Walmart plans to take its Connect retail media offering “to the next level” this year, by expanding access to international and non-endemic advertisers, doubling down on self-serve capabilities across its spectrum of advertiser tools and expanding in-store, onsite and offsite advertising opportunities.
“The role of our advertising business is earning increased attention — especially after the announcement of our agreement to acquire Vizio, our rollout of new in-store experiences, and pilots with major media partners,” said Rich Lehrfeld, SVP and General Manager of Walmart Connect in a blog post. “But the heart of what we do is more than just retail media — we help brands solve their biggest marketing challenges through customer-centric solutions that reflect Walmart’s values.”
Here’s the rundown of the enhancements Walmart Connect will be making in the coming year:
Expanded Access for International and Non-Endemic Advertisers
Sellers on the Walmart marketplace are now Connect’s fastest-growing advertiser base, Lehrfeld shared, with that group’s Sponsored Search advertising spend increasing 63% last year, but Walmart isn’t stopping there. In its bid to make its advertising ecosystem available to more advertisers, the company said it has automated and scaled its advertising suite with updates including:
- Onsite display advertising is becoming primarily programmatic and auction-based, with greater access and control for advertisers. Beginning this month, advertisers of all sizes will be able access onsite display placements for the first time through the self-service Walmart Ad Center;
- The company also has begun offering offsite media to non-endemic brands, supporting brands that don’t sell with Walmart but that offer complementary products and services relevant to Walmart’s customers, beginning with the automotive, entertainment, financial services, quick-service restaurant and travel categories; and
- Walmart Connect has begun adding internationally based technology providers to its partner network to support businesses outside the U.S. and is now introducing localized, self-serve support tools and education for sellers outside the U.S.
Looking Beyond Walmart.com to Stores and CTV
Walmart Connect will continue to build its in-store retail media offerings with an expansion of its demo and sampling stations, as well as letting advertisers buy in-store media placements on a self-serve basis via the Walmart Ad Center, beginning with its TV walls.
The company also is expanding its offsite offerings in the land of connected TV with plans to make pilot integrations with TikTok and Roku available to advertisers.
More Ads in More Places
Lehrfeld said that this year, advertisers can expect “more integrated marketing solutions,” including more onsite and in-store placements such as seasonal programs and single-supplier-led store events.
To help advertisers develop their creative, later this year partners will be able to plug into the company’s machine learning-powered self-serve tool for building and optimizing ad creative, Creative Builder, through an API.
Additionally, suppliers and marketplace sellers now have self-serve capabilities to build their digital branded storefront on the Walmart website and app, and this year new capabilities will be added, including the ability to add video, new storefront templates and new opportunities to boost discoverability.
Advanced Targeting and Measurement Solutions
To help Connect advertisers better understand the impact of their campaigns across the entire shopping journey, Walmart plans to roll out a number of new capabilities including:
- Sharper omnichannel measurement: The company is currently testing in-store attribution for Sponsored Search ads and also will introduce conversion lift for in-store campaigns, as well as store lift and reach measurement for in-store demos;
- Deeper conversion and full-funnel insights: Connect will roll out brand lift measurement and rest-of-market analysis for the Walmart DSP and its in-store audio offering, expanded access to Walmart AdMix (the company’s media mix and pacing tool), as well as consideration metrics; and
- Advanced targeting capabilities such as brand term targeting with Sponsored Search ads.
