Report: Walmart creates rival online sale to Amazon

Walmart is preparing an online sales event on Wednesday to combat Amazon Prime's big sale on the same day, according to a report in USA Today.

USA Today reported that Walmart has dropped prices on items in many of its categories and that the discounts will last 90 days. Also, the company lowered the minimum order for free shipping to $35 for the next month. The minimum is usually $50.

Amazon is trying to lure more subscribers to its $99 Prime loyalty program by pushing a day of discounts it calls Prime Day, during the sleepier summer shopping season.

The e-commerce retailer plans to offer thousands of deals on July 15 in the nine countries that have the Prime loyalty program, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada and Austria.

The Seattle company says the promotion is pegged to its 20th anniversary, which is July 16.