Dive Brief:

• Walmart is rolling out savings ahead of the holiday season, including offering two Thanksgiving meal options at lower prices than last year, according to a Wednesday blog post. 
• The meal options include a bundle of ingredients to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal, with turkey priced at less than $1 per pound, as well as a ready-to-bake meal basket.
• Walmart is also hosting more deals more often as well as offering thousands more rollbacks across gifting categories. 

Dive Insight:

Despite inflation steadily decreasing for most of 2023, shoppers are still heavily impacted by high food prices, and 92% of Walmart shoppers stated they are concerned with the impact inflation will have on holiday celebrations, according to the retailer. 

Walmart’s holiday meal discount offering will run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 26, and gives customers the choice between an ingredients basket to make Thanksgiving dinner from scratch or opt for the more convenient, ready-to-bake basket. Shoppers will be able to purchase the meal baskets at Walmart.com or on the Walmart app for pickup or delivery in as soon as 30 minutes, according to the announcement.

The traditional Thanksgiving meal, which matches 2021 prices, includes options like turkey priced at less than $1 per pound, ham, stuffing and pumpkin pie, the press release noted.

Walmart has been rolling out meal baskets to save shoppers money ahead of holiday seasons throughout this year. In March, the retailer announced Easter meal and basket essentials at 2022’s prices.

Walmart’s announcement comes out at the same time as Aldi’s Thanksgiving promotion, which offers 50% savings on more than 70 seasonal grocery items. Both retailers have targeted price-conscious consumers during the inflationary period and are looking to further shore up loyalty during the all-important holiday selling season.

In addition, Walmart is expanding its holiday gift assortments with more than 1,000 new items in its toy department and over 25 of its “2023 Top Toys” priced at under $25.

These offerings, which are available online and in-store, further Walmart’s continued efforts to improve its online shopping experience. In April, the retailer revamped its website and mobile app. Walmart has also recently focused on omnichannel speed and convenience, adding late-night express delivery until 10 p.m. and on-demand delivery slots.