August 30th, 2023
As ecommerce continues to experience rapid growth, new sellers are flocking to Walmart Marketplace every day. Known for its competitive pricing and wide product selection, shoppers trust that their online and in-store experience will deliver on its promise to provide affordable products that enhance their quality of life. Save Money. Live Better. Walmart has set the bar high, and customers are eager to buy.
Additionally, we’re seeing advertising as an incredibly effective way to garner the attention of the masses in this ever-evolving, endlessly competitive ecommerce landscape. With digital advertising increasing brand awareness by 80%, it’s crucial for sellers to create a strategic promotional strategy to engage shoppers. Now with Walmart Connect, reaching the right audience has never been easier.
Through cost-effective advertising options and features designed to maximize growth, brands of all sizes can promote their products and differentiate themselves from their competitors. With Walmart Connect, sellers have access to its 37 million daily shoppers. Utilizing the platform's features, businesses are able to reach and engage their desired customer base with digital ads at every stage of the buyer's journey.
What is Walmart Connect?
In 2021, Walmart Media Group was rebranded as Walmart Connect. This platform helps sellers reach potential customers through online, in-store, and sponsored media channels. Walmart Marketplace offers sellers a unique opportunity to promote their own products while aligning themselves with Walmart's trusted brand.
Walmart Connect enables businesses to gain brand recognition and trust from Walmart shoppers, increasing their visibility and reach. By utilizing the platform, advertisers have access to Walmart’s vast audience and a range of advertising options to increase their reach and recruit new customers.
There are two types of Walmart Sponsored Products campaigns - Automatic and Manual.
Automatic campaigns
Automatic campaigns are the most convenient way to get your products in front of Walmart shoppers. Once you’ve entered your product information, Walmart determines when to display sponsored products based on keywords in your product title, description, product listing, product category, and similar products.
With easy setup, greater exposure, and no keyword management required, automatic campaigns are ideal for new brands and product launches.
Manual campaigns
Manual campaigns are an excellent choice for businesses that want to have more control over their campaigns. With manual campaigns, you select the search terms and keywords you want to bid on, and based on the match type, your sponsored product ad will display for those search terms.
These campaigns also give you the opportunity to test different approaches, giving you the data you need to make adjustments and get the best return on your investment. They are ideal for long-term sellers on Walmart.com.
With both manual and automatic campaigns, Walmart Connect offers a variety of advertising options for sellers:
Walmart Sponsored Products Search
In-Grid Results
Brands, Walmart Marketplace Sellers, vendors, and agencies are eligible for Walmart Sponsored Products ads. Customers can refine their search results by selecting various characteristics such as brand, product type, size, color, price, and more. The search grid allows customers to easily find products that match their search.
Carousels
Walmart utilizes product carousels to display featured products on its website. These carousels can be found on the home page, product category pages, and search result pages. By placing carousels in these strategic locations, customers can easily browse featured products and discover new ones.
Walmart Sponsored Brands
Sponsored Brands can help small and new brands reach more shoppers, increase awareness, and drive conversions. Your logo, a custom headline, and up to four SKUs appear together above relevant search results. For brands that are new or have low organic search rankings, Sponsored Brands can provide an invaluable boost.
Walmart Buy Box Banner
The Buy Box banner increases the visibility of your product on the product detail pages of related items. To be eligible for this premium placement, you need to make sure your ad has the highest bid and the most relevant score possible. This highly-targeted feature can be used to increase conversions and recruit new customers.
Walmart Offsite and Onsite Display Advertising
Walmart's Demand Side Platform (DSP) allows sellers to place targeted ads across a wide range of platforms, from the web and TV to video, audio, mobile, and display, both on and off Walmart. Through Walmart's self-serve display platform, Walmart DSS, advertisers can bid on onsite display inventory and gain access to a large pool of potential shoppers beyond Walmart's own websites.
The Key Benefits of Utilizing Walmart Connect
Boost brand awareness and visibility
With approximately 95% of U.S. households shopping at Walmart each year, sellers have a unique opportunity to reach an incredibly vast and engaged audience. Walmart Connect can be used to boost organic presence, discoverability, and brand recognition through its unique advertising options.
Some key benefits of utilizing Walmart Connect include:
- Gain customer trust
Walmart Marketplace has established itself as a go-to shopping destination for American consumers. Aligning your brand with this popular platform and advertising to its many frequent shoppers gives sellers the opportunity to gain customer trust, build meaningful relationships, and increase brand loyalty.
- Reach your target audience
Walmart Connect offers sellers a variety of precise targeting options to reach high-intent buyers. Through the platform, businesses can reach shoppers at every stage of their purchasing journey, customizing their campaigns to reach the right people with the right message.
- Demonstrate your value
On Walmart Marketplace, sellers have access to a variety of tools, dashboards, and fulfillment services (WFS). Walmart Connect gives you the ability to showcase your competitive pricing and quick shipping options, helping you to stand out from your competition and demonstrate your value.
- Drive sales
With Walmart Connect, sellers can advertise to shoppers who are actively searching for products like theirs. Displaying ads through pre-checkout reminders, high-traffic spots within search results, and featured spots on related product pages can increase conversions and give your brand a competitive advantage.
- Track performance
Walmart Connect provides data-driven insights that sellers can use to maximize their performance. By utilizing its reporting tools, sellers can track the success of their campaigns and adjust their strategy for maximum success. This valuable tool puts sellers in control, helping them get the most out of their investments.
Get Started with Walmart Connect
To begin advertising with Walmart Connect, fill out their short form with your basic information including your contact information and Tax ID. If your brand is eligible, a Walmart Connect representative will contact you within 72 hours.
The seller requirements for Walmart Connect eligibility include:
- Business Tax IDs or Business License Number
- Documents that verify your Business Name and Address
- A history of Walmart Marketplace or ecommerce success
- A list of products that have GTIN/UPC GS1 Company Prefix Numbers
Currently, Walmart Connect is available to a limited number of brands. However, access will be extended in the near future. Keep in mind that if you plan to create Walmart Sponsored Products or sign up for in-store promotions, your products need to be available at Walmart stores. If this isn't the case, you will need to wait until access is extended.
Explore Targeting Options
Relevance is key to a successful ad campaign. By utilizing customer browsing and purchasing data, Walmart Connect ensures that its online retail media is delivered to the most relevant customer segments. By identifying shopper patterns and preferences, sellers can target interested shoppers that are likely to complete a purchase.
Audience targeting options include:
- Demographic
Demographic targeting allows sellers to identify the age, gender, income, and family structure of their target customers. This data ensures your ad campaigns are tailored to the most profitable segment of Walmart Marketplace shoppers.
- Geographic
Location-based targeting can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to make an impact on a local or regional level. This method of targeting allows businesses to identify specific regions, states, cities, and even individual store locations for their retail advertising efforts. - Lookalike Audiences
Walmart Connect's lookalike audience identifies and targets customers who share similar preferences, characteristics, and purchasing patterns. Sellers can leverage Walmart’s algorithm by providing a list of past customers, current customers, and website visitors.
- Interest-Based
Through interest-based targeting, sellers can identify customers' browsing history, product interactions, and engagement with previous ads. Sellers can create personalized online retail media that targets customers who are interested in similar products or categories.
- Self-Serve Custom Audiences
On Walmart Connect, sellers can submit their own customer data to create custom ad campaigns tailored to their desired target market. Whether you're looking to re-engage lapsed buyers or to engage top spenders, the ability to create highly targeted segments allows you to deliver relevant content and increase your chances of success.
Craft Compelling Ad Campaigns
Once you have the data you need, it's time to start building your ad campaign! For Walmart Marketplace, focus on designing ads that are specific to your audience. Consider Walmart's brand identity and tailor your ads to their customer base. With this in mind, you'll be able to create ads that resonate with Walmart shoppers.
Engaging ad copy
In order to maximize organic exposure and conversions on Walmart Marketplace, it’s important to craft compelling copy that clearly conveys your product's unique value to shoppers. Keep ad copy engaging and concise and optimize your product listings to improve the customer experience and increase conversions.
Your Walmart copy must be original. Instead of recycling ads from Amazon and other platforms, create new ad content that is exclusive for Walmart and appeals to their unique clientele.
High-quality visuals
For a successful Walmart ad campaign, professional-quality photography, graphics, and videos are essential. High-resolution images should capture the product's features and benefits in a way that's engaging and visually appealing.
Graphics should be optimized for both web and print media and videos should be carefully edited to make the most of the time-limited format. The combination of these elements will give your ad campaign the edge it needs to stand out from the competition and effectively engage with your target audience.
Clear call-to-action
For any successful Walmart ad campaign, it is important to include a call-to-action that encourages customers to take the next step. Keep your request clear, engaging, and highly visible.
Having an effective call-to-action will not only help drive more conversions but will also motivate customers who may not be ready to make a purchase right away. Utilizing an effective call-to-action is an essential component to ensure that your Walmart ad campaign reaches its full potential.
Maximize Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
It is essential to maintain a close watch on your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) in order to keep your budget in check. In order to stay competitive, it is important to optimize your ad performance while also striving to keep your budget lean and efficient.
Taking advantage of the right strategies can ensure you are getting the most out of your ad budget and helping you reach your goals. Monitoring your ROAS will provide insight into what works and what needs improvement to make sure you are spending in the right areas and improving performance over time.
- Utilize frequency caps
Walmart sellers can control their advertising frequency to maximize ROAS and improve the customer experience. These caps ensure that ads are not repeatedly shown to disinterested shoppers, which could lead to a decrease in click-through rates and poorly allocated ad spend.
- A/B test ad variations
A/B testing allows sellers to compare two versions of an ad campaign or bidding strategy to gain insight into which one is performing better. This process helps ensure that your marketing tactics generate maximum ROAS. A/B testing allows you to see how changes to a campaign can improve results, giving you the data needed to refine your marketing strategy and better reach potential customers.
- Monitor performance
Walmart’s platform is equipped with a multitude of performance dashboards that help sellers monitor ad performance and uncover valuable insights. Use this data to learn more about your target market, identify patterns, and develop effective campaigns and strategies to maximize ROAS.
- Optimize your ad budget
Leverage performance data to optimize your ad campaigns and set a profitable budget. On the Walmart platform, the “set total budget” feature allows you to automate budget management, so you don't have to constantly check in to ensure it's staying within the allocated amount.
- Analyze performance metrics
Using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the success of Walmart Connect campaigns can help you improve performance and ROAS. Meeting Walmart performance metrics is essential for building your presence on Walmart and offers a clear view into the health of your account.
Analyzing seller performance metrics:
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate is a critical metric used to gauge the success of an ad campaign. With Walmart Connect, advertisers can track the number of clicks their ads receive. This data identifies the engagement and interest your ads have generated and measures the percentage of users who clicked on an ad after viewing it. Use this information to adjust your tactics for improved performance.
Conversion Rate
Walmart Connect allows sellers to track conversions after shoppers interact with an advertisement. This data can be used to measure the effectiveness of your campaign, providing a clear understanding of the ROAS. Leverage this information to make informed decisions about your marketing strategy and increase sales and profitability.
Impression Share
Impression share measures the reach and visibility of an ad by tracking the number of times it is displayed or viewed by users. Impressions are a critical metric for measuring success and should be monitored regularly. This information allows businesses to adjust their ad campaigns to ensure they reach their desired audiences and generate the most conversions.
Cost Per Click (CPC)
Cost-per-click (CPC) bidding is an important component of any digital marketing strategy. By using CPC bidding, you are only paying for the clicks your ad receives. You are in control of the maximum cost-per-click bid, which is the highest amount you are willing to pay for a click on your ad. With CPC bidding, you can get the most out of your campaigns and prevent overspending.
Walmart Connect FAQ
What is Walmart Connect, and how does it differ from other retail advertising platforms?
Walmart Connect gives sellers the unique opportunity to promote their products to a vast audience through a wide variety of advertising options for maximum visibility and engagement.
Can I target specific regions with my campaigns?
Geographic targeting options allow sellers to identify specific regions, states, cities, and store locations for their retail advertising efforts.
Is there a minimum budget requirement for running campaigns on Walmart Connect?
For Sponsored Products, Walmart requires a minimum monthly budget of $1,000 and a daily budget of at least $100.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when using Walmart Connect?
When running campaigns, optimize your product listings and closely monitor your performance. Use Walmart metrics to adjust your strategy and maximize ROAS.
Looking to expand your reach? If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help! Our Amazon account management team works with you to develop customized strategies to maximize performance on Amazon and Walmart Marketplace. From listing optimization to PPC management and professional photography, we’re equipped with all the tools you need to grow your brand and meet your goals. Get started today with a free consultation.