Walmart Connect’s Self-Service Pivot: What Brands Need to Know

Walmart Connect’s Self-Service Pivot:
What Brands Need to Know

Beginning in the third quarter, Walmart Connect transitioning all Walmart Onsite Display auction campaigns to a self-service buying model.

For many brands, this shift represents a significant change in how campaigns are managed on one of the largest retail media platforms. It’s crucial to understand what this change means and what we’re doing to support client Walmart Connect programs in the new year, says MPG Digital Media Director Colleen Mahoney.

What does the shift mean?

Until now, Walmart Connect has offered a mix of managed service and self-service models for its onsite Walmart.com display auctions. At the end of July, brands will move over exclusively to the self-service model. The good news is that brands will have more control over how their digital ads are executed within Walmart’s online ecosystem. One of the most significant benefits of the self-service model is the ability to directly control campaigns, tweaking targeting, adjusting budgets, and pausing or scaling campaigns quickly based on enhanced transparency around performance—for increased efficiencies and more robust results.

At the same time, brands will have greater responsibility for campaign setup, optimization, and management. This includes everything from defining target audiences to adjusting bidding strategies and monitoring performance metrics in real-time. It also requires a much greater understanding of the platform’s best practices and nuances to ensure fully optimized campaigns. Walmart Connect will likely provide more granular reporting on ad performance, but brand marketers will need to be more data-savvy. Understanding which metrics matter, how to optimize campaigns in real-time, and when to pivot strategies will be essential.

How should brands prepare?

For marketers who’ve relied on Walmart’s Managed Services team to handle much of the campaign setup and execution, this transition will require a learning curve and significant levels of hands-on management. The platform’s tools and capabilities require deep programmatic expertise, from understanding bidding strategies to configuring audience segments. Without it, brands may experience missteps and inefficiencies leading to wasted spend or underperformance.

Our MPG team works day in and day out with the Walmart Connect platform and is now readying a number of brands for the change. Here are a few key areas where we can help:

Audience targeting and data strategy. One of the most critical elements of success in Walmart Connect’s self-service model is audience targeting, allowing you to reach the right shoppers at the right time. We can help you develop data-driven strategies to build highly relevant audience segments. Whether you’re using Walmart’s in-platform audience tools or layering in additional data sources via a DSP like The Trade Desk, we can help ensure your targeting is precise and effective.
Creative strategy and optimization. Compelling creative is always key to driving engagement and performance. We work closely with our brand partners to develop ad creative that is optimized for Walmart’s unique shopper journey to maximize performance.
Campaign optimization and management. While Walmart Connect’s self-service platform will provide performance data, it can be challenging to continuously monitor and adjust campaigns for peak performance. Our team can take on this role, regularly refining bidding strategies, tweaking audience segments, and adjusting budgets to improve ROI in conjunction with your lower funnel media activations on Walmart Connect like Sponsored Search.
Cross-platform integration. In addition to Walmart Connect, many brands will continue to run campaigns across multiple platforms—from Google to Amazon. With our omnichannel team and best-in-class technology platforms, we can help integrate your Walmart Connect campaigns into the broader digital ecosystem, ensuring a unified approach that drives a more seamless customer experience and better results.

Interested in learning more about how MPG can help support your specific needs to make the transition go smoothly? Reach out to Colleen Mahoney at colleen.mahoney@mpgllc.com.