Winning the category conversation at Walmart: What brand suppliers need to do differently now

Walmart has long been one of the most important and demanding relationships in consumer packaged goods. What’s evolving now is not the importance of that relationship, but the weight of the category conversation around it. A strong item, a polished presentation, or a shelf recommendation that works in theory is no longer enough. Brand suppliers need to show they understand how the shopper is changing, how the category is performing, and how to turn that understanding into action across both the aisle and the digital shelf. In that environment, the role of category captaincy has never been more important.

Retailers today are operating at the intersection of shifting shopper behavior, faster merchandising cycles, constant digital commerce, and rising expectations for data-backed decision making. That is making category captaincy broader and more demanding than it used to be. It’s no longer just about advising on shelf layout or supporting a category review. It’s about helping drive category growth in a way that is measurable, executable, and meaningful to the retailer.

In a recent discussion with Eric Karr, MPG Deep Dive Vice President, and Joanna Davis, MPG Deep Dive Category Director, one point came through clearly: the suppliers creating the most value today are the ones that connect category thinking to real-world execution. That perspective is grounded in deep hands-on experience, including more than 50 years of direct Walmart expertise across the team, a dedicated Bentonville presence, and support spanning modular development, assortment strategy, analytics, and execution.

It’s not just about the shelf anymore

For years, category captaincy was often treated mainly as a shelf conversation. That’s still part of the job, but it’s only part. Shoppers move fluidly across physical and digital touchpoints and expect a faster, easier path to purchase. Digital shopping behaviors are now deeply embedded, even in everyday categories, which changes what retailers need from suppliers.

The story we bring to Walmart is unbiased, shopper-led, and retailer-first. That matters more now because Walmart’s growth agenda is increasingly driven by evidence-based, omnichannel category decisions. A recommendation can be right for the aisle and still fall short if it does not reflect how shoppers search, compare, and buy across channels. It also falls short if the digital shelf tells a different story than the physical one.

As Joanna puts it, “The category story has to hold up everywhere the shopper meets it. If it only works on paper or only works in-store, it is not enough anymore.”

“The category story has to hold up everywhere the shopper meets it. If it only works on paper or only works in-store, it is not enough anymore.”

For brand suppliers, that’s an important shift. It means the category conversation is no longer just about where an item sits. It’s about whether the full shopper experience supports the case you are making.

The standard for proof is rising

Many consumer products companies are still operating in a tighter growth environment, with price doing more of the work than volume in many categories. That raises the bar for every recommendation a supplier brings to retail partners. It also helps explain why sharper commercial discipline matters more right now. Growth is harder won, which means suppliers need a clearer point of view and a stronger case for action to stay relevant.

The question is no longer just, “What is your recommendation?” It’s, “Why this item, why this space, why now, and what proof do you have that it will improve category performance?”

That’s one reason category leadership is becoming more operational. A compelling story still matters, but credibility now depends on whether suppliers can connect their recommendation to retailer priorities such as productivity, value perception, trip missions, and omnichannel performance.

Eric put it simply: “You have to bring both the point of view and the proof. Retailers want to know that your recommendation is grounded in how the category is performing, how the shopper is behaving, and what the business case looks like if they act on it.”

“You have to bring both the point of view and the proof. Retailers want to know that your recommendation is grounded in how the category is performing, how the shopper is behaving, and what the business case looks like if they act on it.”

At Walmart, precision matters more than ever

That shift is especially important at Walmart, where the scale is massive, the pace is fast, and execution gaps are exposed quickly. Winning there takes more than a strong item and a good story. It takes precision in the aisle and proof in the numbers.

Walmart has also made clear that suppliers using stronger first-party insight and omnichannel analytics are putting themselves in a better position to perform. At Inspire 2025, Walmart Data Ventures said Scintilla subscribers outpaced non-subscribers, with total omnichannel sales up 15 percent. That is a meaningful signal that better insight is translating into measurable business performance.

For brand suppliers, that changes the assignment. It’s not just about preparing for a review. It’s about building a stronger operating rhythm around modular development, assortment strategy, KPI tracking, digital shelf health, and post-review execution. That’s why the language we use in reviews is very direct: “Here’s the opportunity, here’s the risk of not acting, here’s the projected impact on Walmart’s category KPIs, and here’s how we’ll measure it post-reset.”

Many suppliers still lose momentum here. The recommendation may be right, but the execution is uneven. A submission is late. The data support is not strong enough. The digital shelf is not aligned to the in-store strategy. The reset happens, but the follow-through does not. At Walmart, those gaps directly affect whether a supplier is seen as a true category-growth partner.

The strongest suppliers connect strategy to execution

The role of category leadership has expanded in a very practical way. Suppliers need support that connects insight to action across the full process, not just at the moment of presentation.

At MPG, that work is grounded in deep, hands-on Walmart experience. With more than 50 years of direct Walmart experience across the team, a dedicated Bentonville presence, 100% on-time/error-free submissions and more than 100 relays executed, MPG supports brand suppliers across modular development and maintenance, assortment strategy, KPI monitoring, insights and analytics, digital content auditing, omnichannel category reviews, and trend and competitor analysis.

Joanna described it this way: “The goal is not to win one meeting. The goal is to build a stronger category story and then execute it cleanly enough that it creates shelf impact.”

“The goal is not to win one meeting. The goal is to build a stronger category story and then execute it cleanly enough that it creates shelf impact.”

That idea matters because category captaincy can no longer function only as a presentation discipline. The suppliers creating the most value at Walmart are the ones that can translate strategy into disciplined execution. Our advisor process is intentionally built as an operating system, translating good thinking into clean execution, and then proving it showed up where it matters.

Why this matters commercially for suppliers

For brand suppliers, this is not just about improving the quality of a category review. It’s about improving the quality of the business.

Stronger category leadership can help sharpen assortment decisions, strengthen modular outcomes, improve shelf productivity, support better digital alignment, and build more credibility with Walmart over time. In a tougher and faster-moving environment, that can make a real difference in how a supplier is perceived and how effectively it grows.

That’s especially important because Walmart is not simply looking for suppliers with products to sell. It’s looking for suppliers that can help it make smarter category decisions. When a supplier consistently brings insight, relevance, and execution discipline, it becomes more valuable to the retailer and harder to replace. For brand teams that partner with us in a category advisor model, it’s about improving the quality and durability of their business at Walmart.

The next wave of category leadership will be faster and more connected

There is another reason this work is getting harder. Seventy percent of shoppers have already used AI tools or features as part of the shopping journey, which means discovery, comparison, and conversion are becoming more dynamic even before the shopper reaches the shelf.

That does not make category management less relevant. It makes it more connected. Suppliers need stronger content, faster analytics, tighter assortment logic, and a better read on how digital behavior influences in-store performance. The shelf still matters, but the path to the shelf is getting more dynamic.

The next wave of category leadership is heading in that direction. It’s more connected, more accountable, and more dependent on execution than the old model ever was. Walmart’s own recent Scintilla In-Store launch also points that way, linking supplier insight more directly to in-store execution.

What this means for suppliers now

The opportunity for suppliers is real. Walmart still values strong category partners, and in many ways the need is even greater than before. But the winning model has changed. The suppliers creating the most value are not just bringing a fact base. They are bringing a practical point of view on how to grow the category, backed by stronger execution and a clearer omnichannel mindset. Our shopper-centered, unbiased advisor process is already pointed in that direction: starting with need states, leveraging Walmart’s own data ecosystem, and translating that into pragmatic, executable plans that merchants can trust.

That’s the real message for brand suppliers. This is not just about being seen as helpful in the category review process. It’s about becoming more credible, more useful, and more important to the retailer. Suppliers that can combine insight, execution, and relevance in a faster-moving retail environment are in a stronger position to earn trust, influence decisions, and unlock growth.