subject: How to Buy Best Deals From China? [print this page] Free Shipping is a marketing tactic used primarily by online vendors and mail-order catalogs as a sales strategy to attract customers.
Internet Vendors benefit from a simplified sales model as compared to traditional brick-and-mortar stores. By storing goods remotely at a warehouse location and shipping goods directly to a consumer, significant transportation needs are eliminated both on the part of the vendor (shipping goods to stores) any by the consumer (traveling to stores).
Additionally, near universal access to the Internet means that a relatively few warehouse locations can compete with a market without having to deal with amounts of real-estate.
The simplified business model provides potentially lower costs or higher profit margins for remote vendors. The 'up front pricing' model attracts customers with low up-front prices reflecting the lower cost of goods to the vendor with less overhead.
The vendor would then add the cost of shipping, and any other applicable fees to the order before processing. Since the vendor typically makes the shipping arrangements, it is entirely possible that the cost of shipping passed on to the consumer will not be the same as the cost of shipping borne by the vendor.
Some online vendors use this as a source of revenue, further increasing profits or allowing the vendor to advertise even lower up-front prices.
Marketingis the process by which companies create customer interest in products or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business development. It is an integrated process through which companies build strongcustomer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves.
Once a payment has been accepted the goods or services can be delivered in the following ways.
Download: This is the method often used for digital media products such as software, music, movies, or images.
Shipping: The product is shipped to the customer's address.
Drop Shipping: The order is passed to the manufacturer or third-party distributor, who ships the item directly to the consumer, bypassing the retailer's physical location to save time, money, and space.
In-Store Pickup: The customer orders online, finds a local store usinglocator softwareand picks the product up at the closest store. This is the method often used in thebricks a clicks business model.
In the case of buying anadmission ticketone may get a code, or a ticket that can be printed out. At the premises it is made sure that the same right of admission is not used twice.
Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home. Other establishments such as internet cafes and schools provide access as well. A visit to a conventional retail store requires travel and must take place during business hours.
Searching or browsing an online catalog can be faster than browsing the aisles of a physical store. One can avoid crowded malls resulting in long lines, and no parking. Consumers withdial-up Internet connections rather thanbroadband have much longer load times for content-rich web sites and have a considerably slower online shopping experience.
