Get All Access for $5/mo

The Holy Grail of Profitable Shipping (Infographic) Here's exactly how to determine which shipping offers work best for your margins.

By Tracey Wallace Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

When it comes to converting customers on site, little else works better than a free shipping offer. After all, 80 percent of U.S. shoppers cite shipping cost and speed of delivery as a heavily influential factor when they buy a product from certain brand.

Lower the cost to free and offer two-day shipping to go along with it, and you've got yourself a bundle deal - and likely increased conversion rates.

Related: 3 Ways to Grow a Multi-Million Dollar Drop Shipping Business

But, more sales doesn't translate to increased revenue if you're taking a hit on margins. Not even Amazon can turn a profit from their free shipping offer, which is why they just increased their minimum order value for the service.

What you offer in terms of shipping should vary based on what you sell, to whom you sell it and where you are shipping it. Free shipping is not the holy grail, especially if you can't turn a profit.

Related Offer: Save Time and Money with a Stamps.com 4-Week Trial

Here's a handy guide to walk you through the shipping strategies that might work best for your brand and product offering.

BigCommerce Ecommerce Shipping

Tracey Wallace

Managing Editor of Bigcommerce

Tracey Wallace is the managing editor at commerce platform Bigcommerce, where she covers topics concerning fast-growing online businesses. In a previous life, she wrote about small business and boutique success at Mashable, ELLE and Time Out New York. Her work has been featured on Bustle, PolicyMic and Refinery29. Wallace writes from Bigcommerce's headquarters in Austin, Texas. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Business News

'I'm Not Trying to Land on Mars': Mark Cuban Takes Dig at Elon Musk to Explain Why His Online Pharmacy Isn't Trying to Make More Money

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. is an online pharmacy co-founded by Cuban and radiologist Alex Oshmyansky.

Business News

'It's Not About You': How to Fire Someone Effectively, According to Kevin O'Leary

O'Leary says that if you can't fire someone, you aren't the right leader for the organization.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Meta Makes $1 Million Dollar Donation to Donald Trump's Inaugural Fund

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also reportedly gave Trump a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Marketing

Your Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Is Hiding in the Finance Department — Here's Why

Transform your marketing leadership by turning finance from a barrier into a strategic ally. Learn how aligning with your finance team can drive unprecedented growth and innovation.