Walmart Names Winners of “Get on the Shelf” Contest

Walmart has selected the final winners of its Get on the Shelf contest, in which more than 4,000 inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses from across the country submitted videos showcasing their products for the opportunity to be carried at Walmart.com and in Walmart U.S. stores.

“Get on the Shelf has brought out the best in American ingenuity and creativity with products that are clever, fun and useful,” said Joel Anderson, president and CEO of Walmart.com. “The three winners demonstrated a deep passion, incredible imagination, and sheer persistence in their journey. We congratulate them and are proud to carry their products at Walmart.”

Submissions included products ranging from household wares and children’s toys to organic food and green items. Over one million votes were cast by the public for the top products, and the winners are HumanKind Water, PlateTopper and SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit.

HumanKind Water, a bottled water company that gives 100 percent of its net profits towards clean drinking water for underdeveloped communities worldwide, was the Grand Prize winner. PlateTopper, a kitchen product that transforms dinner plates into airtight food storage containers, came in second. SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit, a screw kit to fix glasses in 30 seconds, took third place. All three products will be available on Walmart.com and HumanKind Water will also be on physical shelves in select Walmart U.S. stores soon.

Throughout the contest, the winning inventors went the distance to market their participation. Humankind Water transformed its homepage into a “war room” completely dedicated to getting votes. PlateTopper deployed humorous videos and social marketing tactics to raise visibility, including a YouTube video, which has been viewed more than two million times. Nancy of SnapIt even went to the NBC Today Show’s plaza in New York where her assistant dressed as a giant screw and was seen on national television with a sign asking for votes.

Get on the Shelf, a program from @WalmartLabs, launched in January of this year where contestants sent in videos of their latest inventions to be voted on by the public. In the first 24 hours of the contest voting, which began March 7, nearly 95 percent of the participants received a vote via Facebook or text. The top five product categories were home improvement, personalized products, health/wellness/fitness, fashion apparel/home and outdoor home.