• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 14, 2023

Walmart Connect announced the rollout of Sponsored Videos for search, giving brands a tool for storytelling. The feature launched Thursday in generally availability to all advertisers registered through the Walmart Brand Portal.

Susanna Lee, senior director of product marketing for Walmart Connect, believes the old adage of “show, don’t tell,” couldn’t be more true in retail media today.

“Video ads in search results give you the ability to tell your brand or product’s story to break the barrier between upper-funnel campaign tactics and performance ad formats like Sponsored Search,” she said, adding that the media can create intrigue and interest at the moment they convince and convert customers.

Fifty-one percent of Walmart customers surveyed discover new products about once a month in their search results on Walmart.com and the Walmart app, and 53% are open to switching brands to get the best value. 

Some 93% of the top 100 searched keywords are non-branded words or phrases, which means customers look for suggestions on different products. And 75% of surveyed Walmart customers say they have a shopping list, but will buy products not on the list if they see them in search.

This is Walmart Connect’s first onsite video advertising solution, available in time for the holidays. The company said its customers rely on site search to guide them through the process of finding products from the brands they know and trust, or discovery of a new product.

Video content stands out, and can make a personal and emotional connection with consumers.

The company believes Sponsored Videos can increase brand awareness by attracting potential customers into the marketing funnel with ads that capture customers’ attention to grow market share, attract new customers and educate shoppers on product benefits.  

Closed-loop measurement for Sponsored Videos includes Walmart Connect’s standard Sponsored Search metrics, plus tailored insights for video, such as view-through rate (VTR), viewable click-through-rate (vCTR), and view-based attributed sales metrics.

Advertisers can use a direct and halo video attribution model to measure the impact on product sales after customers watch their Sponsored Videos.