Walmart Deals: How to Make It a Summer to Remember With Walmart Connect

There’s no shortage of traffic during Walmart high-traffic shopping days. For example, visits spiked 17% during last year’s July 2024 event (source – Walmart first party data, February 2025. Reflecting July 8 – 11, 2024 vs. May 1, 2024 – July 31, 2024 (Less July 8 – 11, 2024).  During that time, shoppers bought an average of 1.37 million units per hour (source – Walmart first party data, February 2025. Reflecting July 8 – 11, 2024 vs. July 10 – 13, 2023).

But traffic isn’t what separates strong programs from the rest. Winning brands stand out because they approach these events with precision: sharper planning, better adaptability, and smarter execution while the event is in motion.

We’ve been watching closely. Across categories, the brands that outperform during these big shopping events share common behaviors. They start from the customer’s perspective. They plan to optimize, not just to run. And they use these moments not simply to move units, but to build momentum they can carry forward.

Now, with Walmart Deals fast approaching — July 8th to 13th — what’s your plan to make sure your Walmart summer is one to remember?

Here are five retail media moves we consistently see winning brands making on Walmart—and why they matter more than ever.

Know exactly how Walmart shoppers behave at every phase during these events

The customer mindset on Walmart.com and in-store during these moments is dynamic. Shoppers don’t move through the event in a straight line. Many make multiple trips across the event window, balancing planned purchases with impulse buys as new offers and products surface. And a significant share of Walmart.com shoppers aren’t cross-shopping other retailers (source – Comscore Media-Metrix Multi-Platform Cross-Visiting, Total Audience, July 2024, U.S.) during these events, giving brands a rare window of undivided attention.

2025 consumer trends reinforce this. In Skai’s recent consumer survey, 83% of shoppers hold off on big purchases for these summer sales, 36% start hunting for deals a month out, and 30% wait until the event days themselves. Winning brands plan campaigns that meet the customer at each of these moments, not just at launch.

Action Items:

• Map your campaign strategies to pre-event, in-event, and post-event behaviors
• Use retargeting and sequential messaging to stay present across multiple visits
• Analyze past category trends to anticipate when demand will peak
• Get prepared using Skai’s summer Walmart event checklist

Skai clients can build sharper event plans using Skai’s cross-retailer insights, keyword trends, and checklist-driven prep tools—like Keyword Harvesting, Share of Voice tracking, and Dimension tagging—to better anticipate customer behavior across the entire event window. For more planning resources, check out the Summer Sales Hub.

Build your media mix for conversion—and beyond

Winning brands prioritize conversion first. Sponsored Products are the workhorse. But top teams don’t stop there. They layer in Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Videos, and Onsite Display to create a connected experience across the funnel.

Why? Because the data shows it works. Shoppers exposed to a combination of Sponsored Search and Onsite Display are up to 3X more likely to purchase (source – Walmart first-party data, Feb. 1, 2023–July 31, 2024; ad-exposed customers during a 14-day window prior to conversion. Sponsored Search and Display use separate attribution models and do not de-duplicate transactions. Includes all Sponsored Search and Onsite Display from 26 impact studies across Food & Beverage, Consumables, Entertainment, Toys & Seasonal, and Home & Hardlines categories. Ad spend measured across brands’ full product portfolio.), spending 40% more than those exposed to Sponsored Search alone. And 84% of shoppers browse major retailer sites specifically for deals during these summer events. Visibility across placements directly drives outcomes.

Winning brands use this mix dynamically. They monitor which placements are converting best during the event and shift investment accordingly. Their media strategy adapts as the event unfolds.

Action Items:

• Anchor your spend in Sponsored Products for conversion
• Layer in Sponsored Brands and Onsite Display to extend influence
• Actively monitor performance and shift spend to the highest-performing placements
• Use Skai’s Summer Walmart Event Checklist to fine-tune your Walmart Deals strategy

Skai clients can dynamically manage Walmart Connect media mix with Skai’s AI-driven optimizations and automation, while layering in placements using checklist tools like Automated Actions and Bid Adjustments to ensure campaigns stay competitive across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Onsite Display.

Align creative to what’s driving real purchases

Shoppers show up to Walmart’s big shopping events looking for value, but value isn’t one-size-fits-all. Essentials lead the way this season: 46% are most interested in deals on groceries and household essentials, with electronics, fashion, and beauty following close behind.

Winning brands tailor their creative to category-specific customer mindsets. In essentials, trust and reliability drive conversion. In discretionary categories, clear savings, product quality, and brand confidence take precedence. Messaging that feels generic or that chases trends without a grounding in real customer motivations underperforms.

Economic signals matter too. Inflation remains a factor: 62% may cut back due to inflation, but 83% would consider spending more if they anticipate future price increases. Smart messaging meets shoppers where they are, helping them feel confident in their decision to buy now.

Action Items:

• Tailor creative and messaging to the customer’s category-specific motivations
• Clearly surface trust factors alongside savings and value
• Use economic context to frame urgency and smart buying decisions
• Prep your campaigns with the Summer Walmart Event Checklist from Skai

Skai clients can refine messaging and creative strategy using Skai’s audience insights, keyword performance tracking, and search trend analysis, paired with pre-event checklist guidance on optimizing content for retail readiness across titles, descriptions, and imagery. The Summer Sales Hub offers even more tips to help teams tune their creative for today’s customer mindset.

Plan to optimize while the event is in motion

This is where winning brands truly separate themselves. They plan not just to launch, but to optimize in motion. Event dynamics shift fast. Traffic surges can move unexpectedly. Pacing and bid management need to stay sharp throughout.

Walmart Connect emphasizes this too: “Plan your budgets and optimize your campaigns to help make the most of these spikes.” Top brands take it seriously. They don’t let the budget cap out early. They monitor hourly performance signals. They adjust bids and mix on the fly, especially as mid-event trends reveal what’s converting.

Our 2025 State of Retail Media data backs this up: 61% of retail media leaders now emphasize full-funnel strategies, with optimization extending across the customer journey, not just at the bottom funnel .

Action Items:

• Build pacing plans that flex with traffic and demand spikes
• Use AI optimization tools to manage bids and budgets dynamically
• Monitor performance signals daily (or even hourly) to fine-tune strategy

Skai clients can automate real-time optimizations with Skai’s Budget Navigator, Portfolio tools, and Automated Alerts—enabling agile pacing, bid adjustments, and keyword tuning in response to live performance signals, exactly as mapped out in Skai’s Walmart Deals checklist.

Treat the event as a launchpad for long-term growth

Here’s one thing we consistently see among the best performers: they don’t treat high-traffic events as isolated spikes. They use them as a launchpad for long-term growth on Walmart.

Why? Because they attract valuable shoppers. As stated earlier, many remain loyal, not cross-shopping other sites during these events (source – Comscore Media-Metrix Multi-Platform Cross-Visiting, Total Audience, July 2024, U.S.). And 69% are less likely to return deeply discounted items, making it a prime moment to drive loyalty, not just one-time sales.

Winning brands build post-event plans with intention. They analyze which SKUs drive first-time buyers, which cohorts show potential for repeat purchases, and how to sustain momentum after the event. They think beyond the spike—and their performance shows it.

Action Items:

• Segment and retarget high-value purchasers post-event
• Analyze event-driven cohorts for loyalty and repeat potential
• Invest in follow-through campaigns that sustain brand visibility after the event
• Tighten your approach with Skai’s Walmart Event Checklist

Skai clients can leverage Skai’s measurement tools, including post-event reporting, audience re-engagement workflows, and share of voice tracking, to turn high-traffic event performance into sustained growth opportunities. Checklist-driven tasks such as post-event audience building, competitive insights, and automated reporting make this process faster and more actionable.

Conclusion: Why winning Walmart Deals is a full-funnel game now

These aren’t one-off tips. They’re the common moves we see among brands that consistently outperform on Walmart during high-traffic events. The difference isn’t in flashy tactics—it’s in how well teams plan, how actively they optimize, and how strategically they build for long-term impact.

If there’s one takeaway to prioritize, don’t stop at launch. The brands we see winning treat these events as live moments to manage in real-time, and as growth levers to invest in afterward.

Skai’s Retail Media solution empowers marketers to plan, execute, and measure digital campaigns that meet shoppers when and where they are in purchase mode. As part of our omnichannel platform, we connect the walled gardens and manage campaigns across 200+ retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Instacart, alongside major publishers in paid search and paid social.

To see how Skai’s innovative AI-driven retail media platform can help your team stay ahead this event season, connect with us for a firsthand look.

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