Prime Day Dominates as Best Buy, Target, and Walmart See Mixed Gains

Overview

Retailers launched aggressive promotional events during the week of July 6–13, 2025, in an attempt to make a splash amid the buzz around Amazon’s Prime Day. While Amazon once again drove the strongest sales lift, key competitors including Walmart, Best Buy, and Target also saw notable—though more varied—performance spikes across online and in-store channels. Consumer Edge data reveals key takeaways from this promotional week, both in aggregate and by retailer channel.

Amazon Leads the Pack – Prime Day Remains a Dominant Force

Amazon delivered the highest sales lift, with multiple days seeing 75%+ increases compared to the average day-of-week in 2025, further solidifying Prime Day as an incredibly important event for the company. On July 9th (day 2), sales were 82% higher than the average Wednesday in 2025. Spend remained elevated in the two days following the end of the event window, as some orders aren’t shipped (and thus cards aren’t charged) on the same day of the order.

Note: includes AMAZON.COM and AMAZON MARKETPLACE brands

Best Buy Shoppers Show Moderate Response

Best Buy’s (BBY) Black Friday in July sale provided a solid lift for the company, peaking on July 8th (day 2) with a 37% increase in spend compared to an average Tuesday.
Performance was steady but not nearly at the scale of Amazon, suggesting that while Best Buy’s promotional push resonated with shoppers, it wasn’t quite as impactful or broad as Amazon’s.

Target Surprises with Online Bump

Target showed a unique trend: while overall lift in aggregated sales was more modest than either Amazon or Best Buy (around 10%), deeper channel-level data tells a richer story: online sales surged, particularly on July 12 (the last day of the sale), when spend jumped by more than 70% vs. the average Saturday. In-store sales, however, remained muted throughout the week, suggesting that Target Circle Week was highly effective online but failed to drive meaningful incremental store traffic. 

Walmart’s Mixed Results: Front-Loaded Gains and a Late In-Store Surprise

Walmart Deals showed a more muted lift, with early gains giving way to more in-line performance in the back half of the event. The online bump was strongest early, with July 8 and 9th showing ~9–10% lifts vs. typical day-of-week performance. In-store sales, newly included in this year’s Deals event, got a mild boost on the first couple days of the event but were less meaningful than the online bump. However, following three days of underwhelming performance, in-store sales got a renewed boost on the 13th, suggesting a delayed consumer response until Sunday or back-loaded promotional effectiveness.

Amazon Prime Day once again proved to be the dominant retail event in July 2025, with sales peaking at 82% above typical day-of-week levels. Best Buy saw a solid but smaller boost, with its “Black Friday in July” event driving a 37% lift, while Target’s performance was largely online-driven, surging 70% on its final sale day. Walmart experienced a more muted response, with early online gains and a late in-store boost on July 13. Consumer Edge transaction data highlights the evolving dynamics of mid-summer retail promotions.

Michael Gunther is the VP Head of Insights for the CEIC. Explore more of his insights here and follow him on LinkedIn.

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