This article will break down the components of a Walmart listing, and how to optimize each to win search on Walmart. If your listing can turn browsers into buyers, you’ll fly to the top of Walmart’s search results for your relevant key terms. In order to rank above your competition, you need to optimize your listing to make it the most attractive to shoppers. The Walmart search algorithm follows the same conversion-focused principles. They’re key to relevant search results, with the goal being to show listings that are most likely to get a conversion based on the search term. Those algorithms operate as Walmart’s internal search engine, or Walmart SEO, and are the reason you don’t see dog carriers when you search for vacuum cleaners. Staff authors are listed here.All the major eCommerce marketplaces have some sort of algorithm in place to determine which items show up at the top of search results for different terms. Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Walmart’s Search My Store will likely influence other retailers to introduce similar product search capabilities in their apps as they fight for every competitive advantage available.
Beyond executing against the promise of indoor features such as Search My Store the only barrier to success is getting users to download retailer apps. The more enlightened approach offers an in-store mode with content, offers, lists and product finding features that will boost loyalty and basket size. Retailer apps originated as small-screen versions of their e-commerce sites. The search data that Walmart will glean from its shoppers will also be valuable to indicate product demand by store and region, and can be factored into operational decisions as well as traditional and digital marketing. Millions in sales are lost annually by brick and mortar retailers simply because people can’t find products that are on the shelves. Search My Store at Walmart will enable shoppers to find products without seeking out a staff member on the floor for product locations. Smart retailers (e.g., Macy’s, Walmart) are starting to build new capabilities into their apps that make them effectively shopping assistants for in-store experience. The amount of purchase behavior that might be influenced in the store is potentially worth billions of dollars in the US in the aggregate. The potential effectiveness of such ads could be massive, given that this would be a search result and not a push notification or pure display ad. GE or Phillips could buy an ad at the top of those results featuring a brand message or coupon or both. I suspect this is on the roadmap for the company. They could be native or similar to AdWords and appear at the top of results. I haven’t spoken to Walmart about their intentions but it’s fairly obvious that Walmart could start selling ad units in these search results.
In case it wasn’t already obvious this feature sets up paid-search advertising in the app. The company said in an email that “within the first few weeks of launching on Android, more than 99 percent of Walmart stores had been searched by Search my Store.” Reportedly the ability to search for and find products on store shelves was a highly requested feature among Walmart app users. The company claims in-store product search “puts Walmart light-years ahead of other brick & mortar retailer apps.”
Walmart’s search My Store allows in-store shoppers to use keywords or product names to search real-time inventory, which then returns a list of products, pricing and the precise in-store location where the products can be found. And retailers that get it right will have enormous advantages over pure e-commerce players. Mobile is the bridge between the digital and in-store worlds. Payments and personalization will be added into the mix in the near future. The combination of real-time online inventory and indoor location is making possible new types of in-store, digitally-enhanced experiences for shoppers.
Walmart has updated its Android app (and soon iOS app) to offer an improved in-store experience with search at the center. The new Walmart “Search My Store” feature offers a view into the future of in-store app usage.