Tactical & Operational Deep Dives

Master Tactics & Eligibility Quick-Reference Chart

Tactic / Placement	Ad Product	Primary Funnel Stage	Targeting Method	Key Eligibility	Strategic Planner's Key Info	Key Measurement
Search In-Grid	Sponsored Products	Conversion	Auto/Manual	In-Stock, Winning Buy Box	Highest conversion placement. Essential for capturing high-intent searches.	ROAS, Sales, CVR
Buy Box	Sponsored Products	Consideration	Auto/Manual	In-Stock, Winning Buy Box	Primary conquesting tool. Target competitor item pages directly.	Sales, Units Sold
Carousels	Sponsored Products	Consideration	Auto/Manual	In-Stock, Winning Buy Box	Appears in "Customers also viewed." Excellent for cross-selling.	Clicks, Halo Sales
My Items In-Grid	Sponsored Products	Loyalty	Automatic	In-Stock, Winning Buy Box	Drives repeat buys. Appears on the customer's "Reorder" page.	Repeat Sales Rate
Sponsored Brands	Sponsored Brands	Awareness / Consideration	Manual	Brand Registered	Showcase a collection. Landing page (Brand Shop/Shelf) is critical for success.	ROAS, Clicks to Shelf
Sponsored Videos	Sponsored Videos	Awareness	Manual	Brand Registered	Best for product education. Focus on storytelling, not just selling.	Video Views, VCR
Brand Shop / Shelf	Shop Builder	Conversion / Loyalty	N/A (Destination)	Brand Registered	Free to build. Use as a landing page to increase basket size.	Page Visits, Sales
Display (Persona)	Onsite Display	Awareness / Consideration	Behavioral	None	Target pre-built audiences like "Busy Families" to find new customers.	Impressions, Clicks
Display (Custom)	Onsite Display	All Stages	Behavioral	5-10 day build time	Most powerful retargeting tool. Requires advance planning.	ROAS, New-to-Brand

Budgeting & Bidding Guidance

Budget vs. Bid: The Fuel and the Accelerator

A planner must understand the interplay between budget and bids. * Budget: The total amount of fuel in your tank. A large budget allows you to run for longer or enter more auctions. * Bid: The pressure on the accelerator. A high bid increases your chance of winning a single auction. * The Trap: A high budget with low bids means you'll lose most auctions and undelspend. A low budget with high bids means you'll win auctions but run out of money very quickly, missing peak traffic hours. A successful campaign balances both.

Budget Pacing & Delivery Speed

Daily vs. Total Budget:
- Daily Budget: Use for "Always-On" campaigns. Unspent budget from one day can roll over to the next, but the system will never spend more than 2x your set daily limit.
- Total Budget: Use for campaigns with a fixed flight date (e.g., seasonal, new launch).
Delivery Speed (for Total Budgets):
- Even: Spreads your budget evenly across the campaign duration. Best for consistent pressure.
- Front-loaded: Spends up to 40% more at the beginning of the flight. Use this for new product launches or the start of a seasonal sale to generate maximum initial momentum.

The "Reserve Price" Explained for Planners

Some premium ad placements, like the top of search, have a reserve price. * What it is: A "floor price" for a high-value ad slot. * How it works: Even if you are the only bidder in an auction, your final CPC may be higher than the minimum required bid if that placement has a reserve price. This ensures the placement's value is maintained. * The Bottom Line: You will NEVER pay more than your maximum bid. Set your max bid to the absolute highest you are willing to pay for a click, and let the auction system work for you below that ceiling.

The Foundation: Creative & Content Quality

This is the most critical, non-negotiable part of campaign planning. Advertising magnifies what is already there; it does not fix a broken foundation.

The Relevancy-Cost Equation

A planner must be able to articulate this to their entire team. It is the core of efficient advertising on Walmart Connect.

High-Quality Item Page (Great Title, Rich Description, Many Images, >20 Positive Reviews) ↓ Higher Organic Relevancy Score ↓ Win Ad Auctions with a Lower Bid ↓ Lower CPC & Higher ROAS

Strategic Mandate: Poor organic listings will lead to expensive, underperforming ad campaigns. Time and resources spent improving item page content have a direct, measurable, and positive impact on advertising ROI.

Creative Briefing Tool for Planners

Use this to brief your creative/design teams. It provides not just the "what" but the "why."

Ad Product	Asset Needed	Key Specs	Why It Matters (Planner's Rationale)
Sponsored Brands	Brand Logo	300 x 180px PNG	This is your brand's signature. It must be instantly recognizable at a small size to build brand recall at the top of search.
	Headline	Max 45 chars.	This is your one chance to state your value proposition (e.g., "Tastiest Gluten-Free Snacks," "Longest-Lasting Batteries"). Be direct.
Sponsored Videos	Video	16:9, 5-45s	The video must make sense with the sound off, as it autoplays muted. Use on-screen text. The first 3 seconds are critical to stop the scroll.
Onsite Display	Brand Logo	PNG, transparent bg	Logo must be clean and without a background so it can be placed seamlessly over lifestyle imagery without looking like a clumsy box.
	Lifestyle Photo	Use safe zones	The same image is used across multiple ad sizes. The "safe zone" ensures your core subject (product/person) is never cropped out.
	Skyline v3	Solid bg color	This is for visual contrast. The background color must make the logo, image, and text pop. It cannot be Walmart's blue or yellow.
General Rule	Landing Page	Must be a Brand Shop/Shelf or Walmart.com page	The goal is a frictionless path to purchase. Clicking an ad must NEVER lead off-site for Onsite Display. The landing page must fulfill the promise of the ad.