Item Share FAQ

This page answers questions you may have regarding the Retail Link Item Share process. This information is subject to change as Walmart makes changes to Retail Link or the item share process. Check Retail Link for the current version.

Quick Jump

What Is Item Share?

Do I need to complete Item Share?

Where can the Item Share website be found?

Do I need Admin Access?

How often should I complete Item Share?

Where do I review previously submitted item requests?

Once an item is approved, where do I attach it to an Item Share?

Where do I start submitting new items?

Do I need to submit a new Item Share?

How do I submit a new Item Share?

I do not see my items. Where should I check first?

 

 

What Is Item Share?

Item Share allows a Supplier (known here as The Requestor) to be granted access to POS data for their products, as the distributor owns the item number, and is therefore not visible to the supplier. Access is granted by the distributor (known here as The Grantor), who is the vendor of record, and who owns the item data. Because Suppliers do not own the inventory going into the backdoor of the Walmart stores, this process provides a workaround for the supplier to see POS data.

 

Do I need to complete Item Share?

Supplier clients will continue to require their items be granted access via the Item Share process.

Supplier clients on Luminate Charter will need to contact Nielsen regarding any items for which they do not have visibility.

Distributor clients can use the Item Share app to grant your suppliers visibility to their products.

 

Where can the Item Share website be found?

Login to your Retail Link account and under the Apps section, you will find an app named Item Share.

 

Do I need Admin Access?

To be able to request Item Share, you will need to be added as an Item Share admin, which is not the same as a Retail Link admin user. A user with Item Share Admin access can give other users Admin access via the Assign Admin Users page.

 

How often should I complete Item Share?

It is recommended to update/review items for Item Share on a weekly basis (or more frequently based on mod resets) to submit any new and existing UPCs needing item access, and to review/approve previously submitted item requests.

 

Where do I review previously submitted item requests?

You can review previously submitted item requests under the Maintain Request page.

Select the Division, Country as Walmart.

Select the Request Status you are interested in. An explanation of each status is provided on the Walmart PDF. The most relevant will be Active, Pending for Supplier, and Pending for Both.

 

Active: Requests that are granted by the Grantor. When this option is selected, the Requestor will have the ability to revoke the granted access.

Pending for Supplier: Requests that are waiting for approval from a Walmart Supplier.

Pending for Both: Requests that are waiting for approval from both a Walmart Buyer and a Walmart Supplier.

Note: By clicking ‘View Items’ in each of these status views, the Requestor will be shown an additional screen with details about the request.

 

Once an item is approved, where do I attach it to an Item Share?

You can approve previously submitted item requests under the Maintain Item Share page. This allows you to attach approved items to any existing Item Share. (See also: Do I need to submit a new Item Share?)

  • For the Division, Country dropdown menu, select Walmart.
  • First, select the option for Without Cost, and select the existing Item Share from the dropdown menu.
  • If any approved items can be attached, they will appear at the bottom of the screen. Check the box next to the item(s) and click "Save Items'.
  • (Note) If there are no items which can be attached, nothing will appear at the bottom of the screen.
  • Next, select the option for With Cost, and select the existing Item Share from the dropdown menu.
  • If any approved items can be attached, they will appear at the bottom of the screen. Check the box next to the item(s) and click "Save Items'.
  • (Note) If there are no items which can be attached, nothing will appear at the bottom of the screen.

 

Where do I start submitting new items?

The first step is requesting access to the item on the Request Item Access page.

  • For the Division, Country dropdown menu, select Walmart.
  • For the Item Number Type dropdown menu, you can either select UPC, EAN number, or Walmart item number/SAM’S speed number.
  • For the Who you represent dropdown menu, select your appropriate vendor number.
  • In the Enter Items field, enter either the UPCs or EANs based on your previous selection. Type in (or copy/paste) the items with each item occupying one row. The UPC must be 13 digits and must not include the check digit. This field can process a maximum of 500 UPCs or EANs at a time.
  • For the Reason for Item Access dropdown menu, provide a reason you are requesting item access which will be viewed by the Grantor.
  • Click Next. The following screen will show any invalid items, or take you to the Confirm Request Items screen. If you have invalid items, you can go back and review/correct them, or you can proceed with only the valid items. On the Confirm Request Items screen, you can review the items and if everything is correct, select Request Access.

 

Do I need to submit a new Item Share?

You will only need to submit a new Item Share to create a new Item Share bucket, one with cost, and one without cost.

 

How do I submit a new Item Share?

See the previous topic: Do I need a new Item Share?

On the Maintain Item Share page, select the button for Create Item Share.

In the window that appears, enter the following:

  • A name for the new Item Share
  • The division and country (Walmart)
  • the division and country for which the Item Share was granted (Walmart)
  • select whether the item share was granted ‘With Cost’ or ‘Without Cost’ access
  • Click Save

 

I do not see my items. Where should I check first?

If you have submitted the item UPCs to request access, but do not see your items:

  • Make sure the UPC you have submitted was the 13-digit text UPC (without the check digit).
  • Check if the item is still in Pending status, meaning that it is not in Active status.
  • Make sure you have gone to the Maintenance screen and attached any approved item numbers to an Item Share bucket. Once this is done, it will require an overnight update to appear in your data.