Ecommerce Innovators Podcast - How Walmart Fulfillment Services is Upping the Marketplace Game

Episode: 5 Guest: Laura Cusson, Senior Account and Program Manager at WFS

Join us for Ecommerce Innovators, a podcast that brings together the brightest minds in the industry to explore innovative strategies and trends in global ecommerce. We'll analyze what top brands are doing to accelerate their online success and you’ll hear from top executives who are changing the game for their organizations. Our host is John LeBaron, Chief Revenue Officer at Pattern—the premier partner for global ecommerce acceleration.

 Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Laura Cusson, Senior Account and Program Manager at Walmart Fulfillment Services, talks about growth and innovation at WFS. In this conversation, she explains the competencies WFS has developed, the WFS differentiators, misconceptions about WFS and Walmart, and the future of WFS.  She shares her perspective about the culture of innovation and how COVID has impacted her current role and WFS.

Ecommerce Innovators Episode Synopsis

00:49 Walmart Fulfillment Services 03:25 Laura’s background 07:19 Successes and mistakes 09:39 Developing competencies 12:10 WFS differentiators 14:55 Misconceptions about WFS and Walmart 17:30 Innovation at Walmart 21:19 COVID’s impact on Walmart 22:58 WFS looking ahead 24:31 The long-term viability of the WFS model 28:01 Laura’s advice

Here are some things we learned from Laura Cusson:

Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) truly is a partnership with sellers. WFS depends on sellers to provide amazing inventory, and sellers rely on WFS to fulfill for customers. As Walmart scales and continues to grow, they expanded their sellers support system because some accounts need a lot more high-touch and high-effort to succeed, while other accounts may not want as much help. This partnership mentality allows for sellers to get the most out of selling through WFS, while benefiting from the support provided. WFS is not just another platform – it is a service. ‍

WFS can be considered a “startup within Walmart”. Having a young and entrepreneurial spirit, WFS looks at ways to innovate Walmart’s traditional operations.  Within the organization, WFS asks questions and analyzes processes in order to become more effective and impactful in the greater Walmart ecosystem. They push boundaries and have become a successful and competitive platform, which builds a great culture of innovation. Laura said that she doesn’t feel like there is a lot of red tape, which helps when making changes and creating culture.

‍Become a “Yes Person”. When Laura sees an opportunity, she likes to run to it. She approaches tasks with a positive attitude and puts in effort.  She checks in on projects regularly, asks for real-time feedback from managers, and seeks to understand the different situations going on around her. By saying yes to new opportunities, Laura is able to innovate in WFS and also grow more in her personal accomplishments.  

Listen to the full episode for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.