Michael Lebhar is the Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, which helps brands scale and maximize sales on Walmart.com. He is also the Co-founder of Spawn Fitness, which manufactures high-quality workout equipment, and the CEO of Lebbro Industries Inc, a parent company for multiple eCommerce brands. With experience scaling and selling brands on Walmart Marketplace and stores, Michael has become a leading expert in online and in-store growth strategies.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [1:18] Michael Lebhar’s background as an Amazon and Walmart seller, and how he founded SellCord
• [3:59] Why brands should invest in Walmart despite low initial sales
• [8:11] Key strategies for holiday preparation on Walmart and how its search algorithm differs from Amazon
• [12:58] SellCord’s data-driven process for testing and refining Walmart content to improve rankings and conversions
• [15:35] An overview of Walmart’s advertising platform
• [20:37] Aligning promotional strategies with Walmart’s deals during the holidays
• [22:53] How to maintain sales momentum after the holidays

In this episode…

Many brands hesitate to invest heavily in Walmart’s online marketplace, assuming it will generate only a fraction of their Amazon sales. With this mindset, brands often miss opportunities to grow their digital presence and secure retail shelf space. With the holiday season approaching, how can brands rethink their Walmart strategy to maximize online and in-store sales?

According to Walmart marketplace strategist Michael Lebhar, early and committed investments in the platform pay off in the long run. He advises brands to tailor content optimization specifically for Walmart’s search algorithm, prioritize high-conversion keywords, and refine product listings before ramping up ad spend. During the holidays, brands can align promotional strategies with Walmart’s curated deals to capture seasonal traffic and boost long-term rankings. 

In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant invites Michael Lebhar, Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, back to the show to discuss holiday selling strategies for Walmart. Michael talks about content optimization, Walmart’s various advertising formats, and how to sustain post-holiday sales momentum. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn
• BWG Connect
• Michael Lebhar: LinkedIn| Email
• SellCord

Quotable Moments:

• "The earlier you get in, you're able to kind of go for the ride."
• "Walmart's very focused on conversion rate when it comes to ranking."
• "Retail media is just gonna continually get more expensive."
• "They really want good deals. It's not about just putting a ton of deals together."
• "You need a reason, enough of a reason to take something else off a shelf."

Action Steps:

1. Optimize Walmart-specific content and keywords: Tailoring product titles, descriptions, and features to Walmart’s algorithm increases visibility and boosts organic ranking. By focusing on high-volume, high-conversion keywords unique to Walmart, brands can outperform competitors and capture more traffic.
2. Strengthen conversion rates before heavy ad spend: Walmart rewards listings with higher conversion rates, so enhancing images, features, and content is critical. Optimizing conversion first ensures that any paid traffic delivers maximum return and ranking benefits.
3. Leverage multiple Walmart ad formats: Combining sponsored products, sponsored brand, sponsored video, and self-serve display ads maximizes reach and audience targeting. Using different ad types together allows brands to dominate search results and category visibility.
4. Align promotions with Walmart’s curated deal strategy: Offering compelling deals during key holiday windows matches Walmart’s promotional priorities and consumer expectations. This approach increases inclusion in high-visibility placements and capitalizes on surging seasonal traffic.
5. Build momentum before Q4: Increasing media spend and improving rankings in the months leading up to the holiday season pays dividends. Entering peak season with strong organic positions reduces dependence on costly ads and enhances profitability.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.