Walmart Sharpens Promotions For Back-To-School Spike

Beginning today, July 31, Walmart is kicking off its "Back to Class Cyber Days" promotion online and on its mobile app, featuring 30% more rollbacks and hundreds of special buys timed to capitalize on what the retailer pinpoints is an online traffic spike as consumers shift from summer to school.

Over the past two years, traffic to Walmart.com has suddenly doubled in the period from July 31 to August 3 as compared with the weeks before, the retailer is reporting, as customers turn their attention from summer to school purchasing. 

In addition, Walmart noted, its virtual store is taking prices on top 10 items searched in the weeks leading up to Back to Class Cyber Days to new lows. Those include a Kebo Futon Sofa Bed for $87, down from $122.50, a Mainstays Parsons Desk with Drawer for $29, down from $49, and an Igloo Eraser Board Refrigerator for $89, down from $109, as well as electronics, apparel, school suppliers and bedding.

In this back-to-school season, the retailer again is launching Classes by Walmart, an online tool that helps parents access their children’s school supply lists remotely. This year, Walmart is bringing some fun to the back-to-school season by giving customers a chance for their community to host a concert with The Vamps. Customers who search for their child’s supply list at walmart.com/classroom and share on social media using #RockTheSavingsPromotion can participate in the promotion.

“When the calendar changes from July to August, it’s like a switch flips in parents’ minds,” said Steve Breen, svp/merchandising for Walmart.com. “We can literally start to see it happen with a traffic spike on July 31, and this year we’re timing thousands of the season’s biggest rollbacks to when we know our customers are coming to our site to check-off their back-to-school shopping lists.”