Product Attributes are a basic element of ecommerce—you can't create an item page without them! But are your product attributes set up to help your product pages succeed? The attributes and specifications you attach to your page help Walmart shoppers find your item through the retailer's search engine. Let's walk through the basics of product attributes on Walmart so you can improve your pages' discoverability to earn more traffic and sales:

What Are Attributes?

Online retailers like Walmart.com have become a routine part of our daily lives. But behind the scenes lies a complicated web of algorithms and artificial intelligence, constantly indexing, sorting, and searching through huge databases of items to give shoppers what they're looking for. The thing is, Walmart.com's search engine won't know anything at all about your item unless you tell it!

Walmart suppliers provide the information to index, sort, and display their products in the form of product attributes, content, and specifications. That's why it's essential to fill out your product attributes as completely and accurately as possible when selling items on Walmart. Every piece of product information you add to your item page makes it easier for shoppers to find your item!

Attributes ARE Omnichannel!

With digital sales way up and Online Pickup & Delivery's explosion in 2020, Walmart is more serious than ever about their omnichannel shopping experience. Walmart has various channels, storefronts, algorithms, and sorting tools that shoppers can use to find items. Your item's attributes play a part in the shopping experience of nearly every type of Walmart shopper.

There are millions of ways a shopper can find your Walmart item page. Some attributes, like Product Type, are more important than others, but every bit of information you add for your item gives the search algorithms more to work with, and might end up bringing a shopper to your page!

Remember, online content isn't just used by online shoppers, either—people are using their mobile phones while in-store more than ever before, and more than 80% of shoppers research online before purchasing in person! Having item pages with solid information that win search can convert these "ROPO" (Research Online Purchase Offline) shoppers to purchase your item in-store!

Attributes ARE NOT One-Size-Fits-All!

Depending on your item's category or product type, different attributes may be required by Walmart, and some may be more or less important for organic search. For example, you'll need to add nutrition information if you're selling food or drink, and an item's Color attribute will be more important to include for a piece of furniture than a toothbrush.

When you set up your item, the list of attributes you're able to enter for it may vary based on its category or product type. Some of these may be "required" attributes, but remember: filling out each of them will give your item more chances to appear in organic search!

Walmart uses Style Guides to share with its suppliers what content is required and recommended for content on Walmart.com and Online Pickup & Delivery. In 2020, Walmart began the process of releasing new style guides for each individual category and product type. Click here to read our FAQ about Walmart's new Style Guides!

Attributes are ESSENTIAL!

Your item's attributes are its foundation for success on Walmart.com and Online Pickup & Delivery. As we said earlier in this post, your item's attributes touch nearly every part of its performance on Walmart eCommerce, and even in brick-and-mortar stores!

The consequences of not adding adequate attributes and content to your items can be far-reaching. With missing, incorrect, or incomplete attributes, your item:

• Won't show up in search results for valuable search terms

• Are ineligible for paid search and sponsored product spots

• Will get only negative attention from your Walmart merchant, with no chance at promotion or increased business

Walmart's new omnichannel merchant team has started sending emails to Walmart suppliers with missing, incomplete, or inaccurate product information. Are you getting these emails? We can help!

Attributes ARE NOT Set-It-and-Forget-It!

Walmart is always working to improve their search algorithms to make a better experience for their shoppers. That means that the attributes that are most important for showing up in searches may change over time. This is another reason to fill out as many attributes as possible for your items!

Without an email from your Walmart merchant saying that you're missing attributes, it can be hard to determine Walmart uses Content Quality scores to show how an item's attributes and content are optimized for search. Content Quality score is a metric Walmart uses internally to measure how optimized an item's content is for search. SKU Ninja's Walmart Search Boost tool lists your items' Content Quality scores along with specific instructions on how to fix issues with your attributes, description, images, and more! It's updated weekly, so you can stay on top of your entire portfolio's content quickly and easily, using the same scores Walmart uses!

Understanding Content Quality Scores is essential to forming a good ecommerce strategy for your items on Walmart.com. Click here to read more about Walmart's Content Quality Scores.

Don't Know Where to Start? Get a Free Content Quality Assessment!

To help get started with improving their content, we offer a free Content Quality score assessment for Walmart suppliers! Fill out the contact form below to get instructions on how to send us your item list to see how Walmart Search Boost can help you improve your items!

About SKU Ninja + WhyteSpyder: SKU Ninja + WhyteSpyder is a digital merchandising company and Walmart Connected Content Partner with more than a decade of experience helping brands win online. We combine years of ecommerce expertise with innovative and precise software to solve the unique problems facing omnichannel professionals today. For more information, a free Walmart Content Quality Score assessment, or to schedule a demo or call, email info@whytespyder.com.