FreeDelivery.org Launched in the United Kingdom

What Yanks call "free shipping," the Brits call "free delivery." As they say, two countries separated by a common language. Whatever the term, however, we all love free shipping for online purchases.

That's why today we're rolling out the U.K. site FreeDelivery.org as a companion site to the U.S.-based FreeShipping.org. It turns out the British love online shopping as much as Americans do, if not more. Online shoppers in the UK account for almost one-third of all European Sales and 10 percent of total retail sales in the UK. 

The site allows online UK shoppers to take advantage of more than 650 merchants offering free delivery on a wide variety of products. As of today's launch, Freedelivery.org participants already include such major UK merchants as Harrods, Amazon UK, Apple, Woolworths, Marks & Spencer and the BBC Store -- with many more to come.

The American site Freeshipping.org, was founded in 2007 and now includes more than 2,000 merchants. CEO Luke Knowles said the increased interest in online shopping in the UK made the new site a natural.

"Research showed U.K. online shoppers spend an average of $1,723 each. Providing easy access to free delivery deals will only help increase those figures as it reduces the cost of online shopping."

As in the U.S. and Canada, the e-commerce company will sponsor Free Shipping Day in the U.K., scheduled for Dec. 20. During the one-day online shopping event, participating merchants offer free shipping to customers with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. 

The annual event has become an outstanding success, receiving overwhelming interest from the media, merchants and consumers.

“We'd like to reach the point where the majority of retailers offer free shipping on all orders,” said Knowles. “That will greatly enhance the experience for shoppers because they can easily access better deals.”