Online Shopping: The Importance of Free Shipping

Posted on June 15, 2012 by bermanevansretail
Online retailers have a major trade-off when deciding whether to offer free shipping: the number of customers attracted because of free shipping versus the costs to the companies of shipping. Those that choose to provide free shipping also have another decision to make: At what minimum purchase amount is free shipping available to shoppers?
Click on the chart to learn more from eMarketer.

Aspects of Online Shopping that US Online Buyers Would Like Retailers to Improve, Feb 2012 (% of respondents)

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

10 Free Market Research Tools for Small Businesses

Posted on June 14, 2012 by bermanevansretail
At its Web site (click the image below), Social Strand Media offers a number of great resources and tips on marketing research that are especially valuable for a small firm.

Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Social Media and Retailing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fair and Square Pricing at J.C. Penney

Posted on June 14, 2012 by bermanevansretail
In February 2012, J.C. Penney revamped its pricing approach — by cutting everyday prices and reducing the number of sales. To date, this approach has not lived up to the firm’s expectations.
What do you think?

Posted in Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment