Walmart Renames Expanded Ad Business Walmart Connect

Walmart's ad business is getting a new name and a partnership with ad tech company The Trade Desk to expand outside media opportunities, the retailer announced today. Formerly known as Walmart Media Group, Walmart Connect's goal is to grow alternative revenue streams with a business that is "poised to become a top 10 advertising platform." "We offer innovative, brand-safe ways for advertisers to more efficiently reach customers—from inspiration to purchase—in a way that is accretive to customers’ experiences," a spokesperson said. The retail giant is also offering new in-store experiences, such as running advertiser content on TV walls and self-checkout screens, while growing offerings across Walmart's digital properties. “Walmart has always connected customers and the great brands they love, and now we have the ability to offer an easy-to-use platform to enhance those connections at scale,” Janey Whiteside, Walmart's chief customer officer, said in a statement. “We’ve built a substantial business that can serve clients in a way no one else can—as a closed loop omnichannel media company. By expanding our offerings we’re creating measurable value for our partners and customers alike in our ecosystem and beyond." As to how Walmart Connect is different from a number of other offerings, a spokesperson pointed out it is the largest omnichannel retailer in the U.S. with 4,700 stores, 150 million weekly shoppers and a rapidly growing ecommerce business. "That [size] combined with the power of our closed loop system and knowledge of our customer base really sets us apart," they said. "We use this data to help advertisers inform their media strategy through the precise targeting of ads to the right customers at the right time." Walmart Connect is focusing on three particular areas as an advertising platform. The first includes increasing offerings on its digital properties, such as placing ads next to where customers are making purchasing decisions on Walmart.com or the Walmart app, the company said. Second is new omni capabilities to help advertisers reach Walmart customers while they are in the store, such as the aforementioned in-store TV walls and self-checkout screens, which number 170,000 in more than 4,500 stores. Third, Walmart is serving up first-party data to drive media performance for brands outside of Walmart. That offering will be bolstered by partnering with the Trade Desk to build a demand-side platform for suppliers and their media and ad agencies for the 2021 holiday season. “Walmart is pioneering a new frontier in digital advertising, providing marketers with access to shopper data for the first time, in a way that both protects consumer privacy and improves the consumer experience,” Jeff Green, the Trade Desk's CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. “In doing so, marketers will be able to create much more refined, relevant and measurable advertising campaigns, which can be adapted on the fly to changing circumstances and real-time performance. We are thrilled to be working with Walmart to bring this vision to life."