Thinking About Expanding to Walmart? Here’s What You Need to Know You’ve built your brand on Amazon. You’ve figured out PPC, nailed your listings, and hit solid sales numbers. But now you’re wondering: What’s next? If you’re looking to expand your reach, Walmart Marketplace is your next frontier. But don’t expect to replicate your Amazon strategy step-by-step. Selling on Walmart requires a different approach—different SEO, ad mechanics, approval process, and even how product content works. This is the Amazon-to-Walmart playbook I wish I had when I started. From setting up your Walmart Marketplace account to dialing in your ads and preparing for slower initial sales, this guide walks you through what to expect—and how to win.
Part 1: Setting Up Your Walmart Marketplace Account (Without Headaches) Before you list anything, you need to create a Walmart seller account—but here’s the twist: Walmart is pickier than Amazon.
- You must have a registered U.S. business
- Tax ID (EIN), W9 form, and business address
- Prior eCommerce experience (Amazon/Shopify helps)
- Internal SKUs used instead of UPCs (confusing at first)
- You can’t add inventory in a bulk upload unless the item is already published
- You may get vague errors like “ERROR 520: Please Try Again”
Part 2: Walmart Listing Optimization—It’s Not Just Copy-Paste Walmart SEO is real—and very different from Amazon. You can’t just duplicate your ASIN listings and expect them to rank. Why Walmart SEO Is a Whole New Game
- Walmart favors full, accurate attribute fields
- Keyword stuffing backfires—clarity wins
- Product titles should be 50–75 characters and follow a specific structure
- Keyword-rich titles (Brand + Product Type + Size + Feature)
- 4–7 high-res images (lifestyle shots help!)
- Bullet-style key features (benefits-first)
- Long description with clear formatting
- Complete attributes (color, size, ingredients, etc.)
Part 3: Launching with Walmart Ads (and Why You Need a New Strategy) On Amazon, your PPC might run on autopilot. Not on Walmart. Advertising here is more manual, more deliberate—and it can be a budget saver if you know how to work it. Start with Sponsored Products via Walmart Connect. Just know these differences:
| Amazon | Walmart |
|---|---|
| Second-price auction | First-price auction |
| Automatic bidding with ACoS | Manual campaigns, no ACoS metric |
| ASIN/category targeting | Keyword targeting only (so far) |
| Advanced DSP ads | Limited brand/video/display ads |
- Use manual keyword campaigns—focus on top Amazon terms
- Start with exact and phrase match
- Monitor ROAS weekly (not daily like Amazon)
- Run 14-day “test and adjust” cycles
Part 4: Scaling, Forecasting, and Expecting Slower Starts If you’re used to fast traction on Amazon, prepare to temper your expectations on Walmart. It’s not uncommon to see only 10–30% of your Amazon sales at first. Why? Simple:
- Walmart has fewer shoppers than Amazon (~150M monthly visitors vs. 300M+ on Amazon)
- Reviews accumulate slowly—less social proof upfront
- Limited organic visibility without ads or WFS
- Use your Amazon sales as a baseline (expect 15–25% of that volume)
- Adjust stock for slower velocity and longer review buildup
- Leverage tools like WallySmarter, Helium 10, or DataSpark for Walmart-specific trends
Final Thoughts: Different Game, Same Goal Expanding from Amazon to Walmart isn’t just smart—it’s necessary if you want to stay ahead. But it’s not a copy-paste job. You need to rethink setup, SEO, ad strategy, and sales forecasting from the ground up. But with the right game plan—and this playbook—you’ll avoid common mistakes and set up your Walmart marketplace account for long-term success.
Ready to Take the Leap? Let’s build your Walmart presence with intention—and unlock a whole new revenue channel while competition is still low.