A quick guide to selling on Walmart

In fact, the Walmart Marketplace attracts over 150 million unique visitors each month, giving retailers, big and small, access to a huge potential customer pool.

Are you looking to sell your products on one of the fastest growing eCommerce platforms in the U.S.? Then you’ve come to the right place.

This guide will cover everything you need to know to get started, including seller requirements, how to create a vendor account, and best practices for maximizing your sales.

What is the Walmart Marketplace?

The Walmart Marketplace is an online platform where third-party sellers can list and sell their products alongside Walmart's inventory. It's similar to other online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, but with a focus on reaching Walmart's massive customer base.

Benefits of selling on Walmart

In times of rising digital advertising costs, selling your products on an online marketplace can be a cost-effective way to reach a large audience and drive sales. Here are some of the benefits of selling on the Walmart Marketplace compared to other platforms:

• No monthly or set-up fees: You pay only a referral fee when you make a sale.
• Engaged customer base: Access to Walmart’s audience of frequent shoppers and loyal customers.
• Trustworthy reputation: Leverage the Walmart brand to gain the trust of potential customers.
• Smooth onboarding process: Get your products live on the platform easily and quickly.
• Targeted marketing: Advertise directly to customers within the platform.
• Reliable fulfillment options: Walmart Fulfillment Services takes care of storing, packing, and shipping your orders.
• Easy returns: Easily manage returns online or in person at Walmart stores.

Requirements to sell on Walmart Marketplace

While Walmart welcomes third-party sellers to its online marketplace, the company still wants to protect its brand and reputation. That’s why sellers must meet certain requirements before joining. Before you start the application process, make sure you have the following:

• A Business Tax ID or License Number (not an SSN)
• Supporting documents to verify your business name and address
• Evidence that you’ve sold products online before, such as on another marketplace or eCommerce platform
• 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 capability

How to start selling on Walmart Marketplace

Ready to become a vendor? Make sure to review the eligibility criteria in the previous section and if you meet all the requirements, you can start the application process.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to launch your Walmart Marketplace vendor account and get your products in front of potential customers:

Step 1: Create a seller account

Visit the Walmart Marketplace signup page, fill out the required information, review the terms, and create your Walmart Marketplace account.

Step 2: Verify your email address

To verify your email, check for a verification link sent to your inbox after submitting your application.

Step 3: Set up your account

Once you've verified your email address, you’ll be prompted to log into the Seller Central. But before you can start selling your products, you need to complete three mandatory steps:

1. Business verification

The first step is to verify your business by submitting your details (legal business name, business address, and US Tax ID) and completing your Seller Profile (display name and customer service information). Make sure your tax information matches IRS records so that Walmart can verify your business quickly. Once approved, you will see a message saying “Your business is verified!”

2. Payment

When your business has been verified, you can set up your payment settings. Walmart gives you the choice between three third-party payment processors, based on your location:

• Payoneer
• Hyperwallet
• PingPong

Choose the payment processor that you want to work with and either create an account or sign into your existing account. Follow the remaining steps to link the payment processor to your Walmart seller account.

3. Shipping

The final step requires you to configure your shipping methods and costs. First, create your Shipping Templates which determine your order fulfillment speed, the places you ship to, and the shipping costs that your customers will be charged.

Next, review and agree to Walmart’s Returns Shipping Service for returns label printing. Walmart will automatically create return shipping labels so you’ll need to provide the name and address of your return center.

Step 4: List your products

Once you’ve created a vendor account and completed all the steps, you’re ready to start adding your products to the platform. There are a couple of ways to do this:

1. Add products individually

From the seller homepage, go to Product Catalog > Items and click Add Items. Make sure to have your product SKU, selling price, fulfillment type, and shipping weight at hand. We’d recommend this option if you only have a few products in your catalog.

2. Add products in bulk

To upload multiple products at once, follow the same steps as above and instead choose the option to upload a spreadsheet with your product information. Make sure to follow Walmart’s guidelines when it comes to uploading your products in bulk. We’d recommend this option if you’re planning to add a number of products to the platform

3. Add products via an integration partner

Tools like Channable allow you to connect your webshop data directly to marketplaces like Walmart. Not only can you add products in bulk, but an integration partner removes the need to manually update your product offerings or stock information thanks to real-time updates. We’d recommend this option if you prefer to manage your stock and orders in one location.

What products can you sell on Walmart Marketplace?

Everything ranging from household items, electronics, toys, clothing, sporting goods, beauty products, pet supplies, and more. You should bear in mind that there are some product categories that require pre-approval before you can begin to sell them on Walmart Marketplace, including:

• Fragrance
• Luxury brands
• Software
• Cell phones and accessories
• Halloween and select seasonal products
• Custom content
• Jewelry and precious metals

Referral fees (the fee you pay to Walmart for every product sold) vary per product type. You can find a full list of the different referral fees here.

5 best practices for increasing sales on Walmart Marketplace

Millions of potential customers are just a click away on Walmart Marketplace. But with thousands of listings competing for attention, how can you make sure your products get noticed? One way to stand out is by improving your listing quality score.

Walmart's listing quality score is determined by three factors: content, offer, and performance. A high quality score gives you more product visibility in search results and, in turn, can improve your conversion rates. Here are some tips to set your product listings up for success on the Walmart Marketplace:

1. Write clear and concise product titles and descriptions

Your title should be between 50-75 characters and include relevant information such as the keyword, color, brand name, and model. For fashion items, Walmart recommends the following formula: “Brand + Style Name (if applicable) + Descriptive Feature (if applicable), Material, Clothing Size + Pack Count”.

In your listings, you should include 3-10 key features and a detailed description (minimum 150 words) of your product including the benefits and/or pain points you solve. It’s a good idea to use formatting options such as bullet points to make your descriptions easier to scan.

2. Use high-quality images and rich media

Walmart recommends uploading 4 professional, high-resolution product images that are at least 1000x1000 pixels, as this allows your images to be zoomable. Additionally, all of your product shots must be on a white background to meet Walmart’s image requirements.

You can also make your product pages more engaging by adding rich media such as product videos and 360-degree images. If applicable, consider uploading unboxing videos, how-to demos, and other informative material like manuals and size charts.

3. Price your products competitively to qualify for the Buy Box

When multiple sellers offer the same product on Walmart, only one gets the prime spot: the Buy Box. When a customer clicks "Add to Cart," the product in the Buy Box automatically gets added. This typically goes to the brand selling the product for the cheapest price. The other retailers are hidden behind the "More seller options" link. Being featured in the Buy Box can significantly increase your sales.

4. Offer fast or free shipping

Online shoppers value fast delivery, and offering faster shipping options can boost your conversions. Consider enabling Walmart ThreeDay delivery and requesting access to TwoDay delivery to showcase these tags on your listings to attract shoppers seeking speedy delivery. don’t forget to offer standard delivery to customers who are willing to wait a little longer for their orders to arrive.

5. Run Walmart Marketplace ads

If you want to boost the visibility of your products, you can use Walmart’s Sponsored Product ads. Sponsored Products are cost-per-click (CPC) ads that promote your listings when customers are actively searching for similar products, allowing you to reach potential customers when they are most likely to click and buy. These targeted ads appear in prominent locations, and when a customer clicks your ad, they’re taken directly to your product detail page.

Ready, set, sell

While Walmart is renowned for its extensive network of physical retail stores, its online platform presents a strategic avenue for eCommerce companies aiming to increase their digital sales.

Sellers offering quality products at competitive prices can leverage Walmart’s established brand to reach its vast customer base. After reading this guide, you should be well-prepared to navigate the onboarding process, set up your product catalog, and hopefully grow your business on the Walmart marketplace.