The path to purchase can be complex for marketers to navigate as customers discover and buy products across various touchpoints. Consideration is a critical factor of the journey - it's the stage where customers evaluate their options, weigh the pros and cons, and decide whether to purchase or not.  

In-depth online research is playing an increasing role in this stage, whether the purchase happens online or in-store. 75% of Walmart customers surveyed say one of the top reasons for shopping on Walmart’s site or app is to compare different items and products.¹ In today's competitive marketplace, marketers need the opportunity to influence customers during this research phase to help increase the chances of conversion. In fact, 76% of Walmart customers surveyed say they are likely to buy products in-store that they’ve seen advertised online1.  Here are three benefits of integrating consideration tactics into your marketing strategy:   

1. Shorten the window between discovery and purchase: Providing customers with relevant and timely information during the consideration phase can shorten the time it takes for them to make a purchase decision. This can lead to increased conversion rates and a more streamlined customer journey. 
2. Scale and grow your customer base: Consideration tactics can help you reach and engage with customers who are not yet in the market for your products or services. By influencing these customers during the research phase, you can scale your customer base and grow your business beyond existing customers. 
3. Secure long-term brand loyalty: Providing a seamless and personalized experience across all touchpoints can build trust and loyalty with your customers. This can lead to repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth marketing, which are essential for long-term brand success.

The benefits are clear, but many marketers often ask how to get started. Here is a recommended step-by-step guide to building a strong consideration strategy:

Step 1: Inspire and educate early in a customer’s shopping journey with Onsite Display.  Walmart Onsite Display offers brands access to Walmart’s powerful first-party omnichannel insights to help advance or defend category share amongst specific Walmart customers. Focus on reaching broader audiences to help gain share of voice and scale your customer pool at Walmart. 

Step 2: Own the Digital Shelf with Sponsored Brands. Sponsored Brands features your brand with up to four products at the top of relevant search results to help improve brand visibility and inspire product discovery. This ad unit can especially benefit smaller brands, new brands or brands with new items that may not yet have strong organic search rankings on Walmart’s site and app.  

Step 3: Integrate video across both onsite and offsite to educate on product benefits. Video content that either demonstrates product use or combines entertainment with solutions can be highly effective in driving consideration and using video strategically across Walmart’s digital properties (Sponsored Videos) and offsite (Walmart DSP – CTV and Online Video) can help capture customers interest no matter where they are shopping.  

Step 4: Capture attention in-feed. Today, customers are getting more of their shopping inspiration directly in their social feeds. Walmart Connect’s social partnerships give advertisers an opportunity to use Walmart’s first-party insights and authentically connect with potential customers via social platforms that can help boost direct engagement and shorten the journey to purchase. 

Step 5: Build buzz and trial in-store. Take advantage of Walmart’s in-store scale of over 4,700+ stores across the United States.² Capture customer attention with memorable experiences in-store to drive consideration. In-store demos and in-store events give advertisers opportunities to build trust with Walmart shoppers, helping acquire new customers and allowing them to try and engage with your brand before purchase. 73% of customers say that product samples would induce them to try to use an unfamiliar brand or product.³

To learn more about how you can shorten the window between discovery and purchase, scale and grow your customer base, and secure long-term brand loyalty, get in touch to access our full Consideration playbook.

Sources: ^1"Walmart Fast Facts recurring statistics" (2023) first-party data, Walmart Customer Spark Community, provided by Walmart Luminate, survey conducted by the Walmart Connect Customer Insights and Advanced Analytics Survey Team [April 2023]. ²Walmart Corporate Site, November 2023. ³The Importance of Sampling in Inspira Marketing, Bobby Johnson, Feb. 2022.