Getting your goods in a big box store is an exciting milestone, opening up countless opportunities to grow your business. However, there’s a lot to know about working with a store like Walmart when it comes to shipping your goods.
Failing to adhere to their specific standards can result in delays, deliveries being turned away, and chargebacks. So, with that in mind, let’s look at some tips to help you get Walmart freight right the first time around.
As Walmart is such an enormous company, it should come as no surprise that they have very strict standards for accepting deliveries. They’re known for highly efficient warehouses, requiring all vendors to follow their guidelines and schedule.
Here’s what you need to know:
On Time in Full (OTIF) is exactly what it sounds like. Goods should arrive at the correct time in the correct amount. Walmart created the OTIF metric, which measures the percentage of orders shippers deliver on time and in full, in 2017 to help prevent late deliveries and other supply chain issues.
When sending Walmart freight, If your orders don’t arrive on time or aren’t complete, you can face a fine of 3% of the cost of goods sold.
As part of Walmart’s long-term “precision retailing” strategy, the company has specific supplier guidelines that all vendors need to follow. This includes requirements for:
Suppliers can access all Walmart's requirements on their website.
Walmart also has strict packaging requirements that all suppliers must adhere to. These requirements are subject to change, and Walmart updates its supply chain packaging guide twice a year.
Walmart expects vendors to be extremely punctual, with delays and fines for those who fail to keep to their appointments. If your shipment arrives late, the driver will have to wait until the next available delivery appointment before being able to offload your products, which could be several days, or even weeks away. This will increase how much work your carrier will need to do, including holding your goods for an extended time. If you miss the allotted appointment window (typically 1-5 days), Walmart will fine you up to several thousand dollars.
Walmart uses a proprietary software system called Retail Link, a central technology hub that allows vendors and suppliers to manage their relationships with Walmart. All delivery appointments at Walmart warehouses must be scheduled through Walmart’s Scheduler 2.0, which requires a Retail Link account.
To get a Retail Link account and access the platform, you will need to become an approved Walmart supplier. Every employee at your organization who uses Retail Link needs their own username and password.
Alongside delivery appointment scheduling, Retail Link gives you access to custom reporting features, answers to FAQs, and access to data about your relationship with Walmart. You can also use Retail Link as a communication channel between Walmart and your company for any updates and supplier-specific communications.
Becoming an approved Walmart supplier doesn’t just get your products on the shelves, it gives you the opportunity to get your brand out to over 220 million customers every week via brick-and-mortar stores and online shopping. That’s an incredible amount of potential new customers.
Not only that, if your carriers can keep on schedule, Walmart won’t charge lumper fees for unloading your goods at their warehouses.
Getting your goods on Walmart’s shelves is an amazing opportunity, but there’s a lot to know to help ensure you stay in their good books. Partnering with experienced shipping professionals like DTS can help you navigate all the requirements with ease. We can even help you find a Walmart Preferred Carrier to help simplify shipping to Walmart even more and save you money.
Contact us today to see how we can help with Walmart freight shipping.
Whether you're a company looking to improve one facet of your supply chain, your entire supply chain, or simply looking for a transportation and logistics consultation, we can help.
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