Enhanced Operational Support Services for Walmart Vendors and Sellers [Updated]
If you’re considering becoming a 1P Walmart vendor or 3P Walmart Marketplace seller, you aren’t alone. As Walmart continues to build out their first-party and third-party capabilities, the number of approved sellers in the US and beyond has been climbing at an increasing pace. This is thanks in part to Walmart rewriting their rules to allow for international sellers; prior to this update in March 2021, Walmart required that Marketplace sellers be registered within the U.S.
Naturally, this exponential growth has many vendors and sellers alike ready to jump in with both feet. It’s human nature to want to be part of something exciting and full of potential, but it’s also necessary to first build a solid foundation for your corner of the Walmart neighborhood. Lack of a solid foundation can lead to constantly ‘chasing issues’ in your account, with your Walmart advertising efforts not realizing their full potential because of your catalog’s shaky ground.
So what’s a seller or vendor to do if they want to tap into their Walmart potential as soon as possible, while also maintaining focus on building that stable foundation? One way to accomplish more in a shorter window of time is through partnering with Walmart Operations experts, like Tinuiti.
Tinuiti has recently enhanced our Walmart Operations service options, breaking them out into five contract types to suit sellers’ and vendors’ needs:
- Launch
- New Item Setup
- Consulting
- Tactical
- Account Management
Let’s dive into each of the five service options, and what they include…
Walmart Launch Services
Launching on a new platform comes with a bevy of unique challenges as you work to not only establish a presence in a new space, but quite literally get your content, products, and more set-up correctly. Even seasoned vendors and sellers with years of experience will have to master navigating an entirely new backend, and learning all the rules and requirements, from proper image specs to which Excel templates to use. In short, that takes time and careful attention, and an experienced partner leading the way can help fast-track the process.
With that in mind, many of our Walmart Operations clients first came to us for assistance during launch. We are fortunate to have former Walmart employees on our team familiar with all the ins and outs of the platform to help streamline set-up, and get you ready to start earning visibility and sales as soon as possible.
Walmart launch support is available for both vendors and sellers, and includes item set-up for up to 50 SKUs, with additional SKUs available for a fee. Launch support includes: upload of content, images, and variations provided by the client; case management; and optionally, WFS onboarding (for interested sellers).
Please see the infographic above for additional details.
Walmart New Item Setup
Available for both vendors and sellers, we offer up item set-up for up to 200 SKUs for a set price, with additional SKU set-up available for a fee. Once provided with content and assets from the client, Tinuiti will upload all content, images, and variations, and ensure they satisfy Walmart’s required guidelines and recommendations.
Walmart Consulting
While the majority of our Walmart Operations clients opt for our full-service account management, which includes both consulting and tactical (hands-on) support, others prefer to handle all the tactical elements themselves with expert guidance along the way. For the latter, consulting-only services are available, covering an expansive list of functions, as outlined in the infographic above.
Available for both vendors and sellers, our team will provide guidance and advice for how to successfully execute on Walmart. Analytical Reporting is included for sellers.
Walmart Tactical Support
Available for both vendors and sellers, our team will execute and complete tasks on the client’s behalf, with minimal consulting support. These tasks include platform launch, catalog management, case management and more, as outlined in the infographic above. Analytical Reporting is included with this service for sellers.
Account Management
As most vendors and sellers are already keenly aware, much more than meets the eye goes on behind the scenes of a successful business. There are sometimes more moving parts than can be counted, with many of those parts relying on each other to perform optimally.
Our full-service Account Management offers vendors and sellers all components of the other four options: launch, new item setup, consulting, and hands-on task execution. We help manage the end-to-end business of the client’s account on Walmart (certain limitations apply).
As the Walmart Marketplace becomes increasingly competitive each day, it’s more important than ever to ensure all elements essential for success are not only functional, but exceptional. Those new competitors may be entering with better images, more robust copy that provides additional details and context, lower prices, faster shipping, and more. Our Walmart Operations team can aid you in enhancing your listings to maintain or expand visibility, and keep a step ahead of the competition.
Walmart Marketplace Reporting
While our Walmart advertising clients have always been provided with detailed, data-packed, actionable reporting, on the Operations side, we saw room for improvement (and acted on it). Whether you’re signed on with us for tactical or consulting support, we are excited to offer clients a variety of bespoke reporting options to suit their needs and goals.
Reporting options include:
- Weekly reporting to identify new areas of opportunity, including those related to sales trends, pricing, item performance, listing quality, and conversion opportunities
- Operational performance reporting, including your returns, cancellations, and on-time delivery metrics
- Buy Box, shipping trends, and unpublished items reporting
- Detailed reporting at your preferred cadence (monthly, quarterly, or annually)
“The analytics reporting that Tinuiti provides Walmart sellers is extremely effective in enabling them to identify key trends and opportunities to grow their business. We utilize this data to help clients take their performance to the next level.”
— Santiago Rocha, Brand Services Specialist at Tinuiti
Master Your Walmart Ops & Ads Strategy
While Walmart advertising and Walmart Operations support services are both available to our clients independently of one another, they undeniably work well in tandem, merging the art and science of maintaining a polished, highly visible, and technically-sound digital presence.
Want to chat more about how our experienced team of Walmart experts can elevate your positioning in the bustling Walmart Marketplace? Reach out today!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published by Shannon Mullery in September 2021 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
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