I just returned from a two day e-commerce conference. One of the hot topics of discussion was "free shipping". As we all know, nothing is really free so who pays for it? Obviously the customer does, only now it's hidden in the cost. Worse yet, if you order multiple items you are paying more because the extra fee is added to each individually item so actually the more you purchase the more you are paying.
Have you ever had someone try to trick you into believing something that wasn't true then laughing at you for being stupid enough to believe it? I had a "friend" once that loved taking advantage of my naive trust. He would convince me to believe some crazy story then ridicule me for trusting him. That is my reaction to marketing gimmicks. It makes me feel used. I wouldn't feel right taking advantage of my customer's trust even though it has been proven time and time again that those marketing tactics work quite successfully.
When someone tries to demand Free shipping my initial thought is, "why don't you call UPS and see if they will donate your shipping fees?" No matter how you play the game, there is no such thing as free shipping.
At the conference I met a UPS representative. I was impressed that his purpose for attending was to listen to our shipping needs and to explore possible solutions to make it more affordable for everyone.
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