insights
Evolving our partner program to unlock growth for brands of all sizes
July 28, 2022

Author: Diana Finster, Head of Agency & Tech Partnerships, Walmart Connect

One of Walmart Connect’s core priorities is to unlock growth for suppliers and sellers of all sizes through self-service. Partnerships are a key lever to deliver more options to our advertisers. That’s why we’re evolving our partnership program to create a robust, diverse ecosystem that will help to expand advertiser support, increase services and deliver access anywhere advertisers need to have it. 

Evolving the power of partnership

Our partnership program includes best-in-class solution, technology and service leaders who are developing unique features and capabilities that enhance Walmart advertisers’ marketing campaigns. For example, when BirdRock Brands turned to Pacvue to scale its manual Sponsored Products campaigns, they were able to help design a campaign that ultimately experienced a return on ad spend 11% greater than its target, and an 83% increase in sales quarter over quarter. We’re evolving Walmart Connect’s partnership solutions to help advertisers make every media moment a retail moment, by connecting with customers in a meaningful way at any point in their shopping journey.

Solution partners

API partners, in particular, are an important demand lever for Sponsored Products – especially as Walmart Connect expands self-service to other products and our solutions allow for more than one partner to influence a campaign. We recently added five more API partners to our platform, so suppliers and sellers have more options to find the right partner to scale, automate, and optimize their search campaigns:

●     CommerceIQ, an eCommerce platform that provides AI-driven ecommerce channel optimization across supply chain, marketing and sales

●     Intentwise, an ad optimization SaaS platform that offers recommendations, automation and analytics

●     Perpetua, an eCommerce ad platform providing optimization and intelligence software

●     Quartile, an eCommerce cross-channel ad platform for activating and optimizing digital advertising

●     Sellozo, an eCommerce ad optimization and intelligence software platform

These new partners follow the addition of Jungle Scout in March. Find all 14 API partners on our program page. Soon, Walmart advertisers will be able to tap into even more platform partners across ad tech, measurement, ecommerce and shopper marketing to help accelerate their Walmart business goals and make meaningful connections with Walmart customers everywhere they are: online, in-store, in home, and on the go.

Technology Partners

Advertisers can use Walmart Connect to reach beyond our owned, onsite channels to extend their campaigns through our partners’ networks. For example, our demand-side platform called the Walmart DSP – launched in partnership with The Trade Desk – gives advertisers increased offsite opportunities at scale. To attract new buyers, increase sales lift and generate high ROAS, Colgate-Palmolive recently partnered with Walmart Connect to promote their portfolio of dorm essentials using precision-targeted Walmart Onsite and Offsite Display ​through Walmart DSP. Utilizing the campaign recommendations and program built with Walmart Connect, they were able to drive 30% in new buyers, an 8+% sales lift and $11.16 ROAS.

Service partners

Last month at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Walmart Connect announced our first-to-market agency partnership with Omnicom Media Group. As Walmart’s EVP and CRO Seth Dallaire said, "As marketers prepare for the deprecation of third-party cookies, we're building a platform and ecosystem that leverages the scale of Walmart's first-party data and strong customer relationships to help them deliver strong ROI in an increasingly fragmented environment.” Our advertisers can look forward to the addition of even more agency partners in the coming months.

More partners mean more options for brands and sellers to take advantage of advertising through Walmart Connect. As we continue to grow the partner program, we’ll diligently select additional partners to expand our holistic ecosystem in meaningful ways that ensure advertisers have everything they need to succeed.