More Ecommerce Retailers Offering Free Shipping To Attract Customers and Edge Out Competitors
By Anna Johnson on November 10th, 2009Based on research by comScore, Inc, the last few years have seen free shipping emerge as a critical selling point for ecommerce retailers.
The importance of offering free shipping has, moreover, increased during the economic recession. comScore’s data shows that the percentage of online store sales including free shipping has risen from 31 percent in the first quarter of 2008 to 42 percent in the third quarter of 2009.
As you might imagine, the percentage of transactions requiring online shoppers to pay for shipping has decreased during the same period. Here’s comScore’s breakdown of the proportion of sales involving free shipping versus the proportion involving paid shipping over the last seven quarters:
- Q1 2008: Free: 31 percent; Paid: 69 percent
- Q2 2008: Free: 34 percent; Paid: 66 percent
- Q3 2008: Free: 35 percent; Paid: 65 percent
- Q4 2008: Free: 38 percent; Paid: 62 percent
- Q1 2009: Free: 37 percent; Paid: 63 percent
- Q2 2009: Free: 43 percent; Paid: 57 percent
- Q3 2009: Free: 42 percent; Paid: 58 percent
