In an effort to grow their advertising business, Walmart made a big change to their listing results earlier this month. They now allow ads to serve “above-the-fold” in the #1 and #2 positions of their listing results—ahead of their organic search results. Previously, ads appeared in slots #3, #5, #6 and #12.
Walmart appears to be adopting advertising program models from competitors like Amazon, who allow sponsored product ads to serve at the top of, alongside, or within search results and on product listing pages across desktop and mobile. This change increases the importance of participation in Walmart’s advertising program as a key merchandising tool for brands and sellers who want to improve their brand reach on the Walmart digital shelf, as it puts paid product placements directly in front of customers.
For sellers not yet participating in Walmart’s Sponsored Ads program, this could mean less visibility in search results and a possible drop to even “below-the-fold” placements.
This change along with the recently announced expansion of ad types available for brands, and the upgrades to reporting and insights now available in their Ads dashboard, clearly shows Walmart’s commitment to helping brand advertisers more effectively target and reach customers to enhance their conversion performance on Walmart.com and Walmart Marketplace.
If you’re a brand or seller considering using Sponsored Products to accelerate selling goods online and want to take advantage of the new ads and listing placements available to increase your brand’s exposure, Rithum can help you maximize the success of your Walmart advertising program.
Contact us to get started.