As consumer prices inch up amid the Trump administration’s global tariffs agenda, shoppers are even more focused on hunting down savings. Just over one in two adult American consumers—the most ever since PYMNTS Intelligence began tracking the data—shopped during recent major sales events from mass retail rivals Walmart and Amazon.
Nearly half of all adult shoppers in the United States made at least one purchase during Amazon Prime Day, the retail giant’s hallmark sales event. The four-day event, which ran from July 8 to 11, broke the sales records of previous years. One in four shoppers participated in Walmart+ Week, an annual event held this year from April 28 to May 4. Some consumers hit both retailers; overall, 52% of adult Americans, or 136 million consumers, opened their pocketbooks at one or both retailers for everything from groceries and clothing to electronics and housewares.
Six percent more consumers participated in one or both sales events this year compared to last year. Most of that gain came from dual shoppers buying during both events. Nearly seven in 10 adult consumers live paycheck to paycheck, and it’s possible they’re trying to get ahead of the tariff-related price hikes that many economists see unfolding this summer and racing to grab low-cost, imported items still in retailers’ inventory.
It’s not just that more people are shopping and buying—consumers are also spending more. The average Amazon Prime Day participant spent $360 this year, an increase of just over 10% from 2024. The average Walmart+ Week shopper spent $484, a nearly 11% rise. Not only are shoppers spending more during Walmart’s event, but they also see the Amazon rival’s offers as better than ever. Plus, they’re increasingly seeking out Walmart’s same-day delivery, giving the retail behemoth a new toehold as it leverages what Amazon lacks: a nationwide network of more than 4,600 physical stores.
Meanwhile, Amazon is making major gains in key categories, including groceries, Walmart’s traditional area of strength. It also continues to offer what consumers call the best overall savings. By running Prime Day for longer than ever, it is keeping consumers shopping longer.
These are just some of the findings detailed in “Speed Versus Spend: Who Shopped Amazon and Walmart’s Deal Days and Why,” a PYMNTS Intelligence exclusive report. This edition examines consumer participation in the annual sale events of the two retail behemoths. It draws on insights from a survey of 4,704 U.S. consumers conducted from July 11, 2025, to July 13, 2025.
Price Motivates Deal Day Participants Far More Than Brand Loyalty
Price motivated consumers far more than any other factor when shopping during these savings events. Nearly half of this year’s Prime Day participants said the cost of an item was the single most important factor when completing a purchase. Price is far more significant than the size of the discount. Just 20% of Prime Day participants said that discount size was the most important factor. Among Walmart+ Week participants, 40% cited price as the most important factor, and 19% cited discount size.
Brand loyalty proved to be unimportant in these sales events. Just 10% of Prime Day participants and 14% of Walmart+ Week shoppers listed items’ brands as the most important factor in driving their purchases.
Walmart Still Leads in Grocery, but Amazon Is Gaining Ground
One possible reason the average Walmart+ Week shopper spends more than the average Prime Day participant is that Walmart shoppers tend to buy more groceries. In fact, 54% of Walmart+ Week participants purchased grocery items during the event, compared to just 26% of Prime Day shoppers. Yet while Walmart is holding steady in its traditional stronghold category, Amazon is making gains. The share of Prime Day participants who purchased groceries increased by five percentage points compared to 2024.
Overall, more than one in four (26%) shoppers bought groceries at Amazon during this year’s event, a sharp rise from 21% last year. That’s a sign that the online marketplace’s subsidiary Whole Foods and its more than 500 retail stores are trying to chip away at Walmart’s much larger grocery footprint. Amazon now accounts for 12% of all grocery shoppers, compared to Walmart’s 13.3%. Still, far more people—120 million—shop at Amazon throughout the year, compared to 64 million at Walmart.
Walmart, for its part, saw modest gains in home furnishings and hobby goods. Amazon made strides in travel services, clothing and health products.
By Extending Its Deals Event, Amazon Kept Consumers Shopping for Longer
For the first time, Amazon’s Prime Day lasted four days this year, double the days last year. Far from alienating shoppers with deal fatigue, the extension kept consumers engaged and shopping day after day.
Most participants spent multiple days browsing and researching. Additionally, most made purchases on more than one day of the event. In fact, 22% made purchases on three or more days.
Four in 10 Prime Day shoppers said the longer event gave them more time to compare prices and consider their purchases. One in three said they preferred the extra days, and just 12% said they would have wanted a shorter event.
Walmart Sweetens Its Deals, but Amazon’s Savings Still Win Out
The quality and availability of Walmart’s deals improved more than those of Amazon. Specifically, 53% of Walmart+ Week participants who completed purchases both this year and last year said this year’s deals in general were better. Just 7% said they were worse. For Amazon’s part, 39% of shoppers who participated both years said this year’s deals were better. Fewer than one in 10 said they were worse.
Still, consumers found Amazon’s sales event deals generally more appealing compared to Walmart’s. Among consumers who participated in both events this year, 45% said Amazon Prime Day deals were better. Just 19% said Walmart+ Week had the stronger savings. In short, more than half of consumers who shopped at Walmart’s event both this year and last said this time was better. For those who shopped Amazon’s event both years, 39% said this year was better. However, for dual shoppers who took advantage of both sales, Amazon again edged out its rival this year by offering the best deals.
Walmart Wins on Speed with Same-Day Delivery
More than 40% of Walmart+ Week shoppers had the option of same-day delivery, and 34% used it. In contrast, just one in four Prime Day participants were offered the same, and just 15% used it. This focus on instant fulfillment may be a key factor in the growth of dual-event participation, with more Prime Day shoppers also purchasing during Walmart+ Week.
Same-day delivery proved to be key for many consumers, not just those shopping for groceries during the sales events. More than four in 10 Walmart+ Week customers who purchased groceries alongside other items selected same-day fulfillment. Similarly, 29% of Prime Day shoppers who purchased groceries and other items received them on the same day as their purchase. Walmart led in both grocery and non-grocery same-day delivery. The brick-and-mortar giant had more than twice as many same-day, non-grocery purchases during its deals event as Amazon.
Speed was the breakout star in both retail events. Walmart+ Week participants were more likely than Prime Day shoppers to cite shipping time as a key factor influencing their decision to buy furniture, consumer electronics, appliances, health products, travel services and more.
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Methodology
“Speed Versus Spend: Who Shopped Amazon and Walmart’s Deal Days and Why” is based on a survey of 4,704 U.S. consumers conducted from July 11, 2025, to July 13, 2025. The report examines consumer participation in the two retail giants’ annual deals events. The sample is census-balanced to reflect the U.S. population by age, gender and region.
