FORT MYERS, FL — September 13, 2011 — Harvey Software, Inc. today released ideas to help online retailers be as competitive as possible during the upcoming holiday sales season. These ideas include encouraging businesses to consider making flat rate and free shipping offers, which help companies sell nationwide and avoid lost sales caused by shopping cart abandonment related to unexpected shipping costs added at the time of checkout. Harvey Software’s Computerized Parcel System (CPS™) shipping software contains tools that assist eCommerce merchants in formulating these shipping promotions. Harvey Software encourages online retailers to prepare their shipping system today for the fast-approaching holiday season.
“Free shipping is becoming the norm in the online industry. Almost every day we see another website advertising some sort of free shipping offer. We know, of course, that it’s not ‘free’ for a business to ship,” said Bob Sansone, Director of Sales at Harvey Software. “To offer free or flat rate shipping, those businesses must take their cost of shipping and factor it into their product prices. That’s why Harvey Software includes the Flat Rate Shipping Calculator with every CPS shipping software program. The Flat Rate Shipping Calculator automatically calculates average shipping charges from a company’s own shipping history. CPS users can select any time period for this calculation, and shipping cost averages are provided for International and Domestic Air and Ground services,” continued Mr. Sansone. “With this information, CPS users can factor these actual shipping costs into the cost of the products sold, which then allows them to advertise their complete pricing up front. Online consumers are much more likely to make a purchase when they are aware of shipping charges from the beginning of their online transaction,” said Mr. Sansone.
“Shippers that utilize the Flat Rate Shipping Calculator to effectively offer flat rate or free shipping can be more competitive in their sectors. By advertising flat rate and free shipping, they can sell throughout the country for the same price. They avoid becoming a regional player, which can happen when greater distance from the warehouse increases shipping costs,” said Mr. Sansone. “They also avoid surprise shipping charges at the end of an order, where ‘shipping sticker shock’ causes a customer to abandon that order,” continued Mr. Sansone. “We know that companies are preparing for the holiday season now, and we want to make sure that their shipping software is helping them stay competitive in this important sales season. We encourage all online businesses to look at their shipping system and use it to help them save money and give them information to help their business succeed,” concluded Mr. Sansone.
About Harvey Software, Inc.
Harvey Software is an established, leading developer of globally ready, multi-carrier shipping software solutions, providing businesses with shipping solutions since 1983. Harvey Software's premium shipping solution, the Computerized Parcel System (CPS™) increases profits, boosts domestic and international shipping efficiency, reduces shipping expenses and eliminates the inefficiencies of single carrier software systems. CPS is a FedEx® Compatible Solution, is UPS Ready®, USPS® certified and works with Internet Postage. CPS can be purchased, downloaded, installed, and supported all over the Internet.
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