Everything you should know about Wal-Mart Marketplace

Virginia Miller

September 19, 2023

In this article

Walmart’s marketplace is a commissariat community of respected, professional sellers who offer only the top-quality, authentic product and give best-in-class customer service. This is one of the top marketplaces where you can avail of almost all varieties of products. Walmart’s marketplace cares about its customer’s satisfaction, and it is the pivotal part of the sales.

what is walmart marketplace?

Walmart Marketplace is an online platform that allows third-party sellers to do business with Walmart. As a seller, you can offer your products on the Walmart website and apps, giving you greater reach and access to millions of customers worldwide. It's also easy to start selling on this platform - you don't need to create web stores or invest in web development or marketing campaigns.

The benefits for sellers are numerous:

1) Increased customer visibility: Your products will appear alongside other items from top brands, which helps you stand out from the competition and gain more traction among shoppers.

2) Create customer loyalty: You can build relationships with customers who turn into loyal buyers by offering competitive prices and incentives such as free shipping or discounts.

3) Scalability: You can quickly scale your business through Walmart Marketplace by reaching a larger audience than traditional brick-and-mortar outlets. This allows small businesses to compete against larger retailers without needing extensive physical resources like stocking inventory and staff members.

4) Accessibility of services: You'll have access to several support services, such as understanding customer shopping patterns through real-time analytics tools, setting price points, customized categories that attract more search results, etc., helping optimize sales opportunities even further.

5) Easy setup process: Setting up shop on this platform is hassle-free; all it takes is registering an account and uploading product information onto their catalog onboarding program, after which your new e-commerce store will be live within days!

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fulfillment Options for Walmart Marketplace Sellers

As a Walmart Marketplace seller, you have several options when it comes to shipping and fulfillment. These include using Walmart's fulfillment services, third-party carriers such as UPS and USPS, or self-fulfillment.

Walmart's fulfillment Services

As a Marketplace seller, you can use Walmart's Fulfillment Services (WFS) to store your products in their warehouses and ship them directly to customers. This is one of Walmart's most cost-efficient ways to manage orders while still getting excellent customer service. WFS offers features like same-day shipping on some charges and free delivery within 1-2 days on over 2 million items. They also provide return processing with a 100% accuracy guarantee if any issues arise with an order after the shipment has been placed.

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Third-Party Carriers

If you don't want to use WFS but still want access to the world's largest retail network, you can ship your items through third-party carriers such as UPS or USPS. This option will provide visibility on the shipment status, tracking information for customers, real-time inventory updates on all platforms, including mobile apps, international shipping capabilities for global buyers, and more convenient delivery times in many cases than those offered by WFS due mainly to proximity benefits for shippers who are closer geographically to their chosen carrier hub locations vs. having everything shipped out from a single centralized warehouse location used by WFS alone.

Self fulfillment

Sellers who prefer direct control over their entire supply chain process without giving up access to the vast customer base offered by Walmart may opt for the third option available; self-fulfillment (or DIY). With this option, there are no outside fees, so savings can be passed down directly onto potential customers making it easier for sales conversions; however, managing inventory levels manually takes more time, which could potentially hurt overall efficiency depending upon workload size & complexity, etc. Also, handling returns may require additional coordination between multiple departments/stakeholders. However, they do not face any warehousing costs associated with larger companies utilizing either of the two solutions mentioned above -WFS & 3rd party carrier partnerships alike - thereby providing additional economies of scale advantages to large businesses seeking more significant profitability margins through cost-saving methods such as self-fulfillment services when running goods purchased via specific eCommerce channels like Amazon Prime & other related listings tools, etc.

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Walmart Marketplace FAQs

How Does Order Management Work for Walmart Marketplace Sellers?

Order management for Walmart Marketplace sellers is an integral part of online selling. Effective order management helps keep customers happy and allows sellers to maximize their profits. It involves managing orders from start to finish, including receiving them, filling them, shipping them out, and handling returns or refunds if needed. Here's a step-by-step overview of how order management works on the Walmart Marketplace:

1) Receive Orders: As soon as a customer places an order on the Walmart Marketplace website, it will be listed in your Seller Dashboard with all relevant details like customer name, items purchased, and delivery address.

2) Process Orders: Once you receive an order, you'll need to verify that all product information is accurate by checking inventory levels or consulting your supplier(s). If any product information needs changing (e.g., quantity), make sure these changes are reflected in your listing after processing the order so that current stock levels are accurately displayed for upcoming orders from other customers.

3) Fulfill & Ship Orders: After verifying the accuracy of each purchase line item in an order, fulfillment should begin immediately by packaging products securely for shipping and sending out tracking confirmations so customers can follow their packages' journey until they arrive at their doorsteps safely. Also, remember to include any applicable payment processing fees in your profit calculations when pricing products on Walmart Marketplace listings!

4) Handle Returns & Refunds: With returns/refunds being inevitable parts of e-commerce businesses, unfortunately, sometimes have policies already set up beforehand, such as return timeframes (30 days, 60 days, etc.), items eligible for return/exchange, etc.-so when buyers do inevitably come knocking make sure they know exactly what their rights & options are regarding returning goods & claiming refunds!

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How will I be paid for my sales on Walmart Marketplace, and when will I receive my payments?

If you're selling on Walmart Marketplace, payments for your sales will be made via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or ACH. The payment cycle for EFT/ACH is every two weeks. However, the exact timing of when payments are sent out may vary slightly depending on the day of the week approved orders are placed. For example, if all approved orders for a given period are placed before the cutoff on a Thursday, according to Walmart's current policy, Payment could be transmitted as soon as Monday or Tuesday; however, if all their approved orders arrive after their cutoff time, it could take up to 4 days before they can transmit Payment.

Payments will always be remitted on a Wednesday and deposited into your account by Friday at 9 am EST- except in cases where there is a holiday observed by Walmart's bank partner Bank of America – in which case transactions will occur similar to that of Saturday/ Sunday transactions. To ensure regular payouts and minimize disruption to your business operations, make sure that you submit all orders before Walmart's cutoff time each week so that payments are processed quickly and efficiently!

What are customer service support options available to Walmart Marketplace sellers?

Walmart Marketplace sellers have access to a wealth of customer service support options. Walmart provides extensive resources and assistance to help them enhance the experience for both buyers and sellers.

Email Support

First, Walmart offers email support by providing merchants with an individualized customer service email address. This helps to ensure any inquiries are directed straight to the seller to get quick responses and resolutions quickly.

Specialized "Help Center"

Second, sellers are given access to a specialized "Help Center" on the Walmart Marketplace website, which provides comprehensive answers on topics ranging from setting up shop, managing returns, processing payments, making changes or updates in orders, shipping procedures, and more.

Thirdly, Walmart also has dedicated online chat services, which allow customers to talk directly with a representative from their team at any time during regular business hours (Monday – Friday, 8 am - 8 pm EST). These representatives can answer questions via online chat or work with you if necessary. Lastly, there is also an 800 number (1-800-Walmart) that customers can call should they have trouble accessing either the Help Center or online chat options for whatever reason.

Overall, this suite of support options gives merchants invaluable knowledge and peace of mind so they can focus on delivering great products and running their business without worrying about customer service issues that may arise along the way.

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What Criteria Does Walmart Marketplace Look for in the Seller?

The seller should possess some essential criteria to be a part of the Walmart platform. The criteria include:

Competitive pricing of the products

Best Customer support

Excellent product assortment

Fast fulfillment with reliability

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How to Get Started with Walmart Marketplace

The following procedure will help you to start your Walmart business:

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1. Open the official website of Walmart marketplace.

2. Click the apply button on the top right corner of the page.

3. Fill up the form with appropriate details.

4. After filling the form, click the Apply now button.

5. Read the Retailer Agreement carefully.

6. Sign the Retailer Agreement to start the onboarding process.

How Long Does Approval Take?

Well, this is the most common factor that you are wondering about. So here is the answer to your question: the Walmart team reviews the application thoroughly, which takes about two weeks. Then the Business Development Manager of Walmart comes to you for verification purposes. This whole process takes up to 4 weeks.

What is the Process of Selling in Walmart?

Once all the registration process is done, you will get an invitation to Sign-up and have to follow specific steps:

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Create the Account

Create the account by signing up with Walmart. Please provide the required information and email address, and password to gain the ultimate control over its Seller Center.

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Company Registration

Provide the desired name and corporate address to register your company information and click Save and Continue.

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Taxes

Fill in the required details of Form W-9 to issue the 1099s in the year-end for tax purposes, including your name, address, and TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number), and click Save and Continue.

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Payment Info

You have to be registered with Payoneer to receive the payment from Walmart.

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Shipping Details

After all, this Walmart would ask for the shipping charges. You have to be very careful at this stage as it will signify your price model for shipping your products on Walmart.com.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s clear to see that listing your products on a popular e-commerce platform like Wal-Mart Marketplace has countless advantages and can help grow your business’s presence exponentially. Although the steps necessary to join may seem intimidating or difficult at first, our ultimate guide helps break down the process in an understandable way. With this knowledge handy and by utilizing all of the great resources offered viz Marketplace by Wal-Mart, you are sure to succeed and begin mastering the craft of online retail! Of course, don't forget that if at any point during this or after joining Wal-Mart Marketplace you require experienced patient guidance to ensure you make the most out of this opportunity then we here at Simpl are here for whatever support you may need. So what are you waiting for? Get started today and maximize your success with this tremendous platform! Looking for help fulfilling eCommerce orders? Get in touch with Simpl today.

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Next article: Dropshipping Versus Third-Party fulfillment