Walmart Launches Pro Seller Badge, Listing Quality & Shipping Templates

Walmart Marketplace, home to a large (though highly curated) community of sellers, has recently introduced several new programs to improve the online experience for both customers and sellers: the Pro Seller Badge, Listing Quality Dashboard and Shipping Templates.

It’s no coincidence that these programs were rolled out at the same time—each plays into the other to provide one, cohesive environment for sellers to thrive. We’ll dive into each piece ahead, so you can learn how to get the most out of them and hit the ground running.

Walmart Marketplace’s Pro Seller Badge

Instilling buyer confidence is an important step of the shopping experience on Walmart.com. Sure, Walmart itself is a household name, but with thousands of third-party sellers on the site, it’s becoming increasingly important for each brand to develop its own strong reputation. 

That’s part of the reason Marketplace rolled out its Pro Seller Badge—a mark of excellence given to top-performing Marketplace sellers. This publicly displayed badge is designed to be not only an eye-catching addition to a seller’s presence, but also a way for buyers to quickly distinguish the most trustworthy sellers from the rest. 

While you may already know that Walmart takes the Marketplace vetting process very seriously, this badge offers an extra seal of approval.

How Can a Seller Qualify for the Badge?

The Pro Seller Badge, in a nutshell, signifies great performance. But, of course, there are nitty-gritty details and criteria to back that up. The badge is open to all Marketplace sellers, and qualification is currently based on the following criteria:

• Seller’s 90-day Delivery Defects rate is less than or equal to 5%
• Seller’s 90-day Cancellation Defects rate is less than or equal to 1% for seller-related cancellation reasons
• 100% of the seller’s offers are participating in free online and in-store returns
• At least 60% of the seller’s trending items have a Listing Quality Score greater than or equal to 50%
• Seller is compliant with Walmart’s Marketplace policies and other performance guidelines

Where Does the Badge Appear?

The badge appears throughout the entire customer journey on Walmart.com, starting from the search results page, then following buyers to the item page, the ‘add to cart’ page and checkout. 

The phrase “Pro Seller” will appear above your brand name, and when a customer hovers over, the flyout description appears as “quality service provider,” “consistent on-time delivery,” and “free online or in-store returns.”

As mentioned, Walmart Marketplace grants badges based on metrics, so no applications or requests are accepted. Eligible sellers will automatically receive the badge on their entire catalog, which is great for visibility. 

However, this is not a permanent accolade. Sellers’ performance data is refreshed on the 5th and 20th of every month, meaning you’ll be re-evaluated each period for the Pro Seller Badge.

To check your eligibility, simply log into Seller Center and view “Pro Seller Badge” from the Listing Quality Dashboard (keep reading to learn more about this dashboard). You’ll be able to see which criteria you meet, if you’re badged and if you need to improve any metrics before the next refresh cycle.

Listing Quality on Walmart Marketplace

In the same way that you may want to know how exactly to earn a “top-performer” badge, you may want to know what exactly makes for a “good” listing on Walmart. Enter Listing Quality, Walmart Marketplace’s new growth tool that spells it all out. 

Using an advanced algorithm that weighs factors that affect a customer’s purchasing decision, Walmart Marketplace gives each seller a numerical Listing Quality Score. This score lets you know where out of 100% you stand when it comes to the four factors that make up a strong listing: content and discoverability, offer (aka price), ratings and reviews and post-purchase quality. 

This Seller Center tool arms you with the knowledge you need to provide the best experience possible for more conversions—and, as mentioned, for earning a Pro Seller Badge. 

Some ingredients of a quality listing include a concise product title, a detailed description paragraph (with at least 150 words), several high-resolution images, competitive pricing and fast shipping. For a much more in-depth look at how to optimize a listing, refer to Marketplace’s Listing Quality Optimization Guide.  

Listing Quality Scores appear internally in two ways for each seller: on the individual item level and on the catalog level, which is an overall average.

From the aforementioned Listing Quality Dashboard, you’re able to view a breakdown of your overall score and dive deeper into each item with a detailed analysis of how the score came about and how to improve it if necessary.

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Case Study: Mercier International and 5R Products

Mercier International, a company that makes and supplies home and kitchen goods, sought to zero in on a particular listing for its 5-Piece Airtight Food Storage Containers. Based on the Listing Quality Dashboard’s recommendations, Mercier International optimized the listing with descriptive text, additional attributes, high-quality photos and expedited shipping using Walmart TwoDay. 

Following the updates, the container set received 765% more pageviews and more than a 1,000% boost in sales.

“Since using the platform, we have been able to optimize our listings with to-the-point guidance and see immediate and significant increase both in our listing exposure and sales,” the company told Walmart Marketplace. 

Similarly, 5R Products, a manufacturer of TV stands and entertainment centers, optimized its listing for one specific rolling television stand. The company increased its Listing Quality score by  28 points on the dashboard and, as a result,  saw a 1,300% increase in order volume. 

Another one of the company’s listings boosted its score by 43 points and saw a 150% increase in order volume. 

Needless to say, you’d likely be surprised by how many listings you have that could still receive some TLC. That’s where this tool comes in. Allow the Listing Quality Dashboard to act as a sounding board that can quickly scan all your listings and offer reliable tips to fuel your success.

Insider Tips for Boosting Your Listing Quality Score

• Unpublish out-of-stock items. Out-of-stock items may work against you, but unpublished items do not contribute to your Listing Quality Score. It’s a good idea to retire (aka unpublish) items you no longer plan to bring back.
• Work in batches. Use the “filter” option in the dashboard to work on a few items at a time. For example, if you’re working toward the Pro Seller Badge, isolate items that fall between 40% and 50% and start there.
• Don’t stop at 50%. While 50% is the minimum requirement for the badge, don’t stop there. The best results often come from items with scores in the 65%-70% range.
• Check in frequently. Check the dashboard at least three times per week to measure your performance and ensure there are no new recommendations for your items.
• Can’t offer TwoDay shipping? Try ThreeDay. ThreeDay shipping is not currently factored in to give Listing Quality Scores a boost, but it will be soon.
• Keep your best sellers in good shape. Dedicate some time out of your day to work on your top-selling items to ensure they have the highest scores possible.

Walmart Shipping Templates

We all know that the customer experience doesn’t end once a purchase is made—shipping and returns are just as important. That’s why in addition to strong listing quality, the Pro Seller Badge requires you to offer free online and in-store returns, a low Delivery Defects rate and a low Cancellation Defects rate.

This may sound like a tall order, but the good news is that Walmart’s new Shipping Templates can help you manage customer expectations. With Shipping Template, you can set up your own shipping rules for different items, regions and carriers.

For example, you can choose to offer TwoDay delivery for select items that you know ship quickly and reliably from your warehouse. This is a great strategy for the holidays in particular—make sure some of your giftable items are set up for TwoDay. Meanwhile, you can set ThreeDay or Standard shipping for other items in your assortment that require more muscle or time to transfer, and to set realistic expectations, plus protect your Delivery Defects rate. 

And ever need to remove one or a handful of items from your TwoDay template? Not to worry. You can easily reassign those items to a different Shipping Template.

Did You Know: Items with the TwoDay promise on Walmart.com see a 50% lift in conversion on average. 

Let the Badge Do the Talking

Earning a spot on Walmart Marketplace is already a mark of excellence in the ecommerce landscape, but arning a Pro Seller Badge calls for even more bragging rights and lets customers know just how trustworthy you are as a seller. With the badge guidelines, Listing Quality dashboard and helpful products like Shipping Templates, Walmart Marketplace hopes to exceed the expectations of both sellers and customers for years to come.

Walmart Marketplace offers a unique opportunity for a curated community of respected, professional sellers. Approved partners sell their products on Walmart.com next to the wide assortment offered by Walmart and other sellers, reaching a growing audience of over 110 million unique visitors each month. With innovative programs and strategic partnerships, Walmart is changing the way the world shops.