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Walmart is one of the largest retailers in the world, with thousands of stores operating in the US and in 23 other countries.
With Walmart’s success, advertising on the platform provides excellent opportunities to increase your brand awareness and reach a massive customer base.
In this guide, we'll explore how to advertise on Walmart in 2025, diving into the key aspects of Walmart's advertising platform, its ad types, and some best practices to help you advertise on Walmart successfully.
With over 255 million weekly customers visiting Walmart stores worldwide, advertising on the platform can significantly boost your brand's visibility and sales.
Here are more reasons you should advertise on Walmart:
One of the primary benefits of advertising on Walmart is the lower level of competition and costs compared to other major retail platforms like Amazon. This means you can get lower bidding prices for ad placements, greater visibility at reduced costs, and a higher return on investment (ROI).
Unlike some competitors, Walmart offers a straightforward and cost-effective advertising option without additional setup fees or charges for third-party sellers. This allows you to channel more of your budget directly to your ad spend, rather than paying extra fees.
Walmart is one of the largest retailers in the world, serving millions of customers both in-store and online. On the Walmart Marketplace, you can tap into this established customer base, giving you access to a vast audience. By advertising on the platform, you can place your products in front of millions of potential buyers who are already actively searching for similar items.
Walmart uses a strong omnichannel strategy combining its online marketplace with its extensive network of physical stores. Many customers use Walmart’s “Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store” (BOPIS) feature, creating additional touchpoints for your products. When you advertise on Walmart, you can tap into this omnichannel strategy and benefit from increased brand visibility across channels.
Walmart has built a reputation for offering quality products at affordable prices. Customers shopping on Walmart Marketplace trust the platform to deliver value, which can translate to higher conversion rates for advertisers. When you advertise on Walmart, you’re associating your brand with this credibility.
Walmart leverages robust data and artificial intelligence to optimize its advertising solutions. When you advertise on Walmart, you gain access to these AI tools, allowing you to target your audience more accurately and fine-tune your campaigns for maximum impact.
Walmart offers several types of advertising options, from sponsored product listings to branded ads and video ads.
Sponsored Products ads are the most common ad type on the Walmart marketplace. There are three subtypes:
These appear within search results on Walmart.com and the app. They typically have a "sponsored" label below the product image and can appear anywhere in the search results, regardless of organic ranking.
You can set both manual and automatic ad campaigns and set ad budgets for each keyword, allowing you to optimize your campaigns. For Search In-Grid ads, the minimum spend is $100 for the total length of your ad campaign.
To be eligible for Search In-Grid placements, products must meet certain criteria:
These ads can appear on search, category, and product pages. Unlike Search In-Grid ads, Carousel ads are not restricted by search terms, allowing for broader reach.
Shoppers can scroll through the carousel to view multiple products related to their initial search.
Each product in the carousel is clickable, taking shoppers directly to the product detail page. Product Carousel ads can be offered through both manual and automatic campaigns.
Qualifying for Product Carousel ads is not as strict as Search In-Grid ads. However, your products must be in stock on Walmart.com and eligible to win the Buy Box. Also, the product doesn't necessarily need to be in the top 128 organic search results.
These appear below the main Buy Box on relevant product detail pages. They're ideal for showcasing low-priced alternatives or complementary products. Each product in the Buy Box Banner is clickable, taking shoppers directly to the product detail page. Unlike Search In-Grid ads, which appear in search results, Buy Box Banners are specifically placed on product detail pages prominently below the main Buy Box. These ads appear at the end of the shopping journey, increasing conversion rates.
Sponsored Brand ads are a premium ad type designed to provide high visibility for your products and brand on search pages. It appears at the top of search results pages, featuring a brand logo, custom headline, and up to 4 product listings.
Some key benefits of Walmart’s Sponsored Brand ads include:
Walmart Sponsored Video ads are a premium ad type designed to improve the visibility of advertised items within search results. They are short, keyword-targeted video ads that promote a single item within relevant Search In-grid results. Shoppers can click anywhere on the video and they will be redirected to the item page. It also includes a direct add-to-cart button.
Creative specifications:
Technical specifications:
Walmart On-site Sponsored Display ads provide advertisers with multiple ways to engage customers throughout their shopping journey, from initial browsing to final purchase.
Walmart offers several types of On-site Display ads:
Now, let’s walk through the steps to begin advertising on Walmart's platform:
Once you sign up and are approved as a Walmart seller, create your product listings using either Setup by Match (for existing Walmart Marketplace items) or Full Item Spec (for original listings).
Aim to add around 100 items to your inventory initially. Lastly, complete order testing through your Seller account.
To start advertising, apply to the Walmart Media Group by sending an email to wpasales@walmart.com. Provide the required information about your business and advertising goals. Also, be prepared to commit to a minimum monthly ad spend of $1,000.
If approved, you will receive an invitation to attend a training webinar hosted by the Walmart Media Group. The Walmart Media Group hosts webinars weekly and covers some information on how the platform works as well as a live Q & A session at the end of each webinar.
After completing the webinar, you will need to start your advertising campaign. The Walmart Media Group will grant you access to the Walmart advertising platform using your Seller Account credentials.
To start advertising, decide on products to advertise, monthly budget, per-product spend, and campaign duration. Create your ad campaigns using the Walmart Media Group's tools and monitor and optimize your ads regularly based on performance data.
Here’s the cost structure for advertising on Walmart:
To succeed in Walmart's advertising ecosystem, you need to follow best practices that maximize your return on investment. Here are a few best practices that will help you maximize your ad spend and get high returns on investment:
Begin with modest bids and budgets to gather performance data, then increase your investment in high-performing campaigns. Consider the time of day, seasonality, and competition when setting bids. You want to bid on high-intent, relevant keywords for your products.
To maximize your reach and relevance, use Walmart's targeting options based on customer demographics, purchase history, and search behavior. Consider layering multiple targeting options for precise audience reach. Also, regularly review and adjust your targeting strategies based on performance data.
Most of your customers will be using their mobile phones to shop on the Walmart marketplace. You want to ensure ad creative is optimized for smartphone screens. Test different ad formats to find what works best on mobile devices. Consider using Walmart's mobile-specific ad options when available.
Regular monitoring and optimization are key to success. You want to set up alerts for important KPIs like click-through rate and conversion rate. Analyze which products or campaigns are performing well and why. Adjust your bids, keywords, and ad creative based on these performance insights.
Walmart regularly updates its advertising platform. Attend Walmart's webinars and training sessions to stay informed about new features and best practices. Follow Walmart's advertising blog or official announcements for platform updates and be prepared to adapt your strategies as Walmart introduces new ad formats or capabilities.
Read also: How to Get Started with Walmart Marketplace
With over 100 million monthly active shoppers on Walmart.com, the potential for your business growth is significant. Advertising on Walmart gives you the opportunity to expand your reach and increase sales exponentially. However, success in Walmart's advertising ecosystem requires more than just throwing money at ads. By understanding the different ad types available, following best practices, and staying updated on platform changes, you can maximize your return on investment and grow your presence on one of the world's largest retail platforms.
Walmart has a minimum monthly ad spend requirement of $1,000 for advertisers to gain access to their advertising platform. This means that businesses must commit to spending at least $1,000 per month on advertising to participate in Walmart's advertising program. Walmart uses a cost-per-click (CPC) model for many of its ad types. This means that you only pay when your ads are clicked by shoppers. Also, there are no setup fees or additional costs.
To add products to the Walmart marketplace, you need to apply to become a seller. Once approved, set up your seller account and add your product catalog using Walmart’s provided template. For smaller catalogs, upload products directly to your Seller Center. For bulk uploads, use Excel templates to upload multiple products.
For larger inventories, integrate via API or partner with third-party solutions like Flexport( formerly Deliverr).
Walmart offers several types of advertising including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Videos, and On-site Sponsored Display ads. Walmart's algorithm serves ads based on product relevancy and cost-per-click (CPC) bid price. You can also choose between automatic and manual campaigns.
Walmart uses third-party payout providers to facilitate payments to sellers. You must set up an account with one of Walmart's authorized payout providers to receive Marketplace payments. Some payout providers based on the seller's location include Payoneer, Hyperwallet, PingPong (China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, and Canada), LianLian (China and Hong Kong), Airwallex (China and Hong Kong), WorldFirst (China and Hong Kong), etc. The payment frequency is typically biweekly (every 14 days).
Before you can run ads on Walmart, your seller account needs to be in good standing and your product listings must be live and buyable.
If your products are still stuck in "processing" or missing key information like images or inventory, the Walmart Connect Ad Center will remain locked until those issues are resolved. Your account also needs to be free of major policy violations or performance issues.
Once your listings are active, you access Walmart Connect through Walmart Seller Center. From there, click "Create Campaign" in Campaign Manager, select the products you want to promote, review Walmart's suggested bid, set your own amount if preferred, and launch. Ads typically begin serving within a few hours.
For sellers who are brand new to the platform altogether, it helps to understand the full onboarding process before spending ad budget. Starting with a clear picture of how Walmart Marketplace works as a selling channel will save you from common setup mistakes that limit ad eligibility.
Walmart advertising operates on a pay-per-click model, meaning you only pay when shoppers click on your ads. The main ad types available are Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Videos, and Onsite Display Ads. Eplaybooks
Sponsored Products are the core format on the platform. You bid on relevant keywords, and when a shopper searches for those terms, your product appears in search results and on product detail pages. It is similar to Amazon's PPC model but with far less advertiser competition. For new sellers, this is the best ad format to start with.
Sponsored Brands, by contrast, are a premium placement available only to marketplace brand owners registered with Walmart Brand Portal. This format sends your brand logo and products to the top of relevant search results.
One critical eligibility point beginners often overlook: your listings must hold the Buy Box for your Sponsored Product ads to run. Without Buy Box ownership, your ads will not serve, regardless of your bid or budget.
If you are currently selling on Amazon and considering Walmart as a second channel, reviewing how Walmart advertising compares to Amazon PPC will help you transfer your existing knowledge without starting from scratch.
There are no setup fees or monthly subscription costs to advertise on Walmart. The costs come from your actual ad spend.
Most sellers see cost-per-click landing somewhere between $0.30 and $0.70, which is a notable difference compared to platforms where CPC costs are significantly higher.
Walmart does not force a minimum daily spend, but they recommend starting with at least $50 per day if you want to see real results. Anything lower and your ads may not generate enough clicks to produce actionable data.
For managed advertising services through Walmart Media Group directly, a minimum monthly ad spend of $1,000 is required, and campaigns with a budget of $25,000 or more qualify for Walmart's own ad management services. Sellers spending below that threshold often benefit from working with a specialist agency instead.
For every dollar invested, brands on Walmart can achieve an average return on ad spend between 3x and 5x, depending on category and seasonality. Setting realistic expectations around ROAS from the start helps beginners avoid abandoning campaigns too early.
A practical starting point is also to look at your broader Walmart selling strategy before committing ad budget, so your listings, pricing, and fulfillment are optimized to convert the traffic your ads will generate.
You’ve probably already considered selling on Amazon but its way easier than you think.
Call Us Now