EP283: Walmart's eCommerce Surge: Opportunities for Sellers
Sellers can benefit by auditing their catalog for Walmart eligibility and leveraging Walmart's logistics and supply chain. This allows them to diversify their selling platforms and reach new customers, capitalizing on Walmart's 26% eCommerce growth.
Key Takeaways
- Audit your catalog for Walmart eligibility today
- Leverage Walmart's logistics and supply chain
- Diversify your selling platforms beyond Amazon
- Act now to capitalize on Walmart's growth
Walmart's Record Quarter: What It Means for Online Sellers
Walmart just posted $177.8 billion in a single quarter. Revenue up 7.3%. eCommerce up 26%. And they reaffirmed their full fiscal year 2027 outlook without flinching. That is not a blip. That is a signal. If you are selling online right now, whether $3,000 or $300,000 a month, this number tells you something about where the money is moving. The question is whether your brand is positioned to catch any of it.
Understanding Walmart's eCommerce Growth
Here is what that 26% eCommerce growth at Walmart actually means for sellers. Walmart is not chasing Amazon anymore. They are building their own lane. And when a retailer with Walmart's logistics muscle, their store footprint, their supply chain depth, grows online sales by 26% in a single reporting period, that is not luck. That is infrastructure paying off. I have been watching this play out for a couple of years now. Walmart has been quietly investing in their fulfillment network, their digital shelf, their third-party marketplace. And now the numbers are showing up. For a seller doing $5,000 to $20,000 a month on Amazon, this matters because it changes your channel math. You are not just choosing between Amazon and your own site anymore. Walmart Marketplace is a real option with real traffic behind it. The platform is growing. The buyers are there. For a seller doing $80,000 to $200,000 a month, this matters because Walmart's growth is pulling mid-market brands into conversations they were not having two years ago. Retail buyers, category managers, marketplace teams. The door is more open than it has ever been. And here is the thing most sellers miss. When Walmart's eCommerce grows 26%, that growth does not come from nowhere. It comes from consumers shifting spend. Consumers who were buying somewhere else last quarter. That shift is still happening. And it is still accelerating. The fiscal year 2027 outlook reaffirmation tells me Walmart's leadership sees this as structural, not seasonal. They are not hedging. They are doubling down. That means the window for sellers to get positioned on that platform is right now, not after the next earnings call.
Real-World Success Stories on Walmart Marketplace
Let me give you two pictures of what this looks like in practice. First picture. A seller I know runs a home goods brand. Candles, diffusers, that category. Doing about $35,000 a month on Amazon. Solid business. But margins were getting squeezed by rising ad costs and more competition on the listing page. She started testing Walmart Marketplace about fourteen months ago. Not as a replacement for Amazon. As a second channel. Her first three months on Walmart were slow. Maybe $2,000 to $3,000 a month in additional revenue. Not exciting. But she stayed consistent with her listings, got into Walmart's fulfillment program, and started seeing organic lift as Walmart's search traffic grew. By month ten, she was doing $18,000 a month on Walmart. Same products. Different platform. Her blended margin actually improved because Walmart's ad costs were lower at that stage of competition. Second picture. A larger operator I work with runs a multi-category portfolio. Multiple brands, several million a year in revenue. They had been Amazon-first for years. When Walmart's eCommerce numbers started trending up in 2023, they made a deliberate decision to allocate one full-time team member to Walmart expansion. Not a contractor. A dedicated operator. Within twelve months, Walmart was contributing 18% of their total eCommerce revenue. Both of these sellers did the same thing. They read the platform signal early, moved before it was obvious, and built a presence before the competition caught up. This is what sellers who survive platform shifts do differently. They do not wait for certainty. They move on the signal.
Three Moves to Leverage Walmart's Growth
Three moves. Actionable right now, regardless of your current revenue. Move one. Audit your catalog for Walmart eligibility today. Not next quarter. Today. If you are already on Amazon with a clean product, clean images, and a legitimate brand, you are closer to Walmart-ready than you think. The barrier to entry is lower than most sellers assume. Start with your top three SKUs by revenue and check Walmart Marketplace requirements. If you are doing $5,000 a month on Amazon, even adding $1,500 to $2,000 a month from Walmart changes your business math meaningfully. If you are doing $100,000 a month, a 15 to 20% channel diversification could be worth more than your next ad optimization. Move two. Do not mirror your Amazon strategy on Walmart. This is the mistake I see most often. Sellers list their products, set the same price, run the same images, and wonder why it does not convert. Walmart's algorithm rewards different signals. Competitive pricing matters more. Content completeness matters more. Walmart Fulfillment Services participation matters more. Learn the platform on its own terms. Move three. Watch Walmart's category growth data and position ahead of it. Walmart publishes trend data. Their eCommerce growth is not uniform across all categories. Some categories are growing faster than others. If you can identify where Walmart's traffic is concentrating and you have a product that fits, you can get in front of organic growth that has not peaked yet. I have seen sellers ride that curve from near zero to $30,000 a month in under a year by simply being early in the right category. The window is open. Walmart's 26% eCommerce growth is not the ceiling. It is the current floor.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Neil Twa delves into Walmart's recent eCommerce surge, highlighting its significance for sellers at every level. With a 26% increase in online sales, Walmart is no longer just following Amazon but carving its own path. This shift presents a unique opportunity for sellers to expand their reach and diversify their platforms. Neil shares insights on how a home goods brand, currently making $35,000 a month on Amazon, can tap into Walmart's untapped potential. By auditing their catalog for Walmart eligibility, sellers can position themselves for success in this growing market. The episode outlines three actionable strategies for sellers to implement immediately, ensuring they capitalize on this trend before it becomes mainstream. As the eCommerce landscape evolves, understanding and leveraging platforms like Walmart is crucial for sustained growth. This episode is a must-listen for those looking to stay ahead in the competitive world of online selling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can sellers benefit from Walmart's eCommerce growth?
Sellers can benefit by auditing their catalog for Walmart eligibility and leveraging Walmart's logistics and supply chain. This allows them to diversify their selling platforms and reach new customers, capitalizing on Walmart's 26% eCommerce growth.
What makes Walmart's eCommerce platform unique?
Walmart's platform offers sellers access to its vast logistics network, store footprint, and supply chain depth. Unlike Amazon, Walmart is building its own lane in eCommerce, providing sellers with a growing and less saturated market to explore.
Why should sellers consider Walmart over Amazon?
While Amazon remains a dominant force, Walmart's recent eCommerce surge indicates a growing opportunity. Sellers can benefit from less competition, potentially better margins, and access to Walmart's extensive customer base, making it a viable alternative or complement to Amazon.
Full Transcript
Walmart's Record Quarter: What It Means for Online Sellers
Walmart just posted $177.8 billion in a single quarter. Revenue up 7.3%. eCommerce up 26%. And they reaffirmed their full fiscal year 2027 outlook without flinching. That is not a blip. That is a signal. If you are selling online right now, whether $3,000 or $300,000 a month, this number tells you something about where the money is moving. The question is whether your brand is positioned to catch any of it.
Understanding Walmart's eCommerce Growth
Here is what that 26% eCommerce growth at Walmart actually means for sellers. Walmart is not chasing Amazon anymore. They are building their own lane. And when a retailer with Walmart's logistics muscle, their store footprint, their supply chain depth, grows online sales by 26% in a single reporting period, that is not luck. That is infrastructure paying off. I have been watching this play out for a couple of years now. Walmart has been quietly investing in their fulfillment network, their digital shelf, their third-party marketplace. And now the numbers are showing up. For a seller doing $5,000 to $20,000 a month on Amazon, this matters because it changes your channel math. You are not just choosing between Amazon and your own site anymore. Walmart Marketplace is a real option with real traffic behind it. The platform is growing. The buyers are there. For a seller doing $80,000 to $200,000 a month, this matters because Walmart's growth is pulling mid-market brands into conversations they were not having two years ago. Retail buyers, category managers, marketplace teams. The door is more open than it has ever been. And here is the thing most sellers miss. When Walmart's eCommerce grows 26%, that growth does not come from nowhere. It comes from consumers shifting spend. Consumers who were buying somewhere else last quarter. That shift is still happening. And it is still accelerating. The fiscal year 2027 outlook reaffirmation tells me Walmart's leadership sees this as structural, not seasonal. They are not hedging. They are doubling down. That means the window for sellers to get positioned on that platform is right now, not after the next earnings call.
Real-World Success Stories on Walmart Marketplace
Let me give you two pictures of what this looks like in practice. First picture. A seller I know runs a home goods brand. Candles, diffusers, that category. Doing about $35,000 a month on Amazon. Solid business. But margins were getting squeezed by rising ad costs and more competition on the listing page. She started testing Walmart Marketplace about fourteen months ago. Not as a replacement for Amazon. As a second channel. Her first three months on Walmart were slow. Maybe $2,000 to $3,000 a month in additional revenue. Not exciting. But she stayed consistent with her listings, got into Walmart's fulfillment program, and started seeing organic lift as Walmart's search traffic grew. By month ten, she was doing $18,000 a month on Walmart. Same products. Different platform. Her blended margin actually improved because Walmart's ad costs were lower at that stage of competition. Second picture. A larger operator I work with runs a multi-category portfolio. Multiple brands, several million a year in revenue. They had been Amazon-first for years. When Walmart's eCommerce numbers started trending up in 2023, they made a deliberate decision to allocate one full-time team member to Walmart expansion. Not a contractor. A dedicated operator. Within twelve months, Walmart was contributing 18% of their total eCommerce revenue. Both of these sellers did the same thing. They read the platform signal early, moved before it was obvious, and built a presence before the competition caught up. This is what sellers who survive platform shifts do differently. They do not wait for certainty. They move on the signal.
Three Moves to Leverage Walmart's Growth
Three moves. Actionable right now, regardless of your current revenue. Move one. Audit your catalog for Walmart eligibility today. Not next quarter. Today. If you are already on Amazon with a clean product, clean images, and a legitimate brand, you are closer to Walmart-ready than you think. The barrier to entry is lower than most sellers assume. Start with your top three SKUs by revenue and check Walmart Marketplace requirements. If you are doing $5,000 a month on Amazon, even adding $1,500 to $2,000 a month from Walmart changes your business math meaningfully. If you are doing $100,000 a month, a 15 to 20% channel diversification could be worth more than your next ad optimization. Move two. Do not mirror your Amazon strategy on Walmart. This is the mistake I see most often. Sellers list their products, set the same price, run the same images, and wonder why it does not convert. Walmart's algorithm rewards different signals. Competitive pricing matters more. Content completeness matters more. Walmart Fulfillment Services participation matters more. Learn the platform on its own terms. Move three. Watch Walmart's category growth data and position ahead of it. Walmart publishes trend data. Their eCommerce growth is not uniform across all categories. Some categories are growing faster than others. If you can identify where Walmart's traffic is concentrating and you have a product that fits, you can get in front of organic growth that has not peaked yet. I have seen sellers ride that curve from near zero to $30,000 a month in under a year by simply being early in the right category. The window is open. Walmart's 26% eCommerce growth is not the ceiling. It is the current floor.
Act on Walmart's Growth Signal Now
Walmart's numbers just told you something important. The eCommerce pie is getting bigger. And it is getting bigger on a platform that most Amazon sellers have not taken seriously yet. That is an opportunity. But only if you know how to read it and act on it before it becomes obvious. This is exactly the kind of decision point where having an operator in your corner matters. Not a coach who has read about eCommerce. Not a course that was built three years ago. Someone who is in the accounts, watching the data, making real calls on real brands right now. At Voltage, that is what we do. We have been doing it for 13 years. Our approach is operator-led because that is the only approach that actually works when platforms shift, margins compress, and the landscape changes faster than any single seller can track on their own. If you are a newer seller trying to figure out whether Walmart is even worth your time right now, we can help you answer that. If you are a more advanced operator looking at channel diversification and wondering how to build Walmart into your portfolio without breaking what is already working on Amazon, we have seen that exact situation many times. The starting point is simple. Go to voltagedm.com and take a look at what we are building with sellers at every level. If you want a faster read on where your business stands right now, take the quiz at voltagedm.com/aiquiz. It takes about three minutes and gives you a real picture of your current position. Walmart just posted a 26% eCommerce growth number. The sellers who act on that signal today will be the ones telling the story in twelve months. Thanks for being here. This is The High Voltage Business Builders Podcast. I am Neil Twa. Go build something.