Walmart just launched its marketplace. Is this the Q4 solution to the de minimis chaos?

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Q4 greeting to 9,034 Shopify hustlers! 👋

Ada here, back with another bite-sized playbook to help you boost sales by 1% this week

Here’s what we’ve got in today’s edition:

• Walmart’s global marketplace push (can it save you from the shipping crisis?)

• Growth hack: static ads that actually sell

• Challenge: stack static ads for Q4

• Ecom trend: sodium-ion batteries

Let’s dive in:

🏬 Walmart Marketplace… Lifeline for Sellers After De Minimis Ends?

The recent fallout from ending de minimis has been brutal according to NBC:

Royal Mail (UK), Canada Post, Mexico’s postal service, Australia Post, and others suspended U.S.-bound shipments, Etsy stopped processing orders shipped via major foreign carriers, and eBay has warned sellers they’ll need alternative U.S. shipping solutions.

But it looks like sellers are turning to Amazon-style marketplaces as a possible solution to this… as in the same time frame, we’ve also discussed Best Buy’s marketplace launch.

As at today, we’re hearing that Walmart is actively inviting U.K. and European sellers to its platform with full access to U.S., Canadian, Mexican, and Chilean customers.  They’re offering Walmart fulfillment services (two-day U.S. shipping) and growth tools to streamline ops, run promos, and boost visibility.

On the subject of marketplaces, if you sell on Amazon, now’s a good time to sharpen your saw and get your Amazon listings audited by an actual person.

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This is all being unveiled in its Seller Summit in London (Sept 9, 2025). My question is: are these marketplaces positioning as an alternative solution for sellers hit by increased import duties? As a non-US seller, will you happily trade higher import duties for 2-day shipping to your US customers or is it just not worth it?

Growth Hack: Fast track sales by testing more, higher quality static ads.

This ad has been running since 17th May 2022… because it’s printing. Evidence #43537 that you don’t need to pour days/weeks into creating 1 video creative for testing.

Static ads take significantly less time to create (compared to video) and test. Here’s how to make winning static image ads for Facebook that you can test quickly.

1. Stop blending in
Bad ads: polished design + weak headline.
Good ads: bold text + clear USP + psychological pull.

2. Promise the transformation, not the product
Notice how the first thing you see isn’t the supplement bottle.. it’s the shredded physique. The product is secondary. They’re selling the end state, not the capsule itself

3. Remember the hook
The headline: “Everything you need to get shredded. All in one bottle.”
It’s simple, direct, and kills objections (no need to stack multiple products)

4. Use Visual Authority
Instead of a lifestyle beach shot, they went straight for a bodybuilder physique. That image alone screams: “This works.” For supplements, fitness, or beauty, aspirational visuals crush polished product shots.

6. Trim the fat
Shorter = stronger.
“Men’s polos for all body types” > “A men’s polo that’s made for all body types.”

Weekly Challenge: Create static ads to test

This week’s 60-minute challenge:

Challenge yourself: Create 10 killer static creatives to test in Q4. Speed up the process using Design Pickle (just copy/paste the growth hack section above as your instructions). Test them faster than your competition.

Trend: Sodium-Ion Batteries

Lithium’s days at the top may be numbered as sodium-ion batteries are emerging as the cheaper, safer, and greener alternative.

That’s because sodium-ion batteries are up to 30% cheaper than lithium-ion, they are already used in EVs + renewable storage and are projected to hit $1.8B market size by 2032

How Shopify sellers can cash in:

1. Content-first angle: Start a blog/YouTube reviewing “next-gen energy tech.” Monetize with affiliate links to early sodium-ion gadgets.

2. Complementary products: Sell accessories for EVs, solar setups, and off-grid energy storage (chargers, power inverters, battery cases).

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That’s a wrap!

This week, whether you’re testing a new ad format or prepping for Walmart Marketplace, remember: every 1% improvement stacks.

Keep it scrappy,
Ada

P.S. Got hit by the de minimis shipping chaos? Reply and tell me how you’re adapting. Might feature your story next week 👀