Retailers Boost Traffic During Prime Deal Days

Major retailers reported increased store visits in early October by hosting competitive promotional sales.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Retail

Retailers Boost Traffic During Prime Deal Days

Live Poll

Do you typically wait for promotional events to make your major retail purchases?

Throughout October 2026, major U.S. retailers like Kohl's, Target, and Walmart held sales events to coincide with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days. These efforts yielded varying levels of increased store traffic across the industry.

Why it matters

Retailers are utilizing strategic promotional timing to compete with e-commerce giants and capture consumer attention early in the holiday season. Successfully making purchases feel manageable for shoppers is viewed as a key advantage for the upcoming holiday period.

Kohl's saw store visits jump 11.1% during Amazon Prime Days and 22.3% above average on Oct. 9, while Target recorded a 6.0% year-over-year increase during its sale period. Walmart and Best Buy also saw smaller lifts of 1.2% and 3.9%, respectively.

The players

Kohl's

Kohl's is a national department store retail chain that specializes in apparel, home goods, and footwear.

Target

Target is a major American general merchandise retailer that operates large-format department stores.

Amazon

Amazon is a multinational technology company that serves as the world's largest online marketplace and retailer.

Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets and grocery stores across the country.

Best Buy

Best Buy is a multinational retailer known for specializing in consumer electronics and home office equipment.

The details

Kohl's successfully incentivized store visits by offering additional coupons and Kohl's Cash, while Target consolidated its promotional period into a focused two-day event. Electronic retailers like Best Buy also observed notable traffic spikes during the mid-October window.

Kohl's held its promotional sale from Oct. 5 to Oct. 8, 2026.
Amazon held its Prime Big Deal Days and Target hosted its sale from Oct. 6 to Oct. 7, 2026.
Walmart and Best Buy conducted sales from Oct. 6 to Oct. 11, 2026.
Kohl's Cash redemptions began on Oct. 9, 2026.

Market Landscape

This promotional activity follows the broader industry trend of retailers initiating holiday-focused sales in early October to compete with major e-commerce platforms. This strategy allows physical retailers to reclaim market share by incentivizing in-store visits.

Shoppers may find increased availability of discounts and promotional credits like Kohl's Cash during these consolidated sales windows. These trends offer consumers opportunities to spread out holiday spending while potentially securing better prices before the late-year peak.

The takeaway

Retailers are increasingly leveraging aggressive short-term promotions to maintain foot traffic against online-only giants. Consumers should monitor these early-October cycles to maximize their holiday budget potential.