My first boss told me to always charge for delivery, even a mile down the road. I thought it would scare off customers.

4 comments

4 Comments

paige8703mo ago

I read a case study where a bakery added a small delivery fee and their orders actually went up.

richardfox3mo ago

Isn't it weird how a small fee can make something seem more valuable? I've seen this with other stuff, like a cheap app that feels useless until you pay a dollar for it. That bakery fee probably made people think the delivery service was more official or reliable, not just some free extra. It changes how we see the whole product. We assume free add-ons are low quality, but paying even a little makes us trust it more. It's a funny trick our brains play on us.

mason.paige2mo ago

Oh, I totally get what you're saying. My friend Sarah started selling her homemade candles online last year, she was just giving away free shipping to get sales. After a month she added a flat two dollar shipping fee and people started treating her like a real business, not just somebody's hobby. It's wild how that tiny charge changed everything for her.

carr.willow2mo ago

That's a really interesting point, Paige. Did the case study say anything about what the fee was for specifically? Like was it a flat dollar amount or a percentage of the order? I wonder if it matters if the fee is framed as a "delivery charge" versus a "service fee". Because one sounds like you're paying for the worker's time, and the other just feels like a random extra cost. Seems like labeling plays a huge role in whether people accept it or get annoyed.