Tag Archive for: marketing strategy

Scottsdale Web Design – Why Your Website Needs a FREE SHIPPING Feature

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FREE SHIPPING boosts your website more than you think. In fact, Gian Fulgoni mentioned during his Comscore’s webinar that 75% of the online shoppers surveyed revealed that they would switch to another website if shipping was NOT free during shipping and payment process.

Additionally, Forrester Research did a survey in 2008 and the conclusion of the study was that online retailers expanded their web department by 18%. However, 40% of the customers mentioned that they very surprised at the high cost of shipping their items. Thus, they decided to abandon their carts. Unfortunately for these online retailers, many customers did not continue with their orders.

Brown shopping bagsHow Free Shipping Saves the Day?

In order to avoid the problems presented on the Forrester Research survey, many websites now offer FREE SHIPPING. This strategy could make customers shift and try shopping in different websites. Rather than choosing  Amazon, where shipping rates are calculated per item, a lot of customers opt for websites such as Wordery and Book Depository. These online businesses offer “free worldwide shipping.” With this, people will seriously consider to transfer. The free shipping strategy is pretty hard to resist.

These are the different ways to offer FREE SHIPPING to your customers:

  • FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER X AMOUNT.
  • Amazon may not offer free worldwide shipping, but the website uses another shipping strategy. Amazon will unlock the free shipping option if and only if you reached their minimum requirement. If your current order is over $25, you can now click the free shipping option during the checkout process. The free shipping feature only applies to the 50 states of the U.S.
  • FLAT-RATE SHIPPING FEE.
  • There’s also another strategy that is NOT weight-based. Flat-rate shipping will only require a uniform shipping fee without considering the quantity and weight of the order. The USPS’ flat-rate shipping option starts at $6.70. The shipping fee is fixed as long as the package does NOT exceed 70 lbs. The Priority Mail Flat Rate packaging includes USPS Tracking when you send it to any U.S. destination.
  • FREE SHIPPING ON SELECTED PRODUCTS.
  • Offering free shipping when you are selling a bundle is ideal. It encourages customers to try out the product bundle. Instead of just buying a piece, you are enticing them to get a bundle + FREE SHIPPING. For example, you can offer a jewelry set that includes a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet. Group products that complement each other and offer them as a bundle to take advantage of the FREE SHIPPING offer.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFERS DURING SPECIAL OCCASIONS.
  • Limited-time offers are a way to cross-sell other items. It’s a subtle way of saying to your customers to browse these items that will sell out soon. So, the customers will start hoarding these items and will be adding more items to their shopping carts.
  • Aside from that, it’s an efficient way to get rid of overstocks. It’s an ingenious strategy to encourage people to purchase multiple copies. A common example is to offer a buy 2, get 2 free.

These are only some of the popular FREE SHIPPING options. Some websites even utilizes all three strategies. In designing a website, it’s crucial to study your customers. You need to know what products sell the most, the sales that were able to attract many customers, the CTA buttons that get clicked the most.  The results are important and it can help you improve your online store.

Scottsdale Web Design – How to Revamp Your Website for Valentine’s Day

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The holidays are over and it’s now the start of a new year. The next thing you’ll know is that it’s going to be  Valentine’s Day. Websites should discard the Christmas decorations and start filling their websites with hearts and flowers. Valentine’s Day is the time where people go the extra mile to show their love for their loved ones. For websites,  it’s the perfect time to spread love. Valentine’s Day promotions are going to pop up anytime soon. So, here are 3 tips for your retail site this upcoming Valentine’s Day:

  • Tip #1: Prepare In Advance.

  • January is the ideal time to start organizing a Valentine’s Day plan. Whatever your business may be, it’s imperative that you should start early. After the Christmas break, you can begin planning what you might want to do this Valentine’s Day. You need time to spread your website campaigns. Even with the help of the internet, promotions and sales will popularize in a snap. Plus, you need to give people time to save up enough money to splurge on this special day.
  • Another reason to start early is that other websites may have started with their own marketing campaigns If you won’t plan now, you will only be left with hardly any customers. Take the first step and start knocking on their generous hearts (no pun intended!)
Heart Cutout on a Coffee Cup

It’s going to be Valentine’s day soon!

  • Tip #2: Use Images to Get People Ready for Valentine’s Day

  • It’s such a happy and joyous occasion. Since it’s Valentine’s day, add hearts, flowers, teddy bears, and chocolate to your marketing ads. Website reminders and email messages just won’t do it. Each time you have a website sale, like on Valentine’s day, make sure to add happy and  lively pictures.
  • You should also follow a certain template. Whether it’s a special photo you took yourself, the cheery banner, or the social media advertisement you carefully planned, there should be a sense of uniformity. All the materials you prepared should use the same color scheme, font, and style. Not only that, it should also contain your logo, your website link, and your various social media accounts. So, people can easily know where to find your products that moment they see the ad.

  • Tip #3: Spread the Word by Spreading LOVE!

  • How do we exactly do this third tip? You spread love through giveaways! It’s time to let your customers do the marketing for you. By conducting a variety of giveaways on your different social media accounts, people can easily spread your Valentine’s day sale.
  • Whether your customers are mainly on Facebook,  Twitter, or Instagram, you start a simple “like and share” giveaway.  Anyone interested to WIN freebies from you will just repost an image or a status update. This way, the giveaway can trigger a ripple effect. So, people are inspired to share and spread the word about your Valentine’s day promotion.
  • Lastly, you DON’T have to do a giveaway at all times. Other strategies include: offering a FREE gift to anyone who reaches the required minimum purchase amount. Just remember that during these special occasions, every online business is brainstorming of a one-of-a-kind strategy to convince people to buy.  If every website similar to you is having a  buy 1, get 1 free, why not add something like an all-expense-paid Valentine’s day date? That additional prize will surely make you stand out from the rest. It’s doesn’t have to be at an 5-star hotel. People will still appreciate having a date at a cozy restaurant. It makes the date more meaningful and more memorable!