Walmart Agency Checklist: Audit Your Ad Partner Before You Scale

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Walmart Agency Checklist: How to Audit and Choose the Right Walmart Ad Agency

Last updated on

October 29, 2026

Author:

Aryan Suyal

Use this Walmart agency checklist before you hire, replace or expand your advertising partner.

It enables you to review your Walmart Connect experience, your campaign audits, product listing readiness, reporting, account ownership, pricing and past results prior to increasing your budget.

A good Walmart agency wouldn't start off by saying we need to spend more on advertising.

It should first work out what's working, what's holding back the results and what needs to be addressed before any further spend is justified.

Quick Answer: What should you check before hiring a Walmart agency?

Before you go ahead and hire a Walmart agency you need to look at their Walmart Connect experience, their audit process, their product readiness checks, their advertising strategy, their reporting, their responsibilities, their pricing and their track record.

This checklist can also assist you in determining whether you actually need an advertising specialist, a Walmart marketing agency or a full service marketplace partner.

What to check	What to ask	Proof to request
Walmart Connect experience	Which Walmart ad formats have you managed in categories similar to ours?	Relevant examples, screenshots, category details, and partner information.
Audit process	What do you review before recommending more ad spend?	Audit checklist, findings, campaign exports, and action plan.
Product readiness	How do you review listings before sending more shoppers to them?	SKU readiness list, listing issue tracker, and missing content details.
Reporting	How do you measure ROAS, ACoS, TACoS, sales growth, and business performance?	Sample reports, metric definitions, and recommended actions.
Account ownership	Who handles the account each day?	Responsibility chart, meeting schedule, access plan, and process for handling problems.
Services and pricing	What is included, and what costs extra?	Written scope, fees, deliverables, and cancellation terms.
Past results	Can you show Walmart-specific experience and results?	Case study, anonymous example, or sample audit.

If you're still in the process of putting together a shortlist then compare Walmart advertising agencies once you've worked out your own requirements.

Agency comparisons are more useful when you already know what each agency is going to have to prove.

Who This Walmart Agency Checklist Is For

This is a checklist for ecommerce leaders, marketplace managers, founders, CMOs and business owners who are either selling on or planning to sell on Walmart Marketplace in the U.S.

You're probably already running Walmart ads or are in the process of launching your first campaigns.

It can also be of use when your reports are hard to interpret, when ROAS is displayed without the full sales picture, or when no one on the team is actually responsible for making the Walmart Marketplace decisions.

If you just need some help getting going then have a read of our guide on how to advertise on the Walmart Marketplace before you go and compare agencies.

Use this checklist when…	This guide is not the best fit when…
Your Walmart ads are running, but performance is unclear.	You only need supplier compliance, OTIF, SQEP, or shipping guidance.
You are comparing agencies and want better questions for your calls.	You want a ranked agency list before identifying your needs.
Listings, prices, inventory, or reporting may be affecting ad results.	You need beginner instructions for every Walmart Connect setup step.
You are deciding whether to hire, replace, or expand an agency.	You want guaranteed agency prices, ROAS, or sales benchmarks.

The Walmart Agency Evaluation Checklist

Review the Walmart agencies in this order: platform experience, audit quality, product readiness, strategy, reporting, communication, contract terms and proof.

Score each area prior to making up your mind.

This enables you to compare actual evidence rather than selecting an agency on the basis of its sales brochure.

Category	What a strong answer includes	Warning sign	Score
Walmart Connect experience	Examples of Walmart campaigns, ad formats, and category experience.	Only general Amazon PPC experience.	0–2
Audit process	Reviews of campaigns, targeting, bids, budgets, overlap, and search terms.	Recommends more spend without an audit.	0–2
Product readiness	Checks listings, prices, inventory, reviews, shipping, and content.	Treats advertising separately from product pages.	0–2
Advertising strategy	Explains when to use search, display, offsite, video, or delay spending increases.	Recommends the same plan for every brand.	0–2
Reporting	Connects ad results with sales, margins, inventory, and business decisions.	Only shows dashboard screenshots.	0–2
Communication and ownership	Named manager, meeting schedule, account access, approvals, and issue handling.	Unclear responsibilities.	0–2
Pricing and services	Written agreement covering included work, exclusions, fees, and cancellation.	Hidden charges or unclear deliverables.	0–2
Proof and business fit	Walmart-specific case studies, processes, or anonymous audit examples.	Broad claims without evidence.	0–2

How to Score Each Category

Give each area a score from 0 to 2.

0 points: The agency provides no relevant evidence.
1 point: The answer is incomplete or only partially supported.
2 points: The agency gives clear Walmart-specific evidence and explains who is to blame.

Your max score is 16.

Total score	What it means
0–9	Delay the decision and request more evidence.
10–13	Possible fit but resolve weak areas in writing.
14–16	Stronger documented fit if the evidence matches your category, budget, and goals.

These are practical screening ranges rather than actual industry standards.

A high score in no way should be taken as a reason to ignore the very real problems with account access, the contract terms or the evidence.

Evidence Verification Checklist

Evaluation area	Evidence to check
Walmart experience	Category knowledge, campaign examples, and supported ad formats.
Audit process	Campaign structure, targeting, search terms, bids, and budgets.
Product readiness	Listing quality, prices, inventory, and product eligibility.
Strategy	Priority SKUs, reasons for choosing ad formats, and when to delay spending increases.
Reporting	Sample dashboard, metric definitions, and actions based on findings.
Ownership	Named account manager, approval rights, and issue escalation process.
Contract terms	Pricing, included services, cancellation rules, and data ownership.
Proof	Anonymous examples, documented audit process, and 30/60/90-day plan.

Mark each item as Verified, Partially Verified or Not Verified.

Ask for more evidence if the answer is incomplete. Use the findings to underpin your eight category score.

1. Walmart Connect Experience

Your agency should understand Walmart Connect as their own ad platform.

It shouldn't just be a copy of an Amazon Ads strategy.

Walmart Connect offers Sponsored Search formats including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Videos.

Ask the agency which formats they've worked with and why they selected those particular formats.

Don't take broad answers like "We manage marketplace advertising".

Request some examples that show the campaign objective, the products that were selected, the targeting that was used, the changes that were made and how the results were measured.

Ask how those examples relate to your product category.

If they mention Walmart Connect Partner Network status then ask what that status is at the moment.

Check it through the Walmart Connect Partner Network rather than just going via the logo.

A Walmart case study might be of some use in terms of giving you an idea of an agency's experience.

However past client results are no guarantee of future performance.

2. Advertising Audit Process

A proper advertising audit should review:

Campaign structure
Targeting and search terms
Bids and budgets
Overlapping SKUs
Budget pacing
Wasted advertising spend

Walmart Connect states that Sponsored Products use a cost per click (CPC) model.

Ad visibility is a function of relevance and bids.

The agency should be looking at both keyword quality and their bids in line with Walmart's current Sponsored Products guidelines.

Ask how the team turn the audit findings into action.

A good agency would explain which campaigns they'd pause, which they'd change, which they'd test and which they'd leave as they were.

Be careful if its only answer is that it will improve performance without in any way explaining how.

3. Retail Readiness Review

Before you go and increase your advertising spend, make sure your product listings are ready for the traffic.

The review should cover titles, images, descriptions, product attributes, prices, stock, reviews, shipping promises, item content and categories.

This is important as ads could drive more shoppers to product pages which aren't quite ready to convert those visits into orders.

If the audit finds listing problems, address them through a focused Walmart listing optimization process before raising campaign budgets.

4. Strategy and Channel Fit

The right advertising plan depends on your business problem.

Sponsored Products may help reach shoppers looking for specific products.

Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Videos may help people discover your brand or learn about products.

Onsite display, offsite advertising, Brand Shop or Shelf, and store ads may support broader goals.

However, these formats need suitable budgets, creative assets, and reliable reporting.

Walmart Connect describes its available formats on the ad solutions pages.

A qualified agency should also know when increasing spend is not the right decision.

If listings are weak, inventory is unreliable, or reporting is incomplete, fixing those issues first may be more useful.

5. Reporting and Measurement

Walmart advertising reports should connect campaign results with business performance.

Walmart Connect describes closed-loop measurement using first-party data from digital, offsite, and store-related purchases.

However, your agency still needs information about your sales, margins, and inventory to explain what the results mean.

Use Walmart Connect’s measurement overview as a reference.

A useful report should answer three questions:

What changed?
Why did it change?
What should we do next?

Reporting schedule	What to review	Expected result
Weekly	Spending pace, campaign changes, search terms, priority SKUs, and inventory problems.	Clear next steps and responsible team members.
Monthly	ROAS, ACoS, TACoS, sales, margins, testing, and performance trends.	Decisions about budgets and strategy.
After major tests	Test goal, changes made, dates, comparison period, and limitations.	Decide whether to continue, change, or stop the test.

Ask which metrics come directly from Walmart Connect and which need your own sales, finance, or inventory data.

A report showing only impressions, clicks, spend, ROAS, and CPC is not enough if it does not explain what action to take.

6. Communication, Ownership, and Workflow

Before signing, confirm who manages the account, makes changes, approves tests, and handles problems.

A good agency should explain how the work gets done, not just provide a meeting schedule.

Ask how it handles weekly account checks, monthly reviews, budget approvals, creative requests, listing problems, and account access.

Find out who needs access to your Walmart advertising account and which permissions each person requires.

Confirm who can approve campaign and budget changes.

Also ask how access will be reviewed and removed when the agency relationship ends.

You should know who is responsible when inventory drops, advertising spend exceeds the plan, listings change, or campaigns miss their goals.

7. Pricing, Scope, and Contract Terms

Do not ask only how much the agency charges.

Ask what the fee includes, what costs extra, and when pricing may change.

Common pricing methods include monthly retainers, project fees, percentage-of-ad-spend fees, setup charges, and hybrid agreements.

The proposal should explain:

Contract length
Cancellation terms
Reporting deliverables
Advertising channels covered
Creative support
Listing support
Ownership of campaign data

Be careful with agencies that promise a specific ROAS, sales increase, or ranking without clear assumptions and supporting evidence.

Walmart Advertising Audit Checklist Before You Scale Spend

Use this checklist before increasing Walmart advertising budgets.

It can help you identify whether poor results come from campaign setup, weak listings, unreliable inventory, missing data, or unclear responsibilities.

For campaign management details, read SalesDuo’s guide to Walmart ad campaigns.

If product search ads are the main concern, review our Walmart Sponsored Products guide.

Audit area	What to review	Good sign	Warning sign
Campaign structure	Campaigns, ad groups, targeting, product groups, and SKU overlap.	Clear names, organized campaigns, and little unnecessary duplication.	Mixed goals, confusing setup, or competing SKUs.
Targeting and search terms	Keyword quality, product targeting, category relevance, and search data.	Targets match shopper needs and product strengths.	Broad targeting without regular search-term reviews.
Bids and budgets	Spending pace, bid changes, daily limits, and wasted spend.	Spending supports priority SKUs and testing goals.	Budgets run out early or focus on weak search terms.
Product readiness	Listings, prices, inventory, shipping, reviews, and categories.	Advertised products are ready for shoppers.	Ads send traffic to weak or unreliable listings.
Measurement	ROAS, ACoS, TACoS, sales lift, inventory, margins, and total sales.	Reports explain business decisions.	Dashboard screenshots without next steps.
Workflow	Account access, responsible people, approvals, change records, and problem handling.	Every change has a reason and an owner.	No one can explain recent campaign changes.
Action plan	Priorities for the first 30, 60, and 90 days after the audit.	Tasks are ordered by risk and opportunity.	Immediate spending increases without fixing basic problems.

Important Walmart Advertising Metrics

Use these formulas to understand results, not as universal performance targets.

The numbers only become useful when you know what goes into them and how they support business decisions.

Metric	Basic formula	What it tells you
ROAS	Ad-attributed sales ÷ Ad spend	Shows sales credited to ads compared with advertising cost, but not full profitability.
ACoS	Ad spend ÷ Ad-attributed sales	Shows advertising cost compared with credited sales and needs profit margin context.
TACoS	Total ad spend ÷ Total Walmart sales	Compares advertising spend with total marketplace sales.
Contribution after ads	Net sales − COGS − Fees − Fulfillment − Ad spend − Agency fees	Helps show whether sales growth makes financial sense.

How to Evaluate the Agency Fee

Compare the agency’s fee and included services with what it would cost your team to handle the same work internally.

Review your advertising spend, profit margins, fulfillment costs, available staff, and the problems the agency would manage.

Use your own financial data to decide whether the service is worth the cost.

A projected ROAS improvement alone does not prove the business will become more profitable.

Red Flags When Choosing a Walmart Ad Agency

The biggest warning signs are not small mistakes in a proposal.

They are signs that the agency does not connect Walmart advertising with product readiness, reporting, and business goals.

Warning sign	Why it matters	What to request
Copies an Amazon PPC strategy	May overlook Walmart-specific ad formats, placements, and shopper behavior.	Walmart-specific audits and campaign examples.
Recommends more spend before an audit	May increase waste caused by weak listings, poor targeting, or unreliable reporting.	Audit findings before raising budgets.
Reviews ads but ignores listings	Sends more visitors to product pages that may not convert.	SKU readiness checklist.
Provides vague or automated reports	Makes it hard to connect spending with decisions.	Sample reports and clear metric definitions.
Has no named account manager	Problems may remain unresolved between advertising, content, inventory, and approvals.	Responsibility chart and escalation process.
Guarantees results	May create unrealistic expectations.	Supporting evidence, assumptions, and limitations.
Has an unclear service scope	You may pay for management that excludes work you need.	Detailed written scope of work.

Questions to Ask a Walmart Advertising Agency Before You Sign

Use agency calls to collect specific information and evidence.

These questions can help you understand how the agency manages campaigns, reports results, and protects your budget.

Which Walmart product categories have you worked with, and what made those accounts different?
What does your first audit include before recommending more advertising spend?
How do you decide which SKUs are ready for advertising and which should wait?
Which Walmart ad formats would you recommend for our goals, and which would you avoid?
How do you measure success beyond ROAS?
What information will your weekly and monthly reports include?
Who handles campaign changes, listing feedback, budget approvals, and urgent problems?
What is included in your fee, and what costs extra?
Can you share an anonymous audit, sample report, or Walmart-specific process?
What happens if the first 30 days show that our listings are the main problem?

Strong answers should be specific to your products, category, and business goals.

Be cautious if every answer sounds the same or the agency claims one approach works for every brand.

When You Need a Walmart Ad Agency vs. a Walmart Marketing Agency vs. a Full-Service Walmart Agency

Choose the service based on the problems your audit finds.

An advertising-only agency may be enough when campaigns are your main concern.

A Walmart marketing agency or full-service provider may be more suitable when listings, content, inventory, reporting, or operations also need attention.

Partner type	Main focus	Best fit	When it may not be enough
Walmart ad agency	Walmart Connect campaigns, PPC, bids, budgets, and advertising results.	Your listings are ready, but campaigns need better management.	Product pages, inventory, or reporting also limit growth.
Walmart marketing agency	Advertising, listings, content, SEO, and marketplace visibility.	You need help bringing in shoppers and converting them into buyers.	Account operations and responsibilities remain unclear.
Full-service Walmart agency	Account management, listings, advertising, reporting, operations, and growth planning.	You need one partner to handle both strategy and day-to-day work.	You only need a focused campaign audit.

What to Prepare Before an Agency Audit

An agency can review your account more effectively when you provide the right information.

Share enough to explain your situation, but protect sensitive account access until responsibilities are clear.

Prepare:

Walmart Connect access details and current campaign exports.
Priority SKUs, profit margins, inventory status, and out-of-stock risks.
Current listing titles, descriptions, images, attributes, prices, reviews, and shipping promises.
Previous performance reports, campaign change records, and major budget changes.
Business goals, product launch calendar, seasonal plans, and category restrictions.
Internal account owner, approval process, and reporting expectations.
Current agency contract if you are replacing a provider.

When an agency presents evidence, ask what that evidence actually proves about its ability to manage your account.

Next Step: Use the Checklist Before You Sign

If your review finds problems with campaign structure, product readiness, reporting, or account ownership, explore SalesDuo’s Walmart ad agency services to understand the available support.

Book Your 1:1 Growth Call to discuss your Walmart advertising setup and the areas that need attention.

Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Walmart Agency

What Should Be Included in a Walmart Agency Checklist?

A Walmart agency checklist should cover Walmart Connect experience, campaign audits, product readiness, advertising strategy, reporting, communication, pricing, services, past results, and account ownership.

It should also explain what evidence the agency must provide for each area.

How Do I Know if a Walmart Ad Agency Is Qualified?

A qualified Walmart advertising agency should show relevant Walmart category experience, sample reports, audit materials, and a clear campaign management process.

It should understand Walmart Connect instead of relying only on general marketplace or Amazon PPC experience.

What Should a Walmart Advertising Audit Include?

An audit should review campaign structure, targeting, bids, budgets, overlapping SKUs, search terms, product listings, inventory, reporting, and profitability.

It should end with clear priorities and recommended actions, not just a summary of past results.

Do I Need a Walmart Ad Agency or a Walmart Marketing Agency?

A Walmart ad agency may be enough when paid advertising is your main problem.

A Walmart marketing agency may be a better fit if your listings, SEO, content, reporting, and marketplace visibility also need work.

Use the checklist to understand whether you need advertising support or broader marketplace services.

Should a Walmart Agency Review Listings Before Scaling Ads?

Yes. The agency should check listings before raising advertising budgets.

Weak titles, images, prices, inventory, shipping promises, reviews, or product content may prevent shoppers from purchasing.

Product readiness should be part of the initial audit.

What Are Red Flags When Choosing a Walmart Advertising Agency?

Common warning signs include:

No audit before recommending changes.
Vague reports.
Copying an Amazon advertising strategy.
No review of listing readiness.
Unclear account responsibilities.
Guaranteed results.
Little proof of Walmart-specific experience.
Contracts that do not clearly explain services or deliverables.

How Much Does a Walmart Ad Agency Cost?

Fees depend on the services provided, advertising spend, pricing model, and deliverables.

Ask about monthly retainers, setup costs, percentage-based fees, project charges, excluded work, cancellation terms, and reporting or listing support.

Do not rely on pricing estimates that have not been verified.

Can I Audit My Walmart Ads Before Hiring an Agency?

Yes. You can review campaign structure, targeting, budgets, listing readiness, reporting, responsibilities, and missing skills before hiring an agency.

A self-audit can help you ask better questions and avoid paying for services that do not solve your main problems.

About the Author

Meet Aryan Suyal, an SEO Content Writer Intern at SalesDuo who excels at turning patterns into precise, on-point content. He brings sharp insights and analytical thinking, along with a builder's instinct for creating systems that help ideas work smarter. Outside of work, you'll find him getting lost in books, tinkering with and building AI systems, or losing hours to a good documentary.

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