverage tells you what is available. Your own order mix determines how often shoppers qualify.

What share of large North American online retailers offered free shipping?

Digital Commerce 360 found that 71.2% of retailers in its North American Top 1000 offered free shipping in 2024, up 0.2 percentage points from 71.0% in 2023.

North American retailers in the Digital Commerce 360 Top 1000 by online sales. 2023 and 2024, reported October 2025. Zobi calculation: 71.2% in 2024 − 71.0% in 2023 = 0.2 percentage points. Some form of free shipping may be conditional. The Top 1000 can change composition and this is a share of retailers, rather than orders.

Digital Commerce 360, Top 1000 adoption · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

How much did free shipping availability vary by category?

In the same 2024 Top 1000 research, 90.2% of jewelry retailers offered free shipping compared with 52.4% of flowers and gifts retailers. The gap was 37.8 percentage points.

North American retailers in the Digital Commerce 360 Top 1000 by online sales. 2024, reported October 2025. Zobi calculation: 90.2% jewelry − 52.4% flowers and gifts = 37.8 percentage points. The figures compare the proportion of retailers offering an option in each category. They do not show what share of orders qualified.

Digital Commerce 360, merchant category breakdown · Calculation data · Link to this statistic

How many executives report requiring a minimum order?

In AlixPartners’ 2026 executive survey, 56% reported a minimum order value to get free shipping and 22% reported requiring both a minimum order and paid membership.

North American transportation, logistics and supply chain executives at companies with $100 million or more in sales. April 28 to May 4, 2026. The public summary does not establish mutually exclusive groups. Do not add the percentages or treat them as a census of online stores.

AlixPartners 2026 executive survey, shipping policy · AlixPartners 2026 survey, samples · Link to this statistic

How to use the comparisons

If shoppers quit after they see the total, first check when they learn the delivery price and how far their cart is from free shipping. If you test a new minimum, track completed orders, the share that qualifies and contribution after fulfillment and returns. Compare the same delivery zones and customer groups. A higher basket value is only useful if the extra margin covers the shipping subsidy and the order still goes through.

Sources, definitions and downloads

This page uses public shopper and executive surveys, a published retailer database, and two separate academic transaction studies. Each finding identifies its sample, period and original source. The downloadable comparisons show the inputs and arithmetic. Survey answers, published policies, observed baskets and model estimates measure different things. The European study changed its shipping fee as well as its threshold, so its results should be read in that setting.

Download the statistics and sources.

Sources and measurement context

Publisher disclosure

Zobi publishes this research and provides shopper conversation services for Shopify stores.