Module 1 · Lesson 1
What Is Walmart Connect?
What you’ll learn
- What Walmart Connect actually is and where it came from
- The four places your ads can appear across Walmart
- Why Walmart’s shopper data makes it different from Google or Meta
- Who the platform is built for (and whether that’s you)
If you sell on Walmart Marketplace and you want more people to see your products, Walmart Connect is the advertising system you’ll use to make that happen. This lesson gives you the map before we get into the tactics.
The one-line definition
Walmart Connect is Walmart’s retail media network — its in-house advertising platform that lets sellers and brands promote products across Walmart’s website, app, physical stores, and partner sites. It was formerly called Walmart Media Group and was rebranded to Walmart Connect in 2021 to signal a bigger ambition: connecting brands with shoppers at every step, not just on Walmart.com.
The simplest way to think about it: it’s to Walmart what Sponsored Products is to Amazon. You bid to put your product in front of shoppers who are already searching and browsing, and you pay when they click.
Key idea
Walmart Connect is a retail media platform, not a general ad network. Every impression is served to someone who is already inside Walmart’s shopping ecosystem — much closer to the buy button than a Google or Facebook ad.
Where your ads can appear
Walmart Connect isn’t a single ad unit. It’s a set of surfaces that reach shoppers at different moments. You’ll go deep on each later — here’s the shape of it:
Sponsored Search On-site
Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Videos that show inside search results and on product pages — the core of most seller campaigns.
Onsite Display On-site
Banner and in-grid placements on the homepage, search and category pages for awareness and browsing shoppers.
Offsite & DSP Off-site
Ads shown outside Walmart — on other websites, connected TV and apps — powered by Walmart’s shopper data.
Store Ads In-store
Screens, radio and displays inside Walmart’s 4,600+ physical stores, mostly relevant for larger suppliers.
Why the shopper data matters
The reason Walmart Connect works so well is the data underneath it. Because Walmart sells online and across thousands of stores, it can see real purchase behaviour, not just clicks. That gives it two things most ad platforms can’t offer:
That reach powers closed-loop attribution — Walmart can tie an ad click to an actual sale, even a sale that happens in a physical store. You’ll use this later to measure whether your ads truly drove revenue.
Who it’s built for
Walmart Connect is fully self-serve and open to sellers of every size, from large national brands down to small marketplace sellers. You don’t need a huge budget to start — you need eligible products and a plan. If you already list on Walmart Marketplace, you can advertise.
A quick reality check
Walmart Connect only reaches Walmart’s shoppers. If your products aren’t listed on Walmart Marketplace, this platform isn’t your starting point. Everything in this course assumes you’re selling, or about to sell, on Walmart.
Quick recap
- Walmart Connect is Walmart’s retail media network — its advertising platform for sellers and brands.
- Your ads can appear in Sponsored Search, Onsite Display, Offsite/DSP, and in physical Store Ads.
- Its edge is first-party shopper data and closed-loop attribution across online and in-store sales.
- It’s self-serve and open to sellers of any size — if you list on Walmart Marketplace, you can advertise.