Walmart 101: Comprehensive Guide as a Seller on Walmart Marketplace

Last updated on March 21st, 2023

Written by Ken Zhou

Walmart’s expansion is going more prominent than ever, with 113 million unique monthly visitors and about 80,000 sellers.

In 2022, Walmart’s revenue reached $572.8 billion. In the same report, 95% of Walmart Marketplace sellers have profitable e-commerce businesses.

Successful sellers always think about growth, and this mindset  is commonly attributed to expansion. Walmart is another great place for that. However, getting into the Walmart marketplace has been historically tricky as their application process is strict.

In this article, we will cover the following topics:

• Walmart Marketplace Seller Requirements
• Steps to get Walmart Approved
• Comprehensive Approval Process Guide 
• How Long Does Walmart Approval Process take
• Benefits of Selling on Walmart Marketplace

Walmart Marketplace Seller Requirements

Walmart concentrates on customer satisfaction and providing excellent customer service. So, if you’re considering applying to be a seller in the Walmart Marketplace, keep in mind that these are the first things you need to check. 

Sellers must fulfill the following requirements for products in Walmart Marketplace:

• Successful E-Commerce Seller.

Walmart is not for start-up businesses but for expansion. You can start selling on eBay and Amazon and expand on Walmart once your business is well-established. Walmart is particular on website experience. In precis, your business must meet strict requirements to know you’re the real deal.

• Outstanding Customer Service Track Record.

As part of their goal, a business aiming to sell on Walmart must have ‘first-class customer service.’ Walmart will assess this through metrics like eBay's feedback score and seller rating from Amazon. This is because Walmart intends to live up to its promise that sellers can handle quality response time requirements. So if you’re planning to improve your customer service on Amazon first, check out our Amazon services.

• Reasonable Prices.

Their slogan reads, “Save Money. Live Better.” They stand by that truthfully. They’re keen on the prices of the product listings and efficiently remove overpriced items. While you don’t need to sell at the lowest price, you must be close. If your price is 25% more expensive than other sellers, it’s more likely to be too high.

• Necessary Variety of Items.

The products you intend to sell on Walmart also have huge implications for their consideration! You must offer a compelling variety of products as they remove underperforming items. In line with this, they are straightforward to take down listings or product lines that will not be sustainable. Check out how Walmart reduces excess inventory levels for low-margin items.

• Efficient Fulfillment.

Walmart sellers must offer “fast, reliable fulfillment” to consumers. You will have no trouble getting considered for Walmart if you have your own independent fulfillment service. However, they’re keener if you depend on Amazon FBA for fulfillment as it makes your business unattractive, and you might not be able to fulfill your deliveries. In light of this, Walmart began offering its fulfillment program in 2020.

Necessary Documents to get Walmart Approved

Compared to other Marketplace stores and even Amazon, Walmart's criteria and conditions are quite different. So with this, the most important asked question: How can I become approved to sell at Walmart? Is it difficult to get accepted into the Walmart Marketplace?

The procedure should take around 10-15 minutes if you have all the necessary paperwork.

According to the Walmart marketplace website, the following documents are necessary for the marketplace application:

1. US Business Tax ID
2. W8 or W9 Tax Forms
3. Addresses of your US business, your place of operations, or your warehouse.
4. EIN Verification Letter from the Department of Treasury
5. Product Categories, Catalog Size, and other product information. This includes the integration method of your product catalog.

Comprehensive Walmart Approval Process

Walmart marketplace seller requirements and necessary documents are only steps closer to becoming an official Walmart seller. The rigorous part of the application, now that you’ve read the criteria and conditions you must satisfy as a Walmart vendor, would be your request to enter Walmart.

Read the step-by-step process below to keep you guided:

1. Navigate to marketplace.walmart.com.
2. Click the “Request to Sell” button in the upper right corner.
3. Then, you will be forwarded to a section with additional requirements, instructions, and documentation. Navigate through the bottom and click on “Start Application.”
4. You will now be on the “Company Registration” page. You must fill in all the essential information and upload the necessary papers. Note: Walmart is keen on your business information, so you must ensure that the information you provide is accurate and real.
5. Click “Next” after filling out all the necessary information on the existing page.
6. Now, you’re on the “Product and Integration” page. You must supply information on whether you are carrying items from another foreign nation and select the product categories you wish to sell.
7. Scroll down and fill out the remainder of the information on the next page. It will be tied to your average monthly online income, best-performing category, catalog size, and other product SKU statistics.
8. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and fill out all of the details over whether you sell on any other marketplaces, as well as the integration 
9. After this, you will be sent to the “Shipping and Operations” page, where you will select a shipment method and provide the warehouse with your shipping address.
10. Scroll to the bottom of this page and answer the question, "Why would you be a good match for the Walmart Marketplace?" inquiry. Make sure to highlight your unique items and how you differ from other merchants so that Walmart understands what you're selling.
11. You’re now down to the “Review” page to double-check all the information you’ve supplied for the application process. Be sure to be keen on reviewing this information.
12. Lastly, submit your form, and it will be up for evaluation.

Once the evaluation process is complete, you’ll hear from Walmart!

How Long Does Walmart Approval Process take

The waiting part is hard. So here are two things that you should know upon submitting your application:

1. After you submit your application, you must wait for their team to evaluate and approve your application before hearing from them. This might take anywhere from two to four weeks. Walmart may also contact you during this period if, by any chance, you are required to submit additional documentation or supply additional information.
2. If they don't need further information, the next time you hear from them may be to let you know that your Walmart seller application has been accepted. You will then be eligible for a Walmart seller account.

Why Sell on Walmart

With Walmart, you may reach a large spectrum of clients. In 2021 alone, it has garnered 400 million visitors, according to Walmart data. According to New York Times business reporter Michael Corkery, revenues in the United States climbed by 6% to $93.2 billion. In comparison, operating profit jumped by almost 27% to $5.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021. These figures demonstrate that the platform is a preference and would sellers like you grow and expand significantly. 

Customers associate the name Walmart with trust. This is because they provide hassle-free returns to their clients and are committed to high customer satisfaction levels. This has resulted in Walmart being their first destination when considering a purchase. As a result, associating with and selling on the Walmart Marketplace helps you automatically.

With Walmart's e-commerce expansion accelerating, more merchants are flocking to this marketplace to build their presence and reach a larger audience. Competition in the Walmart marketplace is quite hard to penetrate and even harder if you’re managing the backends.

Through our Walmart Marketplace account management services, our team at Seller Interactive has the expertise and experience to give your brand the tools it needs to flourish and enhance your company's development and profitability.

Our services include full account management, product launch, sponsored ad management (PPC), item setup and listing optimization, brand protection and assistance, and search engine optimization! 

Book a call at https://sellerinteractive.com/book-a-call/W/ or call us at 1-800-820-3746 and let’s collaborate on growing your Walmart business.