10 Strategic Moves Amazon Sellers Can Use to Thrive on the Walmart Platform

Expand your ecommerce footprint. These key platform differences make navigating your brand’s move to Walmart a breeze!

It’s getting busy out there in ecommerce land. That’s why clever sellers are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to expand their reach and increase profits. While Amazon has long been the top dog in online retail, Walmart’s marketplace has been getting a lot of attention, offering a fresh avenue for growth and diversification.

If you’ve been honing your skills on Amazon, a number of elements of Amazon online selling are directly transferable to Walmart’s marketplace. 

There are however more than a few differences between selling on Amazon and selling on Walmart that are worth noting. 

For Amazon sellers considering a move to Walmart’s platform, understanding the key differences between these two giants can be the deciding factor between success and struggle. 

This blog post will explore ten strategies that leverage these differences, helping you make a smooth and profitable transition to Walmart’s marketplace.

1. Capitalize on Lower Competition

This is a big one. Who doesn’t love the idea of less competition? 

One of the most significant advantages of Walmart’s marketplace is its relatively uncrowded nature compared to Amazon. This presents a golden opportunity for you to gain higher visibility and capture market share more easily.

Actionable Tip: Identify niche products in your inventory that face high competition on Amazon but have fewer competitors on Walmart. Prioritize these items for your initial launch on the platform to maximize your chances of standing out and gaining traction quickly.

2. Take Advantage of Walmart’s Selective Onboarding

Unlike Amazon’s more open approach, Walmart employs a selective onboarding process for its marketplace sellers. While this may seem like a barrier, it’s actually an opportunity to position your brand as more exclusive and trustworthy.

Actionable Tip: Before applying to sell on Walmart, ensure your business meets or exceeds their criteria. Focus on demonstrating your ability to offer fast shipping, maintain competitive pricing, and provide excellent customer service. This preparation will not only increase your chances of approval but also set you up for success on the platform.

3. Adjust Pricing Strategies for Walmart’s Value-Oriented Shoppers

Walmart’s customer base is known for being particularly price-conscious, often prioritizing value over other factors. This doesn’t mean you need to slash your prices across the board, but it does require a thoughtful approach to pricing.

Actionable Tip: Conduct a thorough analysis of your product line to identify items that can be competitively priced without sacrificing profitability. Consider creating value packs or bundles that offer perceived savings to customers while maintaining your margins. Remember, the goal is to appeal to Walmart’s cost-conscious shoppers without undermining your brand’s value proposition.

4. Optimize Listings for Walmart’s Search Algorithm

While both Amazon and Walmart use sophisticated search algorithms, they sometimes prioritize different factors. Many experts are of the opinion that Walmart’s algorithm places a stronger emphasis on product quality and relevance, rather than solely focusing on sales history and conversion rates.

Actionable Tip: Invest time in optimizing your product titles, descriptions, and attributes specifically for Walmart’s search criteria. Use clear, concise language that accurately describes your products and incorporates relevant keywords. Pay special attention to Walmart’s category-specific attributes, as these play a crucial role in search visibility.

5. Utilize Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)

Similar to Amazon’s FBA program, Walmart’s WFS generally features lower storage and fulfillment fees compared to FBA, which can be particularly advantageous for sellers with slower-moving inventory. Also, while Amazon charges for returns, WFS handles returns at no additional cost to sellers. 

Actionable Tip: Enroll in WFS for your best-selling items to benefit from Walmart’s fast shipping tags and increased customer trust. This can lead to higher conversion rates and improved search rankings. Analyze your inventory and after considering factors like size, weight, and sales velocity, determine which products are best suited for WFS. 

Ultimately, while FBA offers a more comprehensive suite of services and wider reach, WFS can be more cost-effective and less competitive for sellers looking to expand onto Walmart’s growing marketplace. Use that to your advantage. 

6. Adapt to Walmart’s Marketplace Policies

While there are similarities, Walmart’s marketplace policies differ from Amazon’s in several key areas. Understanding and adapting to these differences is crucial for maintaining good standing on the platform.

Actionable Tip: Thoroughly review Walmart’s seller policies, paying close attention to areas like return policies, product restrictions, and performance metrics. Take the time to set up internal processes to ensure compliance with Walmart’s specific requirements, such as their stricter requirements for product content, often requiring more detailed specifications and attributes. Regularly audit your listings and operations to maintain alignment with Walmart’s policies.

7. Leverage Amazon Experience to Excel in Customer Service

This might be where Amazon’s intense emphasis on the customer experience might come in handy. 

Your experience meeting Amazon’s high customer service standards can be a significant advantage on Walmart’s platform. Use this expertise to set yourself apart from competitors who may not be as customer-focused.

Actionable Tip: Implement proactive customer service practices, such as sending follow-up emails after purchases, promptly addressing customer inquiries, and going above and beyond to resolve issues. Regularly monitor your customer feedback and ratings on Walmart, using this information to continuously improve your service and maintain high-performance metrics.

8. Experiment with Exclusive Products or Bundles

Even though Walmart is almost universally viewed as a store for the masses, everyone likes to feel special. 

Offering products or bundles that are exclusive to Walmart can create a unique value proposition for customers and potentially lead to featured placement on the platform.

Actionable Tip: Develop Walmart-specific product bundles or variations that cater to the platform’s demographic. This could involve creating new color options, size variations, or packaging multiple related items together in a cost-effective bundle. Monitor the performance of these exclusive offerings and be prepared to iterate based on customer feedback and sales data.

9. Monitor and Adapt to Market Trends

Walmart’s marketplace may exhibit different trends compared to Amazon due to its distinct customer base and historical shopping patterns. It’s important to do specific research and treat it as its own channel. Staying attuned to these trends is crucial for long-term success.

Actionable Tip: Regularly analyze data from Walmart’s Seller Center and consider investing in third-party analytics tools that provide insights into Walmart-specific trends. Pay attention to seasonal fluctuations, category-specific patterns, and emerging product trends. Use this information to guide your inventory planning, pricing strategies, and product development efforts.

10. Don’t Stop at Walmart, Build a Multi-Channel Strategy

Successfully selling on both Amazon and Walmart allows you to create a robust multi-channel strategy, reducing your dependence on a single platform and expanding your overall market reach. 

Why stop there? 

Although the TikTok Shop and eBay are on somewhat opposite trajectories, they’re an example that selling on Amazon and Walmart isn’t the only game in town. 

Actionable Tip: Develop an integrated approach to managing your presence across different platforms. This might involve using multi-channel inventory management software to prevent stockouts, creating a unified marketing strategy that leverages insights from both platforms, and streamlining your fulfillment processes to ensure consistent service across channels. Regularly assess the performance of each channel and adjust your resource allocation accordingly.