Why All Online Retailers Should Consider Free Shipping Offers

The number of shoppers turning to the internet for their shopping has been going up year after year. At the same time, online retailers have been working hard to come up with ways to turn those browsers into buyers. One tactic that both retailers and consumers seem to like is free shipping offers. There are several types of these offers to choose from, and once a retailer decides to try one of them, they need to promote that shipping offer to their customers. The purpose of this article is to inform online retailers about the potential benefits of including free shipping as part of their online marketing strategy.

It has been shown with website statistics and opinion polls that more than half of all consumers are more likely to shop online with a retailer that offers free shipping than one that doesn't. There used to be a time when online shoppers didn't really factor in the price of shipping into their purchasing decisions. With the recent rise in shipping cost, and more experienced online shoppers, the cost of shipping now plays a major role in consumers deciding which website to shop at, and whether to shop online at all. It is now common to see online retailers who aren't even charging for shipping on large items like big screen TVs. As a retailer, when you don't charge your customers for shipping, there is a downside, you are stuck picking up the bill. This is what led internet retailers to develop several different types of free shipping offer.

There seems to be three different types of free shipping offers that are popular with online retailers. A small amount of retailers offer free shipping on everything in their store. This definitely encourages people to buy, but for this to make sense they need to be selling items where the profit margin far exceeds the price of shipping. The second and most popular type of offer involves a set minimum purchase amount. This ensures that the retailer's shipping costs are covered, encourages shoppers to spend more, and the shopper is happy because they are still getting a deal. The third way retailers can offer free shipping is to only offer it only on certain items. This can be effective for retailers who want to encourage shoppers to buy specific items that will still be profitable even when the cost of shipping is factored in.

After a retailer has chosen what type of free shipping offer they want to use, they have to let their customers know about it. There are several ways to promote your shipping offer. The single most effective way to do this is to advertise it on your home page. I recommend going further than this and making a place on every page of your website to promote your offer, this way it will act as a reminder throughout a visitors entire shopping experience. Many retailers are also promoting their shipping offers outside the confines of their own website with banner ads, Adword campaigns, and third party websites. Promotion is important, because a free shipping offer that very few people know about isn't going to help much.

The benefit of including free shipping as part of an online marketing campaign is an almost guaranteed increase in sales. The challenge for internet retailers is to choose the right type of free shipping coupons that encourages sales, but does not eat into a companies profits. Proper promotion of a shipping offer will also play a major role in its success. I recommend that every internet retailer should consider testing out free shipping offers.

About the Author

Nial McFadyen is an internet marketer who helps online retailers reach new customers and increase sales.
Here is a free shipping list showing hundreds of online retailers who are already using free shipping coupons to increase sales http://www.couponsforeveryone.com/free-shipping.

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