Walmart cross-border e-commerce platform
Walmart’s traditional retail industry is strong, and it has also been involved in online sales in recent years. Currently, Walmart is the second largest e-commerce platform in the United States, and the only e-commerce company that can compete with Amazon in the future.
Walmart has not stayed in its comfort zone in recent years, and has been innovating to seek a better buying experience for customers.
Recently, Walmart launched the AI virtual model try-on function on its official website and APP, and the launch of this function has also brought a good reputation to Walmart.
Walmart platform advantages
No monthly or store fees
For sellers on Walmart, the only fee they need to pay is a commission based on the product category.
Amazon’s fees include product sales fees, referral fees, variable settlement fees, and more.
Increase seller website traffic
Many sellers said that after entering Walmart, their brand awareness has been continuously improved, and the traffic of their brand self-built websites has also increased.
From a certain point of view, entering Walmart means gaining the influence of the Walmart brand and the trust of its audience, which is beneficial to sellers without harm.
Wide audience
Walmart has more than 110 million monthly visits, which can help many sellers expand their potential customer base and tap new audiences.
And many of these customers are not Amazon Prime members, so they have greater buying potential.
high sales
The profit of selling a single product on the Walmart platform may be slightly lower than other platforms, but the sales method of high sales volume and good reputation is more beneficial to the vast majority of sellers.
Introduction to the Walmart platform
Walmart is an American multinational retail company headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Walmart is the No. 1 in the list of the world’s 500 largest companies selected by the US “Fortune” magazine from 2014 to 2020. It is also the world’s largest private employer with more than 2 million employees and the world’s largest retailer.
Walmart has 8,500 stores in 15 countries around the world. Walmart operates in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
Walmart entry requirements
Must be a US company
US corporate tax ID number EIN
Must have a US corporate bank account
There are self-built warehouses in the United States or third-party warehouses in the United States
Must have a US business address
Experience in cross-border e-commerce platform sales
Must have English customer service
Basic 5 criteria for Walmart sellers to settle in
1. Sellers of electronics, clothing, home furnishing, sports and other categories
2. Must have a U.S. tax ID, and experienced mature sellers on various platforms
3. There are overseas warehouses in the United States, with good after-sales service and logistics distribution, and can provide a good customer experience
4. Good quality and cheap price can attract consumers
5. There is no Chinese service on Walmart’s platform, and sellers need operational support
Walmart entry process
1. Submit a platform application
2. Fill in the basic information
3. Improve store information
4. Create merchandise and inventory
5. Submit an activation application
Walmart logistics distribution mode
As the largest private employer in the United States and the largest retail chain enterprise in the world, Wal-Mart’s current logistics distribution mode mainly includes a distribution mode that integrates business flow and logistics, and a distribution mode that separates business flow and logistics.
The Model Established by Walmart Distribution Centers
The Walmart distribution center establishment model is a distribution model in which the distribution center is first built, and then stores are opened around the distribution center. It is a strategy to give priority to the development of the distribution center.
At the beginning, Walmart made a large investment to build a modern distribution center; then opened branches around the distribution center.
The reason why Walmart adopts this model is that the initial construction requires huge capital, and after the distribution center is completed, it can play a powerful role.
This distribution model of Walmart not only saves the cost from out-of-stock to replenishment compared with other competitors, but also facilitates the rapid understanding of the supply information of each store from the distribution center, which greatly reduces the transaction cost.
Walmart logistics distribution process
At present, 80% of Walmart’s goods are shipped through distribution centers.
Compared with the logistics system of direct supply from suppliers, the centralized distribution mode can better exert the scale effect, and reduce logistics costs, shorten the inventory cycle and strengthen the control of goods through informatization and electronic management. As a result, the logistics cost of Wal-Mart is only equivalent to about 2% of sales.
Walmart logistics method
Walmart self-operated sellers can directly transport the goods to the Walmart logistics center, and the platform is responsible for warehousing, delivery and other issues. Third-party sellers have to deal with shipping, returns, and after-sales issues by themselves. Since third-party sellers are responsible for their own logistics, they can include shipping information in product listings or choose to waive shipping for buyers.
Sellers have two ways to set shipping rates
Charge by price
That is, the seller sets the shipping cost according to the price of the product.
Charge by weight
That is, the seller sets the shipping cost according to the weight or quantity of the product.
What are the Walmart entry fees?
Walmart has no account fees, and Walmart only charges sellers a referral fee, which ranges from 6% to 20% of a product’s selling price, depending on the category.
Note: These product categories are those listed in the Walmart Marketplace Retailer Agreement and do not match one-to-one with the categories you use for your project setup.
If you’re concerned about an item being charged the wrong percentage of referral fee, create a case with the item ID and product category you think works best.