FreeShipping.Org Founder Offers Stats And Tips About Free Shipping For Holiday Season
Fueled by the escalating cost for a tank of gas and the convenience of making discounted purchases from home, a growing number of consumers are flocking to the Internet for online shopping instead of driving to brick and mortar stores. Yet online shopping can have drawbacks, namely the shipping fees that many retailers charge.
Savvy online shoppers recognize that the cost of shipping can determine whether a purchase is worthwhile, thus the value of buying items from merchants who offer free shipping. Locating Internet retailers that provide these deals was challenging, until the debut of FreeShipping.org www.freeshipping.org www.freeshipping.org
Launched last December and founded by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs
www.freeshipping.org/husband-and-wife-entrepreneurs-share-their-
secrets-to-building-a-thriving-business-and-maintaining-a-healthy-marria ge/ Luke and Maisie Knowles, FreeShipping.org is a one-stop destination for consumers to find online retailers that offer free shipping deals. The site, which includes more than 800 name-brand stores, allows visitors to search by brand or category.
Among the major retailers on FreeShipping.org are JCPenney, Target, Bloomingdale's, Kohl's, Sears, Best Buy, Old Navy, and Nordstrom. Macy's is one of the site's top partners, offering as many as 15 free shipping coupons at one time.
An expert on the subject of online retailing, Luke Knowles offers these information tidbits about free shipping and online shopping:
4 Statistics Related to Free Shipping
61% of online shoppers prefer to shop with a retailer that offers free shipping than one that doesn't.
- Forrester Research (2007)
43% of shoppers abandon their shopping carts because of unexpectedly high shipping charges.
- PayPal, comScore (2008)
60% of respondents in a Harris Interactive survey said free shipping is a reason they are more likely to shop online.
- Harris Interactive (2008)
Shoppers who call themselves bargain hunters account for 44% of shoppers who have made an online purchase in the past three months, up from 41% at this time in 2006. 90% of respondents said free shipping offers would entice them to spend more online.
- The Conference Board (2008)
7 Types of Free Shipping Offers
1. Free Shipping with Minimum Purchase The most popular free shipping deal that retailers offer is free shipping when your total purchase price exceeds a certain mount. Fossil offers free shipping on orders over $75.
2. Negative Free Shipping Negative free shipping is a shoppers dream. It is also the most rarest of free shipping offers. The retailer takes a certain amount of money off of the order for the privilege of shipping to you for free.
3. Free Shipping on Select Items Many retailers that sell different sized products tend to offer free shipping on select items (small items). They do this because the can't afford to offer free shipping on large items like a refrigerator or a big screen TV.
4. Free Shipping Site To Store Some retailers like Walmart, Circuit City and REI will ship the items to your local store for you to pick up at no cost to you.
5. Free Shipping with a Membership Many online retailers offer free shipping to those who have joined a special members-only club. There is usually an annually fee for being a member. A good example of this is the Amazon Prime membership which gives members free 2-day shipping on all orders, as well as a few other perks. It costs $79 annually to be a member of Amazon Prime. Sears has a similar offer.
6. Free Shipping On Everything Many retailers like Lands' End have regular specials where shoppers can get free shipping on any purchase. Most shoe and jewelry websites offer free shipping on all orders.
7. Free Shipping by Delivery Location Live in a far away land like Hawaii or Alaska and you might not get to enjoy many of the free shipping deals that retailers are offering. FreeShipping.org estimates that almost half of all free shipping offers are only for deliveries within the continental United States. There are also a few U.S. based retailers like Moose Jaw and Best Buy that offer free shipping to Canada.
BONUS. Flat Rate Shipping Flat rate shipping is when a retailer offers a low shipping rate on all orders. Gap and Old Navy offer $7 shipping on all orders and Kohl's has regular $5 shipping per order specials.
SOURCE: FreeShipping.org