Walmart will hold its summer savings event in late June this year, going head-to-head with Amazon’s Prime Day and kicking off an earlier summer discount window for major U.S. retailers.
The Walmart Deals event will run from June 22 through June 28, with Walmart+ members receiving 24 hours of early access to select online products, according to a company announcement.
The timing marks a notable departure from last year, when Amazon, Walmart and Target all held their mid-summer promotions in July, as reported by Retail Dive.
Amazon moved its Prime Day event to run from June 23 to June 26 this year, prompting its primary competitors to adjust their own calendars. Last year, Walmart’s event ran from July 8 through July 13.
Target similarly moved up its schedule, announcing earlier this month that its Circle Deal Days event would take place from June 23 through June 26.
To market the upcoming sale, Walmart launched a promotional campaign featuring a fictional boy band called Alwayz and a campaign song titled “Catchin’ Feels.” The company confirmed that discounts would be available online, via the Walmart app, and at brick-and-mortar stores nationwide.
Unlike its promotional strategy last year, Walmart’s initial announcement did not name specific brands or products.
Instead, the company stated that discounts would span broad categories, including electronics, fashion, toys, collectibles, furniture and skincare. During the previous year’s event, marketing materials specifically highlighted deals from manufacturers such as Samsung, Vizio and Dyson.
The promotional push comes during a period of rising operational pressures for the company.
Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told analysts on a first-quarter earnings call in May that the retailer anticipates price increases in the second quarter driven by heightened fuel expenses. Rainey said that higher-than-planned fuel costs had already reduced the company’s first-quarter operating income by approximately $175 million.
