They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And if that’s true, Walmart Marketplace must make Amazon feel pretty flattered on a regular basis!

As I’ve covered here in the newsletter many times before, Walmart loves to steal– ahem, borrow inspiration from many of Amazon’s most popular features. And why not? If you want to compete with the best, it makes sense to emulate the best. Walmart does exactly that by putting its own spin on products, tools, and services that Amazon has enjoyed success with, like branded URLs.

Approved brand owners can now use the Walmart Brand Portal to create their own Brand Shop. Brand Shops are virtual storefronts on Walmart that include all of these great perks:

• A custom URL featuring your brand name.
• The Shop Builder tool guides you through the process of building your virtual storefront, starting with one of three templates available.
• Shelves that can be used to highlight specific product collections like newly released items, popular add-ons, or seasonal favorites.

For a great example of a Brand Shop in action, check out the Anker store page. As soon as you load it up on your computer or in the Walmart app, you immediately see the brand logo, sliding images showing the brand’s products in action, and a video showing off the size and versatility of its catalog.

Or how about the Sports Research store page? This brand took a different, more product-focused approach, dropping its product video to the bottom of the page and jumping right into curated categories like Thoughtful blends for inner wellness, Foundational picks for daily balance, and Performance support for training and recovery.

Different layouts, same result– eye-catching and brand-defining. Let’s dive into how they utilized these key elements:

• Branded Logo Banner – First thing you see, top front and center on both pages. This immediately lets the customer know whose storefront they are visiting.
• Side Scroller Image Carousel – Whether you go for a series of complimentary images like Anker or one strong hero image like Sports Research, this is critical for making a good first impression.
• Video – Branding, images, and products tell your story, but nothing jumps off the screen quite like a video. Follow these brands’ example with a blend of showing off your inventory and letting customers know what your brand is all about.
• Custom Shelves & Featured Products – Now it’s time to let your products do the talking. Choose collection titles and key listings that will draw attention and clicks.

Make no mistake about it; there’s more to these awesome brand pages than just style. Early reports indicate that Walmart sellers who have added an optimized brand storefront to their account are seeing an average increase of 5-7% in total sales! Branded storefronts have been a powerhouse on Amazon for years, and the same appears to be true on Walmart.

Walmart Launches Recognized Reviewer Program for Newer Listings!

If you’ve got fewer than 10 reviews on a product and are looking to give it a quick boost, the Recognized Reviewer Program could be the answer you are looking for! Here’s how it works:

1. Enroll SKUs listed as eligible (with under 10 reviews) in their Seller Center inventory.
2. Choose the number of units you want to provide for free in exchange for reviews.
3. Walmart delivers your free samples to reviewers it has deemed to be active and trustworthy.
4. Recognized reviewers who receive your product leave honest, unbiased feedback on it.
5. These reviews appear on your listing and are labeled as part of the program.

Sellers are responsible for the cost of the product, shipping, and fees. You will only be charged for reviews that are actually published.

As you all know, product reviews are one of the most valuable assets available to sellers on popular e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. Potential customers are significantly more likely to purchase with confidence when a product has been used and reviewed by real people like them than they are to take a shot on an unknown item with little to no feedback.

This program gives sellers a clear and direct path to more product reviews, which will in turn generate more buyer trust, more purchases, and more product reviews… which will in turn generate MORE buyer trust, MORE purchases, and MORE– okay, okay, you get the idea!

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