According to a USPS study “Increase Sales with Online Buyers” one of the effective ways that can boost your online sales is by offering customers shipping choices. About 60% of consumers and 72% of business owners want to choose their delivery company when making an online purchase.
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The 2-page paper, however, did not elaborate on what it means by “shipping choices.” Reading it, my first thought was whether choices mean offering customers with a choice to select USPS, UPS, Fedex or some other shipping companies. I’ve never seen such an offering — same price point but different shipping companies. Most online businesses including the giants such as Amazon.com offer shipping choices in terms of bundling, and shipping times, with the fastest option being the most expensive. I know I’ve received packages from Amazon using their Free Super Saver shipping option from UPS, USPS and Fedex — without me knowing (or choosing) which carrier they will use.
The study also found that 43% of online shoppers abandon their purchase at checkout, and the main reason cited is the high shipping costs. Even me, I abandon the shopping cart when I get a sticker shock in terms of shipping.
The study has some important findings — just skip through the self serving “USPS is the best” section.
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