With 1.7 billion online searches on walmart.ca each year and 44% of Canadian shoppers visiting Walmart stores on a weekly basis, Walmart Connect is evolving to become Canada’s #1 omnichannel retail media solution.
Walmart Canada’s ardent focus on the customer empowers brands with opportunities to create meaningful connections
Omnichannel media planning is a rapidly growing and effective solution for brands who want to deliver holistic messaging across both in-store and online touchpoints to reach customers as they travel less linear shopping journeys.
Innovative marketing around seasons and occasions, and through always on programming, creates engaging solutions for brands and shoppers throughout a wide range of channels and tactics.
Walmart Connect Canada works toward a mission of connecting partner brands with Walmart’s retail customers in mutually beneficial relationships. By substantially investing in ecommerce, Walmart has ensured customers are met where they are, strengthening connections.
Ecommerce has grown 124% in the last two years, with no signs of slowing down. Customers want to be able to shop as conveniently as possible. With digital solutions at their fingertips, people spend more time planning to shop, which makes the pre-purchase process as important as the purchase itself.
Reaching beyond the website, Walmart’s digital shoppers now make 36% of one-time orders and over 50% of scheduled orders through the app—and omnichannel customers spend 112% more than those who shop only in-store. Brands have an incredible opportunity to curate a more holistic shopping experience across digital and in-store media placements.
By leveraging the full channel mix throughout all phases of the customer journey, brands can deliver the right solution, during the right season, for the right occasion, to the right target audiences. To provide the convenience, meaningful connection, and immersive experience shoppers embrace, vendors can build category programs that are specific to the moment through integrated media plans.
- 44% of Canadian shoppers visit Walmart stores on a weekly basis
- 400+ physical retail stores across the country
- Almost 3 million users active on the app each month
- 20 million unique site visits on a monthly basis
- 1.7 billion online searches on walmart.ca annually
- Annual household penetration of 79%
Getting Creative in Anticipating Shifting Demand Timelines
Across Canada, both online and in-store, demand has increased for products across categories—and one particular behaviour pattern has shifted remarkably: timing. Customers now shop for events earlier than ever—and to meet that demand, retailers have had to innovate quickly to anticipate their needs. For Chief Merchandising Officer Kieran Shanahan, that means big bets on product orders, as well as collaboration with global shipping partners to meet growing demands within a strained supply system.
Customer behaviours still reflect the past and current influence of the pandemic. Yet, day-to-day life is normalizing. People are ready for happiness, connection, and celebration and look forward to celebrating big and small occasions with fanfare.
The Insights and Data Led Targeting Evolution
Data shows that customers shop on a mission for occasions, whether to decorate for an event, craft the perfect meal for a gathering, or refresh their look for a return to working in person. Brands can step up with relevant messaging that carries a focused narrative around the occasions that matter most to Canadians.
This means connecting to the right targets with a higher frequency on appropriate channels. The habitual behaviour customers show around occasions feeds a rich data pool spanning the entire customer experience, and Walmart Connect applies this data to enable purchase-based targeting that is driven by narrative, not just numbers.
Many of the solutions announced at Unboxed 2021 came as a direct result of conversations between Walmart Connect Canada and brand partners, and the exciting upcoming changes hold the potential to transform the way customers and brands connect.
Walmart Canada has partnered with Thrive Global to deploy Thrive across the organization. As part of the program, associates learn and adopt microsteps that help them build healthy habits and avoid burnout. Enabling this wellness program is part of our commitment to empower our workforce with the tools and practices they need to succeed.
