BENTONVILLE, AR – Business media continues to cover Walmart’s efforts to “beef up its third party marketplace as it challenges bigger online rival Amazon.” The most recent analysis comes courtesy of an Oct. 18 CNBC article by reporter Melissa Repko.

“As Walmart heads into the retail industry’s most important season, the company is trying to recruit and retain hundreds of thousands of independent sellers that fill the company’s virtual shelves with items ranging from lip gloss to Rolex watches,” writes Repko. “It is also working to coax those sellers into paying Walmart to pack and ship — and even advertise — their products. It is leaning into a moment when inflation has pushed more high-income shoppers to its stores and website.”

According to CNBC, more than half the items included in Walmart’s early October sales event, which kicked off the season, were from its third-party marketplace. The event coincided with Amazon’s Prime Big Deals Days event, but there were no comparisons available.

“When it comes to e-commerce, Walmart is in a rare spot: the underdog,” adds Repko in the Oct. 18, 2023 article. “Its online sales are just a tiny fraction of what Amazon rings up—and that carries over to the companies’ third-party marketplaces, too. Customers who shop on Amazon and Walmart’s website see a mix of items. Some items are sold directly by the retailers and others are sold by sellers that own the inventory, list items on other retailers’ websites, and share a cut of the profits with those retailers.”