Taking care of Item Numbers and Product Ids on Walmart is a job in itself; however, it is necessary. Walmart Product Identifier or Walmart Product ID has a vital role in successfully publishing products on Walmart. Unclear information about the Product Identifiers on Walmart may result in errors in listings. The result of this may prove to be perilous for your e-commerce business. Incorrect Item numbers on Walmart may lead to increased customer complaints and order cancellations- a boon on your Seller Scorecard.
Walmart SKU number must be in alignment with a particular Walmart item ID. It helps Walmart differentiate the products quickly and identify sellers associated with different products.
What are Walmart Product Identifiers?
Walmart Product Identifiers are codes that are universally accepted. They are unique to each item that Walmart sells. Walmart Product ID acts as the Item Number on Walmart. It helps in identifying the items you sell on Walmart. Currently, Walmart accepts only four product IDs for publishing products successfully in the marketplace.
Acceptable Product Identifiers on Walmart
Walmart accepts the following four Product Identifiers:
1. Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)
GTIN is a globally accepted identifier for a product. It appears near the barcode on the packaging of the product. It is a 14 digits code used worldwide for general purposes. Businesses use them to identify the items that they sell.
2. Universal Product Code (UPC)
It is a 12 digits code used for general purposes, mainly in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. These are universally acceptable and unique. Companies apply to get a unique UPC for the products they want to sell.
3. International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
It is a product identifier used for books. ISBN was 10 digits code until 2006. From 2007 onwards, it is now 13 digits. They are machine-readable and universally accepted.
4. European Article Number (EAN)
It is a 13-digit GTIN used globally, except in the United States and Canada. This European Article Number also helps to differentiate products from one another.
Unacceptable Product Identifiers on Walmart
Walmart does not accept some identifiers, which are as follows:
1. Manufacturer Part Number (MPN)
The MPN is specific to a manufacturer and is not universal. It helps to differentiate products sold by different manufacturers. It serves the purpose of satisfying the customers as they inform about the product’s originality.
2. Model Number
It is a code that benefits the manufacturer. The model number helps distinguish products of the model series and is not universal. It is also easy for the customers to recognize the product distinction from other same model series products. Model Numbers help the sellers analyze and price, sell byproducts and support products, etc. It is not necessary for Walmart but should be a part of the Product Name itself.
Locating the Walmart Product Identifier
Walmart Product Id is located above or below the barcode on the packing of the products.
Source: Walmart Knowledgebase
The ISBN of the above product is 9780618640157.
Walmart Product Identifier for Manufacturers
In case you are a manufacturer who makes handmade articles, non-branded items, jewelry, or customized products, and don’t have any Product ID, then, in that case, you have two options:
Option 1: You can purchase a product ID. You can go through the detailed information on the GS-1 site regarding Product Identifiers. Always be careful while buying the product identifiers because there are cases where sellers buy product identifiers from a company, and product IDs provided by them get rejected by Walmart.
Option 2: You can request authorization to sell these items from Walmart by submitting a Walmart Seller Center case. To request for exemption, you can Create a Case for partner support by the following process:
Items > Item Setup > UPC Exemption Request
But this submission for exemption does not guarantee approval from Walmart. So, it’s better to go with option 1.
If Walmart accepts your exemption application and you get authorization to sell these products, set up your items using standard Bulk Item Setup templates. Select GTIN for Product ID Type in the template and enter CUSTOM for Product Identifier.
Source: Walmart Knowledgebase
Always remember that if you don’t get authorization to sell these items, setting the Product Identifier to CUSTOM will fail the Item Setup, and you will not be able to sell these items.
Important Points to remember
- Always use the Product Identifier for the original product while listing a product, not with the paired or compatible product.
Example: When selling a mobile phone, use an identifier for the single phone, not the battery.
For greater insight and clarity, ‘Manufacturing Part Number’ can be used for the compatible product with the description.
- If you sell a bundled item, use the product ID for the entire pack. Do not use product IDs for individual items.
Example: If you are selling soaps in a pack of 6, use product ID for the complete package instead of product IDs for individual soaps in the pack.
- If you sell customized items, use product IDs for the complete customized item. Do not use product IDs for individual items.
Example: If you sell an assembled computer, use product ID for the complete computer instead of product IDs of individual components(hard disk, RAM, etc.).
- Do not include spaces or dashes in your product IDs. Only use numbers in the product IDs.
To Sum Up
To publish Walmart products, allineate the products you sell with acceptable Walmart product identifiers. You can use GTIN, UPC, ISSN, or ISBN, as they are universal. Don’t use MPN or Model Number, or else you will see an error in your listings.
The practices mentioned above remove all the confusion; by adhering to Walmart guidelines and using the acceptable Walmart Product Identifiers, you can quickly publish products on Walmart. The product identifiers on Walmart speed up the selling process, as they are unique.