Reminder: Upgrade to Item Spec 4.5!

Now that Item Spec 4.5 is here, this is a quick reminder that starting October 1, our systems will no longer support Item Setup or Maintenance using Item Spec 3.2. Make sure you upgrade to the latest version now so you can manage your items more efficiently and help ensure your business remains uninterrupted! New features include:

• New Sales Restrictions attributes for items in the Furniture or Large Appliances categories
• Item setup based on sub-category, such as multi-category item setup and a new Excel design that has removed macros
• Dedicated item maintenance specs, with reduced requirements for easier updates and support for partial updates
• Attribution changes, including hundreds of new closed list attributes, thousands of attribute optimizations based on sub-categories, and hundreds of new attribute definitions
• Backwards compatibility without impacting item setup on older Spec versions
• Extra support for Walmart Fulfillment Services, with new item setup APIs for setting up a full WFS item or converting an existing MP item to WFS

Head to the Developer Portal to get the latest specs today.

Note – 3.2 Retiring will only impact Sellers directly integrated with Walmart API’s. Sellers Integrated with 3rd Party Solution Providers have no action at this time.

 

Migrate to new spec

Weekend Delivery options coming soon

Exciting news! Sellers will soon be able to update their shipping settings to enable Weekend Delivery options—and offer Saturday and/or Sunday transit and delivery to customers. By providing more accurate shipping information for orders, Weekend Delivery helps bridge the gap between estimated and actual delivery dates.

You can choose to opt in or opt out of the program through Developer Portal API or Seller Center. Those who are automatically opted in will receive more comprehensive information about the program via email. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.

Don’t forget! Upgrade to On-Request Reports before July 29

If you’re not already using On-Request Reports for all reports, now is the perfect time to get started! As a reminder, Pre-Generated Item Reports were decommissioned on June 30, and all remaining Pre-Generated Reports will be retired on July 29.

You can access the following information through On-Request Reports:

• Item Performance
• Cancellations
• Delivery Defects
• Buy Box Status

Start generating your next report today!

Ship Order Lines API updated—more shipping carriers available for selection

Sellers can now choose from an expanded list of shipping carriers when marking orders as “Shipped”. We’ve recently updated the Ship Order Lines API to reflect this change, adding a new schema for New Carriers.

With tracking supported through the subfield trackingInfo.CarrierName.Carrier, this means customers can see shipment status updates from more carriers, including:

• Metropolitan (Metropolitan Warehouse & Delivery)
• CN Post (China Post)
• YunExpress

Plus, additional carriers like YRC Freight and AIT Worldwide are expected to be added by the end of the month. We’ll have more updates coming soon!

Coming soon: Promotional pricing updates

Next month, we’re updating our requirements to qualify for strikethrough pricing and “Reduced Price” or “Clearance” flags. This is to enhance the promotional pricing experience on Walmart.com and help fulfill our Every Day Low Price (EDLP) promise to customers.

Here’s what’s changing:

• The “Was Price” will be validated by the item’s offer history or sales history. It will be defined as either:
  • The 90-day median price paid by customers for the item (excluding limited time deals or other promotional prices) on Walmart.com,
    OR
  • The median price offered by Walmart or Marketplace sellers for the item on Walmart.com for at least 28 out of the last 90 days (excluding limited time deals or other promotional offers).
• The submitted promotional price will need to be at least 10% lower than the “Was Price” to receive strikethrough pricing and a “Reduced Price” or “Clearance” flag.
• If you submit a normal price update and offer a price that is lower than the “Was Price”, strikethrough pricing will automatically apply.

Keep an eye out for more information coming soon!