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What Is Walmart OPD?
Walmart OPD stands for Walmart Online Pickup and Delivery. With OPD, Walmart customers can order their items online and get them in one of two ways:
- Going to the Walmart store to pick them up
- Having the order delivered to their home
Walmart OPD has not only created greater convenience for Walmart customers, but has also expanded Walmart’s customer base in recent years. The luxury of taking advantage of Walmart’s variety and low prices while not having to walk and search around in a large store has attracted more affluent shoppers.
Evolving from Walmart OGP to Walmart OPD
Walmart OPD (Online Pickup and Delivery) had its start in 2019 as Walmart OGP (Online Grocery Pickup). Because of the branding and app design, most customers thought they could only order grocery items online to be picked up. Additionally, the very early stages of Walmart OGP sent customers to a free-standing Walmart pickup facility separate from a Walmart store (they even went through a brief rebrand as Walmart Online Grocery). It was only later that the company began installing pickup destinations outside their stores.
Walmart quickly expanded OGP to include general merchandise items. By updating the app, doing away with the independent pickup facilities, expanding store pickup locations, and introducing the home delivery option, Walmart rebranded the service as Walmart OPD.
Walmart OPD and Walmart Suppliers
When Walmart rolled out the concept of store items being available for local pickup and delivery, it changed processes drastically for Walmart suppliers. Previously, there were suppliers who only carried items in Walmart stores and did not offer direct order and shipping from Walmart.com. Walmart OPD changed this for all suppliers.
Today, even if a supplier only supplies items to brick and mortar stores, they still have to create item pages at Walmart.com and register as such during the item setup process. Items in a Walmart store are eligible for store pickup and home delivery. Since the customer is going to Walmart.com to research, view, and potentially order the item, in-store suppliers must have an online presence.
How Walmart OPD Grows Walmart Suppliers’ Sales
Although some suppliers did not care for setting up item pages at Walmart.com when they only had in-store sales, the advantages to the Walmart OPD program quickly became apparent. There are advantages to Walmart OPD suppliers can take advantage of:
Expanding the Customer Base
As mentioned above, Walmart OPD was embraced by many new shoppers outside of Walmart’s core customers. Part of this was the convenience of not having to shop in a store during the time of Walmart OPD’s launch. As the US entered the pandemic in 2020, store pickup and home delivery became a new necessity for many.
It was at this time that more affluent shoppers tried Walmart for the first time, even if just to take advantage of OPD. After trying the quality products at affordable prices, much of that expanded customer base has stayed with the retailer years after the pandemic.
Capitalizing on Substitutions
There are times when a Walmart shopper selects an item that is out-of-stock. If they opt for a substitution, it’s a great opportunity for competitors to get their items in a new customer’s hands by chance. As a Walmart supplier, always ensure your inventory levels are sufficient. This is a great opportunity to grow your sales and customer base by taking advantage of your competitor’s mistake!
Online Brand Awareness
Before most purchases, today’s shopper is taking out their phone and researching options. Even if the Walmart customer plans to order online and drive to the store to pick their items up, they will see your item pages as they select what to add to their cart. If they are initially searching for a competitor’s item, your item can rank close or higher with the right keywords, lower price, and better content on your item page.
Learn More From 5G!
The ecommerce experts at 5G Consulting support suppliers through every step of the process: item setup, item page building, maintaining item pages, improving SEO, and more! We’ve worked for Walmart and SAM’S Club and understand expectations and the path to higher revenue. We’re ready to help you in your ecommerce journey.
A consultation is absolutely FREE! Click here to set up a call with our team to learn more.