Etsy to make free shipping a core part of shopping

16 Jul '19

3 min read

Pic: Etsy

Etsy, the global two-sided marketplace for unique and creative goods, has announced plans to make free shipping a core part of the Etsy shopping experience. Etsy is providing sellers with tools and support to help them guarantee free shipping to US buyers who spend at least $35 in their shop. Etsy was founded in 2005 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

By making it easy for sellers to offer free shipping, Etsy will empower them to better meet buyer expectations and more effectively win customers in today's changing retail landscape.

Sellers around the world are able to participate in this initiative. Etsy will be providing sellers globally with tools and educational resources to help them adopt a free shipping guarantee for US buyers. In addition, beginning on July 30, 2019, Etsy will give priority placement in US search results to items that ship free and to shops that guarantee US buyers free shipping on orders of $35 or more. This means that shoppers in the US will primarily see items that ship free and shops that offer free shipping on orders of $35 or more in the top and most visible rows of search. Etsy will begin actively marketing this free shipping initiative to buyers starting in September, with the goal of driving more traffic to the Etsy marketplace and sellers’ shops, the company said in a media statement.

According to Etsy buyer data, buyers are significantly more likely to purchase an item in their cart with free shipping compared to an item that has added shipping costs. Etsy also ran a limited-time free shipping promotion in May 2019 that led to higher order values when participating buyers purchased items that shipped for free or were eligible for free shipping.

Given the timing of the launch, this initiative is currently expected to have modest upside to Etsy’s previously announced 2019 gross merchandise sales guidance. The projected impact of this initiative will be shared when Etsy reports its second quarter 2019 financial results.

“Shoppers come to Etsy to discover over 60 million special and unique items that often cannot be found anywhere else. Yet we hear that high shipping prices often deter shoppers from completing their purchases. By making free shipping the norm on Etsy, rather than the exception, we’ll connect more people with items that they love. Ultimately, we believe this will help increase marketplace conversion and order value, encourage repeat visits, and drive more sales for Etsy sellers,” Josh Silverman, Etsy’s chief executive officer said. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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