Walmart To Launch Display Self-serve Platform

(RTTNews) - Walmart's expanded media business is now called Walmart Connect, after the company acquiring the IP and technology behind Thunder, a creative automation ad-tech company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The retail giant also announced the creation of a display self-serve platform that will be launched later this year. Walmart will integrate the Thunder technology with its display self-serve platform to help brands automate their advertising creative.

In late January, the company had said that Walmart Connect would focus on three strategic areas to become one of the top ten advertising platforms in the U.S. over five years.

These strategic areas include expanding offsite media opportunities at scale, introducing new in-store experiences, and growing offerings across Walmart's digital properties.

The platform will be designed to enable advertising partners to activate and manage their display campaigns with the help of automation.

New suppliers to Walmart will be able to connect with customers through media on Walmart's digital properties. The suppliers can produce the advertising creative by using the assets they want and automatically generate the right sizes and specifications for their campaigns.

The advertisers will also be able to review different ads performs and make and make changes if necessary.

Walmart noted that Thunder's technology and team will reduce the time between the idea for an ad and the ad going live for suppliers. In addition, Thunder is expected to increase ad effectiveness over time with creative versioning, testing and optimization.

In order to help advertisers run their campaigns more efficiently using self-serve and automation capabilities, Walmart has in recent years launched the Walmart Advertising Partners Program, Self-Serve Sponsored Product Interface, and Performance Reporting Dashboards.

The retail major has also partnered with adtech company The Trade Desk to launch a demand-side platform or DSP for suppliers and their media as well as ad agencies in time for the 2021 holiday season.