comScore reports that consumers have spent $30.9 billion online so far in November-December, a 15% increase over the same period in 2010. While Cyber Monday still holds the record for the heaviest online spending day of the year for the second consecutive season, last Friday's Free Shipping Day still pulled in an impressive $1.07 billion.
Was "free shipping" the email buzzword last Friday? On December 16, 39 emails came into my personal inbox. Twenty-four of those messages featured free shipping pitches either in the subject line or body copy.
Many marketers—perhaps assuming enough online shoppers already knew that free shipping was pretty much a given on Dec. 16—instead used their subject line space to highlight an offer. The Body Shop, for example, went both ways, sending a free shipping subject line early in the day and a "Final Hours – 3 for $30" message later in the day. Lands' End visited my inbox twice on Friday as well, both times with a "40% off" subject line.
Free shipping on any order was the course taken by some, such as The Disney Store, while others offered free shipping on order above a certain pricepoint, $150 for Bloomingdales, $99 for ThinkGeek.com, $49 for Lego and $25 for GetMusic.
Readers of the fine print of Target's Friday email saw that certain toy orders over $50 got free shipping, as did all orders everyday paid for by the Target credit card. King Arthur Flour went for discounted rather than free shipping, offering $3 ground shipping on Friday.
Did I do any online shopping Friday? Heck, no. While everyone promises that they'll still deliver by Christmas, it stresses me out too much to be waiting for deliveries on orders placed after around Dec. 10, so any late shopping by me is done by dashing to the brick and mortar stores.
And now, on to the wrapping. And housecleaning. And baking. And, oh yeah, these cards won't mail themselves. May you and yours have the happiest of holiday seasons!
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