How Many Products Does Walmart Sell in 2024? An In-Depth Look at Retail‘s Product Leader
Walmart‘s product catalog has expanded dramatically over the past 5 years across channels, now totaling over 200 million SKUs sold in stores and online in 2024. Propelled by massive investments in supply chain and ecommerce, Walmart aims to be the one-stop destination for all shopping needs.
But with an average store carrying 120,000 products and online selection continuing to balloon – how does Walmart make good on the promise to put anything you want in your shopping cart?
Walmart‘s Supply Chain Juggles Over 200 Million Products Per Year
Unlike Amazon‘s sprawling marketplace, over 90% of products sold by Walmart are owned and shipped by the retailer itself – demonstrating unmatched supply chain prowess.
| Year | Total SKUs Sold | % Growth Year Over Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 78 million | – |
| 2021 | 160 million | +105% |
| 2023 | >200 million | +25% |
To keep over 200 million products flowing to store shelves and customer doorsteps, Walmart relies on:
- 100,000 suppliers globally connected through vendor management inventory (VMI) and cloud analytics
- 150+ dedicated distribution centers leveraging algorithms to position items regionally
- AI-assisted buying to predictively stock and price items for sell-through
Combined with retail store networks and growing ecommerce demand, Walmart sells over 3 billion units per week.
The key distribution metrics driving this fast product velocity include:
- 50% average sell-through rate of store shelf inventory per week
- 7-day average days-in-inventory across categories
- ~2 day delivery time for online orders with 80% of population in next-day range
So while Walmart lists over 200 million products available for sale, category and inventory management ensures the most relevant items ship quickly at high volumes.
Top Selling Departments: Groceries, Consumables, eCommerce
Diving deeper into Walmart‘s top sales drivers:
Food and consumables lead the way with the highest inventory turnover both in-store and online. Bananas rank #1 by volume – an inexpensive but often-purchased essential.
Grocery pickup surpassed 1 billion transactions in 2021, enabled by cold storage supply chain operations locating fresh items closer to customers.
Consumables categories like paper goods, beauty, pet, and cleaning supplies are stocked in smaller packages with entire endcaps devoted per product line.
Snacks and beverages make up central aisles at eye level while fresh departments like butcher, bakery, and produce anchor store peripheries with high margins.
In general merchandise, electronics and media lead growth alongside children‘s categories like toys and apparel as big seasonal sales drivers:
- Over 1,800 items across electronics inventory – one of the largest assortments among retailers
- 700 new toy SKUs added per year on average to tap into latest trends
- Private labels in kids, baby, and fashion balance price and quality
And Walmart‘s ecommerce channels now drive substantial digital-only growth:
- 160 million SKUs available online only as endless aisles expand
- 600 million+ items from third-party Marketplace sellers further extend assortment into niche categories
With omni-channel initiatives seamlessly combining stores and digital properties under the same Walmart banner – product selection widens into long-tail niches while supply chain innovations solve last-mile distribution challenges at scale.
Analyzing Top SKUs Reveals Inventories Optimized for Value, Convenience
Looking closer at individual bestselling items reveals careful assortment planning and strategic partnerships maximizing value.
In electronics, volume drivers include:
Roku streaming devices (8 SKUs)- Exclusive retail partnership
Onn. budget tablets and audio (14 SKUs) – Owned Walmart private label
HP laptops (31 models & configurations) – Market leader with negotiated supply terms
For pantry staples, top everyday low price heroes encompass:
Great Value white sugar (4 sizes) – #1 private label in dry grocery capturing budget buyers
Folgers coffee containers (8 variants) – High household penetration
Hunt‘s canned tomatoes (6 SKUs) Most popular nationally branded tomato product
Across categories, analytics help identify the highest value item architectures for Walmart‘s needs – balancing regional preferences, price points, unit sizes, and packaging formats optimized for convenience.
Keen merchandising keeps customers returning as product assortment remains fine-tuned to local demand.
Scale Allows Walmart to Compete Aggressively on Price and Availability
Given unrelenting focus on EDLP (everyday low prices) pricing – how does Walmart secure strong margins selling 200+ million lower-cost products?
The answer lies in strategic relations with suppliers and economies of scale around distribution.
As the #1 retailer by sales, Walmart‘s sheer size delivers unmatched negotiating power over vendors. Retail analytics inform life cycle cost management across massive SKU catalogs – guiding cooperative supplier terms to help achieve ~30% gross margin targets.
Simultaneously, invested capital spent on automation technology and predictive supply chain operations reduce overhead costs per unit.
For example:
- Automated warehouses can process 2x the items per day compared to manual
- Optimized truck loading fits 40% more pallets per journey
- Route optimization reduces miles traveled for the last mile
In total, operating expenses dwell below 20% of total sales.
Combined with mastering purchasing and movement of affordable goods – Walmart beats rivals on price while protecting profitability.
These efficiencies translate into winning market share from competitors:
| Retailer | 2022 US Grocery Market Share | Avg. Basket Size |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart | 25.5% | $54 |
| Kroger | 10.1% | $76 |
| Amazon | 9.6% | $60 |
| Albertsons | 8.8% | $112 |
Offering more products proves central to Walmart‘s growth playbook – supported by capabilities securing both value and convenience.
The Depth of Walmart‘s Product Catalog Drives Loyalty
With over 200 million SKUs spanning categories, price points, sizes, brands, labels, and specifications – Walmart empowers all shopping missions under one roof.
The ability to sell immense product volume through stores and online at low cost keeps Walmart atop the retail landscape even amidst increasing competition.
By investing billions into next-generation supply chain technology while innovating omni-channel inventory availability – Walmart shifts customer experience into high gear.
So next time you fill a basket with everything from fresh produce to a flat screen TV to pet supplies, appreciate the logistical symphony making it possible at everyday low prices!
