What Is Walmart Connect? A Complete Walkthrough for Brands

So you keep hearing about this new thing called Walmart Connect but aren‘t really sure what it is or whether it could help your business? As an owner of a small retail brand myself, I get it – the world of digital advertising can be overwhelming!

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk through exactly what Walmart Connect is, who it‘s for, how it works, tips for getting started, and much more. My goal is to provide all the information brands need to determine if Walmart Connect could be a good fit to help promote products and drive sales!

What Exactly is Walmart Connect?

At a high level, Walmart Connect is Walmart‘s new white-label advertising platform that offers brands exposure through Walmart’s website, app, stores, and other properties. It launched in January 2021 after an initial pilot program.

In essence, Walmart Connect gives advertisers access to Walmart’s massive customer reach of over 160 million monthly visitors. You‘re able to promote your products on Walmart digital channels, place ads in Walmart stores, or participate in Walmart-hosted events.

The platform uses Walmart’s data to target and measure campaigns, providing closed-loop attribution so you can see exactly how ads impact actual sales.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s explore more about how Walmart Connect works and what makes it appealing compared to other advertising options.

Who is Walmart Connect Good For?

Walmart Connect is ideal for small and midsize brands looking to expand their marketing reach, especially those selling products relevant to Walmart shoppers.

It offers an affordable way to get your brand seen by over 100 million monthly visitors to Walmart’s sites without needing an enormous ad budget.

According to Walmart, ideal advertisers include:

• Retail brands selling household items, packaged goods, clothing, electronics, toys, etc. – basically anything Walmart carries.

• Businesses with limited marketing resources. Walmart Connect is budget-friendly, with CPM and CPC-based plans to accommodate different needs.

• Brands focused on driving in-store or online sales. Walmart Connect attribution tracks both digital and brick-and-mortar conversions.

• Brands wanting an omnichannel approach. Campaigns incorporate online listings, in-store displays, events, and more to surround shoppers.

Walmart Connect opens up advertising opportunities that may have previously only been accessible for large CPG brands. Now businesses of any size can tap into Walmart‘s unmatched retail ecosystem.

How Does Walmart Connect Work?

Walmart Connect weaves together a variety of omnichannel advertising opportunities to reach Walmart shoppers through multiple customer touchpoints.

There are three main components:

1. Digital Channels

This includes search, display, and sponsored product ads on Walmart.com, Walmart app, and other Walmart digital properties.

With search ads, brands bid on keywords so their products appear in search results. Display ads enable tailored banner ads on site.

Sponsored Products designate listings as “Sponsored” in search and product pages.

Example Walmart.com search results page with Sponsored Products marked.

Digital ads are managed through a robust self-serve platform with options to target, set budgets, monitor performance, etc.

2. In-Store

In-store advertising puts your brand directly in front of Walmart shoppers browsing aisles with:

• End cap promotions
• Custom signage
• Checkout/kiosk video ads
• Sampling events
• Seasonal marketing activations

3. Off-Site

For expanded reach beyond Walmart properties, the platform partners with The Trade Desk to run off-site ads. This includes ads on:

• Display networks
• Video platforms like connected TV
• Audio streaming
• Outdoor billboards
• Social networks
• Native placements

Together, this omni-channel approach provides brands continuous exposure to Walmart audiences as they browse, search, and purchase.

What Makes Walmart Connect Appealing for Brands?

There are a few key factors that make Walmart Connect stand out compared to other retail media networks:

Walmart’s Massive Reach

With over 160 million monthly visitors and 100 million app users, Walmart’s digital media channels alone provide incredible scale. Their brick-and-mortar presence expands reach even further.

Trust in the Walmart Brand

Consumers perceive Walmart as an authoritative, trustworthy source for product recommendations. Promotions integrated natively lend credibility.

Omnichannel Opportunities

Most competing platforms focus solely on ecommerce. Walmart Connect incorporates both online and in-store touchpoints for true omnichannel advertising.

Closed-Loop Attribution

Walmart Connect offers closed-loop attribution between ads and sales in-store and online using Walmart’s first-party shopper data.

Budget-Friendly Entry Point

CPM and CPC-based plans accommodate businesses of all sizes. Minimums are as low as $0.05 per click for Sponsored Products.

For brands selling relevant products, Walmart Connect delivers reach, trust, omnichannel presence, precise measurement, and Attribution…all at budget-friendly rates.

How Walmart Connect Compares to Amazon Advertising

	Walmart Connect	Amazon Advertising
Reach	160M+ monthly visitors	197M+ monthly visitors
Ad Types	Search, display, sponsored products, in-store, off-site ads	Sponsored products, DSP, Amazon stores
Attribution	Closed-loop (online + in-store)	Mainly online
Minimums	$0.05/click for sponsored products	$0.01/click for sponsored products
Shopper Data Access	Limited (for targeting)	Extensive (via DSP)
Brand Association	High trust with Walmart	Neutral

While Amazon may edge out Walmart in pure reach, Walmart Connect offers unique advantages like closed-loop attribution, in-store advertising, and shopper trust – at similarly low minimums.

Tips for Creating Effective Walmart Connect Campaigns

If you decide Walmart Connect aligns with your brand’s needs, here are a few tips to set your campaigns up for success:

• Laser-focus on relevance. Target search terms, products, pages, audiences, and placements highly relevant to your products. Good relevance = good performance.

• Refine and monitor bids. Start low, monitor costs per conversion, and adjust bids accordingly to hit return targets.

• Test different formats. Experiment with search, display, and sponsored products to see what resonates.

• Leverage external data. Use existing customer data to build targeted audiences for off-site ads.

• Highlight what makes you unique. Communicate differentiators like sustainable materials or special features.

• A/B test creatives. Try different ad copy, images, calls-to-action, etc. and optimize based on performance data.

• Monitor and learn. Check campaign analytics regularly. See what placements, products, and segments perform best.

By taking the time to test, refine, and understand the nuances of the platform, brands can get the most value from Walmart Connect.

Key Questions Brands Have About Getting Started

If you’re considering Walmart Connect for your brand, you probably have some questions. Here I’ll cover some of the key points brands commonly ask about:

What are the requirements to advertise?

You don’t need any special approval to create Walmart Connect accounts and run campaigns. Any brand with relevant products to promote can sign up and participate.

How much does it cost?

Costs vary based on campaign types chosen. Sponsored Products have a $0.05 minimum bid, while display ads can be purchased on a CPM basis. Off-site campaigns support flexible budgets.

What’s the time commitment?

Campaign setup takes 1-2 hours. Day-to-day, expect to spend 1-2 hours checking performance, adjusting bids, updating creatives, etc. Some brands enlist an agency to manage.

How quickly can I get set up and running?

Once signed up, brands can begin creating campaigns immediately. However, allow 2-4 weeks for production and approval of any custom in-store collateral.

What results can I expect to see?

Results vary based on factors like campaign scale, time frame, and optimization effort. That said, top brands have reported ROIs of up to 10x from Walmart Connect campaigns.

Getting answers to these common questions can help brands make informed decisions about giving Walmart Connect a try.

Step-by-Step Setup for Walmart Connect Accounts and Campaigns

Ready to dive in and set up your first Walmart Connect campaign? Here’s a quick step-by-step walkthrough:

1. Create a Walmart Connect Account

First, head to the Walmart Connect sign-up page and enter your brand details to create an account. Have info like your tax ID ready.

2. Explore Campaign Options

Browse the platform andCampaign Manager to see all the campaign formats available. Consider your brand’s goals, budget, and products.

3. Set Up Payment

Walmart Connect will bill your credit card automatically based on campaign activity. Enter card details under Account Settings.

4. Create Your First Campaign

When ready, click Create Campaign and walk through choosing the objective, budget, schedule, targeting, placement details.

5. Submit and Launch

Submit your campaign for Walmart’s approval, make any needed edits, then launch to start having your ads served to Walmart audiences.

And that’s it! Monitor performance and optimize as you go. Take advantage of Walmart Connect specialists to help you every step of the way.

Real Brand Successes with Walmart Connect

Don‘t just take my word for it – here are a few examples of brands already seeing stellar results from Walmart Connect:

• Bissell (vacuums): Grew sales 69% YoY with sponsored product ads tailored to local supply and demand.

• SodaStream: Increased sales 132% with video and banner ads driving awareness and trial for their sparkling water maker.

• Thule (bike racks): Drove 10X ROAS with digital ads strategically targeted to relevant bike and outdoor enthusiasts.

• Sensodyne: Lifted market share 2% points in a year through in-store sampling events and checkout coupon ads.

These examples reinforce that Walmart Connect can produce measurable sales growth for brands of all types and sizes.

Additional Resources to Learn More

If you’re interested to learn more about retail media advertising and how other brands find success, a few resources I recommend are:

• Walmart Connect Resources Library – Case studies, research reports, thought leadership.

• Digital Commerce 360 – Ecommerce news, data, analysis on retail media networks.

• The Relevancy Ring – Podcast exploring trends in retail media and ecommerce marketing.

• Path to Purchase Institute – Insights, events, and training on omnichannel shopper marketing.

The Bottom Line

I hope this guide provided a comprehensive overview explaining what Walmart Connect is, who it’s suited for, and how brands can leverage it as part of their marketing strategy.

The key takeaways are:

• Walmart Connect offers affordable access to Walmart’s unmatched omnichannel retail ecosystem.

• It drives sales by surrounding Walmart shoppers with branded messages as they browse, search and shop.

• Performance data and closed-loop attribution provide accountability on ad spend.

• Brands of any size selling relevant products can participate and find success.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I’m always happy to discuss more about smart retail brand marketing.