Offering free shipping is one of the easiest and most effective ways of attracting new customers. You can easily sway someone to buy from your eCommerce store by offering them free shipping when your competition charges them an arm and a leg for shipping.
The first thing you need to figure out is what eCommerce platform you should use that can allow you to offer free shipping. As you probably know, not all eCommerce platforms are created equal, and you’ll need to do a little homework before opening up your store that offers to ship items for free.
Why is free shipping such a successful tactic to win over customers?
Most eCommerce consumers are already sold on the item that they’re looking for and will be looking for a way to get it cheaper. By offering to ship something at no cost, you can easily attract their attention and have them make a purchase.
How can you create a successful free shipping offer?
It’s important to remember that you don’t want to create a free shipping offer that comes off as gimmicky or too much of a discount. A good strategy is to offer free shipping on a limited amount of items. For example, a man who buys a t-shirt for $20 might be enticed to buy a pair of shoes or jeans if the price of shipping was free.
Now let’s turn our attention to the eCommerce platforms that allow you to set up free shipping:
1. Ecwid
Ecwid is an eCommerce platform that has a reputation for being one of the most affordable eCommerce software solutions out there. Its free plan is ideal for eCommerce stores that only sell a few products and don’t require you to spend a ton of money on setting up your store.
If you’re looking for a free shipping feature on Ecwid, you don’t need to worry. The platform is highly configurable, and you can simply access your settings and update the value on the order summary page, which will then update the value on the checkout page.
Ecwid is growing in popularity, and it’s also highly scalable. It’s ideal if you’re looking to build an online store without spending a lot of money upfront.
2. 3dcart / Shift4Shop
3dcart is an open-source eCommerce platform created by a single developer in his spare time. It has a free and paid version, but you will have to contact the developer before moving on to your project’s second stage.
The biggest advantage of 3dcart is that it’s powerful and comes with all the features that you might need out of the box. The eCommerce platform is ideal for both small and enterprise-level businesses, and it offers a simple user interface.
Setting up free shipping is easy using the 3dcart platform. You can simply set up free shipping by entering a value in the order summary page’s settings.
3. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a commercial online eCommerce platform with a free and paid version. The free version is targeted towards small businesses and offers limited features.
Setting up free shipping on BigCommerce is incredibly easy. You simply need to set your destination country, the right shipping method and then enter a value in your order summary page’s settings.
BigCommerce enables you to set the free shipping value in the settings of your order summary page. It only takes a few clicks to set this up, and it’s a great way of winning over customers.
4. Squarespace
Squarespace is an affordable eCommerce solution that doesn’t require you to spend a ton of money to create your store. It has a free and paid version, but the free version offers a limited range of features.
Squarespace’s free shipping feature is incredibly easy to set up. You simply need to access your account settings and enter a value in your order summary page’s settings. The value is then updated on the order summary page and will display on the checkout page.
It’s important to note that the free shipping value on the checkout page doesn’t automatically update when you change it in your account settings. You will need to update the value in your account settings and on the checkout page before it takes effect.
5. Volusion
As one of the best eCommerce platforms out there, Volusion offers a low-cost option that’s ideal for businesses of all sizes. It has a free version that’s limited by the number of products you can sell and offers a paid version.
The biggest benefit of Volusion is that it’s easy to use and comes with all the features that you might need in an eCommerce platform out of the box. It’s also powerful and scalable, allowing you to grow your eCommerce store as far as you want.
To set up free shipping on Volusion, you need to go to the Settings tab and then enter a value in the settings of your order summary page under Free Shipping. The value that you enter in the order summary page will display on the checkout page. As previously mentioned, the value that you enter in the order summary page is not automatically updated to reflect changes in your account settings.
6. Shopify
Shopify is a well-known and well-respected eCommerce platform that’s ideal for building a successful online store. It’s easy to use and comes with all the features you might need in a starting eCommerce platform.
The Shopify platform is ideal if you’re looking to create an online store that’s ready-to-use out of the box. You can easily install a theme and add a product to your store after signing up for an account.
The best part of setting up free shipping using Shopify is that you don’t need to install third-party apps. You can access your settings and update the order summary page’s value, which will then automatically update on the checkout page.
A few last words
As you can see, setting up free shipping on eCommerce platforms is incredibly easy. You need to access your settings and update the value in the order summary page of your account.
Thanks to the installation of free shipping by default on many online platforms, including Shopify, it has become a staple for most online stores. If you follow the platforms listed in this article, you’ll have no trouble setting up free shipping on your own eCommerce store.
Take advantage of the persuasive power of free shipping
Give people an offer they can’t refuse, and they’ll instantly become customers. That’s why you need to put a great deal of thought into your product and its shipping costs. If you put the right price tag on your offering, you’ll have no trouble turning a customer into a loyal repeat buyer. Plus, the more people your website can convince to buy from you, the bigger your market becomes. Market coverage is a big part of eCommerce, which is why you need to make it as easy as possible for a customer to find you on the web.
By adding free shipping to your product, you’ll be able to convince people who might otherwise think of shopping elsewhere to take a look. It’s a great way to start and sustain an online store. If customers like what you’re offering, they will return for more. Anything that you can do to lure someone to buy from you and not the competition is a tactic well worth looking into.