Walmart Connect is making connections.
Today, the retailer announced that it’s adtech business is opening up, making it possible for advertisers to activate Walmart shopper audiences and measure campaign performance against Walmart sales through Yahoo DSP and Magnite.
Advertisers using Yahoo DSP can now access Walmart shopper audiences and sales-based measurement directly within Yahoo’s platform, starting with VIZIO CTV inventory.
Magnite enables Walmart’s audience data to be activated closer to the inventory source across VIZIO and other premium CTV supply, making it accessible to advertisers using DSPs connected through Magnite.
In short: Walmart is making its retail media data easier to use across the broader programmatic ecosystem, starting with CTV.
Why This Matters:
This matters for a few reasons.
First, it shows continued momentum for Yahoo DSP, which has been leaning into interoperability and positioning itself as a partner across the broader adtech ecosystem.
Second, it reinforces Magnite as a barometer for where SSPs are heading. The logic is that SSPs sit closer to inventory, giving them a unique role in audience activation, signal fidelity and supply-side decisioning.
Third, Walmart Connect is expanding its ecosystem. In the company’s Q1 earnings call last week, its noted that its global ad business grew 37% year over year. As that business continues to scale, broader access to Walmart shopper data for activation and sales-based measurement — along with access to VIZIO inventory — obviously helps fuel the next stage of growth.
Finally, this is also a bit of a blow to The Trade Desk. Early on, Jeff Green’s DSP had more of an exclusive agreement with Walmart. As seen here, and as reported last year, that’s no longer the case.
Experts React:
Walmart Connect published a blog post about the announcement, written by Ryan Mayward, GM & SVP of Walmart Connect. Check that out here.
Also, here’s what Yahoo and Magnite had to say about what the news means:
“Advertisers are looking for simpler ways to activate high-quality data across their programmatic investments,” says Adam Roodman, GM at Yahoo DSP. “By making Walmart Connect’s audiences and measurement available for activation to buyers in the Yahoo DSP, we’re reducing friction in the buying process and making it easier to plan, activate, and measure campaigns that drive both reach and real sales impact.”
“Through Magnite, buyers have the flexibility to activate via their preferred certified DSP, creating a cleaner, more scalable path for commerce-driven campaigns across omnichannel environments,” says Sean Buckley, President, Revenue and Market Strategy at Magnite.
Our Take:
Retail media is moving beyond retailer-owned walls. Walmart already has the scale, shopper data and measurement story. Now it’s making that data easier to activate across the open programmatic market.
This matters because the next phase of retail media may not just be about who has the best data (though this is incredibly important). It will be about who can make that data easiest to use.
AdTechRadar is owned by Chris Harihar, an EVP at Mod Op. Yahoo is a Mod Op client.
