As Amazon gears up for its second annual Prime Day this week, Walmart has been giving customers deals on a plethora of merchandise, hoping to take away some of the sales Amazon is expecting. While Walmart has been rolling back prices since the beginning of July, the superstore will also be offering free shipping on all purchases for the entire week of July 11-July 15 – just in time for Prime Day (July 12). Furthermore, no minimum purchase is required.
So what’s in store for Walmart customers? Just about everything, with a big emphasis on technology. Apple TV, Xbox One, and Samsung HGTVs are the biggest deals, and anyone with a Prime membership knows that these products are most likely going to be part of the Amazon extravaganza.
Prime Day is Amazon’s way of giving loyal customers great deals on thousands of items in what constitutes dozens of “flash sales” throughout the day. Everything from books, clothing, and entertainment to tablets, phones, and sporting equipment is up for grabs. While many customers disparaged last year’s event, calling it a “glorified garage sale,” Amazon said sales numbers were bigger than Black Friday.
The genius in Walmart’s response strategy is that while Prime Day is exclusively for Prime members, Walmart’s rollback deals and free shipping are for everyone. Amazon is banking on people purchasing Prime memberships in order to access the sales, but Prime will set back customers $10.99 a month, or an annual fee of $99. While Prime offers a lot of perks and is certainly worth it if you are a regular Amazon customer, Walmart is certain to attract those who don’t have much use (or money) for a regular Prime membership.
However, the retail giant recently debuted its own membership program called ShippingPass, giving shoppers unlimited, two-day shipping for an annual cost of $49. So far, ShippingPass has done extremely well, and there is a strong chance customers who take advantage of this week’s deal with at least be tempted to sign up.
