Report looks at what drives holiday sales

Shoppers will do anything to qualify for free shipping — even spend more money if need be.



That's according to a new report by Radial and CFI Group, which surveyed online shoppers to find out what they expect from retailers during the holiday shopping season. Free shipping is seen as such a priority during the holiday selling season that 65% of the respondents said they are willing to purchase additional items to qualify for it.



Other findings regarding what influences online shopping during the holidays, include the following:



• 76% of shoppers will shop at a competitor's website if a retailer runs out of product.



• 95% will wait up to five days for standard shipping.



• 47% will shop with competitors the next time if a retailer's shipment arrives later than expected.



• 14% use in-store pickup as one of their typical delivery choices.



• 36% prefer live chat for customer service during the holiday season.



To meet these varying customer needs, retailers must have the operational flexibility to offer a variety of fulfillment options, according to the report. Inventory control, free shipping levels, standard shipping guarantees, in-store pickup options, and both phone reps and live chat must all be carefully orchestrated to deliver tailored experiences customers. And reps must be given the latitude to listen to and address specific fulfillment needs of each customer.



"It's about flexibility," said CFI Group CEO Sheri Petras. "If a retailer has all those fulfillment options available, the customer is going to be able to stay within that retail family, as opposed to shopping someplace else."