Black Friday marks the start of the festive season and most importantly, Christmas shopping. It’s all about insane price drops on a huge range of products!

Millions of people across the world will line up outside retail stores in the early hours just to get their hands on an absolute bargain. But as more people choose to shop from the comfort of their mobile phone or laptop, shipping costs are bound to add up.

So as the online retail world becomes our go-to way to shop, the promise of free shipping is arguably one of the most important factors when shopping online. Let’s see why your business should be offering free shipping as we approach Black Friday.

And if you're looking to save money on shipping this year, check out Parcel2Go's Black Friday deals.

 

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday 2023 is on Friday 24th November, with Cyber Monday on 27th.

As it’s just around the corner, let's dive in and see why you should use free shipping on Black Friday.

 

Should You Offer Free Shipping?

With retail giants like Amazon Prime dominating the market, free shipping has become a standard that customers have come to expect from online retailers. Businesses that don’t catch onto this e-commerce norm face falling behind when big retail periods like Black Friday come around.

Sure, to offer free shipping, you’ll have to factor shipping costs into your pricing model, but it can potentially bring benefits to your business in the long run.

Here’s how you can benefit from offering free shipping to your customers this Black Friday.

 

1. Reduce Customers Abandoning Their Cart

 

 

No one likes being surprised by an additional cost dropped into their basket just before they’re ready to purchase.

In fact, a report carried out by Baymard revealed that high extra costs such as shipping account for 47% of reasons respondents to the study would abandon their shopping carts.

Offering free shipping eliminates cart abandonment caused by unexpected delivery charges and helps to drive a wealth of additional purchases over Black Friday and Cyber Week.

 

2. Gives a Competitive Edge

If a competitor doesn’t offer free shipping, they’re likely to lose the business of shoppers who consider free shipping a must.

Those same customers will now be shopping around, but with something specific in mind, putting them on the fringe of making a purchase.

If free shipping is the last remaining obstacle to their purchase, your business will reap the benefit of the failings of your competitors, and give you a chance to retain those customers for future transactions!

 

3. Boost Your Average Order Value

 

 

According to a survey from Inmar Intelligence, 78% of consumers are willing to buy more items in order to qualify for free shipping.

This study is just one example of how customers can be incentivised to spend more when you give them a free shipping threshold.

A great strategy when adding a free shipping incentive is to place the threshold only slightly higher than your current average order value.

For example, if your customers typically spend £20 per order, why not try providing free shipping on orders over £25? You might find that customers are willing to treat themselves a little more if it can be justified with a monetary benefit at the end.

 

4. Customers May Save More

One thing that you should hone in on when offering free shipping is showing buyers the real value of delivery, to emphasise in real terms what they’re saving.

For example, if shipping were to cost £4.50, you might want this displayed on the checkout page with a strikethrough.

This helps customers better understand what they’re actually saving. Combined with the discounts you’ll put on your products for Black Friday, showing your buyers what they’ll save makes it even harder for them not to follow through with their orders, giving your sales that little added boost!

 

5. Prepares You for Christmas

 

 

For many businesses, Black Friday is just a sample of things to come before the Christmas shopping period gets into full swing.

Without the frantic excitement of Black Friday deals, customers are more likely to return to vendors they’ve had a good experience with in the past.

With free shipping, you can set yourself up well for return custom, because buyers will remember that they weren’t hit with any additional shipping charges before making their purchases.

And because Christmas shopping has greater sentimental value attached to it than the price-conscious Black Friday attitude, people will turn to stores they trust rather than stores with the cheapest offers.

So they’re more likely to drop by your store when they need to find that perfect gift for Mum or Dad even if your products are listed at higher prices, rather than a site that they’ve never shopped from before.

A reduction in delivery fees now could keep those customers returning in the future.

 

Black Friday Tips For Small Businesses

Offering free shipping is just one of the many things you can do as a business to make Black Friday a breeze.

But if you want to make sure all your Black Friday shipping needs are met, Parcel2Go has you covered! Not only can you get postage prices from as low as £1.99, you can also sign up to Smart Send - our free business shipping management tool.

See our 5 tips for sellers facing Black Friday in 2023 or see what Parcel2Go can offer to make your business parcel delivery as simple as ever.