If you are a Walmart Marketplace seller, winning the Buy Box is crucial for increasing sales and gaining a competitive edge.
The Buy Box is a feature on Walmart’s website that allows customers to add items directly to their cart with one click.
Winning the buy box means that your product will be featured prominently on the product detail page, making it more visible to customers and increasing the chances of a sale.
In this article, we will discuss what the Walmart buy box is, why it’s important, and provide tips on how to win it. So, if you’re looking to increase your sales and visibility on the Walmart marketplace, keep reading to learn how to learn more.
What is The Walmart Buy Box?
The Walmart buy box is a feature that allows customers to purchase a product from a single seller, without having to compare prices from different sellers.
It is similar to Amazon’s buy box algorithm and is a highly sought-after feature by sellers on Walmart Marketplace.
When a customer searches for a product on Walmart, the buy box (as shown below) is displayed on the product page and highlights the seller that Walmart has determined to have the best offer.
Only one seller gets this buy box placement and the seller makes a sale when the buyer clicks the Add to Cart button. From the image above we can see that a total of 2 sellers sell this Acer Nitro laptop. But only one seller (Deals4US) wins the buy box while the other seller gets relegated to “More seller options”.
Hardly will customers click through the more sellers option because it’s an extra step that not a lot of people are willing to take. Especially when they can just simply “Add to cart” right from the buy box.
The Walmart buy box works based on a variety of factors, including seller metrics, product price, fulfillment options, and even shipping prices.
The seller with the best combination of these factors is selected by Walmart as the default seller of the buy box. Walmart considers seller metrics, such as customer feedback, order defect rates, and shipping times, to determine if a seller is eligible to win the buy box.
Price is also an important factor, as Walmart aims to provide the best prices for customers.
Finally, fulfillment options, such as fast and reliable shipping, are considered by Walmart when determining which seller to award the buy box.
Benefits of Winning the Walmart Buy Box
Winning the Walmart buy box provides numerous benefits that can increase sales and revenue. Here are some of the benefits of winning the Walmart buy box:
1. Increased visibility
When a seller wins the Walmart buy box, their product is displayed prominently on the product detail page, increasing its visibility and attracting more potential customers.
2. Higher Conversion Rates
The buy box not only increases visibility but also makes the buying process easier for customers, resulting in higher conversion rates.
3. Increased sales
Higher visibility and conversion rates lead to increased sales, ultimately boosting the seller’s revenue.
4. Competitive advantage
Winning the buy box gives you a competitive advantage over other sellers offering the same product, as it increases your chances of making a sale.
5. Trustworthiness
The Walmart buy box is only awarded to sellers who meet Walmart’s strict criteria, indicating that they are trustworthy and reliable.
Tips On How To Win the Walmart Buy Box
As mentioned earlier, Walmart takes many factors into consideration to determine who they will award the buy box. With these factors, we can generally get a sense of what Walmart wants from its sellers and create an action plan on how to win the buy box.
Taking these factors into consideration, here are some tips that will boost your chances of winning the buy box:
1. Price Competitively
Competitive pricing is an essential factor when it comes to winning the Walmart Buy Box.
In a highly competitive online marketplace like Walmart, buyers are always looking for the best deals and bargains. And Walmart wants the best for the buyers on their platform. So they will always favor a listing that is relatively more affordable than the others in the listing category.
Therefore, as a seller, it is crucial to price your products competitively to attract more customers and stand out from other sellers.
When we say price your products competitively, we don’t necessarily mean to use the lowest price in the market. Because it is important to keep in mind the cost of the item, any additional fees, and your profit margin. Underpricing your products to the lowest price point where you get no return on investment will be a futile move.
So you have to be careful to calculate a good profit margin and price your items in such a way that you win the buy box without compromising your profit.
One way to stay competitive is to regularly monitor and adjust your prices based on market trends and the prices of your competitors. Most of your competitors will also want to win the Walmart buy box and they will be pricing their listings competitively as well. Monitoring their listings will give you an idea of how to tweak your pricing.
Doing this manually can be stressful. The stress factor can quickly escalate with an increasing number of product listings on your Walmart storefront.
The best way to keep up with your competitor’s pricing is to use Walmart repricing tools and software. These tools will help you analyze market trends and competitor pricing strategies.
The Ecom Circles Walmart Repricer is one great tool to consider. This software automatically updates your listing price from time to time in such a way that your listings are the most competitive while also keeping you profitable. It only requires you to set a couple of parameters relating to your profit margins.
2. Optimize Your Product Listings
A complete and well-optimized product listing can make your product stand out from the competition and increase its visibility on the Walmart Marketplace.
First and foremost, ensure that your product listing is complete and accurate. Make sure you have included all the necessary product details, such as the title, brand, manufacturer, product dimensions, and weight.
Accurate and complete product listings build trust with customers and help increase your chances of winning the Buy Box.
In addition to the completeness, you also need to optimize your product listing for Walmart’s search engine.
Use relevant keywords in your product title and description to increase the likelihood of your product appearing in search results when customers search for related products on the Walmart Marketplace.
Try as much as possible to stay away from keyword stuffing though. Walmart frowns upon this practice and can de-rank your listings for doing so.
It’s also essential to have high-quality images that showcase your product from different angles.
Ensure that the images are well-lit and of high resolution and that they accurately represent your product. Clear, high-quality images help customers make informed buying decisions and can improve your chances of winning the Walmart buy box.
We provide a guide on how to optimize your Walmart listings to get in-depth information about the subject.
3. Keep Inventory Levels Up and Fulfill Orders Quickly
In addition to pricing and product listing optimization, fulfilling orders quickly is a crucial factor in winning the Walmart buy box.
Walmart prioritizes sellers who can deliver products quickly and efficiently, as this improves the overall customer experience on the platform.
It is therefore essential for you to ensure that your inventory levels are accurate and up to date to avoid any potential delays in shipping. Walmart is known for its commitment to fast and reliable shipping, so it is essential to ensure that you have sufficient inventory levels to meet customer demand.
To fulfill orders quickly, you can use a range of methods, including setting up an efficient order processing system, ensuring that your packaging and shipping materials are always in stock, and utilizing a reliable shipping service that can guarantee fast delivery times.
A good and reliable inventory manager can help you streamline your order processing without hassle. So you should consider getting one to remain competitive on the Walmart marketplace.
With an inventory management software, you can track your inventory levels, set up alerts when inventory is running low, and automate the ordering process.
You can also set up safety stock levels to ensure that you always have enough inventory on hand. This will help you avoid stockouts and ensure that you are always ready to fulfill orders.
Another way to keep inventory levels up is to work closely with your suppliers. Establish a good working relationship with your suppliers and keep them informed of your inventory needs.
This will enable them to plan their production schedules accordingly and ensure that you have the products you need in stock.
It is important to keep an eye on your sales data and adjust your inventory levels accordingly. Analyzing your online sales data will help you identify trends in customer demand and enable you to make informed decisions about your inventory levels.
4. Offer Competitive Shipping Options
Offering competitive shipping prices and options is another important factor in winning the Walmart buy box.
Walmart values sellers who offer fast and affordable shipping to customers. Offering free shipping, affordable shipping prices, or expedited shipping options can be a great way to improve your chances of winning the buy box.
When setting up your shipping options, consider factors such as shipping speed, cost, and carrier. Offering same-day or two-day shipping can be a great way to stand out from competitors and provide an excellent customer experience.
Additionally, make sure to choose a reliable carrier that can deliver packages quickly and efficiently.
It is also important to accurately communicate your shipping options to customers. Make sure to clearly display shipping costs and delivery times on your product listing, so customers know exactly what to expect when they make a purchase.
This can help improve your customer satisfaction and ultimately improve your chances of winning the Walmart buy box.
5. Maintain Good Seller Metrics
Your Walmart seller performance metrics are indicative of your store’s overall health on Walmart, and Walmart considers these various metrics when determining which seller wins the buy box. The most important metrics are shipping time, product returns, and customer feedback.
Product returns are another important metric that Walmart considers when deciding which seller wins the buy box. If a seller has a high rate of product returns, it indicates that there is something wrong with their products or the way they are listed.
To avoid product returns, you should provide accurate product descriptions, high-quality images, and clear return policies. You should also ensure that their products are of high quality and meet customer expectations.
By reducing product returns, you can improve your seller metrics and increase your chances of winning the Walmart buy box.
Customer feedback is another crucial metric that Walmart uses to determine the quality of a seller’s service. Positive reviews from customers indicate that a seller is providing good service, while bad reviews suggest otherwise.
One way to maintain good customer feedback is to communicate with your customers promptly and address their concerns as soon as possible. You should also provide accurate and timely information about your products, shipping times, and returns policies.
If you have a hard time getting good customer feedback, you might want to check out our informative piece on how to get positive Walmart reviews.
In general, it is best to have the following seller performance metrics to increase your chances of winning the Walmart buy box:
- On-Time Shipping: >95%
- On-Time Delivery: >95%
- Valid Tracking Rate: >95%
- Cancellation Rate: <1.5%
Conclusion
In conclusion, winning the Walmart buy box can significantly boost your sales on the Walmart Marketplace. To increase your chances of winning the buy box, focus on price competitiveness, optimizing your product listings, fulfilling orders quickly, and generally improving your seller metrics.
With a solid understanding of the Buy Box and its criteria, you can position yourself as a top seller on Walmart and increase your revenue on the platform.
The Ecom Circles repricer and automated dropshipping software can help you with some of these aspects such as price competitiveness order processing, and inventory management. Get started with these tools today to improve your chances at getting the Walmart buy box.
