Dive Brief:
- Kohl’s joins other retailers in holding summertime sales that appear to answer Amazon’s Prime Day. The department store’s “Summer Cyber Deals,” July 8 through July 11 in stores and online, will offer up to 60% off across the entire assortment. There will also be one-day deals on outdoor toys, family apparel and home items.
- Loyalty members will earn double rewards and get free shipping on all online purchases throughout the event, per a company press release.
- Then, July 16 through July 17 (the specific dates of Prime Day), shoppers can use a coupon to get 25% off a qualifying purchase, or 30% off using a store credit card. The coupon will be found in stores or online.
Dive Insight:
From the jump, Amazon’s Prime Day has been widely seen as a vehicle to boost Prime Day membership. However, nearly a decade on, the event’s most obvious influence has been on other retailers.
Thanks to July 4th and back-to-school season, consumers have long anticipated discounts on related merchandise this time of year. For this Fourth, big-box retailers and grocery stores are once again expected to draw in the most shoppers, who are focused on stocking up on grilling supplies for their gatherings, according to Numerator research. Nearly everybody (94% of consumers) plans to buy something for Independence Day, with food at the top of the list (83%), followed by alcohol (48%), non-alcoholic beverages (38%), decorations (23%) and party supplies (21%), per that report.
Shopping during back-to-school season, meanwhile, tends to be focused on apparel, electronics and school supplies. But Prime Day has arguably expanded that to the broader number of categories found during Black Friday sales. Kohl’s on Monday, for example, said brands featured during its event include Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, Vans, Nespresso, Cuisinart, Fisher Price, as well as beauty brands Estée Lauder, Youth To The People and Peace Out.
Research from coupon site RetailMeNot backs up retailers’ decision to follow Amazon: 20% of consumers prefer other stores over Amazon and 11% said others have better deals than Amazon.
However, for those interested in certain items, particularly televisions, some shopping is still best done on Black Friday, according to RetailMeNot.