Sears offers free holiday season online shipping
Sears is offering free online shipping through most of the holiday season as the retailer looks to boost e-commerce sales.
The promotion will run from Oct. 30 through Dec. 19. For Sears.com, customers must spend more than $99 on eligible items, while Kmart.com and mygofer.com customers must spend more than $49 on eligible items. The company said it will also offer free same-day store pick up to complement the service.
“We are always looking for ways to help our customers, especially during the busy holiday season,” said e-commerce president Imran Jooma.
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Last year, the company offered free shipping at Kmart.com through the holiday season on all but its largest items.
Other retailers are looking to get an edge in what is sure to be a competitive holiday season. On Monday, Wal-Mart unveiled a new holiday price-matching service, guaranteeing to cover the extra cost of items bought in its stores that customers find for less somewhere else.
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Meanwhile, holiday shoppers are expected to remain fickle. Accenture reported this month that 88 percent of U.S. consumers plan to spend the same or less than last year during the holidays.
Sears has seen its revenue decline in recent quarters as consumers spend less on appliances, tools and electronics amid a weak housing market and high unemployment. Domestic same-store sales have also fallen as its namesake department stores and the Kmart discount chain loses market share to rivals.
In August, the company reported its fiscal second-quarter loss widened more than expected as weak sales, poor customer traffic and greater discounting weighed on the bottom line. Online sales rose 32 percent.
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Edited by Kevin Scarpati
