Inside the Walmart Affiliate Program
The Walmart Affiliate program is one of the many methods that sellers can use to promote their products and reach a wider audience. And since 80% of brands participate in affiliate programs, doing so will make your business more competitive.
While Amazon Affiliates is usually the first option for many, you may ask yourself: does Walmart have an affiliate program? The answer is yes! Sellers and influences should also consider the Walmart affiliate program.
What is the Walmart Affiliate Program?
The Walmart affiliate program is an initiative where influencers and bloggers can promote Walmart’s products while earning a commission on each referring sale.
Affiliate programs are popular among sellers and influencers. Customers trust the recommendations from their favorite influencers, and brands can take advantage of their wide network. This is why influencer marketing was worth 16.4 billion USD in 2022.
Plus, influencers can also benefit from Walmart’s affiliate program in different ways. Walmart’s affiliate program targets different industries, so content creators in all niches can take advantage of this opportunity.
Influencers can choose the products they want to feature and can access custom links and banners for each one.
How Does the Walmart Affiliate Program Work?
Affiliates receive a unique link to use toward any of Walmart’s products. Content creators can insert this link in their blog and social media posts, and they will receive a commission on each referring sale.
They will also receive product banners that they can display on their website, making it easier to earn sales commissions. You can find these links and banners on the affiliate marketing platform and Walmart’s newsletter.
How can influencers entice their following to purchase the product? Their links and banners will offer a percentage off, so users can save on items while the influencer earns a commission. Walmart also hosts special offers that influencers can promote, increasing their earnings even more.
Walmart tracks all sales that you earn, so all you need to do is create high-quality content that entices your audience to buy the products you’re promoting.
What Can Influencers Expect from Walmart Affiliates?
Influencers have the opportunity to engage their own audience but also widen their own brand. Walmart attracts 37 million customers every day, and all of them are looking for great deals on their favorite items.
Plus, influencers also have the opportunity to collaborate with smaller eCommerce stores. In addition to selling their own items, Walmart opened its marketplace to small businesses, giving buyers more product options to choose from.
Walmart not only pays a 4% commission rate but they offer data and insight into their best-selling items so that influencers can profit off their affiliate program. Influencers can also access deals and contests, promoting more products and generating higher earnings.
Pros of the Walmart Affiliate Program
The Walmart affiliate program offers many positives for influencers and sellers. These are the rewards that you can expect.
Easy to Use
When you’re accepted to join the Walmart affiliate program, you can access an easy-to-use platform packed with many features. On this platform, you can:
Find banners and links
Special offers
Chrome extensions
WordPress plugins
You can also view audience analytics and demographics, track your campaign success, and see how many sales you generate. You’ll also find top-selling products and see the commission rates for each.
Brand Awareness
One of the biggest benefits that the Walmart affiliate program offers to sellers is increased brand awareness.
But you’ll experience more benefits than just earning more sales. When influencers promote your products, you will make you look like a more credible band, and followers will continue supporting you.
Range of Categories and Products
As one of the largest retailers worldwide, Walmart offers many products. As an influencer, you can promote various products in categories like:
Home goods
Electronics
Groceries
Clothing
This way, you can choose the categories and products that align with your niche and audience demands.
Fast Approval
Many affiliate programs take a long time to verify your information and credentials. Fortunately, Walmart’s affiliate program approves applicants quickly–as little as 24 hours. Once accepted, you can access the affiliate platform and start promoting products.
Lengthy Cookie Window
First, let’s explain what a cookie window is and what it means for affiliates. There are times when users click on a link and don’t immediately make a sale. If they wait too long to purchase, the sale won’t be counted for commission. This is called the cookie window.
Fortunately, Walmart offers pretty long cookie windows. If your audience isn’t ready to purchase, you have three days to earn that commission. This is generous, considering how most affiliate programs only offer a 24-hour cookie window.
Cons of the Walmart Affiliate Program
While the Walmart affiliate program offers many benefits to influencers and sellers, it also has some drawbacks. Here’s what you can expect.
Low Walmart Affiliate Program Commission
Walmart offers 4% commission rates; small, compared to competitors that offer as much as 60% commission. Even Amazon, Walmart’s biggest competitor, offers as much as 20% commission on some categories.
If you rely on affiliate commission as your main source of income, it’s best to join another program.
Competition With Amazon
There’s a reason why you’ll mainly see Amazon affiliate links. Amazon owns a large share of the affiliate marketing industry.
Not only does Amazon offer decent commission rates but they have an excellent brand reputation, wide product selection, and benefits customers with a Prime membership. This results in more sales for eCommerce companies.
Your customers may be comparing influencers, choosing content creators that partner with Amazon rather than Walmart. However, it’s still worth comparing the Amazon vs Walmart affiliate programs so you choose the right one for you.
Walmart Affiliates vs Amazon Affiliates
Amazon Associates has many benefits over the Walmart Affiliate Program. Amazon offers more categories and products, higher commission rates, and excellent support for affiliates and brands.
Like Walmart, Amazon Associates also offers a platform where affiliates can find products and monitor their campaigns. Amazon also offers more tools than Walmart so that affiliates can take their campaign even further.
That said, Walmart does offer some advantages over Amazon. They have a longer cookie window and it’s easier to qualify for their affiliate program.
How the Walmart Affiliate Program Benefits Sellers
Any affiliate program, including the Walmart initiative, benefits eCommerce companies in many ways.
Since most affiliate programs use a commission structure, you don’t pay influencers any upfront costs or even send them a free product. Instead, you give them a discount link and they earn a percentage of that sale. All you need to do is pay them the commission they earned.
An affiliate strategy can also improve your SEO. For example, since another website is including your product URLs in their content, this can improve your link building strategy and rank you higher in search engines.
Not sure which products to provide to affiliates? Go to the Walmart Business App and look at the products available to companies.
How can Influencers Join the Walmart Affiliate Program?
Before joining the Walmart affiliate program, read their requirements to ensure you qualify. The program requirements include:
A website with family-friendly content
A business based in North America (or a large portion of your traffic comes from the region)
These lenient requirements make the Walmart affiliate program convenient for new content creators. Note, however, that meeting these qualifications doesn’t result in guaranteed approval.
Once you’re ready to sign up, follow these steps:
Go to the affiliates section of the Walmart website and click “Sign Up.”
Complete the application.
Explain your promotional methods under the “Promotion and Media” section.
Include your website URL as well as your YouTube channel, social media accounts, and email address (if you use email marketing).
State where you’re based in.
Explain your business.
Read and accept the terms and conditions.
Click “Submit Application.”
Take Advantage of Walmart Affiliates
Affiliate marketing is one of the many ways sellers can increase their brand awareness and market their products.
There are numerous affiliate programs that brands can join, such as the Walmart affiliate program. This way, sellers don’t have to pay affiliates directly or send free products.
In addition, Walmart handles all marketing materials and commission tracking, so you can get the benefits of affiliate marketing without lifting a finger.
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Author
Stephanie Jensen
Stephanie Jensen has been writing e-commerce content for seven years, and her copy has helped numerous stores rank on Amazon. Follow her on LinkedIn for more insight into freelance writing and creating high-quality content.
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