From CNET: After Amazon unveiled a 20th anniversary sale called "Prime Day" slated for Wednesday, Walmart said Monday that it too will be holding a sale the same day and temporarily cut its free shipping minimum on orders to $35 from $50. Walmart also mocked Amazon for offering its sale only to its Prime members, who pay $99 annually for free two-day shipping and other benefits.
"The idea of asking customers to pay extra in order to save money just doesn't add up for us," Fernando Madeira, president and CEO of Walmart.com, said Monday in a blog post.
An Amazon representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Retailers trying to one-up each other isn't anything new -- though such skirmishes happen more often during the critical holiday-shopping season and not in the middle of the summer. But Walmart's sale highlights its attempt to be more aggressive with its online strategy and to take on Amazon. Walmart is by far the world's largest retailer, taking in $485.7 billion in revenue last fiscal year. Yet the company's e-commerce sales were just $12.2 billion during that period, putting Walmart well behind Amazon, the top online retailer by sales. Hoping to build up its online presence to help shore up slow-growing in-store sales, Walmart is now testing out a free three-day shipping program called ShippingPass for $50 a year to rival Amazon Prime. The competing July sale may also help Walmart get some much-needed attention online.
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