Rethink Your S&H Rate Schedules

“You can have the study done by your internal auditing personnel, or hire an outside consultant,” Isaacson advises. “Oftentimes, a consultant will understand the auditing process better and may be more credible if you’re contacted by outside litigators.”

• Give early and clear disclosure, especially for online orders. In your print catalog, it’s easy for customers to see S&H charges before they order. But many online sites don’t reveal S&H rates until after the customer has offered confidential information such as a credit card number and address. “From a consumer’s perspective, that’s problematic and annoying,” says Isaacson. “And in fact it’s the No. 1 reason for online cart abandonment, according to studies.”