Ken McBride

A greater number of online sellers are planning to offer free shipping on more products during the 2011 holiday season - 68% compared to 53% last year, according to a survey conducted by Stamps.com, a provider of Internet-based postage services. "Remaining competitive requires online sellers to be aggressive with free shipping," said Stamps.com President and CEO Ken McBride. The survey found that 54% of online sellers plan to offer the promotion on more than 50 percent of their holiday catalog - an 11% increase from last year. In addition, 52% of respondents reported their average revenue per order increased

In its latest survey on e-commerce shipping practices, Stamps.com found that 64 percent of respondents report that free shipping is the most effective promotion they can offer during the holiday season.