With November officially underway, people all over Canada are beginning to think about their holiday shopping ventures. Beating the rush isn’t always easy. That’s why many Canadians are likely to begin their holiday shopping right away! This is especially likely, this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Consumers are a lot less likely to pack shopping malls this holiday shopping season. Instead, they’ll be flocking to the internet in record numbers.
How can you ensure your online store attracts customers in the weeks to come? Free shipping is definitely one big way to help grow your sales. Here are three major benefits of offering free shipping:
1. It levels the playing field with the big boys.
As an independent online retailer, you have a lot of competition. Naturally, the internet is filled to the brim with online shops of all kinds. During each holiday season, big-named brands like Amazon and Walmart get tons of attention. What can you do to attract customers who would generally flock to those huge e-commerce entities? You guessed it. Offer free shipping can give your brand a more competitive edge.
“Offering free delivery can accordingly put your store in the ‘free shipping club’ in customer’s mind, that ‘club’ members possibly are E-commerce giants such as Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, or many other major sellers,” says Mageplaza.com, “If the shopper has information about your free shipping or has been once benefited from that program, your store will spring to their mind first, and give your site a chance instead of considering other major players.”
2. It helps to minimize cart abandonment.
An online retailer’s worst nightmare is having a customer fill his/her virtual shopping cart only to abandon it. In many cases, online shoppers withdraw from their purchases because of the added costs of shipping. By eliminating shipping costs in your online store, you’ll entice shoppers to go through with the entire checkout process. It’s a good idea to include your shipping expenses in the prices of the items so shoppers aren’t hit with surprises at the checkout.
“Shopping carts are often abandoned at the checkout when customers are dissuaded by an additional shipping charge,” agrees BigCommerce.ca, “Maintaining a steady cost from product page to checkout increases a customer’s likelihood on following through with the purchase.”
3. It significantly improves the customer experience.
This is the time of year when customer complaints occur in abundance. As joyful as the season is meant to be, holiday shopping can bring out the worst in all of us. Save your brand from anyone’s ire by giving them something to smile about. Free shipping is a great way to cut down on customer call and emails, says Mageplaza.com.
“It is amazing the way free shipping cut down both pre-sale and after-sale questions,” notes the website, “Customers are likely to feel more comfortable and satisfied when committing a purchase that they do not need to pay for any extra cost. And if they return the good, commonly your store is not responsible for return shipping fee, they do not need to contact you regarding this cost refund.”
Is your company website all set up with an online shop? If not, please don’t hesitate to contact Unity Payments to learn about our safe and secure e-commerce solution! Call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
