Walmart and Shopify opened applications on June 15, 2020 for a sales channel that would let approved U.S. Shopify merchants list products on Walmart.com while managing their catalogue through Shopify. Walmart expected to add 1,200 Shopify sellers during 2020. That was an expansion target, not a count of merchants already trading through the new channel. The offer paired a new place to sell with existing store-management software; it did not give every Shopify store automatic access. [S1][S2]

Approval comes before integration. Walmart said it was looking for U.S.-based small and medium-sized businesses with products that complement its assortment and a record of exceeding customer expectations. Shopify described the next step for an approved merchant: connect a Shopify store to a Walmart Seller Account, then synchronize the product catalogue and create listings. A merchant could therefore be technically ready to connect without yet being accepted to sell. [S1][S2]

The operational benefit Shopify described was centralized work, not a second storefront that had to be managed entirely separately. The company said its channel would synchronize products with Walmart.com and let merchants track orders, inventory and fulfillment within Shopify. It also offered bulk editing of product information. For a store with many products or variants, that design addresses repeated catalogue work. Neither announcement measures how much staff time it saves or establishes how reliably a particular store’s inventory will synchronize. [S1][S2]

Listing is free; a sale carries a fee. Shopify said the Walmart channel carried no additional monthly fees and that sellers would not pay to list products on Walmart.com. Referral fees would apply when a sale occurred. A merchant testing demand could list products without a listing charge, but would still need to account for referral fees on orders. The announcement does not supply a referral-rate schedule or establish a store’s total cost of serving those orders. [S2]

Walmart’s stated interest was a broader assortment for its customers; the merchant’s opportunity was another sales outlet connected to its existing catalogue. Those interests can align without making entry unrestricted. Walmart’s assortment and customer-service criteria still determine which sellers it wants, while Shopify’s integration changes how approved sellers manage the work. A store deciding whether to apply has two separate questions to resolve: whether Walmart wants its products, and whether sales after referral fees justify the additional channel. [S1][S2]

Source documents

  1. Walmart Expands Its eCommerce Marketplace to More Small Businesseshttps://corporate.walmart.com/news/2020/06/15/walmart-expands-its-ecommerce-marketplace-to-more-small-businesses
  2. Shopify Becomes Walmart’s First-Ever Commerce Platform Partner, Helping Businesses Reach Shoppers and Grow Saleshttps://www.shopify.com/news/shopify-becomes-walmart-s-first-ever-commerce-platform-partner-helping-businesses-reach-shoppers-and-grow-sales