How Walmart’s original content led to larger customer orders

Challenge

A few years ago, Walmart’s editorial team was creating content for every possible customer. They wanted their content to drive online sales, but with such a broad reach, analyzing the return on investment was difficult. For example, there was no data-driven way to differentiate between general readers and subsets of customers.

To boost its content marketing, Walmart set out to develop a more substantial strategy and find the right data points that could connect content to commerce for its main publication: Tips & Ideas. The editorial team felt like there was an opportunity to put “a relatable context around the huge assortment of products that we sell,” said Britt Dione, the senior manager for Tips & Ideas.

The digital publication decided to narrow its scope to speak mostly to moms. Walmart partnered with Contently to help highlight expertise that would resonate with the target audience.

Solution

The editorial team created a hub for its editorial content aimed at mothers looking to save time, money, and effort at home, and the content program took off. Walmart tweaked its tone to be more accessible. Then, freelancers from Contently’s talent network helped Walmart scale production immediately.

“We’ve had a positive experience working with our trusted group of creators from Contently’s talent network,” Dione said. “They know what we want and nail it the first time. Contently is great at scaling so we’re writing even more.”

As a result, engagement rose while the bounce rate dropped. Customers who engaged with editorial content had an average order size 7 percent larger than customers who went straight to shopping.

“We’re a conversion-oriented company, so we needed a good conversion metric to make an impact. It started good conversations. We jokingly say that we’ve always been invited to the party, but now more people wanted to talk to us.”

Over time, the retail and marketing groups within Walmart have come to really value content. These relationships with other teams ensure that content serves both the business and the company.