Free shipping promotions and shipping-fee disclosures significantly shape online consumer decision-making, influencing purchase intention, impulsive buying, cart abandonment, satisfaction ratings, and post-purchase behaviors such as product returns. This scoping review maps recent evidence (2020–2026) on how free shipping and shipping-related costs affect consumer behavior and psychological responses. The review synthesizes experimental, survey-based, qualitative, and observational studies, with emphasis on: (a) free shipping as a conversion driver, (b) shipping fees as a form of psychological pain/cost, (c) platform promotion mechanics, (d) interaction effects with interface cues and dark patterns, and (e) operational consequences such as returns, profitability, and logistics satisfaction. Findings indicate that free shipping increases purchase likelihood and profitability in many contexts, but may also elevate returns and impulsive behavior. Shipping fees are repeatedly linked to heightened perceived cost and consumer dissatisfaction, particularly when combined with complex checkout or limited delivery options. The review concludes with actionable recommendations for e-commerce platforms and policymakers, and identifies gaps for future research, such as longitudinal customer impacts and cross-cultural generalizability.
Joshi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.