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Not all affiliate programs are created equal.
Depending on which niche you’re in, one program can prove to be more profitable than the other. Even a small percentage increase in affiliate commissions can make a big difference in your pay as you grow your website traffic.
And with the recent changes to the popular Amazon Associates program and limited categories to promote with the Target affiliate program, you may be wondering how the Walmart affiliate program stacks up.
In this review, I’ll break down the most important details to help you determine whether you should apply to become an affiliate of Walmart or go elsewhere.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of Contents
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- Walmart
- How Does Walmart Affiliate Program Work?
- Walmart Affiliate Program Basics
- Who Can Become a Walmart Affiliate?
- Walmart Affiliate Commission Structure
- Walmart Grocery Refer-a-Friend Program
- Walmart Refer-a-Friend Details:
- Walmart Grocery Refer-a-Friend Program
- Walmart Affiliate Tools
- Walmart SDK
- How to Make Money with the Walmart Affiliate Program
- Walmart Ibotta Browser Extension
- Promote Walmart Products with SEO
- Walmart Affiliate Program vs. Amazon Associates
- Side-by-Side
- Comparison Summary
- Walmart Affiliate Program vs. Target Affiliates
- Side-by-Side
- Comparison Summary
- Walmart Affiliates FAQ
- How do I sign up for Walmart Affiliate Program?
- What is the Walmart.com Affiliate Program?
- How does the Walmart.com Affiliate Program work?
- Does it cost anything to become a Walmart.com affiliate?
- How Much Does the Walmart Affiliate Program Pay?
Walmart
With 90% of Americans living within 10 miles of a Walmart store, it’d be hard to find someone who hasn’t heard of or shopped at Walmart. From humble beginnings as a small discount retailer in Rogers, Arkansas nearly 50 years ago, Walmart has now grown to over 10,500 stores.
Similarly to Amazon, Walmart also carries a high level of brand awareness and authority. This is great for you since this level of trust typically leads to more people buying from the omnichannel retailer, which can lead to more affiliate sales from traffic you send their way.
But what may be more interesting to you is the ecommerce growth Walmart experienced during the 2020 pandemic. Walmart’s online sales grew at an astounding 79% percent for its fiscal year 2021, ranking them in 2nd place in US retail e-commerce shares.
While some “essential” retailers struggled to keep up with the increased shopping demand, Walmart soared due to their prior investments in online pickup and delivery services. So you can rest assured that Walmart can fulfill online orders of customers you send their way. This will help minimize any affiliate chargebacks on unfulfilled orders, keeping more money in your pocket.
How Does Walmart Affiliate Program Work?
The Walmart affiliate program is a service that allows participating websites to earn commissions on sales referred to Walmart dot com, using specially tracked links. You get paid a referral fee each time that customer places an order within 3 days of clicking on your affiliate link.
The free to join affiliate program is hosted by the affiliate network Impact Radius. Coincidently, this is also the same affiliate network that hosts the Target affiliate program.
The affiliate setup process is also pretty straight forward. Simply complete the application form on the Walmart affiliate website to get started.
Walmart Affiliate Program Basics
| Referral Commissions | Up to 4%, $10 per sale |
| Action Locking | Actions are locked 2 months after end of the month they are tracked. |
| Affiliate Payout | Approved transactions are paid 1 month after end of the month they lock. |
| Credit Policy | Last click attribution model |
| Cookie Duration | Allow referrals from clicks within 3 days |
Who Can Become a Walmart Affiliate?
You can register to become a Walmart affiliate if you have a blog, website, newsletter, or a search landing page where you have an audience. Family friendly sites that are U.S. based and serve primarily a US-based audience can apply to their affiliate program. Additionally, Walmart states that you must have an online privacy policy that visitors can clearly see on your site.
Websites that are under construction or not ‘live’ will not be accepted into the program per Walmart’s affiliate agreement. If you want to be seen as a serious affiliate marketer, then you’ll want to have digital real estate such as a blog or YouTube channel to show.
Walmart Affiliate Commission Structure
If you have a niche affiliate website, then these next numbers are going to be important. This affiliate payout structure will determine how much you will earn promoting Walmart products on your website.
Here’s the overall commission structure:
Unlike the Target affiliate program, Walmart does not offer a volume-based commission structure, but they do offer WAY more product categories to promote.
Walmart product categories you CAN promote:
POSTPAID Mobile Devices L3
Electronics
Wireless
Celebration
Books and Magazines
Stationary
Automative
Do It Yourself
Horticulture
Pets and Supplies
Baby Hardlines L2
Infant Apparel
Girls Wear
Intimate Apparel
Accessories
Media and Gaming
Cameras and Supplies
Seasonal
Toys
One Hour Photo
Sporting Goods
Hardware and Tools
Patio and Garden
Personal Care
Beauty
Menswear
Boys Wear
Shoes
Ladies Apparel
Jewelry
This is a pretty good list of a wide range of products to promote. So if you have a general affiliate website, then this is definitely an affiliate program to consider.
Non-Commissionable Walmart product categories:
Automative Tires
Food
Video Game Hardware L3
Precious Metals ECOMM L2
Gift + Prepaid Cards ECOMM L3
Baby Consumables L2
The above list of non-commissionable items is short. This should only affect a small handful of niche affiliate marketers – and hopefully that’s not you!
Check Out Other Affiliate Program Reviews >>
Walmart Grocery Refer-a-Friend Program
Walmart also offers a referral bonus for inviting new members to the Walmart Grocery Pickup and Delivery program. This is separate from their affiliate program and is under their refer-a-friend program.
Walmart Refer-a-Friend Details:
- $15 per qualified referral
- No Limit on the Number of Referrals
- Payout is in Walmart credit on pickup and delivery purchases
Once your referral downloads the Walmart grocery app or joins the program via the Walmart website, you'll earn a $15 commission. In order to qualify for the refer-a-friend bonus, you must have a Walmart account. Additionally, your referral must make a minimum purchase of $50 through Walmart.com/grocery and be a new sign up to the program. They will also receive a $15 bonus on their first order.
There are certain affiliate tools that will help you make more money with the Walmart affiliate program. I’ll go over one must have tool in particular that will help increase your affiliate commissions. While there are other tools out there, many are outdated Walmart affiliate tools that are no longer kept and would be of no benefit to you.
Walmart SDK
The Walmart SDK affiliate tool is an awesome tool for anyone promoting Walmart products.
This tool will allow you to create Buy Buttons that look just like the Walmart buttons, which will create better brand uniformity across your Walmart affiliate website.
It will also help you drive more sales by offering configuration components that will directly add a product to the cart on Walmart dot com from your website. This is a super important feature. It basically means you can remove friction in purchase by reducing the number of steps required for a consumer to purchase an item from Walmart dot com and hence see an increased conversion rate.
There are two versions of the Walmart BuyNow Button for the web:
- JS: This is meant for usage on apps, mweb and desktop sites. This uses a JavaScript library.
- HTML Version: This version of the button is meant to be used in display ads.
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How to Make Money with the Walmart Affiliate Program
Registering for affiliate programs is usually the easier part of affiliate marketing. Actually making money with affiliate links is a whole other ball game. But with the right strategy, you can earn real passive income with dedicated work.
Also, retail affiliate programs are not necessarily the fastest way to earning a full-time income. That goal can be accomplished more easily by promoting high paying affiliate programs. But I’ll share with you how to make more money with the traffic you send to your affiliate products so you’re earning more with your time
Walmart Ibotta Browser Extension
When you share with your audience tips and tricks that will help them save more on purchases, they will be more likely to convert on an affiliate offer. That’s where the Ibotta Browser Extension tool can become your best friend in earning more affiliate commissions.
Ibotta is a cash back rewards program that essentially offers digital coupons at most major grocery and retail chain stores. This includes Walmart.
As an affiliate of Ibotta, you can earn upwards of $10 per new referral that downloads the browser extension tool. On the opposite end, your audience will earn real cash back rewards on their Walmart purchases. It’s a win-win situation.
Simply mention the money saving tool anywhere you promote Walmart products, and watch your affiliate income grow more over time.
Promote Walmart Products with SEO
Learn How to Build a Profitable Affiliate Website
(Free Step-by-Step Video Tutorials to Making Money with a Blog!)
One of the undisputed best ways to earn money with an affiliate marketing website is to leverage search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.
What is SEO?
“SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It’s the practice of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic, as well as exposure to your brand, through non-paid (also known as “organic”) search engine results.”
– Moz.com
Simply put, if you have an affiliate website, you’ll be able to drastically increase your traffic and conversion rates by writing content that appeals to your audience and satisfies search engine platforms such as Google.
The same holds true for YouTube. If you’re a YouTuber, then you’ll see better results by creating SEO friendly videos. These types of videos have the ability to go YouTube viral and can generate a massive amount of traffic to your affiliate offers.
SEO is what will make the difference between earning your first affiliate commission in 1 or 2 months versus in 6 or 12 months. These are seemingly small things, yet highly impactful details, that are oftentimes overlooked by new affiliate marketers.
And with new affiliate sites popping up everyday online, your best course of action to make more money with your website is to create SEO rich content.
If you’re brand new at SEO, then take advantage of this free SEO course to help you get started.
Walmart Affiliate Program vs. Amazon Associates
Both of these behemoth e-commerce juggernauts are similar in many ways. They each offer low-priced everyday items, are ranked in the #1 and #2 spot for largest US retail ecommerce shares, and appeal to a massive audience of buyers.
But how do they compare side-by-side with their affiliate programs?
Let’s take a look!
Side-by-Side
Walmart Affiliates
Commission Rate: Up to 4%, $10 per sale
Commission Structure: Fixed Rate
Cookie Duration: 3 Days
Products to Promote: Wide Range
Countries You Can Promote: Primarily US
Affiliate Payout: Commission income is paid by PayPal or direct deposit approximately 1 month after end of the month they lock. They are paid out by the Impact Radius Affiliate Network.
Amazon Associates
Commission Rate: Up to 20%
Commission Structure: Fixed Rate
Cookie Duration: 24hrs
Products to Promote: Wide Range
Countries You Can Promote: Worldwide
Affiliate Payout: Commission income is paid by direct deposit, Amazon.com, Gift Certificate, or check approximately 60 days after the end of the month for which they are being paid.
Comparison Summary
Amazon built their entire business as an online sales retailer and has continuously perfected this channel of commerce. Walmart on the other hand lags behind Amazon in sheer number of years of experience in the ecommerce space. This has kept Amazon in the top ecommerce spot with a loyal following of Prime members, who would prefer to keep their online purchases on Amazon.
But that doesn’t mean that Walmart isn’t getting its fair share of online sales. As a matter of fact, despite Amazon having a significant lead on Walmart, Walmart is catching up.
In September of 2020, Walmart launched their own premium subscription service membership called WalmartPlus. For $98 a year, WalmartPlus members will have service benefits such as unlimited delivery, discounts on gas and scan-and-go purchasing at any of its physical stores.
Walmart is posing a real threat to Amazon’s ecommerce dominance, and with their new subscription service, there will be more loyal Walmart customers – meaning more opportunity for you to make Walmart affiliate sales.
The good news is, you can promote both affiliate programs on your website. There’s no need to choose between one or the other. Simply use affiliate tracking tools to determine which program converts better and proceed as needed.
Suggested Read: Amazon recently launched more ways for affiliates to earn commissions. Read more on the Amazon Influencer program vs Associates.
Walmart Affiliate Program vs. Target Affiliates
This next retail affiliate program comparison is a lot more clear cut in my opinion. Let’s first take a look at them side-by-side.
Side-by-Side
Walmart Affiliates
Commission Rate: Up to 4%, $10 per sale
Commission Structure: Fixed Rate
Cookie Duration: 3 Days
Products to Promote: Wide Range
Countries You Can Promote: Primarily US
Affiliate Payout: Commission income is paid by PayPal or direct deposit approximately 1 month after end of the month they lock. They are paid out by the Impact Radius Affiliate Network.
Target Affiliates
Commission Rate: Up to 8%
Commission Structure: Volume-Based
Cookie Duration: 7 Days
Products to Promote: Limited
Countries You Can Promote: Primarily US
Affiliate Payout: Commission income is paid by PayPal or direct deposit approximately 20 days after the end of the day they lock. They are paid out by the Impact Radius Affiliate Network.
Comparison Summary
The Target affiliate program commission structure is better suited for niche affiliate websites in the Apparel and Accessories, Home and Outdoor Living, and Baby Gear and Furniture gallery. Target's volume-based commission structure is an extra incentive to promote Target products in those specific categories. Other categories simply don't make sense to promote with their lower commission rates.
Despite having a longer cookie duration period than the Walmart affiliate program, Target is known for having higher prices. With the current financial environment in recovery mode from the pandemic, many people are looking to stretch their dollars and are price hunting more than ever. This in my opinion makes the Walmart affiliate program superior to that of the Target affiliate program.
Walmart Affiliates FAQ
How do I sign up for Walmart Affiliate Program?
You can sign up to become an affiliate through the Walmart affiliate website here.
What is the Walmart.com Affiliate Program?
The Walmart.com Affiliate Program is a way for you to earn commissions by placing banner ads or text links on your website to refer customers to Walmart.com. You'll earn money every time a visitor follows a Walmart.com link on your Web site and then completes a qualifying purchase at Walmart.com.
How does the Walmart.com Affiliate Program work?
Walmart will provide you with professionally designed banners and a set of useful text links every week in their newsletter. They also provide you access to archived banners and newsletters for a wide selection of items to place on your site. In addition, you can generate specific text links to anything on Walmart.com, any time you want.
Place these banners and/or text links on your Web site to let your visitors know about our products. When your visitors follow the links and banners to the Walmart site and then complete a qualifying purchase, your account is credited with a commission.
Does it cost anything to become a Walmart.com affiliate?
No. It is absolutely free to join the Walmart.com Affiliate Program. Once you are approved, you can get started right away!
How Much Does the Walmart Affiliate Program Pay?
Walmart affiliates can earn up to 4% on each eligible sale when a customer links directly from a Walmart.com link on your website and completes a qualifying purchase at Walmart.com.
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