How to set a minimum order amount on Shopify

Is a minimum order the right fix?

A minimum order amount is a blunt tool. It stops the order you lose money on, and it also stops the customer who’d have come back next month for $80. So first check whether small orders really are a loss.

Here’s a worked example for a store that sells $12 candles and charges a flat $4.95 for shipping:

$3.46 before your time, ads and returns. Two candles in the same box cost almost the same to ship, so the second candle adds most of its margin. Now the question is clear: do you want one-candle orders at $3.46, or would you rather ask for two?

If the answer is “small orders are fine, I’d just like bigger ones”, skip the minimum and use a free shipping threshold instead. If the answer is “I lose money below $25”, a minimum is reasonable.

Why the discount minimum doesn’t work for this

In Discounts, every discount has Minimum purchase requirements: a minimum amount or a minimum quantity. People find it, set $30, and are surprised when a $12 order still goes through.

That setting only answers “does this order get the discount?”. An order under $30 just doesn’t get the discount and checks out at full price. Nothing is blocked.

Set a minimum order with OrderCap

This is our app. The setup takes a couple of minutes.

A minimum is checked at checkout, not in the cart. That’s on purpose: if the cart refused the first item because it’s under $30, nobody could ever reach $30.

OrderCap compares the cart subtotal, before shipping and taxes. If you want “at least 6 items” instead of “at least $30”, choose items instead of order value in the same rule.

Write a message that helps them reach it

The default message tells buyers the minimum. A better one tells them how close they are and what to do:

Our minimum order is $30, because shipping a single candle costs us more than the candle. Add one more and you’re there.

Put the minimum on your site before checkout too: a line in the cart, an announcement bar, or your shipping page. A minimum that first appears at checkout feels like a trick.

Minimums for wholesale buyers only

If the minimum is meant for wholesale customers only, look at Shopify B2B first. When your wholesale buyers are set up as companies, B2B catalogs have their own quantity rules per product (minimum, maximum and increment), on the Basic plan and up. There’s no order value minimum there, but a per-product minimum often does the same job, and retail customers aren’t affected.

An OrderCap minimum applies to everyone who checks out, so use it when the minimum is for everyone.

OrderCap by Centubo. Minimum order value, maximum items per order and per-product limits, all checked at checkout. Payment rules included. Free during launch.

Install on Shopify →

Test it

1. Add items worth less than your minimum and go to checkout. You should see your message and be unable to pay.
2. Add one more item to go over the minimum. The message should disappear and checkout should work.
3. If you sell in another currency, switch currency and repeat. The minimum should show in that currency.

On a development store, finish the test order with Shopify’s Bogus Gateway.