This week, Amazon increased the free shipping minimum order amount for non-Prime customers in the US from $35 to $49.
It’s the first increase since 2013, when the online retail giant upped the threshold from $25.
We’re well aware that free shipping can work well as a sales driver, but the extent to which shoppers will go to qualify is very interesting.
Stats from a UPS study show that 58% of customers have added extra items to their shopping basket in order to qualify for free delivery.
So what does this mean for retailers, and how should they approach this issue?
Tackling the topic of product detail page layouts is daunting because there is no short answer.
Saying one element such as large product images increases conversion, though it’s proven, does not tell the full story.
The product detail page needs to be dealt with as a whole. This article will do just that. It will focus on the ‘must have’ page elements, recommend where they should appear on the page, explain why, and provide tips on how to maximize the value of each.
To support recommendations, experienced online retailers will be used as examples, known experts will be quoted, and for those who are visual, a wireframe has been put together for reference.
The features you need to add to product pages will vary according to the type of ecommerce site.
Some of the things on this list are essentials for any online retailer, while others are dependent on the sector and target market.
This checklist contains some of the more common elements that customers are looking for on ecommerce product pages, as well as some more advanced features that can enhance the experience.
Your product pages should contain the essentials listed below, and most of the others. I haven’t listed product reviews as essential, but I’d say they’re pretty close to it.
I’ve tried to think of everything here, but please let me know what I’ve missed, and what works for your site.
There may be no free lunches in life, but don’t tell that to consumers who love their free shipping.
Thanks in large part to consumers’ desire to get something for nothing, free shipping has become a common part of the online shopping experience. How common? According to comScore, nearly half of online orders in Q1 2011 were delivered free of charge.
When shopping for something which can be bought both online and in store, 34% of UK shoppers would prefer to buy online, with 55% opting for the high street.
While this stat shows that offline retail still holds an important place in customers’ minds, 34% is still a sizeable portion of the sample.
These stats are taken from Econsultancy’s Habits and Motivations of Consumers report, which looks at e-commerce consumer behaviour in both the UK and US.