Target to Offer Free 2-Day Shipping This Holiday Season

Target for the first time ever will offer free two-day shipping with no minimum purchase required this holiday season. The move comes as Target bids to win shoppers over rivals Walmart and Amazon.com. The retailer said Tuesday that starting Nov. 1 and running through Dec. 22, "hundreds of thousands of items" will be eligible for free, two-day shipping on Target.com. In March, Target began offering the perk to its credit card holders or for those orders over $35. Target also said that its "Drive Up" service — where customers can place their orders online and have them brought directly to their cars — will be at nearly 1,000 stores, ahead of a planned rollout schedule. And its same-day delivery option via Shipt will be available nationwide.

Total Retail's Take: Yesterday it was Walmart, today it's Target. Both of Amazon's prime rivals have made moves to make themselves more attractive to online shoppers this holiday season, and in the process hopefully take market share away from each other. Target is likely looking to offset some of the costs associated with its generous free shipping offer by enticing more customers to take advantage of its Drive Up click-and-collect service, which ultimately saves the retailer from having to ship online orders. By investing in its supply chain and leveraging its nationwide physical store presence as more than just places to sell product, Target is successfully giving its customers more ways to shop — and it's boosting the company's bottom line.