While Buy.com announced free shipping yesterday to counter Amazon.com’s offer of free shipping on orders of $49 or more, the company is hoping the offer will lure consumers who have hesitated to shop online because of shipping costs, Brent Rusick, COO, tells InternetRetailer.com. "It’s definitely a customer acquisition tool," he says. "We are very aggressive towards Amazon.com and we’re trying to gain marketshare. The offer also eliminates the barrier for those who many not have shopped online because of shipping costs."
The company plans to start full page advertising in the New York Times and USA Today Tuesday, Rusick says. "There is no set time for the free shipping offer," he says. "If it continues to be a driver for consumers to place orders in our store, then we will continue to do it." Rusick says of the 1 million plus SKUs on the Buy.com site, close to a million of those items will qualify for the free shipping offer.
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