Over the years, Walmart Marketplace has been historically cautious when it comes to allowing third-party sellers on their online platform. However, as Amazon, Shopify, and other ecommerce platforms continue to grow in revenue and success, Walmart has made the move to become a serious competitor in the ecommerce landscape. In order to grow their ecommerce presence, Walmart has begun actively encouraging and incentivizing third-party sellers, especially successful Amazon sellers, to apply. This makes it the perfect time for Amazon sellers and other ecommerce entrepreneurs to consider expanding their small businesses by joining Walmart Marketplace. 

If you’re looking to capitalize on this opportunity to grow your ecommerce business and reach Walmart customers through the growing platform, we’ve put together a complete guide to success. Not only have we outlined why this is the perfect opportunity to scale your success in an underserved market of potential customers, we’ve also put together step-by-step instructions for how to sell on Walmart. Ready to reach new heights on the great ecommerce frontier? Let’s get started! 

What is Walmart Marketplace?

Walmart Marketplace is an ecommerce marketplace where third-party sellers can sell their products alongside Walmart’s own. Unlike other major ecommerce platforms, like Amazon, which started and remains primarily online, the Walmart Marketplace is an ecommerce offshoot of the brick-and-mortar retail giant. However, Walmart Marketplace is increasingly becoming a notable competitor to Amazon’s online marketplace. 

Launched in 2009, Walmart Marketplace has been around for over a decade, and has evolved into a powerful tool for suppliers to reach Walmart’s customers. As a Walmart marketplace seller on the platform, you gain access to a vast audience of Walmart shoppers and the retailer’s world-class sales tools. At the same time, participating in the marketplace can serve as an excellent introduction to Walmart’s operations–making it not just an opportunity to expand your ecommerce business, but potentially a strategic opportunity to secure a spot for your inventory in brick-and-mortar stores. 

Benefits of Selling on Walmart Marketplace

Sellers looking to expand onto Walmart Marketplace will reap a wide range of benefits for their small business, including: 

Increased customer exposure 

Walmart’s long standing reputation as a major retail player, both in brick-and-mortar stores and as an online marketplace, has attracted an enormous daily audience of Walmart shoppers. By expanding your ecommerce business onto Walmart Marketplace, you’ll be reaching an entirely new base of customers and providing your products with unparalleled visibility to them. 

Cost-Effective Entry 

While many ecommerce platforms charge upfront listing fees, Walmart Marketplace only takes a referral fee on actual sales. This model helps to reduce upfront costs and financial risk for sellers just starting out, leaving more capital to invest in inventory, marketing efforts, and more. 

Reduced Competitive Pressure 

Although the retailer is notorious for providing highly competitive pricing to Walmart shoppers, behind the scenes Walmart Marketplace offers reduced pressure for sellers. Unlike other ecommerce platforms, Walmart’s stringent application process results in fewer approved sellers in each product category and ultimately less Buy Box competition. This means increased visibility for your products to Walmart customers and greater potential sales opportunities. 

Seamless Integration 

To encourage established ecommerce marketplace sellers to expand onto Walmart the platform is designed to work in harmony with other online stores. Walmart integration and compatibility allows for easy integration with your existing sales channels, especially Amazon sellers, streamlining multi-channel selling and fulfillment strategies. This also makes uploading and updating product information for listings across other ecommerce platforms a breeze. 

Walmart Requirements 

While Walmart is actively seeking to expand its network of third-party sellers on its online marketplace, the retailer is very serious about safeguarding its brand reputation. In order to ensure ideal seller performance Walmart maintains strict standards for eligibility. 

Before you begin your application for Walmart Marketplace, make sure that you meet the minimum qualifications to join: 

• Business Tax Id(s) or Business License Number 
• Supporting documents that verify your business name and address
• History of marketplace or ecommerce success (ie, proof of your Amazon business sales) 
• Products that have GTIN/UPC GS1 Company Prefix Numbers
• A catalog that complies with Walmart’s Prohibited Products Policy 
• Fulfillment through Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) or another B2C U.S. warehouse with returns capabilities

Initial Steps for Onboarding

Although expanding onto Walmart Marketplace may seem intimidating at first, it’s a very simple process. Start by creating your Walmart seller account in Walmart’s Seller center and applying to set up your business on the platform. From there you’ll need to complete the 3-step setup to begin onboarding and receive approval for Walmart Marketplace. 

1. Business Verification – Submit the necessary business details to Walmart in order to complete your Seller Profile. 
2. Payments – Securely share banking information with Walmart so they know where to send your payments. No setup, subscription, or monthly fees. 
3. Shipping – Configure your shipping methods and costs. Select your preferred returns method and carriers for your budget, even if you’ll be utilizing Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS).

On average it takes sellers about five minutes for sellers to complete their Walmart Marketplace application and Seller Profile. Once completed, you’ll be able to view all relevant marketplace information about your business in Walmart Seller Central. 

How to Sell on Walmart: Shipping & Fulfillment 

Shipping and fulfillment policies are key in defining your customer experience and ensuring that every step is satisfactory. Follow these steps to configure your shipping and fulfillment settings, as well as set up return processes: 

1. Access the shipping setup: From your seller center, locate and click the “Start shipping” button at the top of the screen. 
2. Select shipping templates: Choose your preferred shipping templates. These templates determine: order fulfillment speed, shipping destinations, shipping costs for customers.
   1. For a more detailed customization, click on “Advanced setup,” which will offer options to fine tune shipping templates to the specific needs of your business. 
3. Review returns policy: Carefully read and agree to Walmart’s Returns Shipping Service terms. This service governs the process for return label printing. 
4. Specify return center details: Enter the name and address you want to be used for your return center. This information will be printed on return shipping labels, so ensure it’s accurate and up-to-date. 
5. Finalize setup: After reviewing all entered information, click “Submit” to save your shipping and returns processes. 

How to Sell on Walmart: Listing Products 

Once you’ve completed business verification and set up your desired shipping configurations, it’s time to populate your product catalog with listings. Walmart Marketplace offers multiple methods for catalog creation, catering to the needs of new to well-established sellers. 

• Bulk Upload: This method allows you to create numerous products simultaneously. It’s a great strategy for sellers who already have an extensive catalog established and unlikely to change much. 
• SIngle Item: This method allows you to create individual product listings one at a time. This is a smart strategy for sellers who have small catalogs. 
• API Integration: This method allows you to upload multiple listings at once with automatic synchronization of catalog changes. If your catalgo changes often this dynamic solution will allow you access developer resources and keep things up-to-date easily. 

Bulk Upload 

1. Navigate to the product catalog: From your seller homepage, go to “Product Catalog” > “Items” and click “Add Items.” 
2. Upload your spreadsheet: Drag and drop your updated Walmart template or custom spreadsheet into the designated file upload area. 

3. Complete the upload: Click “Next and follow the subsequent steps to finalize adding these products to your catalog. 

Single Item Upload 

1. Access item addition: From your seller homepage, go to “Product Catalog” > “Items” and click “Add Items.” 
2. Search or create a new item: Enter the item name or identifier in the “Search the Walmart catalog” field. If your item isn’t listed, click “Create new item” and provide the required information for approval. 

3. Add to your catalog: Once you’ve found or created the right item, click “Add Item” to include it in your catalog. 

4. Update offer details: Fill in the “Offer Details” section with your product SKU, selling price, fulfillment type, and shipping weight. Expand the “Optional” section for additional customization if you want. 
5. Finalize addition: Click “Submit” to officially add the item to your catalog. 

How to Sell on Walmart: Onsite Advertising

While Walmart may not have as many advanced marketing tools and agencies yet, it still offers a variety of onsite advertising strategies to help your Walmart store reach more customers. Sponsored Search ads are free for Walmart sellers to create and launch–you only pay when customers click on them. 

There are two types of Sponsored Search ads, each with their own specific requirements and benefits: 

• Sponsored Products target Walmart customers who are actively looking for a product similar to or in the same category as your’s on Walmart Marketplace. As these customers search on Walmart, Sponsored Products ads are surfaced in prominent positions to attract their attention. 
• Sponsored Brands promote your brand or Walmart store overall, rather than a specific product. When customers search for items in the same product category as yours, your brand and its associated products are listed in a premium callout space at the top of the page. This is a great tool to help develop brand awareness and reputation with new potential customers, allowing them to explore your entire brand offerings. 

Funding Expansion onto Walmart

While Walmart is well-known for its popular and prolific in-person retail stores, Walmart Marketplace has provided a strategic opportunity for ecommerce sellers looking to expand sales onto new platforms. Established sellers that offer quality products at competitive prices have the unique opportunity to take advantage of a not-yet saturated online marketplace, benefitting from partnership with an established brand with an extensive customer base. However, despite the low cost of entry onto Walmart Marketplace, successfully scaling a business on any new marketplace requires substantial working capital to take advantage of opportunity. That’s where Viably comes in. 

Viably is the predictive banking platform built for ecommerce sellers. By connecting your commerce and banking data, Viably helps Walmart sellers gain fast access to capital, see their money movement and financial health in real time, while forecasting ahead to help map goals for growth. Grow your business your way, on Walmart Marketplace and other ecommerce platforms with funding to take advantage of every opportunity.