diff --git a/app/cart/components/CartContent.tsx b/app/cart/components/CartContent.tsx
index 864492b..7507abb 100644
--- a/app/cart/components/CartContent.tsx
+++ b/app/cart/components/CartContent.tsx
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { PRODUCTS, formatPrice } from "../../lib/products";
 import { SHIPPING_COST, FREE_SHIPPING_THRESHOLD } from "../../lib/shipping";
 import { Reveal } from "../../components/Reveal";
 import { VersandModal } from "../../components/VersandModal";
+import { FreeShippingBanner } from "./FreeShippingBanner";
 
 export function CartContent() {
   const [versandOpen, setVersandOpen] = useState(false);
@@ -54,7 +55,11 @@ export function CartContent() {
           </Link>
         </Reveal>
       ) : (
-        <div className="flex flex-col lg:flex-row gap-8 lg:gap-10 items-start pb-10 pt-2 px-[var(--layout-padding-x)] w-full">
+        <>
+        <div className="pt-2 px-[var(--layout-padding-x)] w-full">
+          <FreeShippingBanner subtotal={subtotal} />
+        </div>
+        <div className="flex flex-col lg:flex-row gap-8 lg:gap-10 items-start pb-10 pt-4 px-[var(--layout-padding-x)] w-full">
           {/* Cart card — lg:-only split from the sidebar (same "wide content
               next to sidebar" shape as the Hero's image/text split, see
               figma-to-nextjs skill Gotcha #5: Figma's 830px card alone
@@ -210,6 +215,7 @@ export function CartContent() {
             </div>
           </Reveal>
         </div>
+        </>
       )}
 
       {items.length > 0 && (
diff --git a/app/cart/components/FreeShippingBanner.tsx b/app/cart/components/FreeShippingBanner.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5cbd8c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/cart/components/FreeShippingBanner.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { FREE_SHIPPING_THRESHOLD } from "../../lib/shipping";
+import { formatPrice } from "../../lib/products";
+
+const SUCCESS_VISIBLE_MS = 2500;
+
+type Phase = "progress" | "success" | "hidden";
+
+/**
+ * Progress nudge toward free shipping — shown only in the cart, not on
+ * /shop, per the deliberately narrower scope agreed with the user (a cart
+ * item can leave/re-enter the threshold as quantities change, so this
+ * needs to react to that, not just fire once).
+ */
+export function FreeShippingBanner({ subtotal }: { subtotal: number }) {
+  const reached = subtotal >= FREE_SHIPPING_THRESHOLD;
+  const [phase, setPhase] = useState<Phase>(reached ? "success" : "progress");
+
+  // React's documented pattern for "adjust state when a prop changes" —
+  // done during render (guarded by comparing against a mirrored previous
+  // value), not inside a useEffect. `reached` isn't an external system to
+  // sync with, it's plain derived input; setState synchronously inside an
+  // effect body would just cost an extra render pass for no benefit and
+  // trips the react-hooks/set-state-in-effect rule. No ref/timer touched
+  // here either — the success→hidden timer below owns its own cleanup.
+  const [prevReached, setPrevReached] = useState(reached);
+  if (reached !== prevReached) {
+    setPrevReached(reached);
+    if (!reached) {
+      // Dropping back below the threshold (e.g. removing an item after
+      // having qualified) always re-shows the progress bar — not just the
+      // first time, every time.
+      setPhase("progress");
+    } else {
+      // Just crossed the threshold — celebrate briefly, then collapse the
+      // banner entirely rather than let it sit there taking up space.
+      setPhase((prev) => (prev === "progress" ? "success" : prev));
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Effect's own cleanup (not a ref) cancels the pending hide-timer
+  // whenever phase changes away from "success" (e.g. dropping back below
+  // the threshold before the timer fires) or on unmount.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (phase !== "success") return;
+    const t = setTimeout(() => setPhase("hidden"), SUCCESS_VISIBLE_MS);
+    return () => clearTimeout(t);
+  }, [phase]);
+
+  if (phase === "hidden") return null;
+
+  const remaining = Math.max(0, FREE_SHIPPING_THRESHOLD - subtotal);
+  const progressPct = Math.min(100, (subtotal / FREE_SHIPPING_THRESHOLD) * 100);
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      className={
+        "w-full rounded-md border p-4 flex flex-col gap-2 transition-colors duration-300 " +
+        (phase === "success" ? "border-success bg-success-subtle" : "border-border bg-bg-base")
+      }
+    >
+      <p
+        className={
+          "text-body-sm font-semibold " + (phase === "success" ? "text-success" : "text-text-primary")
+        }
+      >
+        {phase === "success"
+          ? "Kostenloser Versand freigeschaltet ✓"
+          : `Noch ${formatPrice(remaining)} bis zum kostenlosen Versand!`}
+      </p>
+      <div className="h-1.5 w-full rounded-full bg-border overflow-hidden">
+        <div
+          className={
+            "h-full rounded-full transition-[width] duration-500 ease-out " +
+            (phase === "success" ? "bg-success" : "bg-brand")
+          }
+          style={{ width: `${progressPct}%` }}
+        />
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}