Friday, September 4, 2009

Can Free Shipping Really Increase Sales?

Offering free shipping takes away one excuse that a potential customer may have for not making a purchase on your website. Numerous studies indicate that over half of online shoppers prefer sites that offer free shipping.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to offer free shipping. Find out what your customers want. You can do this by giving your customer a choice at checkout—free shipping or $5 off a purchase of over $50 (or whatever other discount you choose). A second idea for split testing is to have two sites, one that offers free shipping and one that doesn’t. Track your results and see what works best for your online business.

If you aren’t offering free shipping, then make it clear how much shipping will cost. According to PayPal, 43% of online shoppers do not complete a transaction because shipping charges were higher than they expected.

Free shipping shouldn’t be offered at the expense of an inferior product or at a large increase in product cost that is passed on to your customer. You know your products and should know whether or not free shipping is appropriate for your e-business.

For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.

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