Walmart, the world’s largest omnichannel retailer has big ideas and a bright future, hence, on the lookout for partners like you. Walmart Marketplace is a curated community of respected, professional sellers who offer only top-quality, authentic products and highly rated customer service.
Currently, Walmart allows third-party sellers in over 35 product categories to offer their products on its Marketplace. However, some items you can’t sell on the Marketplace include Alcohol, Event tickets, Gambling product, Tobacco, and any food requiring refrigeration.
Source: Statista
What is Walmart Marketplace?
Walmart Marketplace is an e-commerce platform that allows third-party sellers to list their items on its website, just like you would on Amazon or eBay. Selling on Walmart’s online marketplace is an easy way to get your products exposed to a massive audience. In query or search results on walmart.com, Marketplace items appear alongside other items.
How to Sell on Walmart Marketplace
While the registration process includes:
- Account creation
- Company registration
- Taxes (W-9)
- Payment information
- Shipping information.
However, to launch an account, you have to go through the following steps:
Step 1: Apply to Be a Marketplace Seller
To apply to become a Walmart Marketplace seller, log on to www.marketplace.walmart.com, click “Request to Sell”, and fill in all the required fields the correct information.
Source: Walmart
Afterward, click ‘Save’ at the bottom as you complete each section. Be sure to double-check each section for errors. Incorrect information can slow down the approval process. On completion, click “Apply Now.” On approval, a notification email will be received for a Walmart seller account.
Step 2: Complete Your Registration
Follow the unique link in your approval email as shown below (subject line: “Your Walmart Seller Center account has been created”) to create your Partner Profile. The Registration Wizard will prompt you through five main sections: Account Creation, Partner Registration, Taxes (W-9), and Shipping Info.
Most of the registration process is filling in standard information. In the last section, “Shipping Info”, you will need to configure shipping rates, as well as the days and times you will process orders.
Step 3: Complete Partner Profile
Now that you have created your Partner Profile, you will have access to the Seller Center. Here, you’ll find a “Launch Checklist” that outlines the next several requirements before you can launch your account.
Source: Walmart
The next on your list after ‘Complete Registration’, is ‘Complete your Partner Profile’. Your Partner Profile is a public page where customers learn about you (including your company name, description, logo, company policies, tax information, and more). As you complete your Partner Profile, the profile readiness for launch progress bar will reach 100%, and the step will be automatically crossed off in the Launch Checklist.
Source: Walmart
Step 4: Complete Item Setup
After filling out all required fields and correcting any highlighted fields, then upload your file to the Seller Center. Once completed, the items in your Seller Center will be moved to Active status.
Step 5: Test Items and Orders
In Seller Center, select ‘Preview Item’ to verify content and pricing for any products in Active status. To test orders, update your item inventory to 1. Bear in mind that this page is what your customers will see, making it look right is very important.
Click the ‘Update Inventory’ button, then in your Seller Center, click ‘Publish Item’ and ‘Purchase Item.’
Step 6: Launch Your Account
The final step for selling on Walmart Marketplace is launching your account. When you “mark as done” all the items on your Walmart Launch Checklist in Seller Center, a pop-up message will ask you to confirm that you’re ready to launch. When you select ‘confirm’, this will trigger a launch request. Consequently, the Walmart Marketplace integration team will review your profile, and if everything looks good, within the next 24 hours, your products will be live on Walmart.
The eligibility criterion for the Walmart Marketplace (Non- US sellers too can apply)
Since Walmart is an invitation-only marketplace, you first need to apply to sell on Walmart.
Now even, the non-US seller can apply to sell on Walmart ecommerce marketplace. Approval largely depends on the following:
- Mandatory conditions: You must have your business registered in the US and also have a US address for your warehouses. For those outside the US, you need a DUNS number – a worldwide standard that assigns a unique numeric identifier to a single business entity.
Read here the details of DUNS. Also, for international sellers, it is required for them to provide their international headquarters address.
- Category specialist: Conspicuous for its acquisition of Bonobos, Modcloth, Moosejaw, and others, your business offering can be highly niche-based, catering to a section of buyers. Your business can specialize in any of the categories Walmart sells.
- Great ratings: Your business should have positive reviews elsewhere on the internet where you’re already selling.
Walmart Seller Center Best Practices
Getting approved and set up was the easy part. Connecting with your new, expanded customer base is where the real work begins. Therefore, to make the most of this platform you need to keep these tips in mind:
- Win the buy box: Whether you’re a Walmart Marketplace Seller or a Walmart.com Supplier, this is about the most important thing. The Buy Box heavily influences shopper behavior, so to get the sale, it’s critical that you have top representation.
- Know your audience: Online shoppers have different needs than a store shopper. More Millennials visit Walmart.com than ever set foot in a store. Plus, the online shopper comes from a higher income bracket than the brick and mortar consumer. Listing items hard to find in stores give you a sell-through advantage.
- Price: Being on Walmart’s website brings your business many benefits. But be aware: your items are listed alongside items of the world’s largest retailer. Walmart serves its customers at low prices. Price to win, but know your competition as well as your customer.
- Rank higher in searches: Once your products are on the Walmart platform, the next step is getting customers to find them. However, to gain proper visibility, you have to rank higher in search results.
- Build better item pages: Building your item page correctly helps in search rankings and helps sell the customer once they’ve reached your item. If you want to know more about using keywords, better imagery, and video content.
Marketplace Seller vs. Walmart Supplier
In considering the Walmart platform to adopt as a potential partner, the choice between Walmart Marketplace Seller or a Walmart Supplier often arises. While there are pros and cons to both, it’s faster and easier to become an approved seller on the Walmart Marketplace than it is to become a supplier to Walmart. Also, to request a Walmart seller account, you don’t need your Dun & Bradstreet credit information or insurance.
However, since a supplier with Walmart has a fuller relationship, they are held to a higher standard prior to approval and throughout their partnership. Technically, the only association between a Marketplace seller and Walmart is that the seller’s products can be purchased on Walmart.com, however, as a Walmart supplier, you could potentially expand your product offerings in-store, and you have access to reporting functionality.
Walmart Marketplace FAQ
How much does it cost to sell on Walmart Marketplace?
One of the advantages Walmart Marketplace has over eCommerce sites like Amazon is that the Walmart Marketplace seller fees are zero. Also, there is no product listing fee. Instead, Walmart simply charges suppliers with a referral fee for each item sold.
How do I win the Walmart Buy Box?
Since customers are naturally drawn to the first option, winning the Buy Box becomes extremely important on Walmart.com. However, the total cost of the product offer (price plus shipping) is the biggest factor in winning the Buy Box. Therefore, to win the Buy Box on Walmart Marketplace, you have to offer competitive pricing, free or low-cost shipping, and stay in stock. Also, you can stay on top of your product placement by reviewing the Buy Box Report in the Seller Center.
How do Walmart Marketplace reviews work?
Since the feedback back from the Marketplace review is very important because they influence the sales outcome and scorecard. As such, customers provide feedback on Walmart.com in two ways namely:
- The item ratings and reviews appear on the Item Page (this can be shared by multiple sellers).
- Seller ratings and reviews are publicly visible on your Partner Profile Page.
What are Walmart’s referral fees for Marketplace sellers?
Your Walmart Marketplace “referral fee” ranges from 6% – 20% of the product’s gross sales proceeds. The exact percentage depends on your product category. View current Walmart marketplace fees by product category.
