Here are some first impressions and things I’m learning:
Pro: The commissions are impressive.
Although I only make 1% on groceries and food items (which does add up), I make 18% on nearly everything store-wide (besides non-commissionable items like chemicals, precious metals, pharmacy, etc.). It’s important to note, the current commission rates are for the Beta program and are always subject to change.
For example: I promoted a $600 product and automatically made over $100 with every single sale. This is far better than any other major retailer affiliate program I’m a part of. I actually noticed that in 1 week of focusing on Walmart sales, I had surpassed my typical monthly sales on a major competitors affiliate program (one I link constantly).
You also get $7 per Walmart plus trial and $16 per Walmart plus (once confirmed). This doesn’t align with my content, but it’s a great option for some influencers.
Unfortunately, Walmart partners with many rewards programs that automatically apply at checkout. I used my own affiliate link to make a $1,000 purchase, but I received zero commission because my Honey plug-in applied automatically. Honey paid me a whopping $1 bonus, got my entire commission, and the sale didn’t even show up on the backend. This is the biggest deal-breaker for me.
Pro: They are starting to offer more promotions to start ramping up sales.
Walmart Plus Week ran from July 10th through the 13th and they offered 50% off of the Walmart+ subscription as well as thousands of deals similar to Amazon’s Prime Day. These promotions help entice customers to pull the trigger on items and helps you earn more commission without doing much more work.
Con: Statistics are a little slow.
The website claims it can take up to 72 hours to appear in the report. Fortunately, I’ve noticed it to take right at 24 hours to see a sale show up. However, this can be frustrating if you want real-time updates.
Pro: My audience actually loves Walmart.
When I ran some polls on IG stories, my followers said they prefer “whichever option has the cheapest products” and they prefer me to link to both Amazon AND Walmart so they can decide! Similar to Amazon, it really comes down to the seller. Be cautious, read reviews, and note the return policy.
Con: You (obviously) won’t get commission for purchases made in-store.
With Amazon, that’s not a concern. However, I haven’t focused on selling products that are available in-store, so this hasn’t been an issue for me.
Con: It’s relatively pointless to create posts on the Walmart creator platform.
…for now. They don’t appear on Walmart.com or any type of explore page (like Amazon has). The only purpose of creating content is for it to be visible on your Walmart
Creator storefront.
Pro: It pays better AND is far less strict than its competitors.
There’s no restrictions on where you can link (within reason). For instance, you can share links via direct message, on your Facebook groups, and via email campaign. My main complaint with the other main program I’m in (and LOVE aspects of, don’t get me wrong) is how many hidden rules are in the terms of service.
Con: A couple things have restricted my sales.
Shipping is slower, but almost always comes before they predict. (Unfortunately, shoppers don’t know this and tend to prefer Prime shipping speeds).
Walmart has cancelled a few of my orders and sales which means I don’t get the commission. (I sold a $600 pergola, but my follower said they cancelled the order next day and refunded her… which means the commission was removed from my analytics.)
As of now, this program is in a testing period… so I wouldn’t rely too heavily on it.
The backend of the system is a little unreliable - I’ve had a lot of sales not show up that I was not given credit for, which is a bummer. It is clear that they are actively working to correct these issues, but in the meantime it can be frustrating. I also make far more money through Amazon’s creator program.
I hope to rely more heavily on this affiliate program if and when they stop giving credit for my sales to plugins such as Honey. This is probably one of my biggest issues I have with Walmart.
It’s only going to get better.
I definitely recommend submitting an application to get in as soon as possible, but understand that there are still kinks in the system they are working out and it might not be a seamless experience. I know some very large influencer that are still waiting on approval. You may get approved in days, or it may take a year!
