Ultimate Guide to Walmart Seller Center

Walmart Marketplace is a dynamic platform that allows third-party sellers to offer their products to a broad and engaged audience. With millions of daily visitors, Walmart is a key platform for sellers looking to grow their eCommerce presence.

By selling on Walmart Marketplace, businesses can tap into a vast customer base, increase their online visibility, and drive more sales. The platform’s extensive reach means that sellers have the opportunity to connect with more customers than ever before, making it an essential channel for expanding your business and boosting your bottom line.

What is Walmart Seller Center?

Walmart Seller Center is the platform where third-party sellers manage their Walmart Marketplace business. It allows sellers to list products, track orders, manage inventory, process payments, and analyze sales performance.

Understanding how the seller platform works is essential for growing your business on the Walmart Marketplace. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough, covering everything from account setup to performance optimization.

Getting Started

To access Walmart Seller Center, you must apply and be approved as a Walmart Marketplace seller. Understanding the minimum qualifications needed to become a seller is crucial for the application process. Entering accurate business details during the account setup process is crucial to avoid delays and ensure smooth processing.

Walmart does NOT charge a monthly subscription fee but takes a referral fee per sale (6-15%), depending on the category. Mastering Walmart’s seller tools and promotions will help you optimize listings, boost sales and win the Buy Box more often.

Walmart Seller Account Setup Process

It only takes a few minutes to create your Walmart Marketplace account, but getting approval can take 24 hours to a few weeks. The length of time depends on how quickly you provide the requested information. Ensuring you have all of the eligibility requirements will speed up the Walmart Marketplace approval process.

Walmart Marketplace Requirements

• A US Business Tax ID or Business License Number
• Supporting documents (such as a W9 or W8) that verify your US business name and address
• A successful presence in other e-commerce marketplaces, such as an established Amazon, eBay or Shopify store
• Products that comply with Walmart’s Prohibited Products Policy and have a GTIN/UPC or GS1 barcode
• A fulfillment account with Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) or another warehouse that has returns capability

Steps to Apply:

Visit Walmart Marketplace Application and select “Join Marketplace.” 

Submit details about your business, including tax ID, business address, product categories, and annual gross merchandise value (GMV).

Wait for Marketplace approval.

Once approved, you will receive login credentials. Only after approval, you can set up payment methods, shipment and fulfillment options, and start adding your products.

Logging in

Log in at seller.walmart.com.

Enter your registered email and password.

Navigate through the dashboard to manage your business.

Understanding the Dashboard

The Walmart Seller Center dashboard is your control panel for operating your store on the marketplace. Key sections on the left side of the navigation include:

• Home: This offers a quick overview of orders, sales, and important updates.
• Catalog: This section is for managing product listings, uploading new SKUs, and updating product details. You can add items, view your catalog, address listing issues, manage international orders and more. 
• Pricing: This tab is where you can set prices for your items and monitor price performance. The most successful merchants use a modern repricer powered by AI to optimize profitability and improve conversion rates.
• Orders: Here you can view, process, and track orders. Handling orders efficiently and effectively is key in building trust in your business. The Orders tab also is where you will manage returns, adjustments and disputes. 
• Payments: Once your catalog is set up, and you start to receive orders, the Payments dashboard is where you can track payments and transactions for all of your Walmart Marketplace orders. If you need additional financing to help your business grow, you can click on the Capital subtab for loan options.
• Performance: Here you can view detailed information to understand how your storefront is performing including order fulfillment rates, refunds, feedback and policy compliance.
• Analytics: You can analyze sales performance and view buyer metrics in this section. There are several helpful sections here including Search Insights, Consumer Insights and Reports.
• Growth: This link includes resources and recommendations to help you optimize your catalog and grow your business on the Walmart Marketplace. For instance, you can view suggestions on additional popular items to expand your catalog, as well as insights on how updates to your listings are impacting your Listing Quality Score.
• Advertising: Build ad campaigns here to accelerate your business growth. Walmart Connect offers three Sponsored Search solutions: Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Videos.

Creating Product Listings on the Walmart Marketplace

Requirements

Walmart has a "Required to list" section which refers to the set of mandatory fields that a seller must fill out before they can successfully add a product on the Walmart Marketplace.

Requirements include details like product identifier (UPC/GTIN), product name, description (detailed, SEO-friendly, and accurate), images, price, inventory count, shipment details and sometimes specific attributes depending on the product category.

How to Add Products

There are two main ways to upload products in Walmart's seller platform. Single Item Setup is for manually entering details for a new product. Bulk upload is to add multiple products using an Excel or CSV template.

Optimizing Listings

There are three main factors that determine your listing quality score on the Walmart Marketplace: content, offer and performance. Polished content will boost your product discoverability through search and filter inclusion.

When adding listings, it’s important to use clear, keyword-rich titles that are between 50-75 characters (e.g., "Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds with Noise Cancellation, Black"). Include detailed descriptions that highlight key features of the product.

Upload four high-resolution images, with a white background to make your product stand out and look professional. Consider adding images that show multiple angles of the item.

Competitive offers with free expedited shipping options have a better chance at winning the Buy Box and increasing sales. Set competitive prices to win the Buy Box often and turn browsers into shoppers. To consistently price your products competitively, use an automatic repricer.

Lastly, ensure you offer a great overall experience for shoppers. A low Order Defect Rate (ODR), policy adherence, positive ratings, and prompt responses will help you gain more visibility on Walmart.

Managing Orders & Fulfillment

Processing Orders

Acknowledging orders is a critical part of the Walmart order fulfillment process, as it confirms your ability to fulfill items in a timely manner. To acknowledge orders in Walmart Seller Center, navigate to the Orders page to check the order status.

There are four order status categories: Unshipped, Shipped, Canceled and All. Filter Status column by the Unshipped orders and select the orders you want to acknowledge.

Click the Acknowledge Items button at the top of the navigation. Be sure to update your inventory count promptly to avoid overselling.

Once the order has been acknowledged, print shipping labels and tracking information to continue processing the order.

Shipping & Fulfillment Options

To set up your preferred shipment options on Walmart, click on the gear in the upper right corner of the home page to access your settings. On the left side, find your Shipping Profile tab. This is where you can enter your shipping preferences.

Walmart sellers can fulfill orders in three ways:

• Seller-Fulfilled: Ship products yourself using preferred carriers.
• Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS): Walmart stores, picks, packs, and ships orders for you.
• Third-Party Logistics (3PL): Partner with fulfillment companies like ShipBob.

Tip: Walmart prioritizes fast shipping. Offer two-day delivery for better rankings and customer trust. 

Handling Returns & Customer Service

Managing Returns

Buyers can return products via In-store Returns (for select items) or Seller Returns (buyer ships directly to you). Before accepting returns, you must set up your return center details in Walmart Seller Center with a valid U.S. return address (excluding Hawaii, Alaska, and U.S. territories and cannot be a P.O. box).

It’s easy to manage Walmart returns with standardized settings and rules. For example, you can set up Keep It Rules for items that you don’t want returned to you, but are refundable.

To view your returns, navigate to the Returns Dashboard under Orders. Here you can approve or decline return requests based on Walmart’s return policy.

Walmart has strict return policies that sellers must be familiar with and follow. Some important things to know about Walmart returns:

• Sellers should issue refunds promptly, if required. If the seller does not issue a refund within 48 hours, Walmart will automatically issue the refund on the seller’s behalf.
• Walmart’s Returns Shipping Service (RSS) supports only FedEx and UPS. Unless you specify otherwise, RSS is used as the default for printing return shipping labels.
• A minimum return window of 30 days is required (except for certain electronics, luxury items, and appliances).
• No return shipping fees can be charged to customers.
• In-store returns without an online request do not apply to "Keep It Rules."

Responding to Inquiries

If a buyer or a Walmart Customer Care agent has a question about an order, their inquiry will be directed to your Walmart Seller Center Inbox or customer care email.

You are required to follow Walmart’s Customer Care Policy and other applicable Retailer Policies when responding. Failure to comply may put your account at risk of suspension or termination.

It’s important to respond promptly as Walmart requires sellers to respond to inquiries within 48 hours, and quick responses can improve seller ratings and trust.

• Go to your Inbox in Walmart Seller Center
• Select the message to view the content, including order details
• Choose from one of Walmart’s message templates, or write your own response. Always maintain professional, courteous communication with customers.
• Send reply

Managing Ratings and Reviews for Walmart Marketplace Sellers

How to Get Reviews on the Walmart Marketplace

Product ratings and reviews play a crucial role in boosting conversions on the Walmart Marketplace. That’s why it’s important that you have a strategy in place to get more reviews for your products.

One way to request reviews is to incentivize shoppers using Walmart’s Review Accelerator program. By enrolling your product in this program, buyers are encouraged to leave their honest feedback in exchange for a promotional offer. If you already have reviews on your own direct-to-consumer website, you can import them to Walmart using the Walmart Marketplace Review Syndication program.

Ratings & Reviews Manager

When a customer submits a review, it will be directed to your Ratings and Reviews manager in Walmart Seller Center. The new Ratings & Reviews Manager dashboard serves as a centralized hub for tracking and managing feedback.

It allows you to link reviews to specific orders, identify the products driving positive or negative ratings, and address issues related to fulfillment, listing quality, or customer service more efficiently.

How to Respond to Reviews on the Walmart Marketplace

Walmart permits sellers to write a public response to reviews, as long as they follow the response guidelines. You can create your own customized response or use one of the templates provided in Walmart Seller Center. Once you submit a public response, you cannot edit or delete it, so be sure to take a close look at your response prior to submitting.

Some tips for handling negative feedback:

• Don’t take it personally.
• Address concerns quickly.
• Apologize if appropriate.
• Provide refunds or replacements if necessary.

Managing Product Prices & Promotions

Successfully managing your prices and promotions on Walmart is crucial for increasing visibility, winning the Buy Box, and driving sales. Walmart's competitive pricing model and promotional tools help sellers maximize profits while staying ahead of competitors.

Understanding Walmart’s Pricing Model

Walmart prioritizes low prices to stay competitive. Sellers need to monitor prices constantly to avoid losing the Buy Box. Sellers can use the Walmart Repricer Tool, which automatically adjusts prices to win the Buy Box. To optimize pricing and profit, and stay competitive, sellers should use a modern repricer.

Creating Promotions & Discounts

Running promotions and offering discounts can boost visibility on the Walmart Marketplace, especially during holidays and peak seasons. Walmart provides several promotional options to increase conversions and attract more customers:

• Rollback Prices – Temporary price reductions
• Clearance – Discounting products to move inventory quickly
• Reduced Price Badges – Automatically applied when a seller lowers the price
• Sponsored – Paid ads to boost visibility
• Bundle Deals – Offering multi-item discounts to increase cart value

How to Set Up a Promotion

Promotions must be set up at least four hours before you want the discounts to begin.

• Go to the Promotions tab and click Create Promotion
• Enter a name for your promotion
• Choose the type of promotion (e.g., Rollback, Clearance, Bundle)
• Set discount amounts and duration, and submit

Once you’ve added your promotion, you can assign items from your catalog to your promotion. You can view your active and scheduled promotions on the Promotions page and track the performance of your promotions in the Reports dashboard.

Marketing and SEO Strategies

Effective marketing and SEO strategies are crucial for success on Walmart Marketplace. Sellers can leverage Walmart’s performance advertising options, such as Walmart Sponsored Ads, to boost product visibility and drive sales. Additionally, optimizing product listings with relevant keywords, high-quality images, and detailed product descriptions can enhance discoverability and attract more customers.

By implementing these strategies, sellers can increase their online visibility, drive more traffic to their listings, and ultimately, boost sales. Utilizing these marketing tools effectively can help Walmart Marketplace sellers reach a wider audience and achieve higher conversion rates.

Walmart Seller Performance Metrics and Analytics

To succeed on the Walmart Marketplace, sellers need to monitor and optimize their performance metrics. Key performance indicators (KPIs) include order fulfillment rates, customer satisfaction, and product ratings. Walmart provides sellers with access to performance metrics and analytics tools, enabling them to track their progress and make data-driven decisions.

By analyzing these metrics, sellers can identify areas for improvement, optimize their listings, and enhance their overall seller performance. Regularly reviewing these KPIs helps Walmart Marketplace sellers stay competitive and ensure they are meeting customer expectations.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

As a Walmart Marketplace seller, you may encounter common issues such as account setup problems, order management errors, or customer service concerns. To troubleshoot these issues, sellers can access Walmart’s Seller Support, which provides comprehensive resources and support.

You can contact Seller Support by using the Help button in the Seller Center menu bar, using the Live Chat option, and Submitting a case. By addressing these issues promptly, sellers can maintain a positive seller profile, ensure customer satisfaction, and avoid account suspension or termination. Effective problem-solving is key to maintaining a smooth operation and building a trustworthy reputation on the platform.

Critical Differences Between Walmart and Amazon

While both Walmart and Amazon offer eCommerce platforms for third-party sellers, there are critical differences between the two. Walmart has fewer sellers, resulting in lower competition, while Amazon offers a more extensive customer base. Fees also differ, with Walmart generally having lower fees.

Additionally, Walmart’s fulfillment services, such as Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), can help sellers streamline their order management and shipping processes. By understanding these differences, sellers can make informed decisions about which platform to use and how to optimize their sales strategies.

Choosing the right platform and leveraging its unique advantages can significantly impact your business success.

Conclusion

Winning on Walmart means balancing competitive offers, fast fulfillment, and good customer service. By managing orders effectively, utilizing advertising tools with Walmart Connect, and maintaining strong seller performance, you can maximize revenue and succeed on the Walmart Marketplace.