Shoppers may have more incentive to buy online this year: the sales are
as big as — if not better than — in-store offers and many retailers
are offering free shipping. The catch, say experts: Shoppers have to
spend a lot more.
Some 93% of stores will offer a free shipping deal this year, up from
85% last year, according to the National Retail Federation arm Shop.org‘s
projections. But unlike last year, when many retailers offered free
shipping on everything, regardless of the amount spent, this year
consumers have to pay a minimum, says Luke Knowles, founder of
free-shipping-focused deal site FreeShipping.org.
In the NRF’s annual study of Cyber Monday offers, for example, 30% of
sites said they’d offer free shipping on some orders. Last year, 22%
offered it on all orders.
Even though online sales are projected to rise 15% this holiday
season, according to Forrester Research, experts say the cost of
shipping can still make or break a purchase. “Free shipping has become
the expectation for consumers,” says Kit Yarrow, a professor of
psychology and marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco,
Calif. Retailers raising minimums on their offers helps them avoid
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