Walmart Connect goes international and adds self-service

Walmart’s marketplace media platform, Walmart Connect, is expanding and adding self-service, making it easier for advertisers and brands to promote products.

Search Brand Amplifier. This boosts products advertised in the Walmart marketplace to the top of search results. The company says this will benefit newer and smaller brands which haven’t achieved high organic listings. It was  previously limited to managed sellers and a limited number of suppliers.

Dig deeper: Walmart’s omnichannel roadmap for Walmart Connect

Easier self-serve. Eligible sellers can launch and manage ad campaigns through this. What once required a three-day enrollment period, can now be completed in a matter of minutes. Existing Marketplace sellers will be onboarded automatically.

The company is also updating Ad Center with simpler instructions to “reduce the guesswork” in launching and optimizing campaigns.

Dig deeper: Why we care about retail media networks

The platform. There are two different ad choices: Display and Sponsored Products.

• Display ads are featured both on the Walmart site and off, across the website and social channels
• Sponsored Products are featured on the Walmart website in visible placements as users browse

Global expansion. Walmart has expanded the Marketplace internationally. It’s now available in Canada, the UK and India. Additional API partners will be brought on to focus on other major market countries such as China.

Why we care. It’s Walmart and the ability for any seller to set up an ad account and take advantage of the company’s huge consumer base is a great tool, especially for the holiday season. Also, it’ll be interesting to see how the platform differentiates from Amazon, what its market share is and how many advertisers use one or both platforms. Competition drives innovation!