LAS VEGAS — Walmart Connect’s evolution from retail media network to comprehensive digital platform enables storytelling from “couch to cart to sales,” with research showing CTV advertising combined with linear TV delivers 55% reach increases.
“About a year ago, we launched Vizio, and we now have the ability to tell a story from a brand solution perspective on TV,” Khurrum Malik, vp, marketing at Walmart Connect, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at CES. “We did research with Ipsos that showed that when you invest in Vizio ads plus Walmart Connect and you combine that with linear, 55% increase in your reach — the classic upper funnel metric.”
This represents evolution beyond traditional retail media’s lower-funnel focus toward comprehensive brand storytelling capabilities.
MRC accreditation builds confidence
Walmart Connect achieved Media Rating Council accreditation for sponsored search in fall 2025, providing industry-standard validation for first-party click and impression metrics across desktop, mobile web, and in-app devices.
“MRC accreditation is important as we think about building confidence in the advertising industry,” Malik said. “What I’m more excited about is not just MRC accreditation, but advertisers asking for more value.”
Incrementality measurement has become critical, with Walmart launching search incrementality tools that demonstrate dollar-for-dollar returns on search investment.
Scale enables storytelling
Walmart Connect leverages 4,600 stores and 50 million weekly omnichannel customers to provide solutions spanning upper funnel brand building through lower funnel performance with closed-loop measurement capabilities.
“We love to spark sales for our advertisers, and retail media platforms we’re excited about is that we have scale,” Malik said.
Research comparing Walmart Connect search and media investments showed 2.5x better ROI performance versus social media norms, demonstrating advertiser value beyond traditional retail media metrics.
Privacy partnerships critical
Expanding retail data effectiveness beyond owned properties requires trusted partnerships that prioritize security and privacy while maintaining data sanctity across the open web.
“It’s really critical — security and privacy and work with partners that you have trusted relationships with,” Malik said, citing partnerships that activate shopper data on external platforms for display and audio advertising.
CTV drives measurable sales
The biggest 2026 innovation opportunity involves connecting upper-funnel storytelling through CTV to measurable sales outcomes, demonstrating how brand advertising drives search behavior and store conversions.
“We are being asked increasingly by advertisers about running a story on CTV — how does that drive search on walmart.com and how does that convert to sales?” Malik said. “I think new surfaces like CTV and then showing that it drives sales, that’s where the opportunity is.”
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