Walmart PPC vs Amazon PPC: Key Differences for Sellers
Walmart PPC and Amazon PPC work on the same basic idea: you bid on keywords and products, and pay per click when shoppers see and click your ad. The differences that matter are scale (Amazon usually has far more search traffic), auction mechanics, reporting (Walmart emphasizes ROAS and offers several attribution windows), and competition, which is often lighter on Walmart. Treat Walmart as its own channel with its own targets, not a copy of your Amazon account.
Side-by-side comparison
| Area | Amazon Ads | Walmart Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Main self-serve ad types | Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display | Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Videos |
| Campaign targeting | Auto, manual keyword, product and category targeting | Automatic and manual keyword campaigns |
| Keyword match types | Broad, phrase, exact; negative phrase and exact | Broad, phrase, exact; negative keywords |
| Auction | Relevance plus bid; bidding strategies change how bids flex | Advanced second-price auction with relevance weighting |
| Headline metric | ACoS is most common | ROAS is prominent in reporting |
| Attribution for sellers | 7 days for Sponsored Products | Selectable windows (such as 3, 14 and 30 days) |
| Traffic volume | Generally much higher | Generally lower; varies by category |
| Buy Box effect | Ads need the Featured Offer to serve reliably | Ads generally need the Buy Box to serve well |
Traffic and data volume
The biggest practical difference is data. A keyword that gets 500 clicks a month on Amazon might get 60 on Walmart. With less data, every decision takes longer to make with confidence. Rules that work on Amazon, such as 'pause after 15 clicks with no orders,' can be too aggressive on Walmart, where it may take a month to reach 15 clicks. Use higher click thresholds and longer lookback windows.
Competition and costs
In many categories, fewer advertisers compete on Walmart than on Amazon, which can mean lower CPCs and easier top placements. That isn't universal: large brands advertise heavily on Walmart, and some categories are crowded. Don't assume Walmart is cheaper; measure your own CPCs after a few weeks.
Auction differences
Walmart describes its Sponsored Products auction as an advanced second-price auction: the winner pays what's needed to beat competing bids, and relevance factors such as item page quality and historical performance affect who wins. Amazon also weighs relevance, and offers bidding strategies (dynamic down only, up and down, and fixed) that change how your bid flexes by placement. See Amazon bidding strategies explained.
Reporting: ROAS vs ACoS
Walmart reporting puts ROAS front and center; Amazon sellers usually think in ACoS. They're two views of the same ratio: ROAS = 1 ÷ ACoS. A 25% ACoS is a 4.0 ROAS; a 20% ACoS is a 5.0 ROAS. Convert your targets once and keep a single standard in your reports. The ROAS/ACoS converter helps.
Attribution windows matter even more. Amazon Sponsored Products credits sales within 7 days of a click for sellers. Walmart lets you view results with different windows. A longer window credits more sales to ads, so a Walmart ROAS on a 14-day window will look better than the same performance measured over 7 days. Line up the windows before comparing channels.
Worked example: comparing two channels fairly
Illustrative numbers. Last month, Amazon spent $6,000 and drove $24,000 in 7-day attributed sales (ACoS 25%, ROAS 4.0). Walmart spent $1,200 and showed $6,000 in 14-day attributed sales (ROAS 5.0, ACoS 20%).
Walmart looks better, but the window is twice as long. Switching Walmart's report to a shorter window, suppose sales drop to $5,100: ROAS 4.25, ACoS 23.5%. Still a bit better than Amazon, but not by as much as it first appeared. Next, check margin: if Walmart fulfillment or fees make your margin lower on that channel, your break-even ACoS on Walmart is lower too. Use the break-even ACoS calculator separately for each channel.
Listings and the Buy Box
On both platforms, ads amplify what your listing already does. On Walmart, though, sellers more often share item pages with other sellers, and price competition can move the Buy Box quickly. If you lose it, your ads stop serving well and your ROAS drops for reasons unrelated to bids. Monitor Buy Box status on your advertised items and treat a sudden drop in Walmart ad impressions as a Buy Box or stock check first.
Content matters too. Walmart's relevance factors include item page quality, so complete titles, attributes, images and descriptions help ads win auctions. Sellers who put less effort into Walmart listings than Amazon listings often see weaker Walmart ad results and blame the channel.
Running both channels efficiently
Most sellers start Walmart with fewer products and simpler structure than on Amazon: one automatic campaign and one manual campaign per product line is plenty at first. Review Walmart weekly alongside Amazon, using the same checklist but different thresholds, so it doesn't become the neglected channel.
How to split budget between Amazon and Walmart
- Fund Amazon to the point where additional spend stops meeting your target ACoS. That's usually where most of your profitable volume is.
- Start Walmart with a fixed test budget on your strongest items, enough to run for a month.
- After a month, compare marginal returns: which channel delivers more profit for the next $1,000?
- Shift budget toward the better marginal return, keeping each channel within its own target.
- Revisit monthly, and before Q4, since seasonal demand shifts differently on each platform.
Optimization cadence on each platform
On Amazon, many sellers review bids and search terms weekly, and automation tools adjust daily. On Walmart, a weekly review is still sensible, but expect fewer changes each time because fewer targets will have enough data to act on. A useful habit: keep a list of Walmart keywords that are close to your decision thresholds and check them first each week. That keeps decisions moving without overreacting to small samples.
What carries over from Amazon
- Keyword research: terms that convert on Amazon are a good starting list for Walmart manual campaigns.
- Structure: discovery (auto) feeding performance (manual exact) works on both. See campaign structure.
- Discipline: weekly search-term review, negatives and bid changes based on data.
- Listing quality: better content and reviews improve ad performance on both.
What doesn't carry over
- Bids: start from Walmart-specific math, not Amazon bids.
- Thresholds: use larger click thresholds on Walmart.
- Reporting assumptions: different attribution windows and ROAS-first reports.
- Ad formats: Sponsored Display and some targeting types on Amazon don't have exact Walmart equivalents.
Running both channels from one tool helps keep standards consistent. AdSpark manages Amazon PPC and Walmart Sponsored Products with separate targets per marketplace, plus bid optimization, search-term review and budget pacing, all logged and reversible.
Run Amazon and Walmart ads with one set of standards.
Start your 14-day free trialFAQ
Is Walmart PPC cheaper than Amazon PPC?
Often in less crowded categories, but not always. Measure your own CPCs and ROAS after a few weeks rather than assuming.
Should I advertise on Walmart if my Amazon ads aren't profitable?
Fix Amazon first. The same listing, pricing or margin problems usually show up on Walmart too.
Can I use the same keywords on both?
Yes, as a starting point. Then let each channel's search term data guide changes, because shopper language and competition differ.
How do I learn Walmart's ad console?
Start with our Walmart Sponsored Products guide, then Walmart Connect's own help center for console-specific steps.