Walmart’s Strategic Pivot: Dominating Retail Media
Walmart has moved fast from retailer to vertically integrated media player. The Vizio acquisition gave Walmart a proprietary smart TV operating system and immediate scale in connected TV advertising. That asset, combined with Walmart Connect and the Onn TV line rollout, positions Walmart to sell addressable CTV at scale to both CPG and non-endemic advertisers.
The Vizio Catalyst: CTV and First-Party Data Synergy
Vizio provides a direct CTV endpoint that can be paired with Walmart’s first-party shopper data. The combination lets Walmart create audience segments tied to purchase behavior, then reach those audiences in living rooms. Early results show growth in CTV spend and stronger interest from advertisers who want exposure outside traditional retail channels.
Driving Growth and Redefining Measurement
Walmart is executing a multi-screen strategy: online, in-app, in-store and CTV. The company is prioritizing closed-loop measurement that links ad exposures to in-store and online sales. That capability makes ROI conversations more concrete for advertisers and helps justify higher CPMs by demonstrating incremental sales across channels and third-party partners.
In-Store Innovation and Market Implications
Walmart is scaling in-store retail media with contextual screens, programmatic placements and tighter control of the advertising stack. As retailers move toward end-to-end control, demand for standalone digital signage vendors and fragmented ad tech will shift. Some suppliers will integrate with retailer stacks; others will need to pivot to services and measurement roles.
What This Means for Your Strategy
- Prioritize your own first-party data and audience activation plans to compete for CTV dollars.
- Align measurement standards to closed-loop outcomes so you can prove incremental sales across screens.
- Decide whether to build capabilities in-house or form strategic partnerships with RMN operators and measurement providers.
Walmart’s integrated approach is not an instant displacement of Amazon or ad tech incumbents, but it raises the bar. For brands and retailers, the choice is clear: adapt to a model that links shopper data, CTV reach and closed-loop measurement, or risk ceding budgets to networks that already offer those connections.
