Walmart Connect Explained: How Marketplace Sellers Can Advertise on Walmart

If you're selling on Walmart Marketplace, you already know the hardest part isn't having great products. It's getting them seen.

So what is Walmart Connect, and how can it help? It's the advertising platform that puts your products in front of the right customers at the right time — across Walmart.com, the app, and over 4,600 Walmart locations.

This guide covers every ad format, targeting option, and setup step. Whether you're getting started on Walmart Marketplace or ready to scale, this is your playbook.

What Is Walmart Connect?

Walmart Connect is Walmart's retail media network that lets marketplace sellers and brands promote products across Walmart.com, the Walmart app, in over 4,600 physical stores, and on partner websites. It bridges the gap between digital and physical shopping, giving advertisers access to first-party shopper data from more than 150 million weekly customers.

That data fuels the targeting behind every sponsored ad you run, connecting your products to shoppers based on real purchase behavior, not just demographics.

Walmart announced the rebrand from Walmart Media Group to Walmart Connect in 2021, positioning itself as America's largest omnichannel retailer with a serious stake in the advertising space. Since then, it's become one of the fastest-growing ad platforms in the country. In FY2026, Walmart's global advertising revenue grew 46% to nearly $6.4 billion.

With a variety of ad formats, advanced targeting options, and access to millions of Walmart shoppers, it's a powerful tool for driving sales and brand visibility. The platform is fully self serve, accessible to brands of all sizes — from large enterprises to small sellers. You don't need a massive budget to start advertising. Manage everything through Seller Center.

Walmart Connect Ad Formats: Where Your Sponsored Ads Appear

Walmart Connect offers several formats designed to match different business goals, from sponsored search to display and in store ads. Here's how each type of Walmart Connect ads works and where your ads appear across the advertising and promotions ecosystem.

Sponsored Products and the Buy Box

Sponsored Products are pay-per-click (PPC) sponsored search ads that show up in search results, on product detail pages, and in Walmart's carousels throughout the site. They're the core sponsored search format on the platform.

You bid on relevant keywords, and when a shopper searches for those terms, your product appears in the search carousel alongside organic results. It's similar to Amazon's PPC model — but with far less advertiser competition. (See our Marketplace vs Amazon breakdown.)

Strong listings with Buy Box eligibility perform significantly better. If your listing doesn't hold the Buy Box, your sponsored ads won't show. Make sure your pricing strategy and fulfillment are dialed in first.

Without Buy Box ownership, your ads won't run. This is the best ad format for new sellers — start here. For a deeper walkthrough, see our sponsored ads guide.

Sponsored Brands

Sponsored Brands place a banner at the top of search results featuring your logo, a custom headline, and a selection of products.

These ads drive shoppers to your Walmart Brand Shop page, where they can browse your full catalog. Sponsored Brands are ideal to build brand loyalty and boost brand awareness over time.

Onsite Display Ads

Onsite display ads visually highlight your brand or products across Walmart's digital platforms — homepage banners, category pages, browse pages, and in-app placements.

Walmart display ads in this format support awareness, product launches, and seasonal promotions through rich media and video content. Display campaigns let you tell a more visual brand story than keyword-driven sponsored ads alone.

Offsite Media and Walmart DSP

Walmart Connect also extends beyond Walmart.com. Offsite display ads show up offsite and rely on more sophisticated targeting through first-party data.

Through the Walmart DSP (demand-side platform), advertisers can use first-party data for programmatic ad buying — reaching potential customers on partner websites who match shopper profiles even before they visit the site.

Offsite media is particularly useful for top-of-funnel awareness. These ad placements reach customers outside of the platform's owned properties.

In Store Ads and In Store Placements

This is where Walmart Connect separates itself from every other ad network. The key placements here reach shoppers during their physical shopping trip.

Walmart operates approximately 170,000 digital screens inside physical stores. Your in store ads can appear on self checkout kiosk screens, TV wall ads in the electronics department, and in store digital signage throughout Walmart stores.

In Store Advertising: Ad Placements That Drive Sales

In store radio is another in store advertising channel, reaching shoppers as they walk the aisles.

These in store placements bridge the gap between digital advertising and physical shopping. When a customer sees your Walmart ads online and then encounters your product in store, that repetition can spark sales.

In store ads on self checkout screens are especially effective for impulse purchases. Combined with digital signage and in store radio, Walmart Connect's in store advertising reach is unmatched.

How Walmart Connect Targeting Drives Sales

Walmart Connect offers a variety of targeting options — including keyword targeting, demographic targeting, geographic targeting, and behavioral targeting. These targeting capabilities are powered by first-party shopping behavior data. Here's how to reach your target audience.

Keyword Targeting

Bid on relevant keywords so your sponsored search ads appear in search results when shoppers actively search for products like yours. Walmart Connect does not currently allow product targeting, which is a feature available on some other platforms like Amazon. That makes keyword strategy your primary lever. Start with our guide on finding top keywords.

Demographic Targeting

Customize your campaigns based on age, gender, and household income. This helps you target ads to specific segments of Walmart customers during their shopping journey.

Geographic Targeting

Focus your ads on specific regions, states, or cities — valuable for promoting local availability or running regional promotions.

Behavioral Targeting

Walmart Connect uses customer data like past searches, purchase history, and browsing patterns to identify shoppers likely interested in your products based on their actual shopping behavior.

Customer Match and Custom Audiences

Upload your own customer data to create custom audiences for targeted advertising. Retarget past buyers or reach lookalike audiences. It's one of the most effective ways to nurture loyal customers and engage customers who've already shown interest in your brand.

Tracking Campaign Performance with Closed-Loop Measurement

Walmart Connect has a self-service dashboard where sellers can manage campaigns and set budgets, with robust reporting tools built in.

The standout feature is closed loop measurement. Walmart Connect tracks sales on the Walmart site, the Walmart app, and in stores. When a customer sees your ad online and later buys in store, that purchase is tracked and attributed to your campaign.

Key metrics to monitor include click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS). Track these through the Seller Performance Dashboard.

The Item Keyword Performance Report tracks every keyword driving traffic to your products, showing exactly which terms convert.

How to Build a Successful Walmart Connect Campaign

To create a successful Walmart Connect campaign, start by defining your goals clearly. Here's how to approach your ad campaigns to drive sales consistently.

1. Define your goals. Drive sales on a specific product? Increase brand awareness? Acquire new customers? Your goal determines which advertising solutions to use.

2. Pick the right ad format. Sponsored search for direct conversions. Sponsored Brands for awareness and brand loyalty. Onsite display for launches and promotions.

3. Start small and scale. Begin with one campaign on products where you hold the Buy Box. Set a manageable daily budget, learn what converts, then expand.

4. Use a granular account structure. Separate ad campaigns by product category or objective for cleaner data and better bid optimization.

5. Expand your keyword coverage. Expanding your keyword coverage can enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns. Review the Item Keyword Performance Report regularly and add converting terms. See our guide on optimizing ad campaigns.

6. Monitor, adjust, repeat. Check ROAS, CTR, and budget allocation weekly. Pause underperformers. Scale winners. Explore automation tools to streamline the process.

Getting Started with the Walmart Connect Ad Center

If you haven't applied yet, complete your seller application first. Once approved, head to the Walmart Connect Ad Center to start running Walmart Connect ads.

Before launching any ad formats, make sure your listings are optimized. Your listing quality score directly impacts ad performance. Listings that are Buy Box eligible with strong product listing optimization, competitive pricing, and positive reviews get far better results.

Launch your first Walmart ads campaign — a single Sponsored Products campaign targeting top-selling items. Use your Walmart SEO strategy to guide keyword selection, and check out the top seller tools to manage campaigns as you scale. For a full breakdown of costs, see our seller fees guide.

The Future of Retail Media: Why Walmart Connect Is Just Getting Started

Walmart continues to invest heavily in Walmart Connect as the retail media space grows. For sellers, the advertising growth opportunities are expanding every quarter.

Sellers who start running ads now — while competition is still low — build a compounding advantage. More data, better optimization, lower costs per click. Start small, scale what works. Not sure what to sell on the marketplace? Start there, then run ads on your best performers.