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Why Walmart Marketplace Deserves Your Attention
Thinking about where to grow next in 2025? Walmart Marketplace could be your next big win—and here's why it's worth a serious look. Since launching their third-party seller platform in 2009, Walmart has transformed it into one of the fastest-growing online marketplaces in America.
What makes Walmart Marketplace stand out? For starters, you get instant access to millions of shoppers who already trust the Walmart brand. Plus, their fee structure is surprisingly seller-friendly compared to some other major platforms out there.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know about selling on Walmart Marketplace, from application requirements to optimization strategies and helpful tools that can automate your operations.
Why Selling on Walmart Marketplace Can Seriously Level Up Your Store
Before diving into the how-to, let's talk about why Walmart Marketplace makes business sense for ecommerce sellers in 2025.
Massive Built-in Traffic
Walmart.com receives over 120 million monthly visitors. That's 120 million potential customers you don't have to attract through your own marketing efforts. For businesses tired of the constant struggle to drive traffic to their own websites, this alone is a game-changer.
Cost-Effective Fee Structure
Unlike many platforms, Walmart Marketplace doesn't charge setup fees or monthly subscription costs. You only pay referral fees when you make a sale. These range from 6% to 15% depending on your product category, which is competitive compared to other major marketplaces.
Established Trust Factor
Walmart has spent decades building consumer trust. When you sell on their marketplace, you borrow some of that trust right out of the gate. For many consumers, buying from Walmart's platform feels safer than purchasing from an unknown website.
Simplified Operations
You don't need to worry about website maintenance, security certificates, or payment processing systems. Walmart's existing infrastructure handles all that, letting you focus on product selection, pricing, and fulfillment.
Growth Opportunities
Walmart continues to invest heavily in their ecommerce capabilities, including Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), advertising options, and omnichannel experiences. Getting established now positions you to benefit from future innovations.
Qualifying for Walmart Marketplace: What You Need
Walmart is selective about who they allow on their platform. This curation helps maintain quality standards and protects their brand reputation. Here's what you'll need to qualify:
Business Requirements
Walmart maintains higher standards than many other marketplaces, starting with legitimate business status requirements. You must have a Business Tax ID (EIN) or Business License Number to qualify, as personal Social Security Numbers are not accepted. This reflects Walmart's focus on established businesses rather than casual sellers.
You'll also need verification documents that confirm your business name and address. Having these ready before applying will speed up the verification process. Walmart reviews these documents carefully to ensure only legitimate businesses gain access to their platform.
Perhaps most importantly, Walmart wants sellers with a proven track record of success in ecommerce or other marketplaces. Unlike some platforms where anyone can start selling immediately, Walmart Marketplace isn't designed as a testing ground for your first online venture. They expect you to bring experience and a history of satisfying customers.
Product Requirements
When it comes to your products, proper identification is non-negotiable. All items sold on Walmart Marketplace must have GTIN/UPC GS1 Company Prefix Numbers. This standardization helps maintain catalog integrity and ensures customers can find your products easily.
Your catalog must also strictly comply with Walmart's Prohibited Products Policy. This comprehensive policy restricts selling hazardous materials, alcohol, certain food categories, and offensive products. Even a single prohibited item in your catalog can result in application rejection, so review the policy thoroughly before applying.
Operational Requirements
From an operations standpoint, you need reliable fulfillment capabilities. Walmart gives you two options: either use Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) or maintain your own B2C warehouse in the US with returns capabilities. Both options must meet Walmart's strict delivery time standards.
Your business should also demonstrate the ability to meet Walmart's performance standards for customer service and order fulfillment. These include metrics like rapid response times to customer inquiries, low order cancellation rates, and on-time shipping. Failure to maintain these standards can result in account suspension, so make sure your operations are scalable and reliable before applying.
6 Steps to Launch Your Walmart Marketplace Business
1. Submit Your Application
The application process is straightforward if you have all required information ready. Visit the Walmart Marketplace signup page and create your account. Have your Business Tax ID, W9 or W8 tax forms, EIN Verification Letter, and supporting documents for business verification ready.
2. Complete Your Account Setup
After approval, you'll receive an email with a link to set up your account. Complete the Walmart Retailer Agreement, tax forms, payment information, and shipping details. Be thorough and accurate with all information.
3. Create Your Partner Profile
Your partner profile showcases your business to potential customers. Include your company logo, a compelling business description, and clear customer service and return policies. A professional-looking profile builds trust with shoppers.
4. List Your Products
Product listings are crucial to your success. Walmart provides multiple ways to upload your inventory, including bulk upload options with CSV files, API integration, or working with solution providers like Flxpoint to automate the process.
Focus on high-quality images from multiple angles, detailed descriptions, accurate categorization, and competitive pricing.
5. Test Everything
Before going live, use Walmart's testing features to ensure everything works properly. Preview your listings, place test orders, and check your fulfillment process to prevent potential issues.
6. Launch Your Store
After Walmart reviews and approves your listings, you're ready to start selling. Monitor your performance closely during the first few weeks to quickly address any issues.
Optimization Strategies: Standing Out in a Competitive Marketplace
Getting your store up and running is just the beginning. Here are proven strategies to maximize your success:
Optimize Your Product Listings
Your product listings directly impact your visibility and conversion rates. Start by implementing solid SEO best practices, which means researching and incorporating relevant keywords in your titles and descriptions. The right keywords can dramatically improve your product's discoverability when customers search on Walmart.com.
Visual appeal matters tremendously on Walmart Marketplace. Invest in professional product photography that showcases your items from multiple angles and in various use cases. High-quality, well-lit images not only build trust but also reduce return rates since customers know exactly what they're getting.
Don't skimp on product details, as comprehensive information helps customers make informed decisions. Include specific dimensions, materials used, care instructions, and other relevant information buyers need before purchasing. The more questions you answer in your listing, the less hesitation shoppers will feel about clicking "buy."
Make sure to clearly communicate the benefits of your products, not just the features. Explain how your item solves specific problems or improves customers' lives in tangible ways. This benefits-focused approach connects with shoppers on an emotional level and differentiates your products from competitors selling similar items.
Price Strategically
Pricing on Walmart requires a delicate balance between competitiveness and profitability. Conduct regular competitive research by checking comparable product pricing on Walmart and other platforms. This ongoing awareness helps you stay competitive without unnecessarily sacrificing margins.
Remember that value perception matters to Walmart shoppers. While they expect fair prices, this doesn't always mean offering the absolute lowest price in the category. Sometimes slightly higher prices coupled with better descriptions, images, and seller ratings can actually increase sales.
When setting prices, consider your total cost structure carefully. Factor in Walmart's commission rates (which vary by category), fulfillment costs whether you're using WFS or your own solutions, and the margins you need to maintain a healthy business. Pricing too low can create volume but destroy profitability, while pricing too high can kill your conversion rate.
Leverage Walmart's Tools and Programs
Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS)
WFS handles storage, packing, shipping, and customer service for your products. It unlocks fast shipping capabilities, allowing your products to qualify for TwoDay and ThreeDay Delivery tags that boost visibility in search results.
The "Fulfilled by Walmart" badge increases buyer confidence. Customers know Walmart stands behind the fulfillment process, which often leads to higher conversion rates.
WFS also simplifies operations by eliminating the need to manage warehousing and fulfillment yourself. This lets you focus on product development, marketing, and business growth.
Walmart Connect (Advertising)
Sponsored Products are pay-per-click ads that appear prominently in search results and related product pages. This targeted placement puts your items directly in front of shoppers actively looking for products in your category.
For brand owners, Sponsored Brands provide premium placements that showcase your brand logo and multiple products at the top of search results. This builds brand awareness while driving sales across your product line.
Enhanced Returns
Walmart's unique advantage is letting customers return online purchases to physical stores. This makes the post-purchase experience easier for customers, improving satisfaction and reducing hesitation about buying online.
Excel at Customer Service
Reply to customer inquiries within 24 hours and maintain a helpful, solution-oriented tone. Address issues before they escalate to complaints and keep promises about shipping times, product quality, and returns.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Inventory Management
Managing inventory across multiple channels presents challenges as you scale. Automation becomes essential - platforms like Flxpoint can sync inventory levels across Walmart and other sales channels in real-time.
Maintain buffer stock as a safety measure to prevent overselling, and implement regular inventory audits to verify that physical inventory matches system records.
Order Fulfillment Complexities
Consider using Walmart Fulfillment Services as you scale. For sellers handling their own fulfillment, create standardized processes for picking, packing, and shipping that can scale with your business.
Monitor performance metrics like processing time, shipping accuracy, and delivery speed. These factors directly impact your seller rating and visibility.
Competition and Visibility
Consider focusing on niche categories where competition is less intense. Research underserved categories that align with your capabilities.
Product bundling offers another differentiation strategy. By creating unique bundles that combine complementary items, you create offerings that are difficult for competitors to match directly.
Use Walmart Connect advertising strategically to boost visibility for your key products. Start with your best-converting products when experimenting with advertising.
How Flxpoint Streamlines Your Walmart Marketplace Operations
Automated Inventory Synchronization
Flxpoint's inventory synchronization works automatically in the background. When a customer purchases on any channel, the available quantity immediately adjusts everywhere else, preventing overselling.
The platform connects to multiple vendors or warehouses simultaneously to optimize your sourcing strategy. You can create contingency plans that automatically activate when primary inventory sources run low.
Intelligent Order Routing
Flxpoint offers customizable routing rules that direct orders based on your specific business priorities. You can route orders based on vendor preference, lowest fulfillment cost, or closest location to the customer.
For orders containing items from multiple sources, the system divides the order appropriately, sending each portion to the correct fulfillment source without manual intervention.
Comprehensive Analytics
.Flxpoint doesn’t just show you numbers—it brings your most profitable products, suppliers, and channels into focus, all in one place. No more guesswork or juggling spreadsheets.
The system automatically matches supplier invoices against purchase orders, eliminating tedious manual reconciliation work and quickly identifying any discrepancies.
See Flxpoint in Action
Watch our demo videos and learn the ins and outs of our powerful features through step-by-step guides.
Is Walmart Marketplace Right for Your Business?
Walmart Marketplace offers significant opportunities for ecommerce businesses looking to expand their reach. With its massive customer base, competitive fee structure, and growing suite of seller tools, it's becoming an increasingly important channel for online retailers.
Success requires meeting their quality standards, creating optimized listings, providing excellent customer service, and managing operations efficiently. By following the strategies in this guide and leveraging automation tools like Flxpoint, you can build a thriving presence on this growing platform.
Ready to simplify your Walmart Marketplace operations? Flxpoint's ecommerce automation platform connects seamlessly with Walmart and dozens of other platforms, helping you scale efficiently while maintaining control.