Holiday decorations are starting to line department store shelves, so it’s time to start preparing your small business for the busiest time of the year! And, that includes whether or not to offer free shipping for your customers. Marketplaces like Amazon offer Amazon Prime subscribers free two-day shipping, and in some cases, free same-day shipping, so offering free shipping does help to level the playing field.
However, we understand inflation and supply chain issues are hitting everyone hard. Rising prices and lack of availability are impacting everything from groceries to clothing. Free shipping might not be an option for your business, and that’s more than okay! We’re going to give you all of the benefits of free shipping, so even though you might not be able to incorporate it for all orders, maybe this blog will be a jumping-off point to help you find a strategy that works for your business and compete with bigger stores and marketplaces.
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Are you looking for more tips for your small business? Check out Ecommerce Shipping Strategies To Start Using!
Free shipping can reduce cart abandonment
According to the Baymard Institute, 48% of customers won’t complete their purchase because extra costs like shipping and taxes are too expensive. This means offering free shipping where you can could potentially decrease your store’s cart abandonment numbers. As we mentioned earlier, offering free shipping outright might not be feasible for your business. But, we have another option for you!
If you can’t offer free shipping for all of your orders, consider adding free shipping for customers who spend a certain amount of money. For example, offer free shipping for orders over $50. When customers are close to this amount, they’ll be more likely to add another item or two to their order to score free shipping. Also, with the holiday season approaching, customers might be looking for stocking stuffers and other small items, so grabbing a small item for free shipping is a smart move.
Personalization goes a long way
If free shipping isn’t an option, it’s worth looking into other incentives for your customers. Sending out promo codes and/or offering free gifts to your repeat customers will add a personalized touch and keep your customers coming back. To incentivize new and/or first-time customers, focus on the small touches. Adding customized notes, stickers, and other small/ free items when packing your orders lets your customers know you truly care about their business.
Marketing is especially important during the holiday season as well. Using marketing tools like ShippingEasy’s Customer Marketing help to find both your repeat and new customers, so you can create email campaigns specific to the group you’re targeting. Also, don’t be afraid to be unique! Grabbing your customers’ attention when their email inbox is a sea of retail offers is challenging. Think outside the box, so that it’s one of your products in their gift box.
Wrap up your email campaigns for the holidays with the help of our blog – 6 Creative Holiday Email Campaigns That’ll Inspire Your Next Campaign.
How can ShippingEasy help you offer free shipping?
While ShippingEasy doesn’t impact the live shipping rates on your store, using ShippingEasy DOES give you access to USPS Commercial Rates and UPS One Balance rates. You can save up to 43% over USPS Retail Rates, and UPS One Balance gives you access to 88% off daily rates (international services), up to 72% for UPS 2nd Day Air® and Next Day Air® services, and up to 77% off UPS® Ground shipments.
These rates are available to all of our users, regardless of plan level. Saving more on shipping may help you with offering free shipping to your customers as well as offset some of the rising costs we’ve been seeing. Whether or not you decide to offer free shipping, you can keep this holiday shipping season both merry and bright with the gift of ShippingEasy’s shipping rates.
Make holiday Shipping Easy with your 30-day free trial today!
Baillee Perkins
