Running ads on Walmart.com is one of the fastest ways to gain visibility and sales, especially as competition grows on the platform. There are a few features that make this platform stand out from others.
For example, placements are often more limited, automatic campaigns lean heavily on listing optimization, and bid multipliers play a bigger role in gaining visibility.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of setting up your first Walmart Ads campaign step by step.
Key metrics
This article will mention the following metrics:
- Impressions: The number of times your ad was shown to shoppers. High impressions mean visibility, but not necessarily clicks.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): Clicks ÷ Impressions. Shows how attractive your ad looks to shoppers.
- Average CPC (Cost Per Click): The average amount you paid each time someone clicked.
- Ad Spend: The total amount of money spent on clicks.
- Conversion Rate: The percentage of clicks that resulted in an order.
- Orders / Units Sold: The number of transactions or individual items purchased through your ad.
- Total Attributed Sales: The revenue Walmart attributes to your ads.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Total sales ÷ Ad spend. The higher this number, the more revenue you’re getting back for each dollar spent.
Before You Begin
Don’t rush straight into Campaign Manager just yet. A little preparation goes a long way:
Optimize your listings
Walmart’s algorithm uses product titles, descriptions, and attributes to decide when your ads are relevant. If your listing is thin, your ads won’t perform.
Decide on your starting budget
Many sellers begin with a daily budget of \$30–50 per campaign. This gives enough data to evaluate performance without overspending.
Pick a few products to start with
Don’t advertise your entire catalog at once. Choose 3–5 products with healthy margins and solid fulfillment (fast shipping, competitive price).
Tip: Walmart favors products that are already winning the Buy Box. If your offer is struggling for the Buy Box, wait until it stabilizes before advertising.
Here’s how to run your first Walmart Ads Campaign:
Step 1: Log in
Go to Walmart Connect Ad Center. Once you’re in, click the blue “Create Campaign” button in Campaign Manager.
You can access this platform through Walmart Seller Center, and you’ll return to it once your campaigns are up and running to manage all reporting and adjustments.
Step 2: Select a Campaign Type
First, you’ll have to name your campaign.
For now, something simple like “Test” will be enough. But once you have many campaigns running at the same time, you’ll want to have a system of searchable names to make your life easier and avoid confusion.
Then, you’ll be asked to select between three campaign types:
The best-suited option for your first campaign is Sponsored Products. It is the recommended choice because it offers the simplest setup and it often has the largest Return on Investment (ROI). Plus, you’ll probably be familiar with the dynamic because other marketplaces like Amazon offer their equivalent through Sponsored Ads.
The other two options (Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Videos) are best for top-search placement and building awareness among customers.
Of course, there won’t be much you can do with these if you’re just starting, at least not right away. So stick to Sponsored Products for now, see how the platform works, and when you feel ready, try other features.
Step 3: Choose Automatic or Manual Targeting
You’ll now decide how Walmart should match your ads to customer searches. It’s pretty much the same as with Amazon:
Consider starting with an automatic campaign first. Run it for 2 to 3 weeks and then use the best-performing keywords to create a new “Manual” campaign.
Right below this section, you’ll see an option titled “Expanded Targeting”:
When these boxes are checked, Walmart may place your ads in searches where a shopper specifically typed another brand’s name or products related to yours. These options can be helpful, but they’re not the best starting point if you have a tight budget.
Why? These clicks are usually more expensive because competition is stronger.
However, once your campaigns are stable, testing more aggressive strategies like these is a good idea.
Step 4: Scheduling & Budget
In this section, you’ll enter a start date for your campaign and set a Daily Budget.
One big mistake new sellers make is not entering a Daily Budget. This is pretty much the most important step in the whole process. If you don’t set a limit, your spending will rise to the clouds and you’ll suffer great money losses. Remember to set a Daily Budget!
Tip: Don’t set an end date for your first campaign. It’s better to let it run continuously and pause if necessary, rather than risk cutting off data too early. End dates are typically more effective in seasonal periods like Christmas or Halloween.
Set your daily budget to a minimum of $10 per day. To test the waters, we recommend going with $20-$50 at first so you can get meaningful data.
Starting small will help you familiarize yourself with the system and Walmart’s algorithm.
Step 5: Campaign Bidding Strategy
It’s time to choose your bidding strategy. Walmart offers two options:
Fixed bidding is a good starting point. Through this strategy, you set a specific amount you’re willing to pay per click.
As you get more experience, you can explore Dynamic bidding, where Walmart adjusts your bids in real-time to help you get more conversions.
Regarding Bid Multipliers, they work similarly to Amazon’s “bids by placement”. This feature increases your standard keyword bid by a percentage when your ad is eligible to appear in a high-value position.
While Bid Multipliers are recommended if you have a larger budget, avoid using them in your first campaigns. The primary reason is that you don’t have any performance data yet.
Using multipliers effectively requires knowing which placements perform best for your specific products, and this information is only available after running a campaign for a few weeks and analyzing the results.
Step 6: Enter an Ad Group Name
From the beginning, use a clear naming convention for your ad groups. This will make it much easier to manage and analyze your campaigns as you create more of them. A good format to follow is: Product Category – Campaign Type – Date.
This step is more critical than it seems. Once you learn to select different products into ad groups, naming them accordingly will save you a lot of time. Start with the right foot and build the habit of naming all your campaigns in order.
Step 7: Add your product and launch
You’re almost there! Now it’s time to type in your product in the Item list:
Keep in mind that Walmart allows you to advertise other people’s products, so make sure you select yours after searching for it. Pay attention to the Item ID.
After selecting, Walmart suggests a bid. However, you can set any amount you want.
Once your details are in place, click Save and then Launch Campaign. Your ads will usually begin serving within a few hours. From there, go back into Campaign Manager regularly to review impressions, clicks, conversions, and ROAS.
Here’s a real example of Walmart’s Dashboard with a summary of all current campaigns.
Tip: In the first two weeks, don’t make significant changes every day. Give the campaign enough time to gather data before making any adjustments. Weekly optimizations are usually best for new campaigns.
Once your campaigns have been running for a few weeks, you’ll have valuable data on the platform. Here’s how keyword performance inside a Walmart Ads campaign looks:
This view is used to decide which keywords to scale (because they convert profitably) and which ones to pause or lower their bids. For example:
The phrase match keyword with a $1.65 bid shows a high ROAS ($4.89) and strong conversion rate (16.95%) on low spend, which is very efficient.
The broad match with $343 spend has a lower ROAS ($2.25), so you’d watch whether it’s worth continuing at that bid.
You can also analyze it at the campaign level:
This view is useful for comparing campaign efficiency overall. The main takeaway here is that the top campaign spent $51 and returned $274 in sales, with a strong ROAS of 5.38 and low CPC ($0.34).
Meanwhile, the last two campaigns (ROAS 0.93 and 0.48) are losing money, which means they should be optimized, paused, or restructured.
Conclusion
Launching your first Walmart Ads campaign doesn’t have to be complicated. Be sure to pay attention to the details, though.
With every new campaign you’ll learn more on optimization, keywords and ad groups. Over time these minor, steady improvements are what turn Walmart Ads into a reliable growth channel for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s the best campaign type to start with?
Most sellers should begin with Sponsored Products. They’re the easiest to set up, similar to Amazon ads, and usually deliver the strongest returns early on.
Should I use automatic or manual campaigns first?
Start with an automatic campaign. Let it run for 2–3 weeks, then use the performance data to build a manual campaign with the best-performing keywords.
Should I turn on Expanded Targeting?
Not at the beginning. Expanded targeting can show your ads when shoppers search for other brands, but those clicks are usually more expensive and convert less. Save this feature for later when your campaigns are stable and you have extra budget to test.
How much should I spend per day?
A daily budget of $20–50 is a good starting point. It’s enough to collect meaningful data without overspending. Start small and scale up gradually.
Which bidding strategy works best for beginners?
Go with Fixed bidding. It’s simple, predictable, and gives you control over how much you pay per click. Once you’re comfortable, experiment with dynamic bidding.
What are Bid Multipliers and when should I use them?
They let you raise your bid to win premium placements (similar to Amazon’s “bids by placement”). Skip them in your first campaigns—wait until you’ve gathered data to know which placements are actually worth the extra cost.
How long should I wait before optimizing?
Give your campaign at least 1–2 weeks before making major changes. Daily adjustments make it hard to see real trends in performance.
Which metrics matter the most early on?
Focus on ROAS, average CPC, CTR, and conversion rate. Together, they tell you if your ads are getting attention, if you’re paying a fair price for clicks, and if those clicks are turning into sales.
When should I pause a campaign?
If your ROAS stays consistently low (below 1.0) after a few weeks and clicks aren’t leading to sales, it’s time to either adjust bids, refine targeting, or pause the campaign to avoid wasting budget.
Ready to Launch Your Walmart Ads the Right Way?
Running your first campaign can feel overwhelming. Which settings should you use? How much should you spend? When do you know it’s time to scale? The truth is, Walmart Ads can be a powerful sales driver… but only if your campaigns are set up and optimized from the start.
That’s where we come in. Our team has helped brands move past guesswork and turn Walmart campaigns into predictable revenue machines.
Here’s what will happen:
- We’ll take a look at your current Walmart setup or help you start fresh if you’re brand new.
- You’ll get actionable advice on campaign structure, budgets, and targeting strategies—tailored to your products.
- By the end of the call, you’ll have a clear roadmap for making Walmart Ads work for your brand.
You’ll get real guidance you can apply immediately.
Take the Next Step
Fill out the form below to schedule your free call. Let’s build your first Walmart Ads campaign with confidence.