Update:  Here is the recording from the Nov 9 International Shipping webinar with Frank Cebello of the USPS.

Stamps.com is offering a free webinar for e-commerce sellers featuring the best practices in international shipping through the eyes of an expert.

In this installment, the guest speaker is Frank Cebello, Executive Director of Global Business Management for the U.S. Postal Service®. Mr. Cebello is an industry expert and will discuss the impact of 2011 holiday mailing dates, the rising potential of international sales, and the competitive global solutions offered by the USPS. Additionally, the webinar will cover proven best practices including adhering to the shipping regulations and restrictions imposed by different countries, implementing online postage software, utilizing the low-cost international services of the USPS, and opening up your shipping program to international buyers — all of which can increase global sales during the holiday season.

What: Free webinar on international shipping best practices

When: Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

Where: Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/630635250

Topics Covered:

• USPS international shipping deadlines for 2011
• International market potential
• Understanding Customs Forms
• Details on USPS Global Alliances
• International shipping best practices

Frank Cebello, Executive Director, Global Business Management, USPS

About the Presenter – Frank Cebello Mr. Cebello joined the Postal Service in January of 2007. During his tenure, he has developed the Global Business Sales organization into a specialized and highly successful team that has had great success in growing international Commercial revenues. Prior to joining the Postal Service, Mr. Cebello had a long career with DHL Express where he was the District Sales Manager. Previous executive sales experience at DHL includes several years as an Area Sales Manager and District Sales Manager where he built and led several successful sales teams and negotiated global service agreements for several large clients. Prior to DHL, Mr. Cebello worked for TNT Express Worldwide where he also held several executive sales positions. Mr. Cebello holds a B.A. in Managerial Studies from Rice University.

For e-commerce retailers, the holiday shopping season is the most important time of the year. To increase profitability, many are recognizing the value of shipping practices and promotions.

In its latest survey on e-commerce shipping practices, Stamps.com found that 64% of respondents report that free shipping, with or without minimum spend, is the most effective promotion they can offer to drive sales during the holiday season, and 53% will be offering free shipping on more products this year compared to last holiday season. More than half (52%) of the survey respondents who use free shipping with minimum spend report their average order size increases by at least $4.

Free Shipping Is Seen as Most Effective Sales Promotion
According to 64% of the respondents, free shipping—with or without minimum spend—is the most effective promotion an e-commerce merchant can offer to drive sales during the holiday season.  Coming in second place was another shipping-related promotion. 26% of the respondents chose discounted shipping as an effective tool to drive sales.  Note:  survey respondents were allowed to choose multiple answers.

Merchants to Offer Free Shipping on More Products This Year
More than half (53%) of the merchants surveyed report that they’ll offer free shipping on more items this holiday season than they did during the same period in 2009.

In fact, 43% of those surveyed will offer free shipping on more than half the items in their product catalog.

How Much Do Customers Have to Spend to Get Free Shipping?
For merchants who require minimum spends in order to qualify for free shipping, 66% of the respondents required an average order size of $50 or more for consumers to get free shipping.
 

Free Shipping Increases Average Order Size
When using free shipping with a minimum order amount, e-commerce merchants can expect to see their sales increase. More than half the survey respondents (52%) report that free shipping increases their average order size by at least $4.00. 37% of the respondents claim to see their average order size increased by $7.00 or greater.

Most Merchants Ship Using Regular Delivery
When offering free shipping, 82% of the respondents send their merchandise using regular 3-5 day delivery.

 
Social Media is Being Used for Sales Rather than Customer Service
More respondents are using social media to drive sales to their site (54%) rather than customer retention (43%) or customer support (39%).

 
Seller Reputation Is Still King
Although shipping cost and speed are both important factors in driving sales, many merchants believe customers are influenced most by the seller’s reputation.

International Sales Add Up
The international market appears to be a good method to grow sales for e-commerce merchants.  82% of the respondents project that at least some of their holiday revenue will come from international purchases.  And 10% of respondents anticipate international sales to account for more than a quarter of their holiday sales.

Low Cost International Shipping Is a Must
Nearly half of the respondents (48%) report that low cost is their main consideration when shipping to international destinations, although package tracking and delivery speed are also important concerns.

This survey was sent to current Stamps.com customers that operate an e-commerce store.  The survey was conducted from October 21-28, 2010.

If there is one thing that online consumers respond to besides sales during the holiday season, it’s free shipping.  A 2008 survey by Forrester Research showed that 75 percent of shoppers prefer to buy from sites that offer free shipping, a jump from 61 percent in 2007.  This holiday season, 73 percent of consumers told Google that they would be taking advantage of free shipping at their favorite web retailers when buying gifts for friends and family.

Free shipping may entice sales, but the shipping itself isn’t free for the web retailer mailing the products.  Instead of the shipping costs being paid by customer, the web retailer must now absorb those additional costs from their profit margin.  During a down economy, it makes sense for ecommerce site owners to look for the most economical shipping option to fulfill your customers’ holiday wishes of free shipping.  Where can you find a reliable, yet inexpensive carrier to handle your shipping needs this holiday season?

The good old US Postal Service, of course.

“FREE SHIPPING” cost you less with the USPS and Stamps.com
How can you save money by shipping with the USPS through Stamps.com?

• 10 percent off on package insurance
• Insure packages up to $2,500 in value
• Up to 11 percent off Priority Mail retail rates
• Up to 8 percent off on International Mail classes
• Free Delivery Confirmation for Priority Mail packages

And, unlike UPS and FedEx, the US Postal Service doesn’t charge for residential deliveries or fuel surcharges.  The US Postal Service also offers free packaging supplies for Priority Mail packages and will pick up parcels from your business for no charge.

Ecommerce made easy… Import Sales Order Data Directly from eBay, Amazon and More
Stamps.com is a great option for web retailers who want to take full advantage of the cost savings the US Postal Service can deliver.   Stamps.com software even allows web retailers to import sales order data directly from popular online marketplaces including eBay, Yahoo! Stores, Amazon.com, Google Checkout or PayPal Shops.   Once the data is imported into Stamps.com, the shipping manager can batch print up to 1,000 shipping labels at a time or pick and choose individual labels to print.  The Stamps.com software will also match all the address data to the USPS database to prevent any undeliverable addresses prior to the package being sent out.

For web retailers using Amazon and eBay, Stamps.com will also post- back the package tracking data and costs into the sellers account.

It’s time to rethink your holiday shipping.
When retailers combine the services of the USPS with the ease and  convenience of Stamps.com, they have a powerful tool that reduces the  impact FREE SHIPPING offers can have on their bottom line.