Walmart Expands Advertising To Non-Endemic Brands

The retailer is growing its advertising business by opening inventory to brands that do not sell products in its stores.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Advertising

Bold flat-color editorial illustration showing a radiating digital aperture from a central geometric lattice, representing structural business expansion. — Walmart is expanding its advertising business by allowing non-endemic brands to purchase ad space across its digital platforms and smart TVs. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Walmart has officially expanded its advertising business to include non-endemic brands, leveraging its massive dataset from 150 million weekly customers to draw new advertisers. This strategic shift follows the company's recent acquisition of Vibe.co, which closed on August 4, 2026.

Why it matters

By opening its platform to advertisers outside of its traditional supplier base, Walmart is capitalizing on its vast consumer reach to drive high-margin growth. Marketplace sellers are also increasingly using these ad tools to boost product visibility, with some committing up to 12 percent of their gross merchandise value to advertising.

Walmart global advertising revenue surged 46 percent to nearly $6.4 billion during the fiscal year ending in January 2026. Marketplace sellers typically allocate between 10 percent and 12 percent of their gross merchandise value toward these advertisements.

The players

Walmart

This multinational retail corporation operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores across the United States.

Vizio

This company designs and sells televisions, soundbars, and smart TV operating systems that provide data for advertising platforms.

Vibe.co

This advertising technology firm specializes in connected TV and streaming platform ad solutions.

Sam's Club

This American chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs is owned and operated by Walmart.

The details

The company is selling ad space across its main website, the Vizio smart TV operating systems, and its WatchFree+ streaming service. Furthermore, Walmart has integrated the Sam's Club advertising platform directly into the core Walmart U.S. technology infrastructure to streamline operations.

December 2024: Walmart completed its purchase of Vizio.
January 2026: The fiscal year concluded with advertising revenue reaching $6.4 billion.
July 31, 2026: Walmart U.S. advertising revenue grew 43 percent for the quarter.
August 4, 2026: The company finalized its acquisition of Vibe.co.
August 20, 2026: Walmart held an earnings call to discuss financial performance.

Market Landscape

The expansion of Walmart's advertising platform follows the retail media network growth trend identified by eMarketer, signaling a broader industry shift toward high-margin digital ad sales. By integrating Vizio and Vibe.co, Walmart is positioning itself to compete more aggressively against major digital advertising incumbents.

Shoppers may notice more targeted advertisements from brands they do not typically see on the site as Walmart expands its ad network. For marketplace sellers, the move provides additional tools to increase product visibility, potentially influencing which items appear most prominently in search results.

The takeaway

Walmart is transforming its role from a traditional retailer into a significant digital advertising player by utilizing its massive consumer data. This shift allows the company to diversify revenue beyond physical retail sales while providing brands with new ways to reach millions of weekly shoppers.