🤠 A Walmart Anecdote

Hi from Texas! If you didn’t know, I have lived here for the last 9 years, and it’s true what people say: the growth here is mind-boggling.

This is totally random, but it speaks to Walmart’s insane delivery times and rapid growth in suburban communities.

I am seeing more and more videos on social media where people are in shock as a Walmart delivery drone drops off their school supplies, meds, or some steak. It’s becoming more and more common.

I bring this up because Walmart has officially beaten Amazon in the drone war. Amazon will eventually come around, but right now, Walmart is absolutely dominating in the DFW area where I live.

I’ve heard people say, “Whatever Texas does, the rest of the nation follows.” This is true politically, and it’s true economically.

Thank you for reading my newsletter. My goal is to not only get you excited about selling on Walmart but to help you crush your competition with practical tips and hacks.

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🚀 This Week’s Walmart Hack: Ultimate Walmart Seller Summit Recap

In last week’s newsletter, I briefly covered some of the key takeaways from the Let’s Grow! Marketplace Seller Summit; an appetizer, if you will. Today, I’m serving up the main entree– a more comprehensive look into all of these updates and how they can improve your Walmart Marketplace experience and performance.

After so many years of putting up with Amazon policy changes that almost always make life tougher for me and the brands I’ve worked with, it’s been such a breath of fresh air to see Walmart taking on such a seller-friendly approach instead. Interface usability improvements? REDUCED FEES?!? Feel free to take notes, Amazon!

This quote from Manish Joneja (SVP of Walmart U.S. Marketplace & Fulfillment Services) sums up Walmart’s attitude perfectly:

“Everything we’re building — from smarter tools to expanded fulfillment and global reach — is designed to accelerate seller growth and empower sellers to serve customers while driving their businesses forward.”

And with that in mind, let’s dive into everything we learned at this year’s conference!

Big Fee Reductions & Seasonal Incentives

• 0% referral fees on all qualifying toys.

• 50% off referral fees on pet supplies.

• Up to 100% referral fee reductions on select top-selling items across categories.

• Q4 storage fee waiver for Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) and Multi-Channel Services (MCS): Storage fees reduced from $1.50to $0.75 per cubic foot from October to December.

These fee reductions are the clearest indicator that Walmart is willing to make moves that Amazon wouldn’t even dream of– or, in the case of reduced fees, have nightmares of. Avoiding additional holiday storage fees in 2025 gives sellers the opportunity to focus on optimizing their inventory without the usual pain point of a spike in cost.

Improved Fulfillment & Delivery

• Next-Day Delivery is now available in major U.S. metros, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta.

• Multichannel fulfillment enabled: WFS now supports Amazon, eBay, Shein, Temu,  and direct-to-consumer websites.

• Global reach expanded: Fulfillment now available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Chile.

• Exciting Walmart Fulfillment Services stats: 44% of marketplace volume now fulfilled via WFS (up 250 basis points YoY), orders fulfilled through WFS are ~15%  cheaper per item than competitors, and items fulfilled via WFS with 2-Day Shipping see an average 50% gross merchandise value boost.

Faster and wider-reaching shipping? Sign me up!

Omni-channel Integration: Online Meets Offline

• Walmart is testing in-store QR code displays that allow shoppers to discover and purchase third-party seller products online.

• Pilot running in its “Store of the Future” in Cypress, Texas.

• Marketplace products may be showcased in physical stores at no cost to sellers.

Walmart recently reported that its brick-and-mortar stores receive around 270 million customer visits per week. Imagine the massive brand exposure potential long-term if this test performs well and omni-channel integration is eventually rolled out in physical locations nationwide!

AI-Powered Tools to Boost Efficiency

• New AI-powered listing tool for faster single or bulk product setup and 24/7 Smart Assistant to provide real-time help and guidance.

• Automated shipping settings that customize delivery promises by region.

• Smart Brand  Portal is designed to protect intellectual property and flag fraudulent listings.

Just about every company is dabbling in AI these days, so it should come as no surprise to see Walmart doing the same. But unlike some instances of AI I’ve seen that aren’t particularly useful, all of these tools are welcome additions to a Walmart seller’s toolbox.

Stronger Seller Support & Feedback Loops

• New Seller Advisors Program connects merchants directly with Walmart leaders to give feedback and influence decisions.

• Stricter category restrictions and brand control measures have been implemented to strengthen marketplace safety.

Open communication lines and brand protection are two things that e-commerce sellers are always asking for, and Walmart is clearly listening.

Marketplace Growth Stats

• 200,000+ active sellers as of 2025.

• 44,000 new sellers added in the first five months of this year alone.

• On pace to add more than 100,000 new sellers by year's end, nearly doubling its seller growth compared to 2024.

• Walmart now ranks No. 2 among North America’s online retailers in e-commerce sales and No. 8 globally in third-party gross merchandise value, per Digital Commerce 360. Temu who?

Want to cut into Amazon’s e-commerce monopoly in the United States? It looks like taking a seller-first approach that puts third-party sellers in a position to thrive can help you do just that.

And even with these soaring growth numbers, I still believe things are just getting started. There’s still time to establish your brand on the Walmart Marketplace before things truly explode, and that time is now!

Like I like to say, Walmart is where Amazon was just ten short years ago. Plan accordingly.

🙏 THANK YOU for reading this week’s edition!

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Until next time,

— Jon