Retail as an industry has always been one of change, and that rate of change has only been accelerated with the increasing importance of e-commerce in the retail industry. If history teaches us anything it is that those who are prepared to adapt and actively engage the changing retail ecosystem will thrive, while those who ignore change or attempt to cling to old ways of doing things will struggle. For retailers in the Walmart ecosystem a significant change is coming as part of what Walmart internally refers to as “Project Glass”. Under Project Glass, Walmart plans to merge Walmart.com and Walmart Grocery, oft referred to as online pickup and delivery (OPD), into a single website and app experience beginning July 31, 2021. This change will impact our clients and all Walmart suppliers in a number of ways.
Key Facts
The planned transition date of July 31, 2021 is currently delayed
This is a significant change
Dotcom and in-store items will compete in search results
Rich Media will not be available on the new platform until sometime in 2022
Merging Catalogs and Search Algorithms
Since inception, dot com and OPD operated independently and distinctly from one another. Based on a consumer’s selection they would search separate catalogs of items with each system using distinct search algorithms that were unique and separate, functioning with a distinct set of priorities based on the keyword query. Project Glass will combine all products into a single catalog, meaning dot com items will show up alongside OPD items, using a combination of the legacy search algorithms (plus some new measures thrown in) to rank unique assortments within the newly combined search grid.
What It Means for You
Your products search results are changing. Walmart.com items will now be competing head-to-head with in-store items for search rankings, and vise versa. Through our partnerships, we are seeing items that are in the top 10 today will move outside of the top 128 once Project Glass rolls out.
How We Can Help
Despite all the changes coming via Project Glass high-quality content is still key to winning organic search and SEO optimized content is even more critical to moving your portfolio to the top of search results. The Woodridge Retail Group’s team is experts at elevating brands above the pack, optimizing content to win organic search, and growing your e-commerce business. To stay ahead of the ever-changing game, contact us today for a free evaluation of your e-commerce portfolio.