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Dropshipping at Walmart: The complete guide with pros, cons and essential tips

Contents

In a world where digital technology is driving finance, e-commerce companies have become the new Eldorado of the 21ᵉ century. Walmart is one of them, and remains a platform of choice. What do you need to do to practice dropshipping on this platform? First of all, you need to know a few things: what is dropshipping and what does this business model consist of? Once these concepts have been explained in this guide, we'll move on to an overview of dropshipping on Walmart. We'll show you how to build your online store. By listing the advantages and disadvantages of this market, you'll get an overview of the different e-commerce sales channels. Then we'll take a look at Walmart's suppliers and profitability, before going on to optimize it, and ending with a few FAQs. This guide would be incomplete without a brief conclusion reminding us of the essential points for a dropshipping model with Walmart.

What is dropshipping?

What is dropshipping?

Essentially, dropshipping is e-commerce that takes full advantage of the Internet to connect buyers and sellers. However, it is distinguished from other types of e-commerce by the absence of stock on the seller's premises.
Dropshipping is an intermediary activity in which a person sells a product resulting from a partnership with a supplier. This product is displayed in an online store with various information enabling the customer to buy. This information includes:

  • The price,
  • The brand,
  • Product features,
  • Supplier information,
  • Delivery times,
  • Return policy,
  • Usage options, etc.

In short, dropshipping brings together a dropshipper, a supplier and an e-buyer. This type of business eliminates storage costs for the dropshipper. What's more, dropshipping offers the e-shop owner unlimited inventory according to his various suppliers.
This explains the 300 billion in sales generated by dropshipping worldwide. Among the biggest players in this market are platforms such as:

  • AliExpress,
  • Walmart,
  • Amazon,
  • Cdiscount, etc.

But understanding this is only the first step towards understanding the dropshipping business model.

Understanding the dropshipping business model

It's true that the dropshipping business model is simple and accessible to any merchant or would-be merchant. However, it's not an easy way to make money, because dropshipping has certain rules. That's why it's advisable to do everything possible to ensure proper management and supervision.
Moreover, it remains an excellent alternative for businesses or individuals with low traffic. Likewise, it's also a good alternative for a well-established business with excellent sales. Both categories are designed for success in product sales and e-commerce.

However, the company or online store owner must make certain qualities available to the market for dropshipping. These qualities are essentially:

  • Good e-commerce skills,
  • A good knowledge of Internet laws,
  • Special attention to delivery service,
  • Competitive acumen and a taste for innovation,
  • A preference for transparency and certification, etc.

In addition to the qualities required of a dropshipping business owner, there are also assets to promote. These lie mainly in the rigorous management of his assets and customer base. He will diversify the latter through attractive offers, low prices and advertising marketing.
But is this enough to master dropshipping on Walmart?

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Dropshipping at Walmart: An overview 

Dropshipping at Walmart: An overview 

First of all, Walmart is an e-commerce platform on a par with the Chinese giants. However, it has one particularity: you can only dropship in two ways. The first is to sell products by listing, and the second is as a dropshipping supplier.
Apart from this, there are certain conditions that must be met in order to trade on Walmart, which include additional laws, policies, agreements and regulations. For example, you must fulfill obligations related to:

  • Contract categorization,
  • Referral fees,
  • Packaging rules,
  • Price laws,
  • Civil liability insurance,
  • Market feedback,
  • On-time delivery policy,
  • Shipping methods,
  • Referral fees, etc.

These rules are available on Walmart's business platform, but they only prepare you to become a good entrepreneur. Now it's up to you to decide whether to become a direct supplier or a depot supplier.

In reality, a depot supplier does not deliver to customers, but handles sales of Walmart products. It's up to the company to manage shipping and related costs. In the case of a Walmart dropshipping direct supplier, everything is taken care of, and shipping costs are covered by the parent company.

You can also link your Shopify online store to your Walmart account to sell products. But how do you sign up with Walmart?

Setting up a dropshipping business on Walmart

Setting up a dropshipping business on Walmart

The first step in setting up a dropshipping business on Walmart is to create an account. Be sure to follow all the instructions, as the registration process is quite complex. However, you will need to enter the following information:

  • Your bank or credit card details,
  • Information and details about your company,
  • Your tax ID and all tax-related documents.

The next step takes place once your account is approved by the dropshipping company. This involves completing the integration process, which boils down to establishing a partnership with Walmart.
Next comes the search for dropshipping suppliers. At this stage, Minea intervenes by selecting experienced suppliers from a dedicated database. These suppliers will be in line with Walmart and will stand out by product category, country, brand, etc. A flat-rate subscription gives you access to the best suppliers for dropshipping on Walmart.

As a Walmart reseller or supplier, you must then configure the product listing on the Walmart store. Here are three ways to do this:

  • Walmart Marketplace,
  • Via a supplier's platform,
  • Open API,
  • Minea spy software,
  • Mass download.

Note that there is no limit to the number of products you can sell with Walmart. Next, describe each product in your list. You can create as many product lists as you like, as long as they don't concern the same sector of activity.

To finish building your online dropshipping store with Walmart, move on to order fulfillment. In the Walmart dropshipping model, order fulfillment is all about customer satisfaction. This includes delivery times and the experience with your products.

By selling your products using Walmart's dropshipping model, you'll meet deadlines and, even better, be able to get promotions. This means appearing in the "Buy Box", gaining visibility on the Walmart marketplace and improving your profit margins. Once you've reached this stage, you can start analyzing Walmart's strengths and weaknesses.

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Advantages and disadvantages of dropshipping with Walmart

Among the advantages and disadvantages of dropshipping with Walmart, it's wise to make the distinction. This enables every online retailer to know which aspects to focus on to get the most out of dropshipping with Walmart.

The advantages of dropshipping with Walmart

  • Walmart is renowned for its low fees when you start your online store.
  • You already have a base of 37 million Walmart customers waiting for you on the Walmart marketplace.
  • You can choose from a wide range of products and services for your online store.
  • An experienced dropshipping supplier who practices legal dropshipping.
  • Optimization already in place, branded products and low prices.

The disadvantages of dropshipping with Walmart

  • Registration is long and tedious due to the multiple authorizations required to sell on the Walmart marketplace.
  • Price restrictions can limit profit margins.
  • There is no real control over the supply chain, leaving this management to Walmart's online retailers.
  • Legal liability can quickly become an issue.
  • Stock volatility on Walmart's marketplace.

Selling products with the Walmart dropshipping company still imposes a few restrictions that can be perceived as challenges in the order fulfillment process. Indeed, when you choose to be a dropshipping retailer, you'll have to choose between a warehouse supplier and direct sales.

The truth is, it can take a while to get a response to your registration. You don't have the last word on Walmart products, and you have the added cost of storage fees.

With these pros and cons, you'll have a general idea of the type of dropshipping supplier you'll be working with. This will influence your online sales model or e-commerce store.

Working with dropshipping suppliers

Walmart's requirements are strict, especially since returns are handled by Walmart sellers. So, if you get your online sales license with Walmart, try to find a reliable dropshipping supplier.

You'll need a dropshipping supplier capable of listening to your complaints, routing your products and providing timely returns. With this supplier in your supply chain, your business model will need to be solid and based on market analysis.

However, to start working with these suppliers, you'll need to establish a dropshipping agreement. This agreement will define with the dropshipping supplier the quality of the products sold, the business model and warehousing space charges. The dropshipping agreement also specifies your conditions in terms of price, products, delivery times, etc.

This type of supplier can be found through sourcing companies, one of the most effective of which is Minea. This academy offers the ability to find a trustworthy supplier based on your needs at the click of a button. They use Walmart ads, Walmart customer reviews and their own performance to select the best.

Walmart dropshipping products are based on a different business model to others. For this reason, it is advisable to opt for dropshipping companies with Walmart stores. Minea helps in this research by analyzing the number of repeat sales, customer purchases and fulfillment rates.

Is dropshipping on Walmart profitable?

This guide explores all the options for you to adopt the Walmart dropshipping model. In general, the expectations of customers with Walmart Marketplace accounts concern profit margins.

To begin with, there are Walmart sellers who are placed in the "Buy Box" with certain facilities unlocked. At this level, the dropshipping business on Walmart becomes profitable for this category of sellers.

However, if we take into account profit margins and price limitations, we can deduce that products sell fast. In addition, the quality of the products, the potential customers and the various dropshipping companies make dropshipping retailers satisfied.

On the other hand, the Walmart dropshipping company offers certain advantages, such as the assumption of shipping costs. In addition, it allows sellers to place sales orders directly on the marketplace or in their e-commerce store.

From all the above, it's possible to generate profits for those wishing to manage online sales for Walmart stores. But beyond that, you can increase your profit margins if you connect your Shopify store and have a sales strategy in place.

To achieve this, however, you need to optimize your Walmart Marketplace account as much as your business model.

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Optimize your dropshipping business at Walmart

Launching a dropshipping business on Walmart inevitably requires optimization to avoid a drop in customer orders. There are three types of optimization: financial optimization, technical optimization for search engine visibility, and optimization of your product list.

Financial optimization

Financial optimization

Financial optimization generally involves meeting customer expectations by offering products at attractive prices. To achieve this, dropshipping companies adopt certain practices, such as performance monitoring and analysis.

Using tools that quantify performance at different levels, dropshipping companies analyze various indicators. When it comes to optimization, they intervene to ensure that the figures remain favorable.

For example, it's essential to regularly check the Walmart dashboard to observe customer orders. You need to analyze whether product quality is improving based on the numbers, and whether potential customers are turning into loyal Walmart customers. If so, consider offering a loyalty gift.

Your dashboard should show:

  1. A dispatch rate in excess of 98%,
  2. A follow-up rate of over 98%,
  3. An order default rate of less than 2%.

These are objectives to be achieved, not ideals, and to reach them, your sales strategy must be applied continuously.

Product list optimization

In practice, optimizing your product list may result from Walmart complaints or calls for optimization. This helps to improve order processing and clarify descriptions for online shoppers.

So it's important to optimize your product lists, especially if you have several or work with several suppliers. Here's how to get started:

  • Competitive pricing: Align yourself with prices on Walmart's Marketplace, and use tools like Minea to get an overview of other sellers' prices.
  • Attractive visuals: Boost your sales with attractive visuals and by renewing them frequently. Consult the Minea or Shopify catalog for different themes.
  • Exceptional service: Ship your products on time, whatever the extra cost. Build customer loyalty with post-purchase promotions.

Walmart account optimization

To optimize your account, it is often necessary to use a third-party supplier, but the crucial point is to link your account to distribution centers. This means connecting your Walmart account with eBay, Amazon and other platforms to benefit from competitive pricing. It also reduces corporate taxes and boosts sales.

Why choose Minea for dropshipping?

Why choose Minea for dropshipping?

Unlike retail arbitrage on Walmart, Minea is specifically designed for dropshippers and online entrepreneurs. With its powerful product and ad search tools, Minea enables you to quickly identify winning products on social networks. Minea gives you access to a library of ads updated daily, while Walmart concentrates on selling physical products.

What's more, Minea offers advanced filters to target emerging markets, identify reliable suppliers and analyze the competition in depth, giving users a decisive advantage in succeeding in the dropshipping business model. Last but not least, Minea stands out thanks to its influencer analysis, which enables you to discover the influencer marketing strategies employed by your competitors.

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FAQ about dropshipping

Here are some common questions customers ask when considering selling or owning their own website:

  • How can I protect myself against fraud at Walmart? Suppliers are approved on the platform, but it's important to verify the information for added security.
  • How do you recognize a good Walmart product? It's often a brand-name product with a high profit margin and no delivery charges.
  • Why buy box sites? It's a sales strategy that highlights Walmart products.
  • How do I find Walmart suppliers? Use sourcing companies like Minea.

This is not an exhaustive list, but here are a few recurring questions about Walmart.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, dropshipping businesses that succeed in establishing an online store on the Walmart platform often come out on top. This business can be profitable if you follow the step-by-step guide and don't skip any steps.

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