Marketing Items at Walmart
HOw do i market my items at Walmart?
There are many ways to promote your item at Walmart, however, this is just an overview!
Walmart Connect – Online Advertising
“Sponsored Search” is the most basic type of online advertising. Vendors can bid on keywords to elevate their products in search results. Sponsored products can appear (elevated) in the search grid, as well as in other places, such as a carousel at the bottom of the page, or under the buy button of similar products. Walmart’s self service ad tool and connected advertising partners provide vendors with great options to get started on sponsored search ads.
“Display Ads” are advertisements in the form of banners that appear on Walmart.com. Vendors must work with Walmart Connect managed services to buy these placements. Walmart has also introduced a self- serve Display Ad campaign option!
“Offsite Ads” Walmart Connect managed service campaigns offer an option for display ad advertising on websites that are not Walmart.com. An example of this is seeing a banner ad for Walmart.com while reading the news.
“Search Brand Amplifier/Sponsored Brands” is a newer placement that Walmart offers. It is a banner style ad featuring a small group of products chosen by the vendor. These are sold through a bidding auction, similar to sponsored search placements. Walmart Advertising Partners and Walmart Connect can help vendors create these placements.
Physical Sampling
Walmart has partnered with firms, such as Advantage Solutions, to allow in-store and OPD sampling. These programs are very costly, but can leave a great impression and win over new customers if deployed correctly. Walmart has recently undergone a revamp of sampling policies and will offer in-store sampling through their Walmart Connect services.
Digital Tactics
Marketing departments know that social media is a vital component to modern advertising, but in addition to that, there are other digital options for promotion. Companies such as Ibotta allow companies to deploy digital coupons or refunds through their app. Comprehensive campaign data is provided after these campaigns, allowing for detailed assessment of campaign effectiveness.
An additional digital tactic is to obtain product reviews. Many consumers look at reviews prior to making a product purchase. Some Walmart buyers even require products to have a certain number of reviews live on the product page prior to launch. Companies such was Bazaarvoice offer solutions for obtaining product reviews.
IRC Coupons
Coupons aren’t a favorite of Walmart’s, but they will scan through the register, increasing incremental sales.
How can OCM Help?
Knowing which tactic to deploy can be a very nuanced decision. Budget levels, product type and many other factors can influence which tactics will be most effective for a given item. Contact OCM today to get advice on how to market your item at Walmart.