How to Offer Free Shipping on Your eCommerce Store?

Are you looking to increase sales at your eCommerce store? One of the best ways to get customers excited about shopping with your business is by offering free shipping. Customers love free shipping - it's enticing, it saves them money, and it encourages them to purchase from trusted stores that are willing to make their shopping experience even better.

But how do you offer free shipping on an eCommerce store when the costs associated with postage can be prohibitively expensive? In this article, we'll discuss why offering free shipping could be beneficial for your business in terms of increasing customer satisfaction & provide tips for getting started.

Benefits of offering free shipping with Commerce store

eCommerce store owners often think about offering free shipping as a way to both increase customer loyalty and drive more sales. Here are some of the main benefits of offering free shipping with an eCommerce store:

1. Increased Conversion Rates

Providing free shipping can significantly increase conversion rates, as customers are more likely to proceed with their purchase if there is no additional cost for delivery.

2. Customer Loyalty

Offering free shipping can be a great way to build customer loyalty, as customers will remember and appreciate the fact that they don’t have to pay extra fees when shopping with your store.

3. Improved Shopping Experience

Free shipping can improve the overall customer experience, as they don’t have to worry about extra delivery costs. This not only makes their shopping journey easier and more enjoyable, but it also helps to ensure that your store remains competitive with other online retailers that also offer free shipping.

4. Lowered Overhead Costs

Shipping costs can be a significant expense for any business, but offering free shipping can help to reduce these costs. By streamlining the delivery process and cutting down on packaging and other expenses related to shipping, businesses can save money in the long run.

5. Increased Visibility

Offering free shipping can also help to increase visibility for your eCommerce store. By providing an incentive that other stores may not offer, potential customers may be more likely to visit your store rather than going elsewhere.

How to offer free shipping on your eCommerce store?

Offering free shipping on your eCommerce store is a great way to attract customers, as it eliminates the cost barrier and can encourage more people to buy from you. There are a few different ways you can offer free shipping:

1. Offer Flat-Rate Shipping

This option is great for stores with a limited product selection. You can set a flat rate for any order, regardless of size or weight. This makes it easy and straightforward for customers to know what they’ll be paying before they check out.

2. Use Shipping Thresholds

With this option, you can offer free shipping once a customer reaches a certain total purchase amount. This encourages customers to buy more from your store and can help increase overall sales.

3. Use Coupon Codes

This option allows you to offer a specific coupon code for free shipping on any order. This makes it easy to track who’s taking advantage of the discount, as well as what they purchased.

4. Offer Free Shipping as Part of Your Loyalty Program

If you have a loyalty program, consider offering free shipping as one of the benefits. This encourages customers to stay loyal to your store and take advantage of this perk.

5. Negotiate With Your Carriers

If you work with several shipping carriers, consider negotiating for lower rates. Many carriers offer discounts for volume orders and can provide you with more competitive rates. This also allows you to offer free shipping at a lower cost.

How to calculate free shipping?

Calculating free shipping for an order can be simple and straightforward. Here are some of the basic steps to calculate free shipping:

1. Consider the order total

The first step in calculating free shipping is to consider the total cost of the order before any discounts are applied. This will typically be determined by adding up all of the items included in the order.

2. Determine the shipping costs

After the order total has been established, you will need to determine the shipping cost for the order. This will typically include things like handling fees and other associated costs that may be necessary to get the order delivered.

3. Calculate the free shipping threshold

Free shipping is often based on a certain threshold that must be met before it will be applied. This threshold is typically set by the merchant and can take into account things like order totals, shipping costs, or both.

4. Apply free shipping

Once the threshold has been met, you will then be able to apply the free shipping option to your order. This may involve different steps depending on the merchant and the specific method used for calculating the free shipping.

5. Check for accuracy

Finally, you will want to double-check your calculations and make sure that free shipping is being applied correctly. This can help ensure that the order is delivered as expected and in a timely manner.

Conclusion

There are a lot of options available to eCommerce store owners when it comes to offering free shipping. It ultimately depends on what will work best for your business in terms of cost, time, and customer satisfaction. Try out a few different methods and see which one gives you the best results.