Tactical Guide for Staying Compliant With Walmart's Online Seller Requirements

Spreading your net wider in the e-commerce landscape can help you expand your brand's visibility and grow profitability. While Amazon remains the dominant force in online retail, Walmart.com has significantly impacted the industry through its Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS). Walmart added 20,000 new sellers to its U.S. marketplace in 2022, and WFS's gross fulfillment volume grew 500%.  

With the platform being the fourth most downloaded shopping app on the Apple App Store in the U.S., it is an excellent business move to start listing your products there. When you start selling on Walmart, you must ensure your business complies with several essential conditions. Below is a tactical guide for staying compliant with Walmart's online seller requirements.

Guidelines To Improve Product Listing Quality on Walmart Marketplace

The following are the most important aspects to take note of: 

1. Have a Clear and Concise Product Title 

If you want to know how to increase sales on Walmart, you should start by having a perfectly readable product title that is properly listed. Keep the character count between 50 to 75 characters to increase the chances of the listing ranking higher. 

Walmart is very precise about the kind of content available on its Marketplace, hence the insistence on short, creative titles. The title should also include the following: 

• Highlight a few good attributes about your product, for instance, a creamy flavor.
• Avoid special symbols, such as ½, ™, ^, @, *, and hearts.  
• Incorporate your product's primary keyword, if possible.  

2. The Shelf Description of a Product Should Include Three Things

This section majorly acts as a "special highlight" for your product, and you can include the three most significant advantages that the product offers. Having your best keywords in this section is advisable, especially if you missed including them in the title. 

As you include keywords, make sure they flow naturally with the content and do not appear stuffed. Ensure to also: 

• Highlight specific but understandable information about the product.
• Keep your bullet points short and simple. 
• Avoid repetition, especially when describing the product. 
• Avoid including meaningless details. 
• Avoid grammar errors.  

3. Win a Customer's Trust With the Product Short Description 

The "Product Short Description" section appears below or above the "Shelf description." It would be best to keep it 500-1000 characters or 8–10 sentences, which is enough to offer an appealing product description. 

A well-crafted, keyword-rich description will enable you to outrank your competitors. Some key aspects to remember include the following: 

• Incorporate potential keywords, product name, and brand name. 
• Maintain a conversational tone to try and win the trust of your customers. 
• Highlight the features of the product.
• Use simple and understandable language with zero grammar errors. 
• Use keywords that are relevant or related to the main keyword. For instance, "cardigan" in place of "sweater."
• Use 150 or more words to write a paragraph describing the product. 
• Keep your information specific, avoiding fluff and repetition. 
• Use facts and tips to show authority in the subject matter. 
• If you use slang, keep it to an acceptable level and maintain an authentic and straightforward tone.  

4. All Features Should Feature in the Product Long Description 

This section gives you a chance to offer an in-depth description of your product. You can have a list or paragraph that stretches up to 250–300 words. Use this section to: 

• List all significant features and benefits of your product. 
• Use a variation of the product's synonyms when possible. 
• Insert 1–2 keywords naturally. 
• Avoid awkward content as well as grammar and spelling errors. 
• List your content using bullet points. 
• Exert your authority using facts and figures.  

5. Merchandise Images Need To Be of High Quality 

Pictures are very important in e-commerce as they influence 50% of any individual's purchase decision. Thus, you cannot afford to have low-quality images if you want your merchandise to rank highly. 

Beautiful and high-quality images enhance the authenticity of your product. To lock in a buyer, include three or more images so that they can have a clearer idea of what they are buying. Some other aspects to remember for this section include: 

• Avoid boundaries in your pictures. 
• Use a professionally captured image with proper lighting and focus. 
• The pictures should capture different angles of the product. 
• Do not use placeholder pictures. 
• Avoid having extra accessories you will not sell alongside the main item in the picture. 
• Obey Walmart's Trust and Safety Standards. For instance, when selling CDs & DVDs, avoid having nude photos or anything close on the cover. 
• Use images that do not have additional illustrations, such as overlays, texts, graphics, logos, and watermarks. 
• A background relevant to the product can help to connect more with buyers when adding your background pictures. For instance, a hiking shoe in an outdoorsy setting. 
• Use a white background for your pictures ( RGB: 255/255/255) 

6. Do Not Overlook Product Attributes 

There are about 24 distinct categories availed by Walmart to help you define your product's attributes. The attributes typically appear on the left side of the Walmart Marketplace site, and users can filter them to narrow their search. Ensure that you: 

• Include relevant and significant product attributes that can boost the ranking.
• Avoid including "Other" since it reduces your merchandise's visibility.  

7. Set a Competitive Product Price 

While all the above factors are important in product ranking, price is the ultimate aspect that determines where a product should be ranked. You can conduct price research using Walmart's inventory report. It can help you know how competitive your prices are and whether to quote a better price to improve your product's ranking. 

8. Maintain a Positive Product Review

Customer reviews play a role in product ranking and could be key in influencing a purchase decision. Positive feedback builds your brand's credibility. 

You should ask your customers to post their feedback after interacting with your product. Be proactive as well in contacting unsatisfied customers and handling their issues. 

A sure way to please your customers is by ensuring that deliveries are done on time or even earlier. Late-night or following-day deliveries can lead to poor reviews, which ruin your brand's credibility.  

The Importance of Complying with Walmart Marketplace Requirements

You need to have registered your business and have proof of licensure to open an online store on the Walmart Marketplace. You also need to show that your business has been successful selling online, and the products you sell should not conflict with Walmart's Prohibited Products Policy.

Meeting the seller requirements will allow you to leverage Walmart's brand power and customer base to grow your business. You will also benefit from the enhanced logistical support offered by WFS and manage your store easily using the Walmart Seller Center.  

The Walmart Marketplace uses search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to rank and list various products. SEO uses algorithms to review potential search results and show the most relevant to web users. Optimizing your listings allows Walmart to recognize your items and push them to the top of the ranks. 

Failure to optimize your listings means that they will rarely appear at the top of search results. This could lead to poor sales since customers have to scroll for too long before they find your product and may opt for alternatives on most occasions.    

The Bottom Line 

Selling your products on the Walmart Marketplace is a great way to diversify your online business and grow your customer base. However, you must follow the platform's product listing requirements and have a Walmart listing management tool to ensure that your products rank highly for enhanced customer visibility. 

Such rankings depend on the way you describe and present your product. Zentail, one of the most popular Walmart listing software tools, offers sellers a multichannel and listing automation experience that boosts sales. We can help you craft better product listings specifically made to rank highly on the Walmart Marketplace.

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