What Is Walmart Connect? How This Retail Media Network Can Boost Your eCommerce Sales
Walmart Connect is the retail media division of Walmart that offers digital advertising services to brands looking to reach Walmart’s vast omnichannel customer base. Powered by actionable shopper insights and Walmart’s owned properties, Walmart Connect helps businesses drive awareness, increase product visibility and ultimately boost sales across Walmart stores and online.
But as an ecommerce seller, you likely still have questions: How exactly does Walmart Connect work? What can it do for your business? And how do you get started? In this comprehensive guide, I’ll draw on my extensive background as an Amazon seller and digital retail strategist to breakdown everything brands need to know to be successful with Walmart Connect.
An Insider’s Look at Reaching 230M+ Walmart Customers
As an experienced marketplace seller, I know the importance of tapping into a retailer’s first-party shopper data and proprietary media platforms. This level of insight and access simply can’t be matched through broader digital ad networks.
That’s why Walmart Connect presents such a compelling opportunity – it’s the only way to directly engage Walmart’s massive customer base of over 230 million weekly shoppers across its stores and ecommerce sites. For context, that’s about 95% of the U.S. population!
And beyond the sheer scale, Walmart shoppers demonstrate high purchase intent and conversion value – 71% discover new products on Walmart’s site and 40% have made an unplanned purchase due to an ad. Connecting your brand with these high-value customers can pay dividends.
Benefit from Walmart’s Brand Equity and Closed-Loop Data
As the largest retailer in the world, Walmart carries unrivaled brand equity with consumers. Shoppers trust Walmart and look to its services, like Walmart Connect, to discover new products and make informed purchases.
Your business can gain an instant credibility boost by associating with Walmart’s brand name and reputation. Products advertised through Walmart Connect also benefit from prominent placement and visibility across Walmart’s omnichannel network.
You also get exclusive access to Walmart’s closed-loop data, which directly ties ad exposures to offline purchases. This closed-loop attribution is invaluable for measuring true campaign ROI and dialing in your targeting and creative strategies.
The Power of Walmart’s Omnichannel Ecosystem
A major differentiator of Walmart Connect is how it activates Walmart’s unparalleled omnichannel retail ecosystem. Walmart Connect gives you direct access to reach customers as they shop across:
- 4,700+ Walmart stores with on-site display ads, endcaps and more
- Walmart ecommerce including site, app and social media
- In-store events like concessions and sampling
- Off-site display, video and mobile through Demand-Side Platform (DSP) partners
This omnichannel approach allows you to engage shoppers throughout their entire journey – from product discovery to purchase – driving superior results compared to single-channel campaigns.
Inside a Winning Walmart Connect Campaign
So what does a successful Walmart Connect campaign look like? Here are a few best practices I recommend to sellers:
Lead with product detail page ads – These sponsored ads on Walmart.com product pages convert exceptionally well. Target keywords and products with high intent.
Test multiple formats and placements – Experiment across in-store, online and off-site. Identify what resonates most with Walmart shoppers.
Tailor creatives – Adapt branding and messaging to the Walmart customer. Leverage co-branding opportunities.
Monitor performance data – Lean on closed-loop attribution to optimize targeting, bids and creative.
Collaborate with Walmart Connect reps – Leverage their expertise to build an effective omnichannel strategy.
Be proactive – Give your brand a head start on the competition by moving early to adopt Walmart Connect.
Walmart Connect vs. Amazon: How They Compare
| Walmart Connect | Amazon Advertising | |
| Monthly Users | 100M+/mo online 230M+/wk across channels | 197M |
| Ad Formats | Search, product display, video, in-store, DSP off-site | Search, product display, DSP |
| Attribution | Closed-loop | Multi-touch |
As you can see, Walmart Connect offers comparable ad formats and even greater scale and attribution capabilities vs. Amazon. This presents a major opportunity for sellers diversifying beyond Amazon.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your First Walmart Connect Campaign
Ready to get started with Walmart Connect? Here is a step-by-step guide to launching your first campaign:
Select a campaign objective – Brand awareness? Traffic to your site? Sales on Walmart? Define your goals.
Determine your budget – Factor in duration, daily caps, and your cost-per-click bids. I suggest starting modest.
Pick your products – Choose ones with high relevance to Walmart shoppers. Have clean content and images.
Create ads and landing pages – Design Walmart-specific creatives and user-friendly site pages.
Set up campaign – In self-serve platform, select ad types, placements, targeting.
Monitor and optimize – Review performance data regularly. Refine targeting and creative.
With this campaign framework and my optimization tips, you can extract significant value from Walmart Connect.
Seize the Early Mover Advantage with Walmart Connect
In closing, as an experienced ecommerce seller, I think Walmart Connect is too compelling to ignore. The combination of Walmart’s first-party shopper data, vast omnichannel reach, trusted brand equity, and closed-loop attribution create a powerful opportunity for brands.
Acting now will give you a distinct competitive edge in reaching Walmart’s loyal customer base – before more sellers catch on. If you have any other questions on getting started with Walmart Connect, I’m always happy to help simply reach out. Let’s connect!
