Monitoring Flash Deals Across Walmart & Target for Price Optimization

Introduction

In the fast-paced world of retail, flash deals are used by platforms like Walmart and Target to generate urgency, increase conversion, and manage inventory. These short-term, high-discount promotions often run for a few hours or less and can significantly impact brand visibility and pricing perception. iWeb Data Scraping was engaged by a leading CPG company to monitor hourly flash deals on Walmart and Target, with the goal of improving promotional timing, detecting competitor discount behavior, and enabling dynamic pricing alignment.

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objectives

Objectives:

  • Scrape hourly flash deal listings across product categories like electronics, home essentials, and FMCG.
  • Capture deal duration, original vs discounted prices, product availability, and promotional labels.
  • Enable competitors’ deal analysis and overlap detection.
  • Deliver real-time alerts and structured datasets to sales and pricing teams.

    • Challenges:

  • Flash deals often appear within carousel widgets or separate promotional URLs.
  • Limited-time offers expire or rotate in under 2–4 hours.
  • Personalized sessions and app-only deals vary from desktop views.
    • the-challenges
    iWeb Data Scraping’s Strategy

    iWeb Data Scraping’s Strategy:

    1. Daily Combo Offer Extraction:

    • Scraped Walmart & Target deal sections every 30 minutes.
    • Deployed headless browsers to render dynamic deal banners.
    • Captured SKU ID, timestamp, original price, deal price, stock availability, and countdown timer (if visible).

    2. Deal Intelligence Framework:

    • Categorized flash deals by:
    • Brand name
    • Discount range (e.g., 10–20%, 20–30%, 30%+)
    • Inventory movement and stockouts
    • Time of day (AM/PM) and day of the week

    3. Competitive Offer Matching:

    • Mapped overlapping products across Walmart and Target.
    • Identified time-lagged promotions on same SKUs.

    Sample Output Table:

    Platform Product Name Category Original Price Deal Price Discount Time Slot Status
    Walmart Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Kitchen $99.00 $69.00 30.3% 9 AM – 12 PM Live Deal
    Target Sony WH-CH520 Headset Electronics $59.99 $39.99 33.3% 10 AM – 1 PM Live Deal
    Walmart Tide Pods 42ct Household $18.49 $13.99 24.3% 12 PM – 2 PM Expired

    Results:

    Captured Over 4,800 Flash Deals in 30 Days

    • Across Walmart and Target’s U.S. store websites.

    Uncovered 12% Average Discount Disparity

    • Detected timing gaps between identical brand offers.

    Enabled 95% Promotion Response Rate

    • Automated internal price adjustments triggered by hourly alerts.

    Achieved 3x Faster Competitor Match Response

    • Helped client align flash deals with Target when Walmart dropped prices first.
    result
    Dashboards Delivered

    Dashboards Delivered:

    • Flash Deal Tracker Grid (Time x Brand)
    • Discount Range Distribution by Platform
    • Live Deal Availability Heatmap
    • Overlapping SKU Deal Alerts

    Technology Stack:

    • Languages: Python, JavaScript
    • Scraping Tools: Playwright, Puppeteer
    • Database: PostgreSQL, Redis
    • Scheduling: AWS Lambda (30-min interval)
    • Delivery: API feed, Email snapshots, Google Sheets
    Technology Stack
    Why-iWeb-Data-Scraping

    Why iWeb Data Scraping?

    • Real-time monitoring expertise for high-frequency deal changes
    • Proven accuracy in tracking retail promotions
    • Custom alerting, brand deal maps, and promo timelines
    • Trusted by FMCG, electronics, and home goods brands

    Client Testimonial

    “We finally have flash deal clarity. Our team can now match Walmart and Target offers without guesswork. iWeb has transformed our promotional agility.”

    — Director of Retail Promotions, U.S. CPG Brand

    Next Steps:

    • Expand to include app-only deals and Target Circle offers.
    • Integrate countdown timer predictions for deal expiry.
    • Add visual scraping for badge-based promotions (e.g., “Today Only”, “Hot Pick”).
    Next Steps:

    Conclusion

    Hourly flash deals can make or break brand performance in the retail space. With real-time tracking from iWeb Data Scraping, brands gain instant access to pricing shifts, competitor strategies, and retail promotion windows—transforming price reaction into proactive planning.

    Let’s Talk About Product

    What's Next?

    We start by signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to protect your ideas.

    Our team will analyze your needs to understand what you want.

    You'll get a clear and detailed project outline showing how we'll work together.

    We'll take care of the project, allowing you to focus on growing your business.