3-Minute Insights

Before you even think about growth at Walmart, you have to prove you can execute. 8th & Walton's Sean Presley explains why operational excellence, especially OTIF (On Time In Full) and in-stock performance, is non-negotiable heading into a line review.

Preparing for a Walmart line review? It’s not just about showing your numbers—it’s about telling the story behind them. In this conversation, Sean Presley of 8th & Walton explains why metrics like units per store per week and total sales are only the starting point. Walmart merchants already have access to the data—what they need from suppliers is context, insight, and a clear narrative that connects the dots.

If your Walmart brand shop just looks like a product dump… you’re missing a huge opportunity. The best part? Fixing it costs nothing. 8th & Walton's Sarah Shaddy explains how.

In this 3-Minute Insights, 8th & Walton’s Sarah Shaddy breaks down simple but effective Walmart SEO best practices that can improve your product’s organic ranking.Learn how to balance keyword optimization with shopper-friendly content, avoid common mistakes like keyword stuffing, and make the most of your product titles, key features, and descriptions. If you’re looking to boost visibility and conversions on Walmart.com, this is a must-watch.

Free Walmart.com Image Fixes That Boost PDP Conversion 8th & Walton's Sarah Shaddy shares free ways suppliers can optimize Walmart.com product detail pages through better imagery. 

8th & Walton's Terry Clear discusses how Walmart suppliers should adjust inventory and forecasting to ensure compliance and strong sales.-------------------------------Lainie: The latest frontier in the battle between Walmart and Amazon appears to be rural area delivery speeds. How should Walmart suppliers adjust inventory and forecasting as rural demand grows and delivery speeds increase?Terry: It really comes down to making sure you have the right items in the right stores, because for Walmart, these rural deliveries are going to come from stores in the area. So, to get quick rural delivery, you need to make sure you have the right items in the right stores. Clearly, some items sell across the spectrum. They sell everywhere. But if you have items that do better in rural markets, make sure you have those items in the store and on the mod. Okay. And that’s a conversation to have with the buyer. It’s always been about getting the right items in the right location.Lainie: So, you would recommend that be a topic brought up between the supplier and the buyer?Terry: Absolutely. A lot of times, suppliers think that they want their product in all stores. Well, maybe your product shouldn’t be in all stores, because we don’t want to sell beachwear in Wyoming, and we don’t want to sell snow shovels in Florida. So it’s not about all stores; it’s about the right stores. So know where your product sells, know the demand, and that’s the conversation to have with the buyer.Lainie: What does Walmart’s store-based fulfillment model mean for suppliers when you compare it to Amazon’s micro-hub approach?Terry: It goes back to making sure you have, on the Walmart side, the items in the stores that are going to fulfill those rural orders. Now, Amazon has a little bit different approach to how they’re going to forward-deploy inventory to serve those rural markets.But again, for both companies, it goes down to what the demand is going to be for items in these rural markets and how they can make sure they have, for Walmart, items in those stores and, for Amazon, items in their micro-fulfillment centers.Are you a Walmart Supplier? Get in touch to schedule a free consultation:Lainie: Where do you see the biggest opportunity for suppliers in the $1 trillion rural market over the next few years?Terry: It’s really market availability and velocity. So both Walmart and Amazon will continuously adjust their holdings based on item velocity. Space is too precious to waste on items not moving. Whether you’re fulfilling through Walmart and putting items in stores that can be fulfilled into the rural market, or at Amazon, you’re going to have items in their micro-fulfillment centers that are going to serve these rural markets. Neither one of those companies wants to have products in there that just collect dust. So let’s get the right items that are going to have the right velocity to serve the customers.

8th & Walton's Terry Clear explains that consumers are demanding more transparency about ingredients and nutrition. He encourages suppliers, especially in private label, to go beyond minimum FDA label requirements by leaning into clearer, front-of-pack communication.Visit our website: 8thandWalton.com

8th & Walton's Terry Clear discusses Walmart’s packaging overhaul of its Great Value brand as part of a broader push into private brands, alongside the rollout of bettergoods.

8th & Walton's Terry Clear explains how Walmart’s store-based marketplace fulfillment will impact Walmart suppliers.

8th & Walton's Heather Reid explains what happens when Walmart's system can't auto-match your invoice to a purchase order and receiving data. When the three-way match fails, your invoice enters research mode in APIS (Walmart’s Accounts Payable Inquiry System), requiring a human to perform a manual reconciliation.

When should you send your invoice to Walmart? 8th & Walton's Heather Reid breaks down Walmart’s recommended invoicing timelines, including ship date, Must Arrive By (MAB) date, and post-receipt invoicing, and explains what actually works best.

Part one of a three-part series on the most common questions that 8th & Walton's Heather Reid gets in her first meetings with suppliers.Confused about when to use APIS in Retail Link versus HighRadius? You’re not alone. In this clip, Heather Breaks down the key differences between Walmart’s Accounts Payable Inquiry System (APIS) and HighRadius, so suppliers know exactly where to go for invoice details, payments, deductions, and compliance charges.Stay up to date with Walmart news, supplier insights, and daily retail updates from 8th & Walton!

Walmart suppliers may experience tightening SQEP expectations as DC automation and robotics scale up. 8th & Walton's Terry Clear and Joel Graham discuss how new packaging attributes, stricter pallet standards, and “problem freight” risks might impact your compliance and item setup as a supplier.

8th & Walton's Sean Presley discusses the three things that Walmart suppliers should cover in their check-ins with their replenishment manager.

Using Walmart Ladder Plans to Prevent Out-of-Stocks and Heavy Markdowns8th & Walton's Sean Presley explains how a simple, well-maintained Walmart ladder plan helps suppliers manage new item launches and end-of-life inventory to avoid out-of-stocks and heavy markdowns.

8th & Walton's Sean Presley explains what sets proactive Walmart suppliers apart from reactive suppliers.

This episode with 8th & Walton's Joel Graham covers two item creation attributes suppliers commonly struggle with: item type and warehouse alignment code.

Our guest this week is Terry Clear from Eighth & Walton, and we are discussing the news that Walmart has won patents for AI‑powered dynamic pricing systems. 

Walmart Supplier One: Key Finance & Accounting Menus for Deductions, Invoices, and OTIF Charges8th & Walton's Heather Reid explains how the deductions area helps categorize and analyze chargebacks, shortages, allowances, and returns over customizable timeframes, enabling teams to identify unexpected deductions and, with supporting documentation, submit cases through the Accounts Payable Dispute Portal.She also highlights Payment History for downloadable check-level detail and Disputes for a visual overview of cases created in the portal. For cashflow reviews, Heather outlines how Paid Invoice, Unpaid Invoice, and 90 Days Paid reports help track recent payments, past-due unpaid invoices, and reconcile purchase orders and payments in a single Excel download.Finally, she covers using Scorecard, return trends, OTIF trends, and projected charges to anticipate fines and prevent future deductions.

Our guest this week was 8th & Walton's Heather Reid, Director of Education Canada and Accounting Insights. Walmart Canada's inbound compliance codes & SQEP style fines.

In this Three Minute Insights episode, 8th & Walton’s Terry Clear discusses Walmart’s adoption of Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) in Gemini and what it means for suppliers.

Heather discusses the importance of using free calendar resources from 8th & Walton, focusing on the Walmart fiscal year calendar. Learn how to download these helpful tools from the website and get tips on comparing weekly metrics year over year. Heather also emphasizes the importance of downloading your vendor scorecard from Scintilla before the data resets at the start of the new fiscal year.

Join Sean Presley in this week’s episode of Three Minute Insights as he discusses how retail suppliers can be proactive in managing disruptions caused by natural disasters.

This episode of Three Minute Insights features Terry Clear discussing Amazon's decision to drop Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh to focus on Whole Foods. We examine the implications for Walmart suppliers and what they should monitor in this evolving grocery landscape.

Terry Clear discusses recent findings on how financially strapped consumers turn to online grocery shopping to manage costs, and offers strategic advice for suppliers on serving budget-conscious shoppers.

Terry Clear returns to 3-Minute Insights discuss the groundbreaking partnership between Walmart and Google's Gemini AI platform.

Heather Reid, Director of Education Canada and Accounting Insights at 8th & Walton, joins Three Minute Insights to discuss the importance of Walmart Canada's Supplier Information Manual.

8th & Walton's Joel Graham joins us to discuss fine lines.

In Part 2 of our two-part series on 8th & Walton's free online resources, Heather Reid, Director of Education Canada and Accounting Insights at 8th & Walton, describes the in-depth resources available on our website.

Jeff Clapper, president and CEO of 8th & Walton, discusses Walmart's upcoming leadership change and its impact on suppliers.

Heather Reid, Director of Education Canada and Accounting Insights at 8th & Walton, discusses the valuable free resources available on the 8th & Walton website. Learn about the expert-developed guides, including a Walmart calendar, glossary of terms, accounting reference sheets, podcasts, and informative blogs.

Terry Clear, Director of Replenishment and Sales Insights at 8th & Walton. Discusses Walmart's increasing use of custom Agentic AI instead of off-the-shelf models and its implications for retail suppliers. Learn what suppliers need to do to prepare for new data requirements and shifts in job roles brought about by AI integration.

Terry Clear, Director of Replenishment and Sales Insights at 8th & Walton, discusses the impact of ongoing trade uncertainty on Walmart suppliers for 2026. Terry provides actionable advice on how suppliers can prepare for volatility, manage shipping rates and cargo demand, balance inventory and cash flow, and make effective sourcing decisions amid shifting tariffs and AI-driven market changes.

Heather Reid, Director of Education Canada and Accounting Insights at 8th & Walton, joins us to discuss the critical importance of supplier invoices matching purchase orders.Tune in to hear Heather explain why perfect matches are essential for timely payments, the steps suppliers should take before invoicing, and how to address issues if an invoice requires manual review! 

In this episode of Three Minute Insights, we speak with Heather Reid, Director of Education Canada, and Accounting Insights for 8th & Walton, about the common confusion between Walmart's Demand Forecast and Order Forecast.

This week on 3-Minute Insights, Lainie is joined by Terry Clear, director of Replenishment and Sales Insights at 8th & Walton. The topic is a recent study by Numerator showing that Walmart continues to dominate the grocery industry.

8th & Walton's Terry Clear, Director of Replenishment & Supplier Insights, discusses how Walmart's willingness to embrace AI has resulted in increased site visits. . .and sales. He also offers tips on how Walmart suppliers can best leverage this new stream of customers.

8th & Walton's Terry Clear, Director of Replenishment & Supplier Insights, discussed a Numerator study that confirmed Walmart's continued dominance in the grocery industry. Clear detailed how new technologies, including RFID for fresh food, Chat GPT-led shopping, and same-day refrigerated medication delivery, will impact what Walmart demands of its suppliers.

High Radius is a third-party, cloud-based portal used by Walmart and other retailers to invoice suppliers for additional charges such as co-op deals and On Time In Full program fees, making it a critical tool for supplier financial interactions. 8th & Walton's Heather Reid offers tips for optimizing your use of this critical tool. Thanks so much for watching 3-Minute Insights! Get your FREE Walmart FYE calendar here: https://www.8thandwalton.com/resources/walmart-calendar/

Our most recent guest on 3-Minute Insights is Heather Reid, Director of Education-Canada and Accounting Insights, and we're discussing the importance of the Walmart FYE calendar.

Our guest this week is Terry Clear, Director of Replenishment and Sales Insights for Walton, and we’re discussing the impact of recent cuts and uncertainty in SNAP funding during the federal government shutdown.

This week’s topic is Walmart's partnership with Avery Dennison to implement RFID sensor technology in fresh categories, along with the implications for suppliers. Our guest is Terry Clear, Director of Replenishment and Sales Insights at 8th & Walton.

This week, our guest is Sean Presley, Senior Supply Chain Advisor at 8th & Walton. We’re discussing ASPEN and the best ways to manage logistics during holiday closures.

8th & Walton CEO Jeff Clapper discusses what sets suppliers who earn an Open Call "golden ticket" apart from those that don't. 

8th & Walton CEO Jeff Clapper discusses the road ahead for Walmart's new partnership with ChatGPT.

This week we talk with 8th & Walton's Terry Clear about the impact of Walmart's rollout of digital shelf labels on suppliers, brands, and consumer relationships.

This week, we speak with Terry Clear of 8th & Walton about how suppliers can utilize AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to effectively sell their products on the Walmart Marketplace. Terry offers tips and strategies for creating effective product listings that will catch the attention of generative AI platforms and be recommended to consumers.

8th & Walton's Terry Clear addresses the opportunities and challenges of in-store digital media. 

In this episode of "Three Minute Thursdays," Jeff Clapper, CEO of 8th & Walton, discusses Walmart's latest tools for marketplace sellers and how they can help suppliers expand their reach, optimize product listings, and stay competitive.

This week, we talk with Steven Bertram, COO of 8th & Walton, about the recent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamps) and how suppliers can respond to new product listing standards.