Debating free shipping is a thing of the past

Like I needed another reason to avoid going to the mall.......

According to ComScore nearly half of the orders placed in Q4 2010 and Q1 of 2011 included free shipping.  Many online retailers are offering the free shipping on orders over a dollar threshold which is boosting average order size.

Does social media sell?

The answer from a new study by Forrester Research and GSI Commerce is no. They found that social media has little impact on our online buying habits. While social advertising can help promote awareness early in the buying cycle and spread the word about special offers, it rarely leads to direct sales. This isn't surprising considering that most people aren't thinking about making purchases when they're on Facebook or Twitter.

According to this study, online retailers may be better off spending their money on email marketing and search advertising to promote sales.

Read more about this report at USA Today.