Optimizing Walmart Sponsored Search

I believe a Walmart Seller needs a direct resource guide that calls out the various nuances that you should consider to be successful. “Tell me what I need to do and I’ll get it done,” is the mentality of hundreds of Walmart sellers who are self-starters and motivated to provide an excellent product and service. Unlike various online guides, Optimizing Walmart Sponsored Search gives you my specific recommendations to navigate the intricacies of Walmart Sponsored Search in a format that is direct and peppered with real-life examples and images.

My name is Willie Joe Marquez and I’ve worked in Ecommerce for over 10 years. I’ve worked in every function of Ecommerce, from warehouse fulfillment for a 3PL to overseeing an engineering team to optimize for Conversion Rate. My most in-depth experience in Ecommerce is from my time overseeing a $300M Profit & Loss (P&L) in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) for a mattress company that sold on Walmart.com and in Walmart Stores.

First off, please note Optimizing Walmart Sponsored Search is specifically written for a seller on Walmart.com. Second, Walmart.com offers several paid advertising vehicles outside of Sponsored Search. Finally, and most obviously, this book will cover self-service sponsored search. This includes both Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands.

More specifically, Optimizing Walmart Sponsored Search is ideal for your business’s Ecommerce Account Manager who will regularly log into the Walmart Ad portal and make adjustments. A higher-level Ecommerce or Marketing Director is likely best utilized to inform the overall strategy, but someone focused on the day-to-day execution is the best reader for this book. The Analysis section of this book will help Ecommerce Account Managers hone their pay-per-click advertising skillset and impress their boss.

Optimizing Walmart Sponsored Search is best utilized when you can immediately implement the recommendations in this book. More specifically, an ideal reader should:

• Have an active Walmart Seller account

• Have products uploaded onto and active on Walmart.com

• Have strong inventory, competitive price, compelling descriptions and images

• Have at least $100 total budget or $50 daily budget to spend on ads

Sponsored Search is an umbrella term for two Walmart advertising strategies: Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands.

• Sponsored Products features your products in relevant search results

• Sponsored Brands features a branded collection of products that appear above relevant search results.

Sponsored Products campaigns will show your Product Ad in four possible placements throughout the Walmart marketplace: Buy Box, Search Ingrid, Home Page, and Stock Up.

• The Buy Box placement puts your Product Ad on a competitor’s PDP and can be compelling if the advertised product has a competitive advantage.

• The Search Ingrid placement puts your Product Ad at the top of search results and can also be a compelling offer if differentiated and provides more value than competitors.

• The Home Page placement puts your ad on the homepage where well-known national brands can do well to convert the elevated impressions received.

• The Stock Up placement puts your ads in upsell carousels throughout the site and can be a compelling strategy for products that are consumer staples.

The ideal usage for Sponsored Search include:

• Jumpstart sales for a new product that is highly anticipated or has at least 10 reviews and at least a 4.0 rating.

• Restart sales for a product that has had its issues addressed to rejuvenate its ranking on Walmart.

• Keep driving traffic to top selling products to defend its top position in search results.

• Accelerate sales for products that sell a moderate volume of units and products that are on closeout to move through inventory.

Sponsored Search should be reserved for products that have at least 10 reviews and at least a 4.0 rating to ensure your ad has the best chance to generate clicks and conversions.