Target.com expands free shipping ahead of holidays

Target.com said Friday it is offering free shipping on more than 100,000 items when consumers spend $50 or more on its site. The free shipping offer for qualifying purchases will begin on November 1, two weeks earlier than a year ago.

The holiday shopping season could be a tough one for retailers, with the National Retail Federation predicting sales could fall 1 percent. But online shopping is expected to be a bright spot, and retailers are attempting to win sales by touting free shipping offers or cutting prices.

Earlier this month, Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Walmart.com slashed the price of highly anticipated hardcover books, igniting a pricing war with Amazon.com Inc. Walmart.com is also touting its site-to-store program, under which shoppers can buy an item on its site and have it shipped to a local store at no charge.

(Reporting by Nicole Maestri, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)