In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, giants like Amazon and Walmart continuously strive to provide exceptional customer satisfaction. To achieve this, they offer fulfillment services, where they take care of product storage, labeling, packaging, shipping, and even returns. In this blog, we will delve into Walmart’s Fulfillment Services (WFS) and how it can benefit sellers who offer their products on the Walmart Marketplace.
Walmart Fulfillment Service (WFS)
Walmart’s Fulfillment Services (WFS) is an order fulfillment program that empowers sellers to store, manage, and ship their products easily and efficiently. Just like Amazon FBA, WFS ensures that sellers’ orders are quickly processed and delivered, providing exceptional customer support throughout the entire process. By participating in WFS, sellers can display their products with the “2-Day Shipping” and “Fulfilled by Walmart” tags, boosting product visibility and potentially increasing conversions.
Eligibility for WFS
Before diving into Walmart’s Fulfillment Services, sellers must first meet the eligibility criteria to become a Walmart Marketplace seller. These criteria may include factors such as the size of the business, the product categories offered, and the fulfillment capabilities. Once approved, sellers can enable the WFS option within their Walmart Marketplace account, gaining access to a range of features and benefits.
Step Up the Fulfillment Service
The fulfillment service feature commences by converting your inventory items into WFS items. Once the conversion is complete, inbound orders are placed, and the items are shipped to the WFS warehouse.
Converting Items to Walmart Fulfilled
After receiving approval for your application, you can begin converting your items to Walmart Fulfilled. This process involves sending your inventory to Walmart’s fulfillment centers, where the system will assign unique SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) to each product for tracking purposes.
Log in to your Walmart seller central account to initiate the conversion process. Navigate to the “Items” section to select an item. Then click the “Manage Items” button top right of the screen. Look for the “Fulfill Items with WFS” option, which will direct you to the “Select Upload Method” page. Here, you’ll find two options for converting your items to WFS: “By GTIN Match” or “By Category.” For this guide, we’ll cover the process using GTIN match.
Select the “By GTIN Match” option, and a GTIN search box will appear. Enter the GTIN of the item you wish to cover into WFS. After a successful match, a template will be generated for your item. Download the template, update and save it with the required information fields. Return to the same page where you downloaded the template and upload it. Finally, click “Submit” to initiate the conversion process. You can monitor the progress of the conversion in the “Activity Feed” section.
Creating an Inbound Order
You’ll need to create an inbound order to send your products to Walmart’s fulfillment centers. This involves preparing your inventory according to Walmart’s guidelines, generating shipping labels, and arranging transportation with Walmart’s preferred carriers. The inbound order will specify the products to ship, their quantities, and the destination fulfillment center.
To create an inbound order, select ” Inventory ” in the WFS section.” Here, you can search for the items you previously converted to WDS. Once you find your item in the search results, click on “Send Inventory.” This action will lead you to a new interface where you’ll need to provide the following details: Ship From Address, Expected Delivery Date, Number of Units to Send, and Packaging Information.
Fill in the required information and proceed to complete the creation of your inbound order. By following these steps, you’ll successfully initiate the process of sending your products to Walmart’s fulfillment centers for efficient handling and shipping.
Preferred Carriers
For shipments sent by preferred carriers, such as FedEx small parcels, there are specific requirements to adhere to. Select carrier shipments can weigh up to 150 lb. and measure up to 108 inches in length and up to 165 inches in length plus girth. Keep in mind that hazardous or restricted items are prohibited in the WFS program.
Managing returns is also made easy with WFS. Sellers can provide a US address for Walmart-fulfilled inventory returns, and Walmart will process the returns accordingly. Customizing return settings is possible, allowing sellers to specify the address for WFS returns.
Prep Services
One critical aspect during shipment preparation is item labeling. Each item must bear the correct barcode/UPC/GTIN; if they don’t, Walmart offers a WFS prep program to take care of labeling for you. The cost of the prep services includes $0.45 per unit for item labeling and $0.60 per unit for poly bagging. For unplanned prep work, such as adding labels or correcting packaging errors, an additional $0.20 to $0.80 per unit may apply. Walmart aims to complete all requested services and make the items available on Walmart within ten business days.
Understanding WFS Fees
The beauty of Walmart Fulfillment Services lies in its straightforward fee structure. There are no sign-up or monthly subscription fees, and sellers have the freedom to ship and store any amount of inventory without minimums or maximums. To get an estimate of fulfillment and storage fees, sellers can use the WFS Calculator.
Benefits of WFS
To summarize, here are the key benefits of Walmart’s Fulfillment Services
- Low-cost, 2-day shipping across the contiguous U.S.
- Increased search rankings and Buy Box wins for a potential 50% sales boost
- Reduced inbound shipping rates through the Preferred Carrier Program
- Fast inventory receiving at WFS fulfillment centers
- Option to outsource inventory preparation to WFS for a nominal fee
- Access to WFS dashboards and APIs for better control and optimization
- Personalized recommendations to grow your business
- Exceptional customer service and seller support, available seven days a week
- Free shipping for customers, enhancing their buying experience
Conclusion
With Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), sellers can streamline their operations, boost sales, and provide an exceptional shopping experience for customers. By entrusting the logistics and fulfillment process to Walmart, sellers can focus on growing their business, confident that their orders will be handled efficiently and with care. So, if you are a Walmart Marketplace seller looking to take your business to the next level, WFS might be the perfect solution for you.
If you think this post has been helpful for you, please share this post with your friends and the e-commerce community. You can also check out our website www.ecomclips.com and get more updates! Keep browsing our blog to get more articles related to e-commerce. You can also mail us at info@ecomclips.com if you need more help with Walmart.
Thank you
Thanks