Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturers, Distributors and Wholesalers; is your company’s goal to sell your product to Walmart? For many business owners, the ultimate goal is to get their products on the shelves at big-box stores like Walmart. Walmart’s shelves are regarded as prime retail real estate. Now the question is, what is the secret trick to selling your product to Walmart?
Are you qualified to sell your consumer product to Walmart?
You don’t have to be a multi-million dollar business to sell your product to Walmart. Walmart works with global brands like Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble as well as smaller vendors who only want to be in a select few hundred stores. As you apply, you can find details about the requirements for suppliers of various sizes on Walmart’s website.
However, there are things to think about as a small or medium-sized supplier before starting the application process. For instance, only approach Walmart if you already have a solid customer base and a track record of success. Your Walmart customer doesn’t want you to do all of your business with them. The percentage of Walmart sales that go toward your company’s revenue should be around 30%.
Before you pitch your product to Walmart, you have to meet certain requirements:
1. The eligibility of products to be labeled “Made in the USA” is decided by the Federal Trade Commission. Read up on the FTC’s requirements for goods made in America.
2. Products pitched must go through Walmart’s certification process to be certified as American-made.
3. You must adhere to Walmart’s supplier specifications.
Additionally, in order to get your product into Walmart, you must demonstrate that there is a genuine market need for your product. The best way to show what your product can do is to show what it has already done. Big retail chains won’t give up their valuable shelf space for a product unless it demonstrates earning potential. Selling your product in convenience stores is the best way to get it on the market and demonstrate that there is a market for it.
How to Get Your Product Into Walmart
Here’s how to sell your product to Walmart:
STEP 1
Find out Walmart’s product requirements
Walmart has specific specifications for the goods it sells both in-person and online. You must make sure that your product complies with these requirements before you can sell it through Walmart.
STEP 2
Decide the type of supplier you want to be
There are five different ways to do business with Walmart:
1. National Product Supplier (Store and Online)
As a National Product Supplier to Walmart, you would offer your goods both online and in physical stores across the nation. So this might be a wise choice if your product appeals to a wide audience. This is a fantastic way for a private label supplier to begin doing business with Walmart.
2. Local Product Supplier
In line with Walmart’s “Store of the Community” initiative, local product suppliers offer goods that are regionally pertinent to a target area.
3. Direct Imports
Foreign businesses (outside the U.S.) can sell a product to Walmart U.S. as a Direct Imports Supplier.
4. Walmart.com Supplier
A brick-and-mortar store’s entire inventory will also be available online. Suppliers to Walmart.com only market products online.
5. Walmart Marketplace Seller
Third-party sellers can leverage Walmart’s growing e-commerce audience by listing their products on the Walmart Marketplace.
STEP 3
Apply to Be a Walmart Supplier Online
After deciding which type of supplier you are, then click the registration link in the supplier description. To finish your registration, you will be forwarded to the Global Supplier Management (GSM) platform.
Your Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) Number is required to begin the application process. You can obtain a DUNS Number for no cost if you don’t already have one. For assistance, call 866-815-2749 or visit the website: www.dnb.com.
You must read and accept the Retail Link® agreement in order to complete your registration. Please read this agreement carefully, as it governs your company and is legally binding.
You will get an email to activate your account after registering. To proceed, merely click the “Activate Email” button.
After that, you’ll get an email with your User ID and Password for the Retail Link® Global Supplier Management (GSM) system.
Important Information: Your User ID and Password will expire if you don’t log in within 90 days. So make sure to log in right away! If that happens, you will have to restart the registration process.
STEP 4
Complete the Certification Process
The next step after registering is certification. This procedure aims to accomplish two things:
1. Prove that you comply with the requirements to be a vendor.
2. Give more details about your business and your products.
Walmart buyers will have access to the data you provide here, and they can review your Supplier Profile and get in touch with you if they’re interested in working together.
It’s crucial to offer a thorough, persuasive copy that truly explains the value of your product because this information is added to a pool from which buyers can browse for products rather than being given to a specific person.
Log into Retail Link® using the email address and password you registered with to begin the certification process.
It’s time to talk about your business once the fundamentals, contacts, and financial information are out of the way.
There are several Yes/No questions about your product in the Products section, such as:
- Do you offer any goods produced in the USA?
- Do you offer products with royalties or licenses?
- Do you represent any of the goods you’d like to sell as a broker?
The next section is called “Finally, the good stuff.” Many of these details are optional, but they do improve your chances of being taken into consideration. We strongly advise completing each and every field. You must captivate the buyer’s attention and articulate the benefits of your product, just like you would with your regular customers.
Some tips for certification:
- Use a descriptive product name.
- Walmart is seeking the “Best per unit cost for your product to Walmart” in terms of the product cost. Do your homework on AUR and its rivals’ products.
- You must write a compelling product description with the customer in mind. What does your product offer consumers, and why?
STEP 5
Accept the Supplier Agreement’s terms
You will enter a line where Walmart customers can view and shop for your products after Registration and Certification are both finished. When a buyer in your category likes what they see—which can happen at any time—they will email you to invite you to begin the Acceptance process in GSM. Usually, you will talk about terms at this point.
Remember to be patient when dealing with Walmart. The merchants might not communicate with you for at least four weeks.
Accepting the terms of the Supplier Agreement in GSM is the last step to becoming a Walmart vendor after the waiting period (and if you receive the invitation). It’s a good idea to go over the contract’s terms with your buyer so you know exactly what Walmart expects in terms of payment terms, shipping conditions, sale conditions, product chemical information, return policies, etc.
The adventure starts here! When your buyer says “yes,” it’s time to get started right away.
Tips for Selling Your Product to Walmart
Here are some tips for successfully selling your product to Walmart.
1. Align with Walmart’s Initiatives
Walmart is currently concentrating on a number of important initiatives, including creating American jobs, assisting women and minority-owned businesses, and cutting emissions. Walmart cares about these important initiatives because its customers do.
If your company supports any of these programs, you might have an advantage in getting your goods into Walmart. Your total value offer to Walmart includes the history of your business.
Understanding Walmart’s requirements for suppliers to carry out these initiatives through their supply chain policies is also beneficial).
2. Establish Your Business on Other Platforms
Before approaching Walmart, it’s a good idea for companies that don’t naturally align with one of those initiatives to “prove” their product at other retailers and e-commerce platforms.
Although there are no minimum requirements for years of experience or sales volume, Walmart does not want to be your sole source of revenue. They want to be sure you can support yourself.
3. Apply During Walmart’s Open Call
Every year, Walmart holds the Made in USA Open Call, a chance for current and prospective American-made vendors to speak one-on-one with a Walmart Buyer. This is a fantastic chance to bypass the typical application process and directly communicate your story to a decision-maker.
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Final Thoughts
After successfully selling your product to Walmart, don’t forget to keep track of your sales and orders. Consider using mobile sales software or B2B eCommerce that enables you to track your sales reps, take orders, and check on products sold across multiple platforms in real-time. If you have questions regarding how to sell products to Walmart using a mobile app solution and how you can optimize your sales using software, please contact Orders in Seconds.