70% of Brands Offer Free Shipping

Shop Local analyzed the websites for the top-40 selling brands in the tabletop and giftware industry. We assessed what promotions and discounts, such free shipping, brands offer. Shop Local did this because a product's price, which is impacted by discounts, is often the leading factor when shopping online. 70% of the brands surveyed by Shop Local offer free shipping.

Brand Study Findings: 

• Of the 40 brands, 28 (70%) offer free shipping. 
• For brands that offer free shipping, the average minimum purchase amount to qualify for free shipping is $115.
• Eight brands offer free shipping with no minimum purchase amount: Anna Weatherley, Baccarat, Casafina, Costa Nova, Michael Aram, Mottahedeh, Ricci Argentieri, and Vietri. 
• The brands that do not offer free shipping regardless of the order amount are: Abigails, Couzon, Deshoulieres, Estelle Colored Glass, Gien, Herend, Mario Luca Giusti, Mariposa, Royal Crown Derby, Simon Pearce, William Yeoward, and Zodax. 

*Please note: Results may vary.  This research was performed on July 10, 2023. 

We then compared these findings our findings from March 2023. (Read more about the March 2023 survey here).

• The number of brands that offer free shipping increased from 27 (67.5%) to 28 (70%).
• The average minimum amount to qualify for free shipping decreased from $134 to $115.
• The number of brands that offer free shipping with no minimum purchase amount increased from five to eight.
• The number of brands that offer promotions for signing up for their email newsletter remained the same at 14 brands (35%).

40 Brands Analyzed:
(Alphabetical order)

1. Abigails
2. Anna Weatherley
3. Annieglass
4. Arte Italica
5. Baccarat
6. Badash
7. Beatriz Ball
8. Bernardaud *
9. Bodrum
10. Calaisio
11. Casafina
12. Costa Nova
13. Couzon
14. Deshoulieres
15. Estelle Colored Glass *
16. Gien
17. Ginori 1735
18. Herend
19. Juliska
20. Le Creuset
21. Lenox
22. MacKenzie-Childs
23. Mario Luca Giusti
24. Mariposa
25. Michael Aram
26. Mottahedeh
27. Nambe
28. Pampa Bay
29. Pickard
30. Reed & Barton 
31. Ricci *
32. Royal Crown Derby
33. Simon Pearce
34. Skyros Design
35. Spode
36. Vietri
37. Waterford
38. Wedgwood
39. William Yeoward *
40. Zodax *

* = Shop Local does not have a partnership with this brand.  Often a brand subscribes to Shop Local's Brand Syncing Service. 

How the Study Was Conducted: 

• We reviewed the list of brands on Shop Local to determine the top 40 sellers.
• We visited the top 40 selling brands’ sites to record any promotions offered. The promotions tracked included free shipping and email promos.

Websites Visited:

• https://abigails.net/
• https://annaweatherley.com/ 
• https://annieglass.com/ 
• https://www.arteitalica.com/ 
• https://us.baccarat.com/ 
• https://badashcrystal.com/ 
• https://beatrizball.com/ 
• https://www.bernardaud.com/en/us 
• https://bodrumlinens.com/
• http://www.calaisio.com/ 
• https://www.casafinagifts.com/us/ 
• https://www.costanova.pt/us/ 
• https://eshop-deshoulieres.fr/ 
• https://estellecoloredglass.com/ 
• https://www.gien.com/us 
• https://www.ginori1735.com/us/en 
• https://herendusa.com/  
• https://www.juliska.com/  
• https://www.lecreuset.com/
• https://www.lenox.com/ 
• https://www.mackenzie-childs.com/ 
• https://www.mariolucagiusti.it/ 
• https://mariposa.com/ 
• https://michaelaram.com/  
• https://www.mottahedeh.com/ 
• https://www.nambe.com/
• https://pampabay.com/ 
• pickardchina.com 
• https://www.reedandbarton.com/ 
• https://www.ricciargentieri.com/ 
• https://www.royalcrownderby.co.uk/ 
• https://www.simonpearce.com/ 
• https://skyrosdesigns.com/ 
• https://www.spode.com/ 
• https://www.vietri.com/  
• https://www.waterford.com/ 
• https://www.wedgwood.com/en-us 
• https://www.williamyeoward.com/ 
• https://www.zodax.com/ 

What Actions Should a Merchant Take On Account of This Report?

• Shop Local found that merchants that offer free shipping are six times (6x!) more likely to receive an order. (Read more about Shop Local's analysis of stores that offer free shipping here). Therefore, sellers offering free shipping with low thresholds are selling more than those that don’t.
• A merchant should use the brand's promotions reported here to decide if it wishes to match these offers. To be competitive, we recommend that a store in general offer free shipping at $115 or less. 
• Accept lower margins online.  We understand that brands have larger margins and often have better shipping terms. Due to brands selling direct, as well as competitors like Amazon, indie retailers likely have to accept smaller margins online than they make in their physical store. 
• A merchant may wish to contact a brand to see if programs are available that support free shipping on their wholesale orders. This may make it easier for the merchant to offer free shipping to their retail customers.
• Amazon Prime has hurt margins. While $115 may seem like a low threshold for a brand to offer free shipping, Amazon Prime, which most Americans subscribe to, offers free express shipping on eligible products. For a brand to compete with Amazon Prime, the brand, too, has to offer a compelling shipping charge. 

What's next?
Shop Local will be conducting this Competitive Assessment Report (CAR) four times a year. To receive the results of this report, please sign up for a free Shop Local account. Shop Local members will receive an email with the report.

You're invited to open a free Shop Local account here: 
https://www.shoplocal.org/

Tags:
sales promotions free shipping discounts

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