Walmart’s Retail Link software was revolutionary when it first came out, and it can still be a game-changer for your business today. For many suppliers, though, it’s too much data in one place. Without a dedicated data analyst — and most small suppliers don’t have a full-time data analyst — Retail Link can be like a box full of wonderful things that you just can’t get into.
A good starting place is the Apps tab at your Retail Link account. Go to the homepage, click on Apps, and you’ll have access to all the applications for Walmart and Sam’s Club.
Just what you don’t really want.
Imagine instead being able to go to your homepage and have quick access to the information you really need — the data that lets you answer a question quickly by phone or prepare a report for a meeting efficiently. The numbers that let you confirm your gut feelings before you make a decision.
Schedule yourself some time to set up your dashboard with the apps you need.
- Determine the questions you most often need answered. Take a week for observation, and write down the questions that most often send you to Retail Link. Maybe it’s a question about invoices, or perhaps you often need to see year over year sales. Just keep the list for that week.
- Determine the apps that provide the answers. Sometimes it’s not the ones we look at most often. Sometimes you find yourself going to the same apps repeatedly, but not finding the information and having to search around. That’s why it’s important to identify your questions first. Determine the most efficient way to get the answers to your questions.
- Drag the most useful apps for you into the favorites area. If you often need the Automated Supplier Invoice Query, put it in the top left hand corner — that’s where your eyes are most likely to go when you open the page. Put all the most useful-to-you apps in place.
This process could take you half an hour, so you may want to put it off, but you’ll save that half hour next week when you can easily find the data you need.
If you’re not sure where to find what you need, contact 8th & Walton for Retail Link training. Gaining control over Retail Link makes you a smarter supplier.