Walmart has elevated Walmart Marketplace into a cornerstone of its omnichannel strategy.
In June 2025, the platform surpassed 200,000 active sellers – a 30% increase in just five months. With nearly 500 million monthly visitors to Walmart.com, its reach is massive (and accelerating).
For suppliers, this shift creates both pressure and opportunity. Brands’ performance on Marketplace now ties directly to buyer expectations, but it also opens new doors – enabling expanded assortment, stronger brand protection, and deeper buyer relationships.
As an approved Walmart Marketplace solution provider, Harvest Group helps brands unlock the channel’s potential by balancing logistics, promotions, advertising, and execution. When done right, Marketplace reinforces in-store business, safeguards brand equity, and extends your reach across Walmart’s ecosystem.
Here are 5 strategic levers to win on Walmart Marketplace:
1. Expand Your Assortment Beyond the Shelf
Your in-store footprint is limited, but Marketplace removes those limits. Marketplace allows you to:
- List SKUs Walmart doesn’t carry in-store (e.g., additional flavors or pack sizes).
- Reach new audiences in niche or regional markets.
- Test innovation with longtail SKUs before scaling to stores.
Early online success validates your pipeline and strengthens your case for broader distribution.
2. Take Control of Your Brand Presence
Without the proper setup and brand protection, unauthorized 3P sellers may seize the opportunity to sell your items on Walmart Marketplace, putting both your product and brand legitimacy at risk. This can create pricing conflicts, mismatched PDPs, and reviews that erode shopper trust.
Marketplace is your chance to flip the script: control your brand story and catalog, own the buy box, and deliver the quality experience you’ve built with shoppers in-store and elsewhere. That consistency safeguards equity, profitability, and builds long-term consumer confidence.
3. Drive Discovery Through Search
More listings create more opportunities for visibility, but discovery only converts when content is optimized. Four essentials that matter most:
- Align SEO with shopper intent, seasonality, and competition.
- Enhance PDPs with clear, compelling content focused on product value proposition and credibility.
- Build trust by incorporating strong reviews into your creative.
- Amplify with advertising that reinforces organic performance.
Marketplace success requires integrated execution: content, reviews, and retail media working together to maximize visibility.
4. Strengthen Buyer Relationships
Marketplace activity now plays directly into your Walmart buyer’s P&L and performance metrics. Showing up here demonstrates alignment with Walmart’s priorities and signals partnership.
Credibility with buyers isn’t built overnight, but consistent Marketplace execution reinforces your relevance and supports in-store negotiations.
5. Win with a Hybrid 1P+3P Model
Many brands already sell on Amazon 3P, but now it’s time to bring that same approach to Walmart. Hybrid models (1P + 3P) are becoming the standard because they expand reach, deliver more control, and create flexibility across supply and promotion strategies.
A well-run hybrid approach ties together Marketplace, in-store, retail media, supply chain, and inventory planning – delivering one strategy across every channel.
Why Harvest Group as a Walmart Marketplace Provider
For over 18 years, we’ve guided brands through every Walmart evolution. Marketplace is the latest shift, but it doesn’t exist in isolation. Success comes when every channel is aligned, each reinforcing the other.
As a Walmart Connect Premium+ partner, we manage your entire retail media portfolio across 1P and 3P – maximizing budget efficiency, aligning campaigns to drive both in-store and online sales, and eliminating redundancies that can dilute performance.
And as an integrated commerce agency, we connect your Walmart presence to your broader strategy – tying together your in-store, digital commerce, and retail media efforts to deliver results across every touchpoint.
Looking Ahead
Walmart expects brands to be on Marketplace. The question is: will you just “check the box,” or make the most of the opportunity to expand your assortment, protect your brand, and strengthen your Walmart partnership?
Whether you’re testing the waters or ready to scale, we’re here to help. Visit our Walmart Marketplace page to learn more, and fill out our Contact Us form to get the conversation started.