Instead of having one or maybe two people guide you, you will be helped by an entire team of experienced, dedicated experts with both broad and deep knowledge of Walmart. Their cumulative Walmart experience is over 300 years. At the same time, each of them is dedicated to being up-to-the minute with Walmart’s changes and its expectations of suppliers.
Empower your Walmart journey with PathFinders. Our specialized team offers in-depth support tailored to amplify your business efficiency, conquer fines, and elevate your relationship with Walmart for enduring success.
Your Guide to Growth
Service Description
Pathfinders is a planned program led by 8th & Walton’s team of Walmart experts. They analyze all aspects of a supplier’s Walmart business and provide answers to specific questions as well as a strategic route to improved processes, reduced fines, and increased distribution and sales.
Service Features
Includes ongoing expert conversations, answers to critical questions, deep dives on all areas – Supply Chain, Sales, ecommerce, Advertising, Category, Item 360, and more. Plus, reporting on key business data, team education, and knowledge base access. All powered by Walmart experts ready to give your business one clear path to success.
Service Pricing
Clear guidance plans that grow with you:
- $1,250/month USD (Basic)
- $3,650/month USD (Bronze)
- $7,850/month USD (Silver)
- $12,450/month USD (Gold)
Trusted By
Walmart Expects Your Best
Today, Walmart expects near perfect execution from all suppliers. But most buyers are unable to adequately support the many thousands of small and medium suppliers. Understandably, they focus their limited time primarily on their largest suppliers.
PathFinders provides small and medium suppliers with critical, deep knowledge and insights to navigate and lead their Walmart business, so they can easily support, retain, and develop their Walmart business relationship. The result? Better execution and results with your biggest customer.
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The Guidance You Need to
Successfully Navigate Walmart
Recurring Meetings
Many suppliers are so lost they tell us, “We don’t even know what we don’t know.” Calls with our experts help you find your footing fast. Recurring meetings every two weeks both with your own designated Walmart expert — who knows your team and your business intimately — and our other experts will help you minimize threats and maximize opportunities. You won’t have a build-up of problems or of lost opportunities.
Guidance Responses
Don’t spend precious time digging for answers you may never find. When you need immediate assistance, our team of deep subject matter experts is ready to provide specific, immediate answers to your questions.
Business Performance Report
Keep a pulse on all key areas of your Walmart business with a recurring weekly report that comes to you automatically, without requiring your team’s time pulling and formatting data. Clearly and consistently understand dollar and unit sales history, performance vs forecast, top-selling items, in-stock levels, and more.
Walmart Updates
Walmart releases numerous supplier announcements each week. We keep you informed on the key releases from Walmart that will impact your business; plus, we're ready to answer any questions you may have about them.
Supply Chain Deep Dive
“What are all these fines and what can we do about them?” Suppliers often contact us trying to understand the often opaque, confusing factors that significantly reduce their profit with Walmart. Our Supply Chain Deep Dive examines all critical areas of your supply chain into Walmart. This results in two significant plans of action: how to grow sales where you already have distribution and how to reduce costly, sales-preventing compliance penalties like OTIF, SQEP, and others.
Sales Deep Dive
8th & Walton experts join your team for a comprehensive and thorough analysis of your sales – Units per Store per Week, Dollars per Store per Week, What’s Selling with your Item, What other opportunities exist in your business with Walmart? We help identify potential opportunities and recommend actions based on our findings.
eComm Deep Dive
We analyze your online presence and make actionable recommendations to grow your sales on Walmart.com. Best practice areas we consider will include: titles, descriptions, reviews, advertising, images, and more. All of these lead to improving your page placement, conversion rate, and ultimately total sales with Walmart, both online and in stores.
Accounting & Deductions Deep Dive
We identify all deductions including Code 22s, Code 25s, so you can recover charges. But ongoing success requires more than making a successful claim; it requires correction. During the Accounting & Deductions Deep Dive, we help you get to the root cause of fines and determine the necessary steps to stop future charges.
Item File Health Checks
Sales and profitability are often linked directly to how well items are initially set up with Walmart. Our Item File Health Check pores over your items, then identifies and resolves any areas of concern that may lead to costly issues down the road. The Item File Health Check has brought suppliers thousands of dollars in sales they otherwise would have lost.
Line Review Prep
Walk into this critical meeting thoroughly prepared to maximize your business next year. We help you build a compelling case for your buyer through data-based analytics and strategic recommendations. Plus, we provide a private, premium local meeting place and shipping location for your samples to arrive safely ahead of you. Walk into your annual Line Review with the same confidence in your presentation strategy as you have in your products.
Store Shelf Audit
Buyers want to know that suppliers know and understand their stores and their category. Our Store Shelf Audit provides you valuable insights about how you stand to benefit your buyer’s category because it gives you visibility to what differentiates your pricing, your packaging, your position, and more.
Ghostwritten Emails to Buying Team
Our team has spent decades working for Walmart and its suppliers. We speak the Walmart language fluently and know the words that connect best with buyers and replenishment managers. Our Ghostwritten Emails are “Copy & Paste” ready for you, giving you language and supporting data to send constructive, win-win recommendations to your buying team.
Availability for Buying Team Calls
We can join you for your most important conversations with Walmart. Our presence shows you are investing in top-level guidance for your business with them. Plus — having been in on the call, our team can clarify for you anything discussed in the meeting.
In-Depth Reporting
Beyond standardized reporting on the essential areas of your Walmart business, we provide customizable visibility so you can see exactly what you need to see to manage your business.
Team Expertise Screening
Our goal is always to help you build a thriving, sustainable business with Walmart. Often this means helping you get the right team members on board. We will help you assess a prospective hire for competency in managing Walmart and provide candid, confidential feedback on the candidate’s Walmart experience and readiness.
Outside Services - Research & Connectivity
Successful execution with Walmart often requires additional resources and support in areas like logistics, eCommerce advertising, syndicated data, global sourcing & logistics, packaging, field audits, displays, and more. We will help you quickly connect with best-in-class providers of these services who are proven leaders in working with Walmart.
Questions? Give us a call and we’ll walk you through it.
LET'S TALKWalmart Guidance That Grows With You
Start with answers to your critical questions and upgrade as you grow, or hit the ground running with one of our premium services. Each service level includes a fixed 12-month term, providing comprehensive Walmart expertise across all topics, including:
Walmart Communication Strategy | Line Review Prep | Vendor Agreements | Reporting / Retail Link®; Supply Chain | Accounting | Invoicing, & Deductions | eCommerce | OTIF/SQEP/NOVA | Item 360 | EDI | RFID | Luminate | Future Walmart Initiatives
WHAT'S INCLUDED
BASIC
BRONZE
SILVER
GOLD
Walmart Alerts
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Recurring Meetings
As requested, up to 2 hours per month
Bi-Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Bi-Weekly
Guidance Responses
Within 48 hours
Within 48 hours
Within 24 hours
Within 12 hours
Business Performance Report
Weekly
Weekly
Weekly
Weekly
Supply Chain Deep Dive
-
Quarterly
Bi-Monthly
Monthly
Sales Performance Deep Dive
-
Quarterly
Bi-Monthly
Monthly
eComm Deep Dive
-
Quarterly
Bi-Monthly
Monthly
Accounting & Deductions Deep Dive
-
Quarterly
Bi-Monthly
Monthly
Line Review Prep
-
-
Annually
Semi-Annually
Store Shelf Audit
-
-
Annually
Semi-Annually
Item File Health Checks
-
-
As Needed
As Needed
Outside Services - Research & Connectivity
-
-
Yes
Yes
Ghostwritten Emails to Buying Team
-
-
-
Yes
Availability for Buying Team Calls
-
-
-
Yes
Expertise Screening for Prospective New Hires
-
-
-
1 Team Member
In-Depth Reporting
-
-
-
Available on Request
Get Answers to Your Walmart Questions
LET'S TALK
What Makes PathFinders Different?
Three key points set PathFinders apart from traditional brokers and reps:
You are your brand. It is you who owns the sales/buyer relationship now and going forward. Our role is to help you maximize your knowledge and success. Although we hope to work with you forever, the reality is that at some point you may want to chart your own course, and we are fine with that.
We don’t like paying on a sliding scale, and we don’t want to ask you to pay us an indefinite amount either. There’s plenty of uncertainty in retail as it is, but when you know exactly what something will cost, you can plan for that expense. At 8th & Walton we have one fixed cost as well as a clear listing of all the ways we will help you build your business. It is all spelled out.
Customer Experience Is Everything
Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what some of our customers have to say about how PathFinders helps them successfully navigate Walmart.
CHOMPS has experienced a tremendous amount of growth in the past several years; the team at 8th & Walton has been instrumental in helping us navigate and maximize our growth at Walmart. Their knowledge of Walmart's supply chain, eCommerce, and overall strategy has been invaluable to our team.
- Matt Meloy, VP of Sales
It's been a pleasure and saving grace working with 8th & Walton. As new suppliers to Walmart, there was a steep learning curve in understanding and navigating the myriad of systems, Walmart jargon, and overall framework of doing business. We've already received glowing feedback from our replenishment and buying teams.
- Luna Magic
8th & Walton helped us maximize our Walmart business by providing the latest on Walmart priorities and initiatives, as well as best practices, insights, and strategies for building a collaborative relationship with our buyers. They were especially helpful in growing our eCommerce business with Walmart and improving our Seasonal Replenishment efforts.
- Grassworx
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sign up and start the same day?
We can answer many questions immediately; more complex issues will take more time. Almost always we need time to review your business on our own before we start. We want everything right for you from the get-go.
Do you share my information with others?
Everything you share with us is held in strict confidence and shared only with our team members on a “need to know” basis. No exceptions.
Can I choose a shorter contract instead of one year?
Our contracts are for one year because that has proven to be the most effective way to help a supplier. We do offer a 3-month Starter option.
How long do most suppliers stay in the PathFinders program?
Walmart is innovative and dynamic, so our clients stay with us for a variety of terms – anywhere for 6 months to 6+ years. While we consider it a success when a supplier grows to a size where they can dedicate team members exclusively to Walmart, often our team provides ongoing guidance as Walmart and their suppliers grow and evolve. Many suppliers scale back our guidance and continue to rely on us as their eyes, ears, and experts to understand the latest in Bentonville.