Walmart Connect is officially phasing out its managed service offering for auction-based onsite display campaigns (DSS), with a full transition to self-service coming July 1.
If your brand has relied on Walmart to plan and execute these campaigns, now is the time to evaluate your media strategy. This shift doesn’t have to mean a step back—it can be a chance to take greater control, increase flexibility, and unlock stronger performance with the right support in place.
Why is Walmart Connect Moving Auction-Based Onsite Display Campaigns to Self-Service?
Walmart is ever-evolving to adapt and improve retail media services, and this shift aligns with broader industry trends. For retailers, the focus is on platform growth, targeting capabilities, and measurement.
By moving to a self-service model, Walmart Connect can:
- Allow brands to take more ownership of their campaign performance and data
- Empower retail media partners to offer tailored, brand-first support
- Expand internal efficiencies and scale
What’s Actually Changing?
- Phasing Out of Walmart Connect: Managed service through Walmart Connect for onsite display media (auction-based placements)
- Still Managed by Walmart Connect: Premium placements like homepage lockouts, TV wall, audio ads, and other in-store activations tied to joint business plans (JBPs)
What Does This Mean for Brands Using Managed Services?
If your brand relied on Walmart Connect to manage auction-based onsite display campaigns, you’ll need a new plan. Fortunately, the shift to self-service offers several advantages:
- More Control: With the right team in place, you can move faster, make smarter optimizations, and respond to real-time performance.
- Nimble Budgets: Instead of meeting a fixed spend threshold, you can align media investment with your business goals and growth stage. With a partner like Harvest Group, lower management fees mean more of your budget can be directed toward ad spend.
- Integrated Strategy: When retail media campaigns are run by a strategic partner, there’s greater connectivity across all the other tactics your brand has at Walmart, including onsite search, offsite display, DSP, and more.
“While managed service has offered brands valuable support, self-service, with the right partner, can unlock more tailored, performance-focused media solutions.”
5 Ways to Prepare
- Evaluate your current campaign performance and setup
- Determine what support you’ll need to transition from DSS
- Explore partners with proven success in the Walmart platform
- Act early to avoid gaps in execution as managed-service support winds down
- Consider how you want to connect your media to your total business goals
It’s good to remember: This change could represent an opportunity to gain control, savings, and new strategic opportunities. With the right support, self-service doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
How Can Harvest Group Help?
Our team at Harvest Group has been preparing for this shift and actively helping our client partners transition to self-service for auction-based display campaigns.
We offer:
- Certified expertise in Walmart’s self-service platform
- Integrated media planning that connects search, display, and in-store performance
- Lower management fees and no minimums
- Strategic support for both full-service and retail media-only clients
Harvest Group manages millions in monthly Walmart DSS media spend across various categories, delivering full-funnel performance and insights.
“The brands who act now will get ahead of the shift. This isn’t just about replacing Walmart Connect. It’s a chance to make your media work harder across the entire purchase journey.”
If you have questions or want to talk about how this could impact your brand, we’d love to connect with you at hello@harvestgroup.com.
