Introducing BigCommerce Shipping Promotions: Offer Flexible Discounts That Drive Conversions

Go beyond free shipping with Shipping Promotions

Free shipping is effective at reducing cart abandonment and increasing average order value, but it is not always the right lever for margin, logistics, or customer expectations. In practise, many merchants want lighter-touch incentives that only apply to certain shipping methods or cart conditions.

That is why we have introduced Shipping Promotions within BigCommerce, a new capability that lets you create percentage-based or fixed-amount shipping discounts using the same standard promotions editor you already know. It is built for merchants who want more flexibility in how they incentivise shipping without giving it away entirely.

What BigCommerce Shipping Promotions do

Shipping Promotions add a new reward type to the promotion rules engine called "Discount on shipping." Instead of being limited to free shipping, you can now discount the cost of eligible shipping methods by an amount or percentage. Shipping discounts are applied per shipping destination, and the applied discount details are captured on the order for clearer reconciliation support and operations.

This is designed for scenarios where you want:

• Graduated shipping incentives tied to cart conditions like spend thresholds or product purchases

• Targeted discounts on specific shipping methods rather than blanket free shipping

• Shipping offers that work as both automatic promotions and coupon-driven campaigns

For example, you could create a promotion that applies a $10 discount to any specified shipping method on orders that go above $100.

Why this matters

Shipping Promotions let you use shipping incentives as a growth lever while keeping control over cost and customer experience. There are a number of benefits to using Shipping Promotions:

Lift conversion without fully subsidising shipping

Offer partial discounts that reduce checkout friction while still recovering some shipping revenue. This is especially useful when free shipping is too expensive, but shipping price sensitivity is still a blocker.

Protect margin and forecast discount exposure

Shipping discounts (based on weight or item count) can scale with cart size and with multi-address orders. This gives you a predictable way to design offers that align with margins and trading strategy, rather than guessing worst-case outcomes.

Steer customers toward the delivery options you want

Discount only the methods you choose. Incentivise Standard shipping to reduce carrier cost, or discount Express shipping to increase conversion for high-intent shoppers, without discounting every option.

Run smarter, more targeted campaigns

Tie shipping discounts to spend thresholds, specific products, customer segments, or coupon campaigns using the same rules engine you already use for cart offers. Shipping incentives support merchandising goals instead of being a blanket giveaway. 

Keep the shopper experience clear and trustworthy

Eligible shipping methods show strikethrough pricing in cart and checkout. Coupon-based shipping discounts are itemised in the order summary, so customers can see exactly what changed and why.

How it works

Shipping discounts are configured through the exact same process used for product and order discounts. Set your conditions, choose "Discount on shipping" as the reward, and configure how the discount is applied. 

For orders shipping to multiple addresses, the discount applies independently to each eligible destination. A $10 shipping discount on an order with 2 destinations results in $20 total shipping savings.

If you select "All shipping methods" any new shipping methods added to your store in the future will automatically be eligible for the discount. This keeps your promotions current without requiring manual updates.

Sample use cases

Current constraints to plan around

• Shipping discounts cannot be applied to external shipping quote providers such as ShipperHQ and ShipStation. Confirm compatibility before planning shipping discount campaigns if you rely on an external provider.

• Shipping discounts created by legacy coupon code capabilities cannot be used in conjunction with shipping promotions.

• B2B Edition does not support shipping promotions.

The final word

Shipping Promotions give you a new lever in your promotions strategy. Instead of choosing between free shipping or no shipping discount at all, you can now offer targeted, conditional shipping discounts that align with your margins and marketing goals. Set the conditions, pick the methods, and let the promotion engine handle the rest.

See Automatic and Coupon Promotions in the Help Centre to learn more about configuring Shipping Promotions with the standard editor.