Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In
Retail

Target Finds a Winning Deals Day Formula

Target's Deal Day is fast becoming a standalone retail holiday. We dove into the foot traffic to see the offline impact.

By 
Shira Petrack
October 13, 2022
Target Finds a Winning Deals Day Formula
SHARE
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
Key Takeaways

Target Deal Days have come a long way since the company first launched the event in 2018. Initially scheduled to overlap with Amazon’s Prime Day, the Deal Days slowly but surely took on a life of their own. In October 2021, Target kicked off the extended holiday shopping season with its first independent Deal Days event and the second Deal Days of the year, in a move that is now being used by Amazon. And this year, Target’s October Deal Days took place October 6th to 8th 2022 – almost a week before Amazon’s first-ever second Prime Day of the year scheduled for October 11-12.

Now, with another Deal Day behind us, we dove into the foot traffic data to assess the offline impact of this emerging stand-alone retail holiday. 

Going Into October Deal Days Strong

Following several weeks of year-over-year (YoY) visit declines largely driven by comparisons to a strong 2021 back-to-school season, Target’s YoY foot traffic rose once again in mid-August 2022. Visits the week of August 15th increased 1.2% relative to the equivalent week in 2021, and the company kept the momentum going through Deal Days maintaining positive YoY foot traffic numbers every week leading up to the retail event. 

During the week of October 3-9, 2022 – the week of Deal Days – Target’s nationwide foot traffic increased 3.2% relative to the week of October 4-10 2021, or double the YoY increase of the previous week. And critically, last year’s October Deal Days took place between October 10th and 12th 2021, so the 2022 October Deal Days week is being compared to a 2021 week with Deal Days as well. This means that 2022’s October Target Deal Days were able to generate impressive YoY in-store weekly visit gains despite the comparison to a particularly strong October in 2021.

Thursday-Saturday Deal Days - A Winning Combination 

Zooming into daily visits further confirms the success of this year’s sales event. Target tends to see its nationwide visits peak on Saturday, so the retailer had traditionally held its Deal Days mid-week in an effort to generate traffic during an otherwise slower shopping period. The company began bucking its tradition in 2021, and held its Deal Days partially over the weekend, with the sales event beginning on Sunday, October 10th. 

This year was the first time that a Deals Day event fell on Saturday – the brand’s most popular visiting day – and foot traffic data indicates that the overlap with Target’s weekly visit peak gave this year’s retail holiday a significant boost. Comparing average daily visits per venue over the company’s October Deal Days in 2020, 2021, and 2022 showcases the success of this year’s Deal Days timing. Analyzing foot traffic to Target’s stores nationwide over Deal Days indicates that 2022’s October Deal Days drew almost 28% more average daily visits to Target stores than in 2021, and around 57% more daily visitors per venue than in 2020. 

Owned Retail Holiday Creates Visit Boost

And comparing daily visits over Deal Days to the previous 4-week daily average shows that the heightened traffic on Target’s 2022 October Deal Days relative to previous years was not just due to a strategic calendar shift. Visits to Target nationwide on Thursday, October 6th were 6.1% higher than the previous 4-week Thursday visit average, while Friday, October 7th foot traffic saw a 7.6% increase relative to the previous 4-week Friday average. The Saturday of Deal Days received a 4.0% boost when compared to average visits over the previous four Saturdays – a significant increase when considering how high Target foot traffic is on a typical Saturday.

ֿDeal-Days Saturday Beats Labor Day 

Perhaps even more impressive, the Deal Days-driven increase in Saturday visits was significant enough to beat the Labor Day visit heights. Targets nationwide saw more visits on Saturday, October 8th than on both the Saturday and the Monday of Labor Day 2022. Of course, the combined visits over Labor Day 2022 weekend still beat the combined visits over October 2022 Deal Days – but Labor Day is an extremely well-established retail holiday that is widely advertised across the retail space. 

Target Deal Days, on the other hand, are only a few years old, and almost exclusively advertised by Target – especially this year, when the Target Deal Days did not overlap with the Amazon Prime Day event. The fact that Target succeeded in attracting so many visitors to its stores on a seemingly “random” Saturday speaks to the power of retail giants to establish owned retail holidays that have a clear impact on shopper behavior. 

Many retailers are still struggling with inventory stockpiles, consumers are gearing up once again for an extended holiday season, and more and more shoppers are on the hunt for value. Target’s Deal Days success highlights the potential of company-led owned sales events to drive traffic during traditionally slower periods. 

For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai/blog

Learn how downtown regions across US cities are measuring up with our free tools.
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.

Related Topics

Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
SHARE
Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week
Subscribe to the newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Recent Publications

Get 3 brand & industry breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter
Text Link
Target
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: A Pre-Holiday Snapshot
Kroger: Getting into The Seasonal Swing 
Avison Young Launches Office Busyness Index Powered by Placer.ai to Provide Unmatched Insights on Office Utilization Across Major U.S. Markets
Off-Price Ahead of the 2024 Holiday Season
A Beautiful Season Ahead: Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply
Sportswear Ahead of the 2024 Holiday Season 
Placer 100 Index: October 2024 Recap 
Placer.ai Office Index: October 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: October 2024 Recap 
Halloween’s 2024 Retail & Dining Impact – Party City Carries the Season
Checking in With Department Stores: Nordstrom and Macy’s
Superstores and Wholesale Clubs Ahead of the Holidays
Home Depot and Lowe’s Heading Into the Holidays
Starbucks and Dutch Bros: Short Visits Lead the Way
Planet Fitness: Raising the Bar(bell)
Checking in With Full-Service Restaurants: First Watch, Chili’s, and Outback Steakhouse
RBI and Yum!: QSR Resilience in 2024
Boot Barn and DSW: Stepping Up Their Game
Target’s October Circle Week: A Data-Driven Snapshot
Chipotle, Shake Shack & Wingstop: Dining Success in Q3 2024
Playa Bowls and Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Berry Big Business
Cheesecake Factory & BJ’s Restaurants: Full-Service Success
Checking in on McDonald's and Wendy's 
Sprouts Farmers Market: A Specialty Grocer With a Traditional Twist
CAVA: The Craze Continues
Placer.ai Reaches $100M Annual Recurring Revenue
Catching Up With Carter's 
A Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse Showdown
Placer.ai Mall Index: September 2024 Recap – Labor Day Peaks and Holiday Season Predictions
Albertsons Q3 Check-In
Looking Ahead to the 2024 Holiday Season
Trader Joe's: Continuing to Thrive in 2024
Bowlero and AMF: A Ten-Pin Knockout
Recreational Retail: Store Performance in 2024
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – September 2024
A QSR and Fast-Casual Face-Off
Sam’s Club’s In-Store Retail Media Network Opportunity
The Rising Stars: Six Metro Areas Welcoming Young Professionals
Costco in 2024: A Deep Dive
Sherwin-Williams in 2024: Brighter Than a New Lick of Paint
Life Time and Orangetheory: Premium Fitness Flourishing
C-Stores: More Than A Pit Stop
Darden: Dining Dominance Undeterred 
Placer 100 Index for Retail and Dining: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2024 Recap – Back-To-School In Full Swing
Auto Parts Retailers: The Traffic Continues
Pumpkin Spice Works its Magic Once Again
School Season Sparks Retail Growth
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – July & August 2024
Big Lots’ Big Rightsizing Move in Four Data Points
Fun Away From The Sun: Checking in With Eatertainment
Domestic Migration and Population Growth: Strong Currents Off The Carolina Coast
The Civic Impact of Summer Events
Retail Trends in College Towns: A Back-to-School Snapshot
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: Consumers Still on the Hunt for Discounts
Macy’s & Bloomingdale’s: Into 2024 and Beyond
Limited Time Only: The Trend Continues
Beauty in 2024: Many Ways to Win
Dollar General & Dollar Tree: Powering Ahead in Q2 2024
The Home Depot and Lowe's Foot Traffic Remodel in Q2 2024
Superstore Update: Summer Savings Spree
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2024 Recap – From Fourth of July to Back-to-School
Placer.ai Office Index: July 2024 Recap
Summer Movie Madness: Blockbuster Films Boost Foot Traffic
Driving Success: Toyota in 2024
Denny’s and IHOP: An All-Day Breakfast Matchup
Warby Parker: Seeing Clearly Now
Planet Fitness at the 2024 Halfway Point
Serving Summer 2024: RBI and Yum! Brands Q2 Foot Traffic
Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Dunkin’: Finding Summer Success
Fast Food and Fast Casual Favorites, Plus CosMc’s Takeoff
Chipotle and Sweetgreen: Fast-Casual in Q2 2024
First Watch, Texas Roadhouse, and Applebee’s: An FSR Roundup
Albertsons Companies: H1 2024 Recap
Teaming Up For Success: Sports Stadium Sponsorships
Limited Time Offers: Price Wars Boost Visits
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2024 Recap
Inside Out 2: The New Blockbuster Bringing Crowds Back to Theaters
Petco and PetSmart: A Head to Head
Frozen Delights: Exploring Ice Cream Chains Across America
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – June 2024
Barnes & Noble: Writing a New Story
Small Format Stores - Sprouting, Blooming, and Expanding
Retail and Dining on Father’s Day
Thrift Store Visit Scores
Charting Value Grocery’s Visit Growth
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: Introduction and May 2024 Recap
Digging Into Darden: Q2 2024 Update
2024 Retail and Dining Trends Update
TRU and avid: Midscale Hotels on the Rise 
Diving Into Kroger: A Strong Start to 2024
Placer.ai Mall Index: May 2024 Recap – Mall Visits on the Rebound
Placer.ai Office Index: May 2024 Recap
2024 Memorial Day Recap
Las Vegas: A Tourism and Migration Deep Dive
Eatertainment Chains: Full on Food, Fun, and Foot Traffic
The Promise of Luxury Apparel