Retail Media: Walmart Connect Takes Streaming Ads Beyond Its Supplier Base

Walmart Connect is pitching streaming advertising to non-endemic brands, meaning advertisers whose products do not appear on Walmart shelves. At an advertiser event in New York on October 6, Walmart Connect SVP and GM Ryan Mayward said the Vizio and Vibe.co acquisitions had brought “thousands” of relationships with brands that do not sell at Walmart, Adweek reported.

Vizio, acquired for $2.3 billion, adds its connected TV platform and ad business. Vibe.co contributes self-service streaming TV ad technology for small and midsize advertisers. Walmart paid a reported $1.4 billion for it, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Walmart Data on Partner Inventory

Reach also extends beyond Walmart-owned screens. A Yahoo DSP proof of concept let buyers target Walmart’s first-party audiences on Vizio inventory via Magnite, with closed-loop sales measurement. Walmart Connect says the product is now moving into alpha and expanding to CTV inventory from additional publishers.

Walmart is thus selling its shopper data as a streaming proposition, not only as a channel for suppliers.