Walmart announced that their AS2 data feeds (i.e., Retail Link) for the U.S. will be replaced by their new Walmart Scintilla system. Scintilla has two packages: Walmart Scintilla Basic and Walmart Scintilla Charter. At Retail Velocity, we are seeing many consumer goods companies moving to Walmart Basic immediately—i.e., by May 2024. Walmart Scintilla Basic is a different schema than Retail Link, requiring many companies to migrate to this new platform. Fortunately, for Retail Velocity clients, we have built and successfully tested the Scintilla Basic data adaptor. Although slightly cumbersome, it’s not overwhelming for most companies.
Due to its high configurability, Walmart Scintilla Charter requires deeper consideration and for many the associated Walmart costs are significant. Not only are there higher fees from Walmart, but Scintilla Charter also has many subcomponents requiring individual configurations, thus, there will be more time required by you and RV to determine the exact configuration needs and efforts required.
Please be aware that “one size does not fit all”— we have seen where clients need one, two, or even four different data adaptors to properly receive their data from Walmart. The robustness of the available data from Walmart is significantly greater, and many consumer goods companies are finding it worthwhile to utilize Scintilla.
VELOCITY®, our industry-leading retail data platform, is more than likely required for those brands who want to see their other retailers’ data combined with Walmart’s data.
So far, Scintilla is only for the U.S. market, therefore, you may need Scintilla AND Retail Link for your business. If you need to receive Scintilla data, Retail Velocity is equipped and available to assist you in your data collection and harmonization processes.
To discuss specifics related to maximizing the usefulness of Walmart Scintilla, please contact Retail Velocity CEO John Rossi at john.rossi@retailvelocity.com.