Black Friday 2025: Walmart Marketplace Prep Guide

Black Friday 2025 lands on Friday, November 28, and for Walmart Marketplace sellers, this isn’t just another busy weekend - it’s a chance to reach millions of motivated buyers, strengthen your brand, and lock in Q4 profits. The key is preparation: aligning your listings, fulfillment, and operations well before shoppers flood the site.

Let’s dive into how you can do exactly that.                                                                                                                                            

Why Black Friday Matters For Walmart Sellers

In 2024, U.S. holiday retail sales reached $994 billion, driven by record online spending. Walmart.com captured a major share of that traffic as shoppers searched for deals on electronics, toys, apparel, and more.

With Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) continuing to expand and the Marketplace platform growing rapidly, 2025 offers even more opportunity - especially for sellers who prepare early and stay agile!

So What Does This Actually Mean For You? 

The sellers who thrive during Black Friday are the ones who stay consistent and prepare. Delivering fast, reliable fulfillment, high-quality listings, and exceptional customer experiences is essential for crushing sales. 

Here’s our advice for nailing that balance:

1. Fulfillment Standards: Speed and Reliability Win the Buy Box

Walmart’s performance metrics - particularly On-Time Delivery (OTD) and Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) - are vital to maintaining Buy Box eligibility and visibility.

Seller steps:

• Confirm carrier reliability early - Evaluate UPS, FedEx, USPS, and regional partners for coverage and delivery times.
• Use WFS strategically - Send fast-moving SKUs to WFS for higher visibility and 2-day delivery tags.
• Pre-load inventory - Make sure WFS shipments arrive by early November to avoid backlog.
• Have a self-fulfillment backup - Keep packaging supplies, labels, and carrier pickups ready to ship immediately if needed.

2. Listing Optimization: Visibility Starts with Quality!

Your listings act as your storefront, and Walmart’s search algorithm rewards complete, mobile-optimized listings that inspire trust.

Seller steps:

• Update product titles and bullets - Include seasonal and value-driven keywords such as “holiday deal,” “2-day shipping,” or “gift idea.”
• Upgrade visuals - Add clear product images and one or two lifestyle photos to showcase use and scale.
• Use Walmart’s Listing Quality Dashboard - Fix missing attributes, duplicate listings, or image warnings as soon as they appear.
• Optimize for mobile - Ensure text is scannable and images are high-resolution (more than half of Walmart traffic now comes from mobile!)

Pro Tip: Regularly check the “Growth Opportunities” section in Seller Center to see exactly how Walmart ranks your listing quality.

3. Fulfillment Strategy: Combine WFS Strength with Seller Flexibility

With any arbitrage business, relying solely on one fulfillment model can create risk during the holiday surge. A balanced approach, like using both WFS and self-fulfillment, helps you maintain control.

Seller steps:

• Split inventory smartly - Assign high-volume products to WFS and retain a smaller reserve for self-fulfillment.
• Monitor inbound progress - During peak season, track WFS check-in status daily.
• Prepare for capacity limits - If warehouse space tightens, pivot quickly to fulfilling orders in-house.
• Maintain performance reporting - Keep OTD above 90 % and VTR above 99 % to preserve visibility and seller health.

What to Stock Up On This Year

Certain product categories historically outperform others during the week around Black Friday - focus your resources where shopper intent is strongest!

• Electronics & Accessories - Strong search volume and conversion rates.
• Toys & Games - Consistent holiday demand; restock regularly.
• Apparel & Personal Care - Solid repeat-buy potential.
• Home & Kitchen - Growing interest among younger shoppers and new homeowners.

Pro Tip: Use data, not hunches! Compare past-year pricing and demand trends before over-ordering.

The  Timeline (Late October → Cyber Week)

Late October  To Early November: Lock In Readiness

• Complete WFS inbound shipments.
• Audit listings for accuracy and seasonal keywords.
• Prepare packaging and shipping supplies.
• Test carrier transit times and tracking uploads.

Mid November: Fine-Tune and Replenish

• Automate repricing and set rule-based markdowns.
• Restock fast movers before Thanksgiving week.
• Launch coupons and limited-time bundles to improve click-through rates.
• Check performance metrics twice weekly to catch early issues.

Thanksgiving Week (Nov 24–28): Peak Execution

• Keep dashboards open throughout each day.
• Verify every tracking number uploads correctly.
• Maintain open communication with customers for timely support.
• Extend promotions through Cyber Monday for maximum visibility.

Cyber Week (Nov 29–Dec 2): Keep Momentum Strong

• Monitor inventory levels closely and replenish where possible.
• Use pricing data to optimize for post-Cyber Monday traffic.
• Begin preparing your early-December marketing and ad campaigns.

Pricing & Promotion Strategies That Deliver Results

Smart pricing and creative promotions separate strong sellers from everyone else!

Seller steps:

• Bundle intelligently - Offer giftable combinations (e.g., “2-pack holiday set” or “bundle and save”).
• Plan category-specific discounts - For a start, try: Electronics 20–30 %; Toys 15–25 %; Apparel 10–20 % and adjust as needed.
• Test different price points - Use Walmart’s automatic repricer or WAMP’s profit calculator feature.
• Account for returns - The extended holiday return period means your true margin is realized later - plan a 5 to 10 % cushion.

Smarter Sourcing with SellerAmp’s New WAMP Sourcing Tool

In 2025, Walmart sellers finally have access to the same kind of precision data that transformed Amazon arbitrage -thanks to SellerAmp’s WAMP. 

Using Bizmetrica's powerful analytics capabilities, WAMP brings together profitability insights, competition analytics, and demand forecasting to help you make faster, data-driven sourcing decisions!

How to integrate WAMP into your prep:

1. Run weekly profitability scans for potential Q4 products.
2. Compare SKU performance under three price models - regular, Black Friday, and clearance.
3. Use WAMP’s historical charts to spot early-season pricing windows and ideal reorder points.

Want to see how your product might perform on Walmart?

Tools like our brand new product WAMP give you sales estimates, profitability insights, and keyword demand - so you’re not guessing, you’re growing!