Retailers Mixed on Competing With Amazon for Prime Day

By Melissa Campanelli

As Amazon.com gears up for Tuesday's Prime Day — a sales event exclusively for Amazon Prime members — other retailers are deciding whether to counter the online leader with their own discounts, deals and free shipping offers. Wal-Mart, Target and Lowe's, for example, are among the big names who are skipping Prime Day this year. However, J.C. Penney, Kohl's and Macy's have all decided to offer exclusive discounts before and during Prime Day.

Total Retail’s Take: For some retailers, Amazon Prime Day is business as usual, as they believe they already offer great deals and discounts. While Wal-Mart, for example, offered free shipping for online orders during the Amazon Prime Day frenzy last year, this year it said it will skip it since it has already expanded free shipping, according to reports. Likewise, Target said it offers deals every day, and Prime Day will be no different. However, other retailers are hoping to cash in on the surge of deal-seeking online shoppers this Prime Day. Macy's, for example, is offerings deals of up to 60 percent off sitewide today and tomorrow. Newegg’s Fantastech sale is starting on Tuesday at 3 a.m. ET, shortly after Amazon Prime Day kicks off. The fact that other retailers have chosen to hold sales around Prime Day shows that the "shopping holiday" has become "big and significant" enough for both retailers and consumers to expect and look forward to it each year.

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Melissa Campanelli Author's page Melissa Campanelli is Editor-in-Chief of Total Retail. She is an industry veteran, having covered all aspects of retail, tech, digital, e-commerce, and marketing over the past 20 years. Melissa is also the co-founder of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle.