To provide customers with faster and more convenient shipping options, Amazon plans to offer free shipping without minimum purchase on “orders that will arrive in time for the Christmas holiday” beginning on Monday (November 5). The offering is available for hundreds of millions of items, the retailer said in an announcement.
Amazon Senior Vice President of North American Retail Doug Herrington said in the announcement, “This holiday, customers can enjoy free shipping with no minimum purchase amount on orders that will arrive in time for Christmas, including items from Amazon’s expertly curated Gift Guides across electronics, fashion, home and toys.”
At the same time, the retailer noted that customers can use Prime Now to have items from Whole Foods Market delivered in as quickly as in hour, which makes “holiday feast planning even easier.” In addition, the retailer said customers can use unlimited free two-day shipping for over 100 million items through Amazon Prime.
The news comes as Target plans to offer free two-day shipping without a minimum order to take on competitors such as Amazon and Walmart. The offering will be available on “hundreds of thousands of items” until Dec. 22.
Target CEO Brian Cornell told the media at an event in late October, “I have never felt better about our position and our readiness to deliver against the holiday season. As those [Toys R Us and Sears] stores close, it’s real market share that’s up for grabs.”
Walmart, too, plans to expand in-store returns and two-day shipping for items offered on its website by third-party sellers. As of now, the retailer gives customers free two-day shipping on orders of $35 or greater on a selection that includes millions of products. Target, though, is putting new drive-up spaces and pick-up kiosks into remodeled stores. (The retailer plans to renovate 1,000 of them by the close of the decade.)