FREEPORT, Maine — As retailers increasingly turn to free shipping to lure customers, L.L. Bean is upping the ante by waiving shipping fees all the time, with no minimum order, putting pressure on rivals. Effective Friday, the outdoors and clothing retailer joins Zappos.com in offering year-round, no-strings-attached free shipping, going against the grain in an industry accustomed to selective free shipping offers, particularly around the holidays, and sometimes tied to minimum purchases or vanity credit cards.

Steve Fuller, L.L. Bean’s chief marketing officer, said the company had been toying with the idea for the past three years as it tested occasional free shipping.