With the launch of Walmart Connect earlier this year, Walmart continues to accelerate its expansion into the digital space, challenging Amazon and becoming a more serious ecommerce marketplace. With greater support being funneled to Walmart Performance Ads and the launch of self-service Display ads, Walmart is beginning to truly rival Amazon in their advertising offerings and driving itself toward a platform that can no longer be ignored.
The question is no longer “should my brand be advertising on Walmart?” but instead should be “how do I get started?” We chatted with Peter Kearns, VP of Marketplaces, and Melissa Ardavany, Director of Marketplace Services, to learn more about why your brand should be advertising on Walmart.
Largest US Retailer
According to Walmart’s first-party research, they’re the largest retailer in the United States, serving 150 million consumers each week in-stores and online. And with 35% of in-store shoppers visiting walmart.com shortly before shopping in person, the opportunity to capture consumers online and in stores rivals any other major ecommerce platform
With the opportunity to capture additional search volume on Walmart.com growing during the pandemic, an additional 70,000 sellers joined Walmart marketplace in 2020 according to Reuters.com.
“As 70,000 additional sellers aim to take advantage of the more than doubling of Walmart’s ecommerce business over last year, it is critical that brands take advantage of this marketplace gold rush.” Says Kearns. “If you aren’t advertising on Walmart, your competitors are!”
Placements Across Walmart.com
Placements in search results, on product detail pages, and in buy boxes allow Walmart Performance Ads to help brands maximize visibility and reach more consumers than ever before. One in four Walmart.com purchases start out as a search and with 185 searches happening per second on Walmart.com utilizing advertising to give your brand prominent placement is key to a successful Walmart plan.
“As with any major ecommerce platform, your participation and performance on Walmart Ads will impact your organic positions on search results pages. It is imperative to generate relevance for your products before competition has the opportunity to take over the space, and the best way to do that is to take advantage of Walmart’s full suite of advertising offerings.” Says Ardavany.
Full Picture
One of the main draws to Walmart Advertising is that you can get the full picture of how your products are selling at Walmart online, on mobile, and in store.
Walmart states, “Only Walmart can accurately measure the effect of your digital campaign not just on our site and mobile apps — but in our stores.” If you sell your product on Walmart’s online marketplace as well as in store, you can easily see the results of your campaigns from a full-funnel perspective.
As marketing becomes more focused on the full-funnel ecommerce experience, marketplaces that offer full visibility like Walmart become more valuable.
Because so many Americans live within 10 miles of a store, there’s the opportunity to buy or return items in store. Amazon is currently unable to offer similar in-person returns, and many Americans can’t experience their in-person shopping experience due to limited locations in large cities. Walmart, though, is the main shopping destination for much of rural America.
Get In Early
Industry leaders stay ahead of trends, giving them the opportunity to take advantage of uncrowded spaces, and figure out marketplace strategies before competition. Walmart’s first-price auction structure means a longer road to full optimizations which will make it even more difficult to play catch up for brands left behind.
With low competition currently on the platform the opportunity for success is higher now than it will ever be again. Don’t wait and let your competitors gain the edge. Talk to your Blue Wheel Media contact today for more information on how we can help launch your business on Walmart Performance Ads.
Looking to up your Walmart Advertising game? Talk to our Marketplaces team today.
