Walmart Best Seller Rank: How It Works

In the world of ecommerce, understanding marketplace ranking systems is crucial for sellers looking to optimize their sales strategies. A strong seller ranking signals trustworthiness and popularity to consumers, enhancing your brand’s reputation and product appeal, which in turn drives more sales.

Walmart Best Seller Rank (BSR) is a ranking system used by the Walmart marketplace to showcase the most popular products in different categories. It is similar to Amazon's Best Seller Rank as it indicates a product’s recent sales performance, which helps shoppers identify trending products and assists sellers in gauging their product's relative performance.

For sellers, understanding what makes a product a best seller on Walmart is crucial for making informed decisions about inventory and marketing strategies.

Understanding Walmart Best Sellers

What are Walmart Best Sellers

Walmart Best Sellers are products that consistently achieve high sales volumes and are in high demand on Walmart’s online marketplace. These items often stand out due to their affordability, practicality, and alignment with seasonal trends or consumer needs.

For instance, categories like pet supplies and cleaning supplies are among top selling Walmart items. Pet owners often seek high-quality food, toys, and accessories, while cleaning supplies like all-purpose cleaners and disinfectants are household staples. By focusing on these high-demand products, sellers can better position themselves to capture consumer interest and drive sales.

Factors Affecting Walmart Best Sellers List

Several factors can influence the Walmart Best Sellers list, making it a dynamic and ever-changing reflection of consumer preferences. Seasonal trends play a significant role; for example, winter clothing and accessories see a surge in demand during the colder months. Economic conditions also impact consumer spending habits, with essential products like food and household items becoming more popular during times of financial uncertainty.

Additionally, shifts in consumer preferences, such as the growing focus on health and wellness, can drive demand for specific products like essential oils and health supplements. By staying attuned to these factors, sellers can adapt their inventory and marketing strategies to align with current trends and maximize their success on the Walmart marketplace.

How to Identify Walmart Best Sellers

To identify Walmart best sellers, sellers can utilize the platform’s search function and apply filters to display only best-selling items. This method provides a quick overview of what’s currently trending. Sellers can also refer to the Walmart Best Sellers list, which is regularly updated to reflect the latest consumer preferences and market trends.

By leveraging these resources, sellers can stay ahead of the competition and stock products that are more likely to succeed.

Why is Walmart Best Seller Rank Important?

Walmart Best Seller Rank is valuable for sellers aiming to optimize their performance on the Walmart marketplace. Achieving a high BSR can increase product visibility, leading to higher sales. Products with a strong BSR may appear in Walmart’s "Best Seller" section, increasing exposure even more. Since shoppers are more likely to trust and buy best-selling products, a good BSR can be a valuable factor to influence buying decisions.

How Walmart Best Seller Rank Works

Walmart’s ranking system is sales-driven and updated frequently based on recent sales data, so a product’s BSR can fluctuate throughout the day. Key factors that go into the Walmart Best Seller Rank are:

• Sales Volume: Walmart BSR is primarily determined by the number of recent sales a product has had compared to others in the same category.
• Category-Specific: Products have different rankings within categories and subcategories, helping customers identify popular items in a particular niche.
• Influenced by External Factors: Walmart considers additional factors such as stock availability, pricing, and fulfillment method, which can impact rankings.
• Online and In-Store Activity: Walmart integrates both online and brick-and-mortar sales and inventory into its ranking system.
• Tracking Walmart Best Seller Rank: Sellers can view a product’s sales rank in Walmart Seller Center. Navigate to the Search Insights dashboard to view sales rank and other performance metrics. There are also third-party rank tracking tools to help with analyzing trends.

The Impact of In-store Purchases and Inventory on Walmart BSR

Walmart’s Best Seller Rank is influenced not only by online sales, but also by in-store purchases and stock availability. Understanding the dynamics of the retail industry, including the integration of online and in-store sales, is essential for sellers to effectively navigate and leverage Walmart's omnichannel approach.

Here’s how activity in Walmart brick-and-mortar stores impacts BSR:

• In-Store Sales: Walmart's BSR considers total sales across all channels, including physical store purchases. A high volume of in-store sales can boost a product’s ranking even if its online sales are moderate.
• Omnichannel Performance: Walmart integrates in-store, online, and pickup orders. A product selling well in-store may see a ranking boost online, as Walmart prioritizes items that move quickly across all channels.
• Stock Availability: Products that are well-stocked across Walmart’s fulfillment centers and retail locations are more likely to maintain higher rankings. If a product goes out of stock, its BSR may drop due to lost sales opportunities.
• Local Market Influence: Walmart's local store-level inventory impacts rankings. If an item sells out in specific stores but remains available online, its ranking may be affected regionally.

How to Boost Your Product’s Ranking on Walmart

Improving a product’s rank on Walmart requires a combination of strong sales performance, optimized product listings, competitive pricing, and strategic marketing efforts. Walmart prioritizes products that offer the best value to customers, therefore, sellers must optimize pricing.

Walmart also prioritizes faster shipping options. Late shipments and cancellations will hurt your ranking. This emphasis on fulfillment speed and reliability means sellers must optimize logistics to maintain rank. Consider using Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) and offer free 2-day or next day shipping.

Sellers also must optimize both online and in-store strategies to improve ranking and drive higher sales. Running out of stock can drop your ranking significantly. Track your stock levels and sales trends closely, to ensure you maintain strong inventory levels.

Conclusion

Walmart’s growing ecommerce presence means that BSR should be top of mind, especially for sellers targeting a less competitive but rapidly expanding marketplace.

Sellers should leverage the Walmart ranking system in combination with dynamic pricing strategies, fast and reliable shipping, and smart inventory management to maximize their success on Walmart. By consistently applying the right strategies, you can increase sales and improve your Best Seller Rank on Walmart.