The trend: Summer retail sales are starting earlier and stretching longer than ever.

• Amazon set the pace by announcing that Prime Day will launch on July 8 at 12:01am PDT and run through July 11—eight days earlier than last year and twice as long as previous events.
• Walmart quickly followed, announcing that its summer savings event will kick off July 7 for Walmart+ members and last six days, two more than in 2024.
• Meanwhile, Target is opening access to Target Circle Week deals on July 5 for Circle 360 members, with the sale running through July 12.

The context: July used to be a quiet period for retailers—a month more associated with beach days than shopping carts.