To give students and teachers free shipping, tag each verified customer in Shopify, for example Student or Teacher, then create an automatic shipping discount with Customer tag Contains and both tags in that one condition. Tagged customers who sign in at checkout get the discount on every order without a code. Shopify’s own free shipping discount can be limited to customer segments, but it has no customer tag condition and makes every eligible rate free. RM: Advanced Free Shipping reads the tag at checkout and lets you pick the rates and the discount, such as free Standard or $3 shipping. It costs $9.90 USD every 30 days, with a 7-day free trial, billed by Shopify.

What the customer gets

In this example the store has two rates: Standard $8.90 and Express $24.90.

  • Qualifies. A customer tagged Student signs in and checks out a $28 cart. Standard and Express are both free. The customer pays $28.
  • Doesn’t qualify. The same student checks out as a guest. A guest has no tags, so with Standard they pay $28 + $8.90 = $36.90.
  • Doesn’t qualify. A signed-in customer without either tag pays the same $36.90.

Set it up

  1. Verify the customer, then tag them in Shopify admin: open the customer under Customers and add the tag Student or Teacher. See Shopify’s guide to using tags. If you already use a verification tool that adds tags to customers in Shopify, its tags work the same way.
  2. In the app, click Create Shipping Discount.
  3. Under Discount method, choose Automatic discount. New discounts start on Discount code, and the method can’t be changed later. Enter a Title such as “Free shipping for students and teachers”. Customers see it at checkout.
  4. In Conditions, click Add condition and choose Customer tag. Keep Contains.
  5. Type Student and press Enter, then type Teacher and press Enter. Contains matches a customer with any of the tags.
  6. In Discount setup, set Delivery type to Shipping, Which rates to All shipping rates and Discount value to Free.
  7. Click Create discount.

A Customer tag condition set to Contains, with the tag VIP added

The screenshot shows the tag VIP. Type your own tags in its place.

Include students who check out as guests

Customer tags only match customers signed in to their account at checkout. Two ways to reach everyone you’ve verified:

  • Ask them to sign in. Once you’ve verified them, tell them by email to sign in at checkout for free shipping.
  • Use a customer segment. In Shopify admin, build a customer segment of customers with your Student and Teacher tags under Customers → Segments. In the discount, go to Customers, choose Specific customer segments and pick it, and leave out the Customer tag condition. Shopify matches segments by the email or phone number entered at checkout, so guests with the same email are included.

Variations

  • $3 shipping instead of free: set Discount value to Fixed Price and enter 3. Standard becomes $3, so the $28 cart costs $31. A rate already under $3 stays as it is.
  • Free Standard, Express at full price: set Which rates to Choose specific rates and select Standard. A student who picks Express pays $28 + $24.90 = $52.90.
  • Back to school only: under Active dates, set a start date and tick Set end date. The discount switches on and off by itself.
  • Students and teachers over $20: add Cart total Is at least 20 in the same rule group. Both must pass.
  • Different rewards for each: create two discounts, one with Customer tag Contains Student and Fixed Price 3, the other with Customer tag Contains Teacher and Free. Each discount has its own single tag condition.

Good to know

  • To keep the list current, remove the tag when a customer’s status ends, for example after graduation. Their next checkout pays normal shipping.
  • To cover both groups in one discount, put both tags in one Customer tag condition. Use one Customer tag condition per discount.
  • To exclude someone as well, use a Shopify customer segment that leaves them out.
  • To keep the discount when they use a sale code, tick Shipping discounts under Combinations on that code in Shopify admin.
  • To test it, sign in to a test customer account with the tag. In Test mode, also use ABC123 as the shipping first name.

Install RM: Advanced Free Shipping from the Shopify App Store.