Walmart eCommerce and Retail Media Performance: 2024 Recap
Walmart’s digital transformation continues to reshape the retail landscape, with significant advancements in eCommerce and retail media throughout 2024. As the retail giant strengthens its position against competitors like Amazon and Target, understanding key performance metrics in search visibility, sales share, and retail media investments provides valuable insights for brands looking to maximize their impact on Walmart’s platform.
Walmart eCommerce Sales Performance
Walmart’s online marketplace has demonstrated remarkable growth across various categories, driven by a combination of organic search visibility, paid advertising, and a diversified product catalog. According to Analytic Index’s annual Walmart recap, key product categories such as Electronics, Beauty, Grocery, and Home Improvement have experienced significant sales shifts, with top-performing brands solidifying their market share.
Top Brands by Share of Sales:
The Electronics category, contributing approximately 15% of Walmart’s total online sales, remains one of Walmart’s strongest eCommerce drivers, with Apple, Samsung, and HP leading in sales share.
The Grocery segment has seen an 18% year-over-year growth in online penetration, with fresh produce and ground beef among the most purchased items online.
Health & Beauty brands continue to expand their footprint, with L’Oréal, Neutrogena, and Olay among the top brands. Skincare products alone contributed to a 12% increase in category sales.
The Home & Furniture category has experienced a 9% increase in demand, supported by Walmart’s strong fulfillment network and competitive pricing.
Organic Search Visibility: Most Visible Brands & Keywords
Securing visibility in Walmart’s search ecosystem is critical for brands seeking to increase sales. Organic search rankings are influenced by factors such as product relevance, historical sales data, and customer engagement.
Most Visible Brands:
Walmart’s proprietary brands, along with established national players, continue to capture top positions in search rankings across multiple categories.
Beauty and Personal Care brands saw an increase in search visibility, with CeraVe and Maybelline experiencing a 14% rise in impressions.
Electronics brands maintained strong search visibility, with keywords related to smart home devices and gaming driving a 22% increase in search traffic.
Most Visible Keywords:
High-performing keywords in Grocery include essential food items, with “fresh produce” and “ground beef” ranking at the top, generating over 1.2 million searches monthly.
In the Electronics category, searches for “laptops,” “smart TVs,” and “wireless earbuds” generated strong engagement, with laptops alone accounting for 8% of total search volume.
Home & Furniture items saw search volume increases for terms such as “sectional sofa” (up 17% YoY), “bed frame,” and “kitchen storage.”
Walmart Retail Media Performance
Walmart’s retail media network has become an increasingly powerful tool for brands to boost their visibility and conversion rates through sponsored placements. With brands competing for ad placements, analyzing sponsorship trends provides insights into investment strategies.
Sponsorship Activity by Brand:
Leading brands across Electronics, Beauty, and Grocery have significantly increased their sponsored search investments, with total ad spend rising by 23% in 2024.
The most aggressive advertisers leveraged a mix of Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Display Ads to maintain high visibility, contributing to a 12% average increase in conversion rates.
The Health & Wellness category also saw an uptick in paid sponsorships, driven by a 21% increase in consumer demand for immunity-boosting products.
Top-Sponsored Keywords:
“Wireless earbuds” and “gaming laptop” led sponsorship investments within Electronics, with brands like Sony and Bose heavily investing in ad placements.
“Collagen supplements” and “skincare routine” dominated Beauty category sponsorships, with Neutrogena and The Ordinary leading ad spend.
“Protein powder” and “meal prep containers” saw strong investment in the Grocery category, with brands like Optimum Nutrition and Rubbermaid securing top spots.
What This Means for Brands in 2025
Walmart’s evolving eCommerce and retail media landscape presents clear opportunities for brands to refine their digital strategies. Here are some key takeaways:
Prioritize Organic Search Optimization: Given the competitive nature of Walmart’s search rankings, brands should focus on enhancing product listings, leveraging high-performing keywords, and driving customer engagement through reviews and content.
Leverage Walmart’s Retail Media Network: Sponsored placements remain crucial for increasing visibility and sales. Brands should allocate budgets strategically across Sponsored Products and Display Ads to capture consumer attention, as top-performing brands have seen up to 3x return on ad spend.
Monitor Category Trends: Staying ahead of search and sales trends within Walmart’s marketplace will help brands position themselves effectively against competitors, with insights showing that brands that regularly adjust their strategies experience a 20% increase in market share.
As Walmart continues investing in its digital commerce and retail media ecosystem, brands that adapt their strategies to align with these trends will be best positioned for success in 2025. By combining organic visibility tactics with strategic advertising investments, businesses can maximize their performance on one of the world’s largest online marketplaces.