August 29 - Nordstrom Inc is offering free shipping on orders placed on its website regardless of size in a move to lift online sales.

Shop.nordstrom.com

The upscale department store chain previously required a minimum of $200 for free shipping and returns. The free shipping applies to orders shipped within the United States.

Traditional retailers have been scrambling to improve their website and services to stave off competition from Amazon.com Inc, the world's largest online retailer. Many retailers have limited free shipping to the holiday period.

A number of other department stores, including Macy's Inc and Neiman Marcus Group, have said in recent months that free shipping is a risk to gross margin.

(Reporting by Phil Wahba; Editing by Derek Caney)