The never-ending pressure to deliver the best holiday magic for friends and family just got a little easier. Retail giants Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT) are in full holiday prep mode. Both retailers are working to up their competition with Amazon (AMZN) this holiday shopping season.
It's also a very strange holiday season as it's the first "normal" winter since 2019--at least, in terms of covid. But with prices rising everywhere from the grocery store to the real estate market, it's very unclear what consumers will actually feel comfortable buying this year. Normally, the holiday season means selling a lot of big-ticket electronics and toys, but that might not be the case this time.
It's a wild card impacting Target, Walmart, Amazon, and nearly every other retailer that has pushed holiday creep even further. Black Friday sales have already pushed into early November, but the uncertainty as to what consumers actually want has essentially delivered Christmas in October.
Target is having a pre–Black Friday sales to stay on par with the return of Amazon’s first-ever fall Prime Day, which starts on Oct. 11 and ends on Oct. 12. Target Deal Days will run before Amazon’s Oct. Prime Days, on Oct. 6 through Oct. 8. Details surrounding Walmart’s early Black Friday sales have yet to be announced, and it’s running out of time.
But just because Walmart hasn't announced anything yet does not mean it doesn't have big 2022 holiday plans in motion.
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Walmart is Delivering Holiday Goods
For the upcoming holiday season, Walmart has decided to focus on making sure its customers can get what they want however they want to get it. That also includes leveraging the chain having a brick-and-mortar store near 90% of the population of the U.S.
Walmart will also offer a wider window of time for returns. Purchases made after Oct. 1 can be returned up until Jan. 31, 2023. This takes some pressure off of some worried early shoppers.
"We’re offering convenient pickup and delivery options for more than 240,000 items, Express Delivery within 2 hours and Free Next-Day or Two-Day Delivery on online orders," Walmart end-to-end delivery Senior Vice President Jennifer McKeehan said in a press release.
The chain also plans to make use of the Spark Driver platform, which reaches 84% of U.S. households across 10,000 pickup points. Walmart will also be hiring 40,000 seasonal workers and expanding the use of drones and self-driving vehicles in select areas.
Target Expands Its Disney Store Deal
Target has already shared plans that it's working with the iconic FAO Schwarz toy brand (which has come back from the dead).
The multi-year agreement between Target and FAO Schwarz will feature exclusive toy line offerings that will only be available at either Target or FAO Schwarz. A few of the aforementioned exclusive toys will be a Ride on Train, Piano Mat, Makeup Vanity Mirror and a Style Runway 4-sided Fashion Show playset. The coloration between the two companies is also focused on keeping prices affordable. Prices are expected to start at $9.99.
Target also plans a major expansion of its partnership with Walt Disney (DIS) this holiday season (and beyond).
That will include bringing full Disney store-within-a-store concepts to over 200 Target locations by the end of the year. The two companies will also bring a collaboration to its shelves based on the Marvel Studios film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ahead of the film’s release in theaters Nov. 11.
"The collab is designed to increase representation and create accessible experiences for Target team members, guests and our local communities, while delivering joy every step of the way. It will launch in October at Target stores and on Target.com with products exclusive to Target in the U.S. across categories, including toys," the company shared in a press release.
