Sam’s Club Member Access Platform Adds New Features

Retailer also shares data showing significant results for omnichannel advertisers

7/18/2023

In response to increased demand from suppliers, Sam's Club is ramping up its investments in search and sponsored products offerings.

Following the success of in-club attribution for search and product ads on its Member Access Platform (MAP), Sam’s Club has rolled out additional design, targeting and usability features for its omnichannel advertisers on the platform.

In response to increased demand from suppliers, the retailer is ramping up its investments in search and sponsored products offerings. This includes the rollout of new enhancements to its Brand Amplifier to create additional touchpoints along the shopping journey:

Design: An improved look and feel, optimized for ease of use and flexibility, enabling advertisers to spotlight hero products or new offerings.
User experience: Enhanced features allow members to add products to their carts directly from the ad.
Targeting: The ability to target category or “browse pages,” along with previously available search and keyword targeting.

With in-club attribution, advertisers can see exactly what revenue is generated by which ads, demonstrating measurable return on ad spend (ROAS) for omnichannel campaigns. Sam’s Club is among the first retail media platforms to connect search and sponsored product ads to offline sales. For Club MAP advertisers, overall ROAS has risen by an average of nearly 30% since in-club sales were added to the attribution mix, according to the retailer.

“Sam’s Club MAP sponsored products, in-club attribution and moments like Sam’s Club’s 40th birthday celebration enable us to meet members where they shop throughout their omnichannel journey,” said Bryan Reidy, VP of sales at White Plains, N.Y.-based Danone. “During our recent campaign, we were thrilled to see sales grow around 35%.”

The insights gleaned through in-club attribution can enhance the entire ecosystem by delivering real-time, first-party data for understanding purchases across all channels, Sam’s Club noted.

Sam’s Club, a division of Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart Inc., operates nearly 600 clubs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Walmart operates more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 20 countries. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, while Sam’s Club is No. 8. PG also named Walmart one of its Retailers of the Century.