Item Assortment Expansion - Supplier FAQs
1P Assortment Expansion Initiative – Supplier FAQ
1. What is the Assortment Expansion Initiative?
The Assortment Expansion Initiative is a Walmart program designed to expand our 1P ecomm assortment by identifying high-demand items that are not currently offered or not offered competitively and activating them with existing 1P suppliers.
When assortment gaps are identified, Walmart creates the item in our catalog and works with existing supplier partners to make those products available to customers through an accelerated onboarding and activation process.
This initiative helps ensure customers have access to a broad and relevant assortment, competitive pricing, faster delivery speeds, and improved in-stock availability. The program supports suppliers by creating incremental growth opportunities on items with demonstrated customer demand.
2. Why is Walmart launching this initiative?
Walmart continuously evaluates customer demand signals, market trends, and assortment competitiveness. When we identify high-demand items that represent gaps in our 1P assortment, we act quickly to close those gaps. We create the item in our catalog and collaborate with existing supplier partners to bring it to market through an accelerated activation process.
This initiative enables us to:
- Close high-demand assortment gaps
- Deliver faster availability to customers
- Strengthen assortment competitiveness by improving price and speed
- Drive incremental sales and conversion
- Streamline traditional item onboarding and replenishment workflows
3. How are items identified and created?
The items in this program are based on top selling items we detect in the market. Walmart leverages advanced data modeling, statistical inferencing, catalog analytics, and market insights/ trends to identify and create items suitable for accelerated 1P expansion.
Once identified:
- Walmart creates the item in the catalog
- Core product attributes are populated using existing catalog data and automated modeling
- Replenishment is activated
- Suppliers receive an email notification with a list of newly created items
- Purchase Orders are generated
Suppliers are expected to review newly created items carefully and provide feedback if any attributes are incorrect or if the item cannot be supplied.
4. Supplier Partnership & Expectations
Once items are created and POs are issued:
- Suppliers are expected to ship POs in-full unless the item is discontinued or genuinely unavailable
- If an item cannot be supplied, it must be canceled in Nova using appropriate reason code “End of Life Items/Seasonal” or “Product not available”
- If item attributes require correction, suppliers should update the attached file included in the notification email and return it for re-processing
- For unique circumstances that may impact shipment decisions, contact your merchant to discuss but note that consistent shipments in full is a key expectation of this program.
Timely feedback ensures corrective action can be taken quickly and helps prevent ongoing replenishment.
5. What should I do if I have concerns or questions related to fulfilling the items?
Suppliers are expected to ship the POs. If an item is no longer available or cannot be supplied, cancel it in Nova using reason code “End of Life Items/Seasonal” or “Product not available”. For unique circumstances that may impact shipment decisions, contact your merchant or replenishment manager to discuss but note that consistent shipments in full is a key expectation of this program.
6. Will new items be set up as part of this process?
Yes. Walmart will set up new items in our catalog as needed, often using existing or previously listed items as a starting point.
7. Who creates the online content and images for these items?
Core product information is populated automatically from our catalog. If you need to update item details, please do so through Supplier One.
8. What should I do if an item is discontinued or not available?
Only items that are discontinued or genuinely unavailable may be excluded from shipment. Cancel those items in Nova using “End of Life Items/Seasonal” and we will turn off ongoing replenishment. If additional input is needed on item status, a merchant discussion may be initiated, but only in those cases.
Inventory and Ordering
1. Are these items set up for ongoing replenishment?
We intend to maintain ongoing replenishment; however, if an item is no longer available or cannot be supplied, cancel it in Nova using reason code “End of Life Items/Seasonal” or “Product not available” and we will turn off ongoing replenishment.
2. How is the initial order quantity determined?
We order the minimum quantity typically shipped by the supplier for that item type.
3. Where will these orders be shipped?
The POs should be shipped via the NDC 6069 - St James, MO (1100 Matlock Dr., St James, MO 65559). Dun and Bradstreet Number (DUNS: 0519577696691) and Global Location Number (GLN: 0078742033587).
Please refer to this document for more information regarding NDC.
If you need additional support with NDC requirements, please register to NDC office hours here.
4. How will this new process impact my On-Time and In-Full (OTIF) performance?
- The OTIF team will centrally exclude initial orders from compliance charges for 3 months. This will allow time for suppliers to engage in the right merchant conversations on a go-forward strategy for their items.
- Although initial orders will be removed from OTIF centrally, suppliers can still submit cancellations using Reason Code "End of Life Items/Seasonal" to ensure charges are avoided.
5. What if I have questions about the packaging of new items?
Please refer to this guide for packaging requirements . You can also reach out to our Inbound Quality Team at SIQ@wal-mart.com if you have any questions.
6. What should I do if I did not receive any email notification regarding the new items?
If you did not receive the email notification regarding the newly created item numbers, it is likely that we do not have the correct contact information on file.
Please email the correct Supplier contact email addresses to:
SVCllmmbx02@walmart.com
Use the following subject line format: Action Required: Update Contact Info – Vendor (Enter your 6-digit Vendor Nbr)
Sample Email Format
To SVCllmmbx02@walmart.com Subject Action Required: Update Contact Info - 123456
Email Body
john.doe@example.com
jane.smith@example.com
michael.brown@example.com
7. What should I do if I need to discuss the cost of the new item?
You should reach out to your Walmart merchant or replenishment manager for further guidance regarding cost.
8. What should I do if the new item has set up issues but continues to order?
Walmart will send an email notification when new items are created. Please respond to the email with the attachment if you have any corrections that need to be made to these items.
If the item is not available or cannot be fulfilled due to reasons such as cost or other setup issues, please select the appropriate “fulfillment status” from the drop-down menu in the Excel file attached to the email and send it back. This will help us remediate items if details need to be corrected or disable replenishment when items are not available.
If you did not receive the email notification, please email the correct Supplier contact email addresses to:
SVCllmmbx02@walmart.com
Use the following subject line format:
Action Required: Update Contact Info – Vendor (Enter your 6-digit Vendor Nbr)
Sample Email Format
To SVCllmmbx02@walmart.com Subject Action Required: Update Contact Info - 123456
Email Body
john.doe@example.com
jane.smith@example.com
michael.brown@example.com
9. What should I do if a newly created item already exists and appears to be a duplicate?
If the exact item already exists in the Walmart Catalog, please provide the Walmart item number in the “Comments” column of the attached Excel file. Then, select the option “ITEM ALREADY EXISTS” from the “Fulfillment Status” drop-down menu and send the file back. We will disable replenishment to stop ordering and update our backend logic.