Walmart Connect: retail media on Walmart
Walmart Connect is the retail-media platform for brands selling through Walmart.com or in Walmart stores. It's the second-largest US retail media network after Amazon Ads and growing fast. Walmart Connect uses Walmart's first-party purchase data — both online and in-store — for targeting and attribution.
What Walmart Connect actually offers
| Product | What it is | Where it serves |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Search | Keyword-targeted ads for individual items | Walmart.com search results |
| Sponsored Brands | Brand banner placements | Top of Walmart.com search |
| Sponsored Videos | Auto-playing video placements | Walmart.com PDPs and category pages |
| Display (in-store-influenced) | Display ads using Walmart purchase audiences | Walmart.com, Walmart app |
| Walmart DSP (powered by TTD) | Full DSP with Walmart data | Off-Walmart open web, plus Vizio CTV (Walmart owns Vizio) |
| In-store digital screens | Walmart's in-store digital signage network | Walmart physical stores — 4,600+ locations |
Why Walmart Connect matters
Walmart has 90%+ of US households shopping there annually. That gives Walmart Connect a first-party data set on consumer purchases that's only rivaled by Amazon. For CPG brands, Walmart Connect is often a top-3 retail media spend after Amazon and the second largest retailer ad platform; for mass-market apparel and home goods, it's increasingly the #2 retail media spend after Amazon.
The 2021 partnership with The Trade Desk to power Walmart's DSP is structurally important. Walmart audiences activated via Walmart DSP can reach users across the open programmatic web — the most comprehensive retail-media activation in market.
The Vizio acquisition (2024)
Walmart acquired Vizio in 2024, giving Walmart Connect direct access to ~18M Vizio smart TV households and their viewing data. This is the most significant retail-media-meets-CTV move to date. Walmart DSP buyers can now target Walmart-shopper households on Vizio CTV with Walmart-side conversion attribution — a closed loop that no other retail media network offers at scale.
Operating playbook
- Sponsored Search on every active item. Manual keyword targeting + automatic discovery campaigns.
- Sponsored Brands on hero items. Video format where available.
- Walmart Display for behavioral retargeting using Walmart audiences.
- Walmart DSP for off-Walmart reach using first-party Walmart purchase data, plus Vizio CTV targeting.
- In-store digital screens for high-frequency, top-of-mind awareness in the most shopped grocery and mass channel in the US.
- Walmart Sponsored Plus (managed service) for brands without internal Walmart Connect expertise — Walmart's team manages the campaigns.
Measurement
Walmart Connect's attribution combines Walmart's online and offline (in-store) purchase data. Closed-loop measurement at the household level is the killer feature: a Walmart DSP ad served on YouTube can be attributed to a subsequent in-store purchase at a physical Walmart, because Walmart matches the household identity across channels.
The reporting is improving but historically lagged Amazon's. Walmart Luminate (the analytics layer launched in 2023) is the closest equivalent to Amazon's AMC — first-party data accessible for custom audience build and attribution analysis.
Is Walmart Connect bigger than Amazon Ads?
No. Amazon Ads is roughly 5-10x larger by revenue. But Walmart Connect is growing fast and is the #2 US retail media network. For brands that sell in Walmart stores, Walmart Connect is the necessary complement to Amazon Ads.
Do I need to sell on Walmart.com to use Walmart Connect?
Sponsored Search and Sponsored Brands require Walmart.com listings. Walmart DSP can be used by non-Walmart sellers for inventory access (Vizio CTV especially), but the targeting and attribution advantage is weaker without Walmart-side conversion data.
Is Walmart DSP the same as The Trade Desk?
Built on TTD's technology, but with Walmart's first-party data layered in. The platform is exclusive to Walmart Connect; you can't access Walmart audiences through a standalone TTD seat unless you negotiate a curated marketplace deal.
What's Walmart Luminate?
Walmart's analytics platform combining first-party purchase data with custom analytics. The Walmart equivalent of Amazon Marketing Cloud, though with a different UI emphasis (more visualization, less SQL). Available to Walmart Connect advertisers and Walmart Marketplace sellers.
What about Vizio CTV after the acquisition?
Walmart DSP can target Walmart-shopper households on Vizio CTV with closed-loop attribution to Walmart purchases. This is the most differentiated CTV product in retail media. Vizio inventory is also available on the open programmatic market, but without the Walmart-data layer.
What's the right starting budget for Walmart Connect?
Sponsored Search: $2K-$10K/month for a 20-item catalog. Walmart DSP: $25K+/month minimum to make the operational complexity worth it. Connect's managed service handles smaller-budget DSP if you don't have the in-house capacity.
Operating checklist
- Confirm platform account and product feed are correctly set up.
- Onboard first-party data and verify identity match rates.
- Set conversion definitions to match the business outcome.
- Configure pre-bid quality filters and brand-safety thresholds.
- Launch with a controlled budget; monitor pacing daily for first 7 days.
- Pull placement, audience, and search-term reports weekly.
- Document platform-specific runbook for the next operator.