What Is Walmart’s Open Call 2025?
Walmart’s annual Open Call event is a manufacturer‑sourcing forum that enables qualified small and medium‑sized businesses to pitch shelf‑ready products direct to Walmart and Sam’s Club merchants.
Hosted in Bentonville, Arkansas, the 2025 edition brings the opportunity for entrepreneurs to secure a “Golden Ticket” and join Walmart’s supply chain.
Key Supplier Takeaways from the Q&A with Jeff Clapper
In a “Three‑Minute Thursdays” segment by 8th & Walton, Jeff Clapper shared actionable insights for suppliers preparing for this year’s Open Call:
- Be shelf‑ready: Highlighting the strict requirement for products already UPC‑coded and packaged for immediate shelf placement.
- Demonstrate unique positioning: Suppliers should emphasize how their product fills a genuine gap in Walmart’s assortment—showing clear differentiation and value.
- Familiarize yourself with Walmart’s media and digital ecosystem: Clapper advised suppliers to build competency with platforms like Walmart Connect and refine online content ahead of AI‑driven discovery shifts.
- Survey the store environment: Suppliers are encouraged to visit multiple Walmart locations to evaluate shelf space, category gaps and compare their product logic in‑store.
Strategic Implications for Omnichannel Suppliers
From an omnichannel vantage point—especially in the Walmart ecosystem headquartered in Bentonville—this guidance underscores the need for alignment across physical shelf presence, digital readiness, and supplier agility.
Suppliers who can bridge in‑store shelf logic, e‑commerce expectations and the growing media‑retail convergence are well‑positioned to succeed in Open Call and beyond.
