Building Quality Content – General Tips and FAQs

Updated 1 month ago ​by Merch Transformation Change Management

Quality item content impacts the customer experience. Below are general tips and answers to frequently asked questions on how to improve the quality of your item content, including images, titles, descriptions, and other attributes.

Understanding Walmart’s Content Requirements

The Walmart content team has developed Style Guides for Private Brands, Categories, and Product Types. Style Guides provide detailed instructions on how to best present your items. See Finding and Using the Style Guides.

We encourage suppliers to review the Style Guides 101 course in Retail Link Academy. If the direct link does not work for you, go to Retail Link and click AcademyUnder the Browse Courses by Topic section, click Walmart Style Guides.

Curate Quality Content

Once you set up items, the Walmart content team audits the content and may email you with updates or corrections. The email comes from the Content Acquisition team and the address includes the category name (e.g., home_SC@walmart.com, vehicle_SC@walmart.com, etc.).

We offer three ways to make the changes suggested by the Walmart content team. Regardless of the method you choose, you must reply to the email and inform the team that you completed the updates.

  1. Update your item in Supplier One using the Style Guide.
    See Getting Started in Supplier One and Content Health of Your Catalog.
  2. If you use a Connected Content Partner (CCP), contact them to complete the updates.
    See Item Setup: Using a Connected Content Partner (CCP).
  3. Download the Content Spreadsheet attached to the email and update the highlighted attributes using the Style Guide. Reply to the email and attach the completed spreadsheet for upload.

Using the Content Spreadsheet

Download the file attached to the email. The Content Spreadsheet highlights attributes with issues in orange in the Supplier Template tab.

Use the Product Type column to determine the appropriate Style Guide – available here.

Use the Error Description & Fix tab to understand error details and get suggestions for how to fix them.

When you have fixed the errors, select Save As... (to maintain the file type), reply to the original email, and attach the completed spreadsheet.

See a sample Content Spreadsheet here

Contacts for Content Update Issues

Submit a ticket from Supplier One > Help > Manage tickets if:

  1. Content updates are not visible on the item page. If your updates do not appear due to content ownership, your submissions in Supplier One route to our Content Operations team for approval.
  2. The Submission ID has a Walmart Action Required status for more than five (5) days.
  3. Marketplace items are overwriting your content.

Contact your Merchant to:

  1. Request a Content Quality Report.
  2. Update images for virtual bundles.
  3. Make your content visible for Pickup & Delivery.
  4. Create variant groups.

Update the Content Request Email

The Walmart content team sends content request emails to the Content Expert listed in Retail Link. This person is responsible for providing content for your items. You have two ways to change this contact:

  • Reply to the email with the nameemail, and phone number of the correct contact, and we will update our systems.
  • Update the Content Expert directly in Retail Link where you maintain contacts (CEO, AP, Logistics, etc.).

FAQs

1. How do I generate a URL for my images, 360 spin images, and videos?

See Video and Image URL Specifications for steps to create your URLs. Also, see Rich Media Specifications for 360 spin images and videos.

2. How do I upload a URL for a Video Text Track (.vtt) file?

See Rich Media Specifications for steps to create closed caption files and URLs. Upload your VTT URL in Supplier One using a Rich Media maintenance spreadsheet.

3. Do we still need to use 1WorldSync (1WS) or the Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN)?

Using GDSN is recommended, but not required, to set up items in Supplier One. See GDSN FAQs for the benefits of using GDSN and data pool providers like 1WorldSync, Salsify, and Syndigo. If you use GDSN, publish the data to Walmart before working in Supplier One. You cannot edit supply chain data in Supplier One if the item is synced with GDSN. Make these updates through your data pool provider.  

4. What do I do if I get content requests for items that do not belong to me?

If you receive a content request for items that do not belong to you, respond to the email. Our team will update the item tracking.

5. How do I respond if the spreadsheet from the content team asks for attributes that are not relevant to my products?

If the attributes are not relevant to the item, check the Product Type (PT) column in the template. Product Type can be wrong if the Product Name and Descriptions are not accurate and relevant. If the PT is correct, reply to the email to tell us that the attributes are not relevant, and we will update our systems.

6. Why do I get emails requesting info for attributes that aren't required during item setup?

The setup templates in Supplier One and the Style Guides are currently being aligned. If the setup templates do not have all the attributes in the Style Guide, we request additional information. Our teams are working to bridge these gaps, so you see all the requirements during item setup.

7. If I send the content updates to the Content Team and they complete them, will that impact a submission made through a content partner?

Yes. The content team overrides other content for the attributes that they update. You can use one of the other options provided above (use Supplier One or a CCP) and reply to the validation team confirming the changes.

8. How long does it take for content to update once we submit new information?

Updates usually process within 4 hours. If your content is not visible after 24 hours, please submit a ticket from Supplier One > Help > Manage tickets.

9. Do we have to maintain different content for eCommerce and stores?

No. Walmart utilizes a unified catalog. Each GTIN shares content across partners and platforms. Content comes from the same database whether the item is in-store or online.

10. How do Marketplace sellers update our product content?

Marketplace sellers cannot update supplier content. We only pull in their inventory data and attributes not provided by the manufacturer. If your content is overridden by a Marketplace seller, submit a ticket from Supplier One > Help > Manage tickets.

11. My Merchant requested that I maintain a content quality score of 95%. Which attributes should I update or add to get that score?

The Content Quality Dashboard (CQD) report provided by your Merchant lists attributes needed to improve your score. You should follow the Style Guides when setting up your items. The CQD will align with the Style Guides in the near future and your scores will be based on Style Guide requirements.

12. Can I pull a content quality report myself instead of reaching out to my merchant?

Suppliers cannot access Content Quality Reports directly.

13. When will content partners be able to use Supplier One?

Refer to Get Connected to External Apps and Partners and Get Connected to Walmart APIs for more information.

14. How can we see the attributes we have content ownership of?

You cannot look up content ownership at an attribute level. If you submit content but are not the content owner, the Content Acquisition team reviews the content for quality using the Style Guides. If the content you provided is compliant and better than the existing content, they will approve the update. See Content Ranking and the Ranking Review Process.

15. What is the difference between a Long Description & a Short Description?

Long Description, also known as Key Features, is the short bullet-point version of the description. This is where you outline the features of the product.

Short Description, also known as Site Description or Description, is the paragraph version of the description. Short Descriptions are sometimes referred to as Romance Copy. This is where you provide your brand voice and marketing for the product.

Important: You cannot provide the same content for both attributes.


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