Inaugural Free Shipping Day Draws Favorable Response From Shoppers And Retailers
When Luke Knowles hatched the idea for Free Shipping Day, he expected a favorable response from merchants and shoppers, but he didn't anticipate the overwhelming interest that the event actually received. Free Shipping Day, which was held on December 18, attracted more than 250 merchants and the FreeShippingDay.com web site saw 250,000 hits in a 10-day period, including more than 100,000 on the actual day itself.
"It was so popular that, leading up to December 18, major retailers were approaching us to be part of the event," said Knowles, who is founder of FreeShipping.org, a one-stop destination for shoppers to find online merchants that offer free shipping deals. "That shows the viability of Free Shipping Day when major companies like Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma reach out to us to participate."
Free Shipping Day represents a day when participating merchants offer free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. For merchants, the event extends the online holiday shopping season for another week. For shoppers, the day offers a last chance to purchase gifts and have them reach their intended destination by Christmas Eve.
Merchants large and small embraced Free Shipping Day, which Knowles said will become an annual event. Kari Kraichely of Charm Boutique (www.charm-boutique.com), which sells handmade jewelry and gifts, said her site set a single-day record for traffic because of its participation.
A representative of OhToy.com (www.ohtoy.com) said the presence of his company's logo on the Free Shipping Day web site created substantial exposure the business otherwise would not have seen.
Julie Swatek of ScrapYourTrip.com (www.scrapyourtrip.com) said her business did three times the sales they normally do in a day.
"We received an enormous amount of online, print and broadcast media coverage, and that created awareness for Free Shipping Day and the merchants that participated," Knowles said. "Smaller merchants especially benefitted because it was free exposure that introduced them to shoppers who could become repeat customers."
Knowles is already making plans for the second Free Shipping Day. In January, he will consult with participating retailers and set a date for the December 2009 event. The key is establishing the last possible day that merchants can commit to offering free shipping and getting their items to the intended recipients by Christmas Eve day.
"It is our goal for consumers to become as familiar with Free Shipping Day as they are with Black Friday and Cyber Monday," Knowles said. "We hope that it becomes an industry-wide event that is not only promoted by us, but also by the hundreds of merchants that are involved."
About Free Shipping Day
Free Shipping Day is a first-of-its-kind event which represents a day when participating merchants offer free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. The first event – which was held on Thursday, December 18, 2008 – attracted more than 250 merchants and 250,000 visitors to the Free Shipping Day web site, including more than 100,000 visitors on the actual day itself. The date for the 2009 Free Shipping Day will be determined in January. For more information, visit www.freeshippingday.com.
SOURCE: Free Shipping Day