If you’re selling online and not taking advantage of Walmart Ads, you’re leaving money on the table. Walmart is one of the biggest retail giants in the world, and its ad platform gives sellers a huge opportunity to get their products in front of millions of shoppers. Whether you’re looking to boost brand awareness, drive more traffic, or increase sales, Walmart Ads can help you reach the right audience at the right time.

But with so many ad options and strategies out there, where do you even start? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Walmart Ads, from the different ad types to budget planning and optimization tips.

Why Advertising on Walmart is a Smart Move for Your Business

Walmart advertising is crucial to stand out in the crowded marketplace. The following are the key ways in which Walmart sponsored ads can help your business.

Boost Your Brand’s Visibility Across Multiple Platforms

When you advertise on Walmart, you don’t just appear in one place. Your brand gets exposure across Walmart’s website, mobile app, and in-store platforms. This increases your chances of being discovered by new customers, even beyond your paid ads.

Build on Walmart’s Trusted Reputation

Millions of shoppers trust Walmart for their everyday purchases. By advertising on its platform, your brand benefits from this built-in customer trust, making it easier to gain credibility and attract buyers.

Introduce New Products to a Larger Audience

Launching a new product or an entirely new brand? Walmart’s advertising system helps you get in front of a massive audience, ensuring your new merchandise doesn’t go unnoticed.

Get Ahead of the Competition

In highly competitive product categories, it can be tough to stand out. Advertising on Walmart gives your products an extra push, making them more visible to shoppers and increasing your chances of winning sales.

Give Low-Performing Products a Jumpstart

If certain products aren’t selling as well as you’d like, Walmart ads can help increase their visibility. At the same time, you can also promote your top-performing products to generate even more revenue.

Take Advantage of Exclusive Walmart Promotions

Walmart runs special promotions like “Rollbacks and More” and “Walmart Deals,” which attract a huge number of shoppers. Advertising during these events gives your products a better chance of being seen and purchased, increasing your overall sales potential.

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Also Read: Explained: The Concept of Rollback at Walmart

Understanding Walmart’s Advertising Options: Walmart Ad Types

Walmart provides a variety of ad options to help businesses promote their products. The three main categories include Search Ads, Display Ads, and In-Store Ads. Choosing the right type depends on your marketing goals and where you want your products to appear.

Also Read: Amazon Ad Types and their Benefits: A Complete Guide

Promoting Products with Search Ads

Search ads help your products stand out when customers search for items on Walmart’s website. These ads include Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, both designed to increase visibility and boost sales.

Sponsored Products

These are some of the most commonly used ad types on Walmart. When customers search for products, Sponsored Products appear at the top of the results with a “Sponsored” label. Since Walmart receives around 16 million searches daily, these ads can be an effective way to increase exposure.

Sponsored Products can appear in three ways:

• • Search In-Grid Ads – These ads are placed directly within search results, ensuring that your products appear on the first few pages for better visibility. Previously, eligibility required products to rank within the top 128 organic results, but this restriction has been lifted to support more businesses.

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• • Product Carousel Ads – These ads appear in product recommendations like “Customers Also Bought” or “Products You May Like.” Unlike Search In-Grid ads, carousel placements do not require keyword relevance, making them great for introducing lesser-known products.

• • Buy Box Ads – These ads appear on a product’s detail page, just below the main purchase button. Only one Buy Box ad is shown per page, making it a highly competitive and visible placement option.

All Sponsored Products operate on a cost-per-click (CPC) model, meaning you only pay when a customer clicks on your ad.

Sponsored Brands (Previously Search Brand Amplifier)

If you want to enhance brand recognition, Sponsored Brands are a great option. These ads feature your logo, a custom headline, and up to four products at the top of search results, helping increase awareness and drive sales.

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Display Ads

Display ads appear on Walmart’s website, mobile app, and even external platforms like social media and other websites. These ads appear in different positions and are designed to be visually engaging and strategically targeted to reach the right audience. Using Display Ads alongside Search Ads can help maximize brand visibility across different channels.

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Engaging Shoppers with In-Store Ads

Walmart also offers advertising opportunities inside physical stores. These In-Store Ads appear on TV screens and self-checkout kiosks, helping brands engage with customers while they shop. Since shoppers inside a store are already in the buying mindset, these ads can encourage purchases and increase brand awareness.

By utilizing Walmart’s diverse advertising options, businesses can expand their reach, stand out from competitors, and drive more sales both online and in-store.

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The above image shows an in-store ad on a self-checkout counter.

How to Create Successful Walmart Ads: 10 Actionable Tips

1.Define Your Advertising Goals First

Before launching a campaign, be clear about what you want to achieve. Ask yourself:

• • Are you in the launch, growth, or clearance phase of your business?
  • Is your goal brand awareness, attracting new customers, increasing market share, or selling excess inventory?

For example, if your focus is brand awareness, use Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brand Ads. If you want a broader reach, try onsite and offsite display ads to promote your brand beyond Walmart.

By aligning your ad strategy with your business goals, you’ll get the best results from your Walmart advertising campaigns.

2.Keep an Eye on Your Campaigns

Even if you’re using Walmart’s automatic ad campaigns, you can’t just set them up and forget about them. Regularly checking how your ads are performing helps you adjust your budget, bids, and keywords to make the most of your investment. Experts suggest having at least 10 different products in your campaign for better results.

3.Choose the Right Keywords

If you’re running manual campaigns, keyword research is essential. Walmart’s Suggested Keywords feature can help you get started, but you should also monitor your keyword performance over time. Some keywords may stop working as well, and you’ll need to swap them out for better-performing ones.

4.Spread Out Your Budget Wisely

Don’t put all your ad budget into one type of campaign or one audience. A well-balanced strategy includes a mix of different ad types, keywords, and audience segments. This helps you find new markets while still keeping your loyal customers engaged.

5.Optimize Your Product Listings

Your ad may get shoppers to click, but your product page determines whether they actually buy. Make sure your listings have high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and relevant keywords. If possible, add product videos to improve engagement.

Also Read: 6 Easy Tips to Rank Your Products on Walmart

6.Get Help from a Walmart Advertising Agency

If you’re unsure how to set up and manage Walmart ads effectively, consider hiring a Walmart advertising agency or using a specialized tool. Platforms like Pacvue offer automation, keyword research, and budget management to make Walmart advertising easier and more effective.

Also Read: 6 Benefits of outsourcing Walmart’s account management

7.Organize Your Ad Campaigns for Better Control

A well-structured campaign makes it easier to manage bids and track performance. Here are a few best practices:

• • Create separate campaigns for different products. If you’re selling headphones and toothbrushes, don’t put them in the same campaign.
  • Use clear campaign names that include the goal, product type, and campaign type (e.g., “ACOS30 | Headphone | SP | Auto”).
  • Keep one ad group per campaign for easy management.
  • Separate your keywords into different ad groups—one for generic keywords, one for branded keywords, and one for competitor keywords.

Maintaining a consistent campaign structure prevents confusion and avoids wasted ad spend.

8.Use a Mix of Automatic and Manual Campaigns

Walmart offers Automatic and Manual campaigns for Sponsored Product ads.

• • Automatic Campaigns let Walmart choose keywords and ad placements based on your product details. These are great for new advertisers because they require little setup.
  • Manual Campaigns give you full control over keyword selection and bid amounts, allowing you to target your ideal audience more precisely.

A good approach is to start with 80% of your budget in automatic campaigns and 20% in manual campaigns. As you collect data, adjust the balance to 45% automatic and 55% manual to maximize results.

9.Test Different Strategies for Better Results

Not all ad placements perform the same, so it’s important to A/B test different strategies. For example, if you’re promoting a kitchen appliance:

1. 1. Run two ad groups with the same budget but different placements.
   2. After a few weeks, see which placement works best.
   3. Create a new campaign with the winning placement and test it across different platforms.

The same method can be used to test keywords and bidding strategies, helping you find the best setup for your business.

10. Earn Walmart’s Pro Seller Badge for More Sales

If you want to stand out on Walmart, getting the Pro Seller Badge can make a big difference. Similar to Amazon’s Prime Badge, this label tells shoppers that your brand is reliable and meets Walmart’s high standards. Below are the eligibility criteria for earning a Pro Seller Badge.

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Once you earn the badge, your ads will perform better, and you’ll likely see an increase in conversions.

Understanding Manual vs. Automatic Advertising Campaigns on Walmart

When setting up your Walmart advertising campaign, you have two choices: Automatic Campaigns or Manual Campaigns. Each serves a different purpose, and choosing the right one depends on your advertising goals.

Automatic Campaigns: Easy Setup with Broad Reach

If you’re new to Walmart advertising, launching a new product, or aiming for quick exposure, automatic campaigns are the best option. Walmart’s system automatically selects the most relevant placements for your ads, making it a hands-off approach.

Key Features of Automatic Campaigns:

• • Quick and simple to set up
  • No need to manage keywords manually
  • One CPC (cost-per-click) set for all items in the ad group
  • Ads can appear in both search results and product pages

Since Walmart handles the placements, automatic campaigns are great for businesses looking to scale without much effort.

Manual Campaigns: Full Control Over Keywords and Bidding

For brands that have an established presence on Walmart and already know which keywords convert best, manual campaigns offer more customization. You can target specific keywords, refine your strategy, and optimize for better performance.

Key Features of Manual Campaigns:

• • Access to Walmart’s Keyword Analytics tool for insights
  • Ability to select your own keywords and set match types (exact, phrase, or broad)
  • Full control over the campaign structure and optimization
  • Ability to set different CPC bids for each keyword
  • Ads appear only in search results, not on product pages

Manual campaigns require more effort but provide better control, making them ideal for brands looking to fine-tune their advertising strategy.

Which One Should You Choose?

Choosing the right campaign type depends on your goals. If you’re looking for quick, hands-free exposure, automatic campaigns are the better choice. On the other hand, if you want more control over keyword targeting and bidding, manual campaigns will be more effective. For the best results, a combination of both works well—starting with an automatic campaign helps identify high-performing keywords, which can then be refined in a manual campaign to improve conversions.

Final Thoughts

Walmart Advertising isn’t just about running ads; it’s about using the right strategy to increase your sales. Whether you’re looking to promote a new product, boost visibility, or scale your business, Walmart Ads offer a powerful way to reach customers and grow your brand.

With the right approach, you can turn clicks into conversions and make Walmart Ads a profitable part of your marketing strategy. So, start testing, tweaking, and watch your sales climb.