SmallBusinessNewz

Whether or not a company will ship a product for free really shouldn't matter much to people; it's the combination of base price, taxes, and the shipping charge that counts.  Somehow, though, free shipping can be a big draw, and new data from Hitwise may help you determine how to maximize its effect.

Bill Tancer analyzed consumer demand for free shipping as represented by the appearance of related search terms.  One important fact he discovered is that the demand is increasing every year, so this issue is becoming more and more important.

Then here's a nice graph that Tancer put together to show off a lot of other data:

There's definitely something to be learned here.  By littering your site with the words "free shipping" during the periods when the peaks are highest, you may be able to draw in a lot of search traffic.  Or at the least, by offering free shipping during those intervals, you're more likely to give regular visitors what they're in the mood for.

That's likely to be a lot easier and cheaper than competing on the price plus taxes plus shipping front, too.