Walmart Sets the Vision for the Next Era of Global Commerce Media
As advertisers gather in Cannes to discuss the future of media, Walmart announced a new vision for its global advertising business, spanning across Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club. Under the leadership of Seth Dallaire, chief growth officer of Walmart Inc., Walmart is building global commerce media platforms that combine scale, full-funnel solutions and measurement signals to drive durable business growth for advertisers, while creating more relevant shopping experiences for customers and members wherever they choose to shop.
As the world’s leading omnichannel retailer, Walmart connects the physical and digital customer journey across stores, ecommerce, marketplaces, membership, connected TV and offsite media. Powered by first-party signals and expanding full-funnel solutions, Walmart helps brands reach the right audiences, optimize media investment and deliver accountable business outcomes at scale. To accelerate this vision, Walmart is increasing alignment across Walmart Connect U.S., Walmart Connect International and Sam’s Club through shared technology, tools, platforms and capabilities. This will enable faster innovation and a more consistent advertiser experience across Walmart’s global advertising ecosystem.
At the core of Walmart's strategy are three differentiated advantages: scale, solutions and signals.
Walmart reaches millions of customers and members across digital and physical touchpoints, providing access to real-world shopping behavior happening every day across more than 10,000 stores and clubs worldwide. That scale enables advertisers to engage audiences with precision at moments that matter most.
That scale is complemented by a growing portfolio of full-funnel media solutions that help brands engage customers across every stage of the shopping journey—from discovery to purchase. Looking ahead, Walmart will continue to accelerate innovation, expand connected in-store and digital capabilities and unlock more creative, immersive and measurable opportunities for brands to drive growth around the world.
Underlying these solutions are Walmart's first-party signals, which provide advertisers with deeper visibility into customer and member engagement, more actionable measurement and greater confidence in performance. As commerce and media continue to converge, Walmart is investing in new ways to connect activation, measurement and optimization across channels, helping advertisers understand not only what worked, but why, and how to drive even stronger business outcomes over time.
"The future of commerce media isn't about advertising in a single channel but understanding and serving customers and members wherever and however they choose to shop,” said Seth Dallaire. “Walmart has a unique advantage because we interact with customers everywhere: in stores and clubs, online, through membership, across marketplaces and increasingly through connected media experiences. Few companies can connect those touchpoints at our scale. Our vision is to bring them together in a way that helps customers and members discover what they need more easily while giving advertisers the insights and measurement they need to grow their business.”
This vision is already taking shape across Walmart’s advertising businesses. Walmart Connect U.S., one of the fastest-growing retail media businesses in the industry, reaches more than 150 million weekly customers through omnichannel solutions. Walmart Connect International extends these capabilities across key global markets including Mexico, Canada and Chile. Sam's Club has a differentiated membership advantage and a growing role within Walmart's broader commerce media vision.
In the company's most recent quarter, global advertising revenue grew 37%, while Walmart Connect U.S. increased 44% excluding VIZIO. Combined with continued growth across ecommerce, membership and marketplace businesses, these results underscore the increasing role of commerce media as a powerful driver of Walmart's broader growth strategy.
Introducing Sam's Club Connect
Today marks a new chapter for Sam's Club's advertising business. As part of this evolution, Sam's Club Member Access Platform (MAP) will become Sam's Club Connect. The rebrand represents more than a name change. It reflects the evolution of a business that has expanded significantly in recent years, strengthening its capabilities, deepening advertiser partnerships and establishing itself as a powerful growth platform built on one of retail's most engaged membership ecosystems. As the business evolved, the opportunity emerged to create a brand identity that more clearly reflects its position today while aligning more closely with the Sam's Club master brand and Walmart's broader commerce media vision. Built around members, breakthrough experiences and clearer proof, Sam's Club Connect helps advertisers better understand the member journey and drive measurable business outcomes. The new identity signals both the momentum of the business today and its ambition for the future.
The Future of Commerce Media
As advertisers seek greater accountability, faster insights, and measurable growth, Walmart is building an increasingly connected commerce media ecosystem that leverages audiences, data, activation and measurement. While Walmart Connect U.S., Walmart Connect International and Sam’s Club Connect will operate separately to serve the unique needs of their markets, they are increasingly aligned around a shared vision to create greater value through connectivity and innovation.
