POV: Walmart Connect On-Site Display Video (Beta)
1. Strategic Role & Best-Fit Use-Cases
| Funnel Role | Why Video Works | When to Activate |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-funnel consideration bridge | Auto-looping, full-bleed 16:9 motion on Item Pages (Brand Box) and Curbside “Pickup & Check-in” screens captures attention after search but before basket close. | • New-to-market SKUs that need quick education • Story-driven CPG • Tent-poles (Back-to-School, Big Game) where share-of-screen matters |
| Incremental reach vs. sponsored video search | Inventory sits in app PDP and omnichannel pick-up flow—audiences that standard Sponsored Search never touches. | • Brands already maxing out Search budgets yet facing diminishing returns • Retail-media test budgets seeking fresh placements without DSP minimums |
Key trigger: Have (or can quickly produce) sub-45-second, captioned 16:9 assets; otherwise, production timeline will bottleneck use.
2. Performance Expectations vs. Static Display
| Metric | Video (beta)* | Static Display |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement | 85% higher engagement, 40-60% better CVR vs. image banners (linkedin.com) | Baseline |
| Sales lift | Advertisers saw 6.6x more sales vs. non-video sellers in 2024 (linkedin.com) | Varies by creative; no motion advantage |
| Clickability | Brand Box = clickable; Pickup & Check-in = impression only (awareness) | Clickable across most placements |
| Reach | Currently app-only, two placements; limited scale | Broader (homepage, shelf, PDP, offsite) |
| Creative ops | MP4/MOV, 500 MB, captions, logo; typically 2-3 variants per ad group for ML optimization | Simple JPG/PNG; faster to traffic |
*Beta data provided by WMC product team + early-stage case studies; treat as directional until Video Engagement Report matures.
3. Cost & Budget Implications
| Item | Video | Static Display |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended bids | Base \$12 CPM, Max \$20 CPM (WMC email) | Avg eCPM \$11.73 (2025 - AJI on WMC) |
| Typical CPM range | expect \$15-$20 once auction equilibrates | \$8-15 CPM, dependent on targeting |
| Daily burn guidance | BT/ROS: \$1-2k; Contextual: \$400/day (WMC) | Flexible; scale to \$300-\$2k/day common |
| Production cost | Higher—editing, captions, brand compliance | Minimal |
| Measurement | Adds Video Engagement Report (quartiles, unmutes) + standard sales KPIs | Standard display + sales |
Net effect: expect a higher working CPM (~1.5x) plus incremental non-working creative spend; however, early ROAS upside often offsets delta.
4. Recommendation Framework
- Client screening checklist
- Hero products benefit from demo or storytelling
- Mobile app share > 50% of Walmart sessions
- Willingness to fund ≥ \$6k flight (contextual) or ≥ \$10k (behavioral/ROS)
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Video assets ready or in post within 2 weeks
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Pilot design
- Run A/B line items within same campaign: Static vs. Video under identical targeting to isolate lift.
- Deploy 2-3 creatives per ad group; enable WMC’s creative optimization (machine-learned weighting).
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Layer Behavioral targeting first (highest reach) with modest frequency cap → broaden to Contextual once benchmarks set.
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Success KPIs
- ≥ 30% view-through completion (25 % quartile)
- ≥ 0.30% CTR on Brand Box video (static PDP banners average 0.1-0.25%)
- Lift in PDP ATC rate ≥ +15% vs. static line item
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ROAS parity with Sponsored Products within ±20% by week 3
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Optimization & Scaling
- Use Video Engagement Report to prune low-view-through creatives.
- If Pickup & Check-in drives halo sales but no clicks, shift attribution window analysis to 14 days post-impression.
- Once ROAS > static, raise max bid toward \$20 CPM ceiling to capture incremental inventory.
5. Bottom-Line POV
- Why we’ll recommend it: Motion + placement context puts product demos exactly where shoppers decide—on PDP and in curbside flow—delivering outsized attention lift at a still-efficient CPM relative to other RMNs.
- When we’ll hold off: SKU set lacks compelling video story, unwilling to exceed static CPM by \~2×, or need for desktop reach is critical (beta is app-only).
Early adopters lock in learning curve and inventory access—positioning us to drive incremental GMV for clients while competitors are still resizing JPGs.