Walmart unleashes push to attract U.K. sellers to online marketplace
Walmart is kicking off a major effort that is aimed at bringing U.K. exporters to its flagship U.S. Walmart Marketplace, a well-established online marketplace where a trusted community of third-party sellers serve a growing base of more than 120 million loyal U.S. shoppers each month.
Sellers approved to join the marketplace will be offered the services of a dedicated onboarding team, as well as access to powerful tools and services to help them rapidly scale up across the Atlantic, including the opportunity to get their goods to U.S. customers within two days.
The move to embrace U.K. exporters expands on decades of Walmart’s engagement with U.K. retailing and comes as the British government increases efforts to promote U.K. goods beyond the EU with its ‘Made in the U.K., Sold to the World’ campaign. U.S. and U.K. trade representatives met earlier this year to deepen trade ties and boost the two nations’ thriving £200 billion relationship.
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Walmart shared that Darren Carithers, senior vice president of Marketplace Development for Walmart International, offered British exporters the “full support of the Walmart team” as the world’s leading omnichannel retailer continues to invest heavily in the Marketplace and prioritizes its growth.
“We are confident that U.K. sellers will be able to leverage Britain’s reputation for design and manufacturing excellence and product quality to thrive as Marketplace sellers and bring more choice to our U.S. customers with speed and scale,” Carithers said.
Among the world-class tools available to help sellers streamline cross-border operations and grow their stateside business is Walmart Fulfillment Services. It allows U.K. sellers to use Walmart’s market-leading U.S. supply chain infrastructure and expertise to offer two-day delivery to most of the U.S. Sellers may also access marketplace platform tools that help them speed up processes, identify growth opportunities and manage promotions and feedback.
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Top-tier U.K. companies already on the platform include STATSports, which has grown from its home base in Northern Ireland to be a global leader in wearable tech for professional and amateur sportspeople; Glasgow-based BuyBox, which sells home and garden products; Nodor, which manufactures and sells Red Dragon darts and other sporting equipment from its headquarters in Bridgend, Wales; and Leicester-based Pertemba, which exports a wide array of products to 18 countries worldwide.
Ravi Karia, managing director of Pertemba, said, “Building our business on the marketplace model, we’ve been exporting to the world since 2009. Today we sell on around 60 e-commerce marketplaces, big and small. Walmart Marketplace stands out for us for being easy to do business on, bringing us huge exposure and steady sales growth. I’d advise sellers to take advantage of how simple it is to list on the Marketplace to bring their full catalog and to explore Walmart Fulfilment Services, which we’re using to help us meet U.S. consumers’ high expectations for customer service and further improve our conversion rate.”
As part of the effort to attract sellers, Walmart will host a U.K. Sellers Summit in London on June 17, 2022, with the support of Payoneer, the commerce technology company powering payments, and Linnworks, the commerce automation platform that connects commerce everywhere. Leading manufacturers and exporters from an array of sectors, ranging from fashion, home and kitchen to sporting goods, beauty and entertainment, have been invited to attend.
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Additionally, Payoneer and Linnworks will work with Walmart to offer U.K. sellers integrated payment options and centralized inventory and order management workflows to help them simplify and streamline cross-border operations and scale as demand grows.
“Payoneer is on a journey to empower businesses of all sizes, from all nations to grow across borders,” said James Allum, senior vice president and regional head of Europe at Payoneer. “We are delighted to see more U.K. companies joining the global digital economy as sellers on Walmart Marketplace in the U.S. We look forward to continuing to help them manage their cross-border payments, access working capital and compliance support and expand around the world.”
“Meeting customers wherever they are choosing to shop online, with the right product at the right time is vital to success in business today,” said Callum Campbell, CEO of Linnworks. “Walmart Marketplace removes barriers for U.K. sellers by connecting them to high-demand shoppers and offering a straightforward fulfilment solution. Linnworks is here to help sellers effortlessly integrate with Walmart Marketplace, so they can grow revenues, automate their processes, and unlock their business potential.”
Walmart noted that two-day shipping is provided anywhere in the contiguous U.S. but is not guaranteed during peak season (September to January).