For most brands it isn’t really Amazon or Walmart. It’s whether Walmart is worth adding, and when. Here’s a plain comparison of the two marketplaces from a brand owner’s point of view.
Amazon is the bigger, more competitive marketplace with deeper brand tools and ad options. Walmart Marketplace is application-based, has no monthly fee and usually less competition per category, but needs a stronger operational setup to get approved. Most brands should get Amazon right first, then add Walmart as a second channel.
| Amazon | Walmart Marketplace | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting in | Most businesses can register directly | Application reviewed by Walmart; ecommerce history and GS1 UPCs expected |
| Seller fees | Selling plan plus referral fees by category | No setup or monthly fees; referral fee per sale, mostly 6%–15% |
| Fulfillment | Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or your own | Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) or your own U.S. warehouse with returns |
| Advertising | Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, display ads, Amazon DSP | Walmart Connect, including Sponsored Products |
| Brand tools | Brand Registry, A+ Content, Brand Stores, Vine | Walmart Brand Portal and enhanced content options |
| Competition | Very high in most categories | Usually fewer sellers per category |
| Marketplaces | US plus many international Amazon stores | Mainly U.S.-focused for most brands |
Walmart details from Walmart Marketplace pricing and its seller requirements. Amazon fees vary by category and plan; see Amazon’s pricing page.
We manage Amazon for brands across Amazon marketplaces, including the US, UK and Canada, and run Walmart Marketplace and Walmart advertising for brands ready to add the channel. One in-house team plans listings, ads and inventory across both, so the channels support each other.
See our Walmart Marketplace management, or read the Walmart advertising guide before you plan your first campaigns.
It’s easier to get started on Amazon, which lets most businesses sign up directly. Walmart Marketplace reviews applications and asks for things like marketplace or ecommerce history and products with GS1 UPCs.
Walmart says there are no setup or monthly fees for Marketplace sellers. You pay a referral fee on each sale, which varies by category and generally ranges from 6% to 15%, with a few categories outside that range.
Yes. Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) stores, picks, packs and ships your orders, similar to Fulfillment by Amazon. It has its own fulfillment and storage fees.
Yes. Walmart Connect is Walmart’s advertising business, including Sponsored Products for Marketplace sellers.
Rarely. For most brands Walmart works best as a second channel added once Amazon is stable, using the same product content, reviews strategy and inventory planning.
Every case study below comes directly from unedited Seller Central, Amazon Ads, Search Query Performance, Sellerboard, TikTok Shop, and Walmart Connect dashboards.
+102% Ad Sales · −53% ACOSRedesigned the main image for click-through, rewrote listing copy and A+ Content to convert, then rebuilt Sponsored Products and daily bid management.
+117% Ad Sales · −29% ACOSRebuilt campaign hierarchy and segmentation with disciplined bid rules and A+ Content so 54% more ad spend produced 117% more ad revenue.
+126% Ad Sales · −40% ACOSTightened listing copy and imagery in week one, cut wasted spend across unprofitable targets, and set SKU-level ACOS goals with daily bid adjustments.
+144% Ad Sales · +141% OrdersMapped untapped high-intent keyword pockets and expanded placement coverage while upgrading creative so sales jumped from $38K to $93K at stable ROAS.
+118% Click Share · +106% ClicksDiagnosed Search Query Performance funnel drop-off and redesigned the main image around the core buyer need—doubling click share even as market volume dipped.
~$97K → ~$160K MonthlySequenced listing conversion upgrades, A+ Content across hero SKUs, and structured PPC review cycles—compounding from ~$97K to ~$160K in monthly revenue.
+906% Purchases · 9.62% ShareCombined SQP search-funnel analysis, buyer-language listing SEO, main image CTR work, and exact-match ranking campaigns to capture 9.62% purchase share.
+$87K Net Profit · −30.6% Ad CostAudited SKU-level contribution margins in Sellerboard, eliminated $34K in low-margin ad waste, and reversed YoY profit trend from −31.4% to +12.5%.
£256 → £297,128 GMV · 11,827 OrdersBuilt an affiliate recruitment, seeding, Discord community, and brief engine from scratch—generating £197,522 in creator-attributed GMV and 11,827 orders.
+51.9% Shop GMV · +67% OrdersBroke through creator concentration plateau by expanding publishing affiliates from 503 to 556 and scaling GMV Max ads behind top-converting videos.
$1.27K → $21.6K Sales · 2.72 ROASRebuilt Walmart listing quality scores from Poor to Good, cleaned up catalog structure, and scaled Walmart Connect Sponsored Search to 2.72× ROAS.
Read all 12 original written client reviews verbatim—linked directly to Trustpilot so you can verify every single one.
Book a strategy call. We’ll look at your catalog and Amazon results and tell you honestly whether Walmart makes sense yet.
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CommerceKind
Amazon and TikTok Shop marketing agency for brand owners. 60+ brands managed in-house. Headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, USA.
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