Purchase Factor: Free Shipping
Drives Online Consumers to Buy
BY THE NUMBERS:
ASIA PACIFIC
SPA INDUSTRY
According to the Intelligent Spas’ Spa Industry
Report for Asia Pacific initiated by the Asia
Pacific Spa and Wellness Coalition (APSWC),
there are key business opportunities in the region.
The report contains data on all 42 countries
across the region,
including the numbers below:
3,500
Number of spas currently
operating in the Asia
Pacific region.
US$2
Billion
50,000
Approximate revenue
per annum of Asia Pacific
spas collectively.
60%
Number of spa professionals employed by the Asia
Pacific spa industry.
Percentage of Asia
Pacific countries
considered emerging or
potential spa markets.
A
ccording to a study by Forrester Research—a technology and
market research company—the no. 1 reason
consumers abandon their online shopping
carts is a lack of a free shipping offer.
Free shipping, for many online consumers who are
used to big online retailers like Amazon.com offering
such incentive, is an offer they have come to expect
and even demand for when shopping online.
Take a cue from retailers that have successfully used “free shipping” as a
marketing tool to get online shoppers to
purchase their products. Zappos and
Piperlime, for instance, lead the trend
with free shipping and free returns.
Nordstrom joined in by announcing its
“free shipping both ways, every day”
policy in August.
If you can’t afford to offer free shipping
every day, attract consumers through “free
shipping day” which proves effective
among last-minute holiday shoppers who
want immediate and convenient deals.
Or, reward loyal online shoppers with a
“member-exclusive free shipping.”
Alternative Medicine Gaining Ground
Among Medical Practitioners
A
health article on nytimes.com states that, despite some resistance by
skeptical medical practitioners, research shows that Complementary
Alternative Medicine (CAM) is gaining ground in certain doctors’ offices.
This is according to a study by Harvard Medical School, released in May, which
found out that one in 30 Americans—as many as six million people—have used an
alternative therapy after a doctor recommended it.
But it’s not just the general public that is actually open to trying alternative medicine. A recent report in the journal Health Services Research indicated that doctors
and nurses are increasingly likely to try alternative or complementary medicines
themselves.
December 2011
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PULSE 11