Target is kicking off the holiday shopping season early and with a bang: The retailer will offer free shipping on all online orders, according to The Associated Press.

No minimum purchase is required to take advantage of the offer set to last through Dec. 20, the last Saturday before Christmas. No coupon codes are needed, and no restrictions apply. "Even $6 lipsticks" are included, the AP reported.

"The offer will come in handy on Gray Thursday/Black Friday and Cyber Monday," Sun-Sentinel reported.

The paper pointed out that the retailer is offering a number of additional perks: There will be half-off coupons on toys through "Cartwheel," a new wish-list app and an extended price-match policy. What made headlines, though, is the no-fee shipping.

"We know shipping costs play a big role in online purchasing decisions," said Kathee Tesija, a Target executive vice president. The move is meant to build "excitement and incremental sales" for the chain.

Target's main competitors in the retail and electronics market typically only offer free shipping on online orders if a minimum is met. Best Buy, for example, requires a $35 minimum to qualify.

Two retailers, Neiman Marcus and L.L. Bean, offer year-round free shipping without a minimum. But that comes at a price of $3 to $6 per order, said Sucharita Mulpuru, a Forrester analyst. Amazon.com, meanwhile, charges for shipping unless customers sign up for its premium Amazon Prime membership. In that case, and for $99 a year, they get two-day shipping on many of the online retailer's items.

The motivations behind Target's move may be twofold, the Wall Street Journal reported. On the one hand, the chain needs to win back customers after last year's credit-card data breach a week before Christmas. And on the other hand, retailers are readying themselves for what is expected to be a "highly promotional holiday season."

Whatever the reason, customers stand to benefit, especially as the Minneapolis-based chain's move "raises pressure on Target's rivals to match the offer," as the Wall Street Journal notes.