Walmart is using Small Business Month to accelerate adoption of its online marketplace, offering U.S. entrepreneurs a digital path to sell across Walmart’s ecommerce platforms in the U.S. and abroad.

The retailer said its initiative is part of a broader expansion of its commitment to small business development and its supplier inclusion program. It aims to bring more small businesses into Walmart’s digital ecosystem. Through the new “Grow with Us” onboarding track, small vendors gain access to Walmart Marketplace, allowing them to list products online with support from training, mentorship, and financing tools.

“Our new U.S. Small Business program helps entrepreneurs not only break into retail but succeed in a rapidly digitizing economy,” said Andrea Albright, executive vice president of sourcing for Walmart, and operating partner at Massmart. “This includes online selling opportunities that let them reach customers far beyond their local markets.”

Walmart is No. 2 in the Top 2000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North America’s online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales. It is also No. 9 in the Global Online Marketplaces. That database ranks the top such marketplaces by third-party gross merchandise value (GMV).

Walmart is among the “Big Four” Mass Merchants that Digital Commerce 360 covers in depth as part of the newly published State of American Ecommerce Report.

Walmart makes small-business push

Participating businesses can create and manage listings across Walmart’s online marketplaces in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Chile. Walmart provides access to product discovery platforms such as RangeMe and hosts events like its U.S. Open Call to identify and onboard emerging suppliers. The company’s Supplier Academy includes 30 e-learning modules, covering everything from Marketplace setup to advanced logistics and retail fundamentals.

The push comes as Walmart continues to expand its B2B ecommerce presence through Walmart Business, its dedicated online portal for organizations. The company is offering $100 in rewards to new Walmart Business+ subscribers in May and is promoting digital tools such as downloadable order histories, purchase order tracking, and tax-exempt purchasing systems — all optimized for small business use.

Walmart is also investing in digital-first financing tools. Through its Bridge Marketplace, eligible small suppliers can access lines of credit, purchase order financing, and invoice acceleration programs from banks including JPMorgan, Citibank, and Wells Fargo.

While Walmart has not disclosed marketplace growth rates, company executives have cited a “notable increase” in small business adoption and repeat ecommerce ordering since 2023. The current campaign is designed to deepen engagement with digitally savvy vendors and buyers alike.

Sign up

Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and YouTube.