The world of e-commerce is ever-evolving, and 2026 will bring even more opportunities to optimize your strategy.
Walmart Connect's on-site display ads offer a powerful tool for reaching shoppers directly on Walmart.com and within the Walmart app, making them a crucial part of your advertising strategy this year.
Whether you're new to on-site display ads or looking to optimize your existing campaigns, these 6 actionable tips will help you achieve success and boost your visibility in 2026.
1. Accelerate Discovery with Visual Appeal
On-site display ads allow you to reach shoppers as they browse Walmart’s digital properties, even if they aren’t searching for your product directly. These highly visual ads are perfect for driving brand discovery and awareness, especially in areas of the site where sponsored search ads don’t appear.
Actionable Tip: Use visually compelling content that draws attention to your brand, even in places like the homepage, category pages, and “deal” sections. This helps you expand your reach and capture shoppers’ attention before they’re ready to make a purchase.
👉🏻 Learn more about Walmart On‑Site Display ads and where they appear.
2. Leverage Precise Targeting for High-Intent Buyers
Walmart Connect allows you to target high-intent shoppers based on first-party data from Walmart’s vast customer base. With advanced targeting, you can connect with users at different stages of their shopping journey, from those just starting their research to those ready to buy.
Actionable Tip: Use Walmart's audience segmentation to target high-intent shoppers by:
- Targeting those who’ve browsed similar products or added items to their cart.
- Focusing on in-market shoppers actively searching for products in your category.
- Utilizing audience lookalikes to expand your reach to similar shoppers.
This ensures you connect with users most likely to convert, enhancing campaign performance.
3. Pair On-Site Display Ads with Sponsored Search
Integrating on-site display ads with your sponsored search campaigns can significantly increase your conversion rates. According to data, shoppers exposed to both types of ads are up to 3 times more likely to purchase and spend up to 40% more on brand items.
Actionable Tip: If you're already using sponsored search, complement your efforts with on-site display ads. This combination maximizes brand visibility and drives more qualified traffic to your product listings, increasing your chances of conversion.
👉🏻 Learn how to use Walmart Sponsored Search for search campaigns.
4. Optimize Your Budget and Bidding Strategy
On-site display ads operate through a first-price auction with dynamic bidding, meaning you control your budget, base bids, and flight dates. Walmart's dynamic bidding engine adjusts bids in real time, ensuring your ads are placed efficiently while maximizing visibility.
Actionable Tip: Start with a lower bid to test performance, then gradually increase your bid as you gather data. This approach allows you to minimize early risks while optimizing for better placements. Additionally, make sure your campaign pacing aligns with your budget to avoid blowing through your funds too quickly.
By adjusting bids and budget distribution strategically, you ensure that your ads are placed where they can deliver the best return.
5. Use Data-Driven Insights for Continuous Optimization
Walmart Connect offers powerful analytics tools for tracking the performance of your on-site display ads, allowing you to optimize your campaigns in real-time.
Actionable Tip: Use the following steps to optimize your ads:
- Monitor key metrics like impressions, clicks, and CPM to track ad performance.
- Evaluate Return on Ad Spend (RoAS) to gauge conversions and adjust your budget accordingly.
- Leverage Walmart Connect’s Dashboard for in-flight reporting to identify areas for improvement.
- Analyze new-to-brand data to understand how well your ads are attracting first-time buyers.
- Adjust bids and targeting based on performance data to focus on high-intent shoppers.
Using these insights, you can refine your strategy and ensure your campaigns stay effective over time.
6. Test and Refine Creatives with Walmart’s AI Tools
Walmart offers AI-powered creative tools to streamline the process of creating high-quality on-site display ads. These tools help you generate multiple ad variations to test, ensuring your creatives resonate with your audience and maximize performance.
Actionable Tip:
- Leverage Walmart’s AI powered creative tool to quickly generate different ad creatives.
- Test multiple variations of visuals, messaging, and calls to action to determine which resonates most with your target audience.
- Use insights from the Display Performance Dashboard to refine your creatives based on in-flight metrics and performance.
This approach allows you to continuously optimize your ads for better engagement and conversions.
👉🏻 Walmart's AI-powered creative tool can help streamline the process and boost your results.
Conclusion: Set Yourself Up for Success in 2026
With the right strategy, Walmart’s on-site display ads can be a game-changer for your brand in 2026.
By focusing on visual appeal, precise targeting, and data-driven insights, you can build awareness, drive engagement, and ultimately increase sales. Remember, success comes from testing and optimizing, so use these 6 tips to refine your approach and set your brand up for success this year.
Ready to make the most of Walmart Connect's on-site display ads in 2026? Start optimizing today and see how these strategies can elevate your campaigns.
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