Those work at home entrepreneurs who run an e commerce website (simply the act of selling goods and services online) are always looking for ways to drive traffic in order to boost sales. Suggesting that such businesses offer free products or prize contests may at first sound like it runs contrary to those goals, but in fact both are great and proven ways to drive your online sales up.

Offering freebies is one of the oldest marketing tricks in the book, and the practice translates very well into the online marketplace. After all the word “free” is a magnet to the thrifty consumer and if you feature your free offers prominently on the front page of your website most people are going to be curious enough to want to know more.

To be most effective your freebie should be contingent upon a purchase of course (Buy one get one free, free gift worth $9.95 with every purchase etc.) But if you have an e-commerce site that gets much of its revenue from repeat purchases, such as a cosmetic line or a personalized printing business, offering a small free gift to try your products can work very well as a way to build a loyal customer base (you may charge a small shipping fee though.)


Contests are used less by small businesses but, can be just as effective as freebies. Although you will eventually be giving away your product or service to the lucky winner for free, it can generate enough interest and hopefully new customers. And by placing the details of your contest on one of the many sweepstakes sites that allow free listings you will be gaining a new audience for your company.