By Aimee Chanthadavong
All this talk about the need to go an extra mile to compete against growing offshore online purchases has seen Australia’s leading department store Myer offering free shipping to all online purchases.
As of Tuesday, Myer has become the first and only Australian department store to remove its shipping and handling costs for all 4,000 products including its latest summer fashion range that are bought via its website gifts.myer.com.au. There is no spending limit however the free shipping excludes Myer gift cards, iTunes gift cards, gift hampers and some big and bulky items.
“We’ve been planning to do this for a while and while it will come at a cost we believe the model will work,” Steven Carey, Myer spokesperson, told RetailBiz.
“As a business, our online offering earns about $5 million a year and we have a firm plan to increase that to $50 million quickly, which in effect will equate to the earning of our of our average stores.”
When asked whether Myer will be offering the free shipping to purchases made by overseas customers, Carey said it will be something that the company will look at in due time.
“I think there’s balance of bricks and clicks out there and it’s about providing a fantastic service and this service is providing it to those who don’t have the opportunity to come in-store or those who are shopping in the comfort of their own home.”