At Walmart’s Let’s Grow! Walmart Marketplace Seller Summit, there were quite a few big updates to seller offerings, Walmart Connect features, and new omnichannel opportunities for brands.
Major Walmart Updates
There were quite a few updates that Walmart announced at the Marketplace Seller Summit, but our team hand-picked a few that stood out as major updates, especially for Sellers. (You can find all of Walmart’s updates in their press release.)
AI Tools
Unsurprisingly, Artificial Intelligence was a large part of the conversation at the Summit. (Amazon has also recently released AI updates.)
Most notably, they announced the launch of their AI-Powered Listing Tool, which will give Sellers the tools they need to increase conversion rates through “single and bulk item setup tools”
Walmart also announced the release of their Smart Assistant, which will provide Sellers with “24/7 real-time support.”
Both of these new tools are designed to save Sellers time, allowing them to list items more quickly and receive answers to their questions faster.
Select Next-Day Delivery
In select major metropolitan areas, Walmart announced they will now offer Next-Day Delivery via Walmart Fulfillment Services. So far, the confirmed cities that will offer this service are:
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Chicago
- Houston
- Atlanta
We can likely expect an expansion of this to more cities in the future, as Walmart continues to compete with Amazon Prime’s same-day delivery.
In-Store Experiences
Lastly, Walmart shared that this past April, they opened a store in Cyprus, Texas, which featured QR codes around the store that would “allow customers to access digital tools, services and an extended online assortment.”
This in-store shopping experience combines the physical with the digital, creating a true omni-channel experience. By scanning the QR code and purchasing through the Walmart app, they’re creating a seamless experience for their customers — wherever they choose to shop.
Kapoq and Walmart
While Kapoq is already a Walmart Connect partner for Advertising, we have some big plans coming with regards to expanding our capabilities for Walmart and other marketplaces!
Current Walmart Support
Kapoq currently supports basic Walmart functionality, allowing you to manage your Walmart Connect Ads.
Ad Types
- Sponsored Products
- Sponsored Video
- Sponsored Brand
Other
- Pause/Unpause (Campaign, Ad Group, Target, Search Term, Product Ad)
- Bid suggestions (based on ACOS or CPA)
- Bid automation (based on ACOS or CPA)
Future (Short Term) Support
We’re always looking for ways to expand our support for both Walmart and Amazon, and so our product roadmap is ever-changing. Currently, here’s what we have on the docket to implement for Walmart in the short term.
Budget Awareness
- Daily remaining budget stat
- Daily out of budget time stat
Item Detail Pages
- Page views
- Buy box percentage
- Availability percentage
- Inventory count
- Listing quality score
- Content quality score
- Review count
- Rating score
- Offer score
Future (Long Term) Support
Down the line, we have plans to expand our Walmart support even further — it’s part of our long-term roadmap, but we’re excited to continue working to
DSP
- New set of Advertising Options through Walmart’s DSP
- Will add stats as 1:1 with our current Manage DSP section
Marketplace APIs
- Equivalent of the SP-API, the “partner” to the Ad APIs
- Will open up the retail side of Walmart for Kapoq, including:
- Content
- Items
- Orders
- Reporting
- In-store insights
Conclusion
If you’re thinking of Walmart as a secondary marketplace to Amazon, it’s time to rethink your perspective — Walmart is releasing innovations that compete with other major marketplaces, while offering in-store experiences that these digital-first platforms can’t compete with.
If you’d like to streamline your Walmart Connect management, sign up for a free demo of Kapoq today.
