Before you start reading the complete blog, I would like to share and provide an overview of why Walmart is a great market place to start selling today. Walmart has partnered with Shopify last year to make it easier for beginners to start selling on their platform, which is a very positive thing. Walmart describes itself as the largest multichannel retailer and provides sellers with opportunities to get their products in front of millions of customers.
Ever since Walmart has become a universal online marketplace having almost all types of buyer personals from working moms to gadget lovers.
Walmart enables third-party retailers to offer their goods in its marketplace in 35+ product categories. Almost all can be found on the e-commerce Walmart Marketplace, from clothing and accessories to gourmet food and from health and personal care items to jewellery and computers and sports goods.
In Q3, 2018, the e-commerce revenues of Walmart rose by 43 per cent, which is the indication of all good things happening to Walmart.
Hi, this is Rifat Hasan, online marketing and branding specialist, I have been in this field since 2016 and I have worked with thousands of brands, clients to grow their business online. In this blog section, I’ll discuss Walmart seller account, why it is important, how you can start selling on Walmart, pros and cons.
- Pros of selling on the Walmart Marketplace
- Cons of selling on the Walmart Marketplace
- The eligibility criterion for the Walmart Marketplace
- How to sell on Walmart Marketplace
Pros of selling on the Walmart Marketplace
No monthly or initial setup fees.
In addition to the category wise commission fee, or the combination of all of the fees listed, various marketplaces charge many forms of fees ranging from monthly account fees (by Sears and Amazon) to the listing of individual products (Etsy).
A wider customer base.
This State of the Inbound 2018 study found out that 61% of marketers consider attracting relevant audiences to their websites to still be the biggest challenge. Therefore, getting access to the 440 million+ customers who visit Walmart, gives your products an unprecedented exposure which otherwise is difficult to achieve.
Lower competition.
While burgeoning, the Walmart Marketplace still lags behind Amazon’s marketplace, which has well over 2 million sellers. Competing for a product space at Walmart is also still simpler than Amazon or eBay.
Mobile presence.
Since Walmart has a great mobile app with an optimized buying journey, your potential customers can find your products when searching from their mobile/tablet.
Cons of selling on the Walmart Marketplace
Shipment and support.
Walmart.com expects sellers to provide all the post-sales operations, from shipping and handling to customer service, exchanges, and returns. Tracking information, if available, can be accessed through your Walmart.com “Your Account. Add to this, it expects merchants to deliver the product in non-branded packaging and prevents them from putting any brand-related promotional material in the package.
Potential listing issues.
When more than one seller offers the same product at the same price, Walmart automatically promotes the item that was listed first. Consider the example of Nike Air Huarache Men’s Shoes Black/White shoes and assume that JMS listed the product first before anyone else, (for the time being forget about the product prices). Now that this product will have the same UPC/GTIN, JMS will be given preference first on the first-come-first-serve basis and all the other sellers will be in the lower-visibility list below. The only way to beat the first seller’s item is by lowering the cost of your item.
Strict pricing rules.
Walmart expects its sellers to offer the same products at the lowest point on its eCommerce marketplace. If it finds out that a particular seller is offering the same product at a lower price point somewhere else, (even if another seller is doing it), it will de-list your item.
The eligibility criterion for Walmart Marketplace: Non- US sellers too can apply
Since Walmart is an invitation-only marketplace, you first need to apply to sell on Walmart. Now even, the non-US seller can apply to sell on Walmart eCommerce marketplace. Your business should meet the following in order to get accepted by Walmart to sell on their platform.
- You must have your business registered in the US and also have a US address for your warehouses.
- Your business should have positive reviews elsewhere on the internet where you’re already selling.
How to sell on Walmart Marketplace?
The entire process of registration is categorized into 5 steps:
- Account creation.
- Company registration.
- Taxes (W-9).
- Payment info.
- Shipping info.
After completing the process, Walmart support team will contact you via phone in 15 business days and ask you some basic questions regarding your brand or company. Once they approve, you’ll receive an email. After that you can start customizing, adding your products. If you have any questions feel free to contact me!