Walmart once promised it wouldn’t sell the top spots in its search results, but those days are over. Sponsored listings now appear across almost every Walmart search. They often push organic products far down the page. Studies show that around a quarter of first-page results are paid ads, and the first organic product might not show up until halfway down the list.

This shift is part of Walmart’s growing focus on advertising. Just in 2024, the company made $4.4 billion from ads. This is a 27% jump from the year before.

Almost a third of Walmart’s operating income now comes from advertising, showing how central it has become to its eCommerce strategy. Under Chief Growth Officer Seth Dallaire, a former Amazon executive, Walmart has clearly adopted the same “pay to play” model that made Amazon’s ad business thrive.

The takeaway

For sellers, the message is simple: visibility now costs money.

Sponsored Products have become essential for reaching shoppers, especially in competitive categories like batteries, clothing, and home goods.

Still, shoppers don’t seem to mind. Walmart says it uses algorithms to balance ads and organic listings so results feel relevant. And the approach seems to be working: U.S. eCommerce sales grew 26% in mid-2025.

Sponsored listings are here to stay, and sellers who adapt early will secure the best spots while others are left behind.