Connecting behind the scenes: James Smilkstein (Marketplace Team Lead)

A few seconds isn’t enough time to really learn about the people featured in our latest team video. So, we’re kicking off a series to meet these awesome associates. We call them associates rather than employees because Sam Walton wanted people who worked at Walmart to know that they had a stake in the business beyond just employment.

And as you’ll hear from James, that’s exactly the spirit he embraces being part of Walmart Connect’s journey to create a top advertising platform: “I’m part of something much larger.”

Hey James – tell us about your role at Walmart Connect.

I’m based out of our Hoboken, New Jersey office – where the video was filmed. I lead a sales team that works with Apparel Walmart Marketplace sellers to accelerate their business by leveraging advertising alongside all of our other ecosystem components, like Walmart Fulfillment Services. And the word ecosystem is key – I’m part of something much larger.?

How’s that? What does being part of something much larger mean to you?

Well, our team isn’t isolated. We’re not just the advertising arm or just a sales organization; Walmart Connect is part of a broader flywheel for Walmart. That means we’re strategically aligned with everything from Walmart Fulfillment Services to the merchant organization, which is the voice of customers and influence what shows up on shelves or online. I frequently touch base with all of these teams, just to make sure we're all marching in the same direction.?

Walmart is building out some really big bets that require all of these functions across the company to not just come together, but show up to our customers and our sellers together as one Walmart. It’s awesome to be part of that bigger story, and I still get to move quickly and be part of building something new here with Walmart Connect. It feels more like operating as part of a startup than as the Fortune One company.

That sounds like an oxymoron!

Not a lot of people understand that. It's easy to think of Walmart as a big, corporate, stagnant organization – that we clock in, clock out, do our duties. But it’s not like that at all. Walmart Connect is a startup within Walmart. And our Marketplace Walmart Connect sales team is less than a year old – so really, we’re a startup within a startup. We’re all here to build something new and explore what’s possible.

We have some of the brightest, most ambitious people in the entire industry here, and we have top-down leadership support. And we’re all working together to rapidly build out new products, processes and operations to help our business scale. That’s what’s amazing about our startup-style structure.

What were you doing prior to Walmart Connect?

I was in advertising sales – but I didn’t have retail media experience when I joined three plus years ago. Retail media was growing, and I was excited to learn. Joining Walmart Connect was an opportunity to do that. And with how quickly the business has been growing, I’ve also been able to grow as I learn. I started here as a Partner Manager for our first-party suppliers, then joined the net-new Marketplace sales team at the beginning of FY23 – that’s when I was promoted to Team Lead for Apparel. Both Walmart Connect and Marketplace are experiencing tremendous growth – it’s exciting to support both businesses.

What have you learned since joining Walmart Connect?

I knew how big Walmart is, but I don’t think I fully realized its scale – like all of our omnichannel touchpoints for customers or how many teams come together here. That’s the key to our success and many retailers are still learning how to do it across store-based teams and eCommerce.

But really, working at Walmart has taught me the power of mentorship – as both as mentor and mentee. I never had that in previous roles. While Walmart Connect offers mentorship programs, I’ve also developed organic relationships with associates across the company. That’s unlocked different ways of thinking and learning, like understanding others’ experiences, that have really pushed my own development and new areas of excellence.

What’s something about the business that might not be obvious?

First, we’re a people-first business. Walmart always says the customer is number one. As an employer, both Walmart and Walmart Connect really put people first – from our customers to our advertiser and partner relationships to our associates. And the people here really are a key differentiator for me, these are the people I want to be in meetings with every day.

Even though Walmart Connect has emerged as a retail media leader, I think people forget that we’re still pretty new to the scene – which speaks a lot to just how fast we’ve been growing and evolving. Other players in this space have enjoyed a head start of a decade or more. But when you look at where we are in year three?of bringing our business fully in-house – our trajectory is actually way ahead of where others were at the same point in their journey.?

I also think we fly under the radar a little at Walmart Connect, because it’s not in Walmart’s culture to boast too much. We're gaining really significant market share. We’re innovating industry-leading experiences, while leaning into core capabilities that others have had years to refine.

What’s next for your career path at Walmart Connect?

You know the phrase “we’re building the plane as we fly it?” Well, I like to say we're building the plane on the runway right now. ?We’re building and hiring like crazy, and the momentum we have is so energizing. Like with my own team, we’re still learning what’s possible with our ad offerings for Marketplace sellers. We have the opportunity to create real impact for our business, our third-party sellers, and our customers – because we’re making these ad experiences additive to their shopping journey.

So in five years, I’m expecting to look back and say, I remember being there on day one, and that’s a proud moment. ?And I can reflect on how I personally made an impact here.

Finally, what advice would you give to new associates at Walmart Connect?

“Be fascinated and not frustrated.” I can't take credit for that, I believe it came from our former VP of Sales. But I love that because when I first joined I was kind of overwhelmed. There's so many teams, products – there's so much to learn. So instead of getting frustrated, I flipped my mindset to become fascinated and think, wow, there’s so much going on here. This is so exciting. There’s all this growth, so many people I can meet and learn from.

Another phrase you’ll hear is, “Go slow to go fast.” This is about ensuring you have a solid foundation to build a strategic plan designed to accelerate the business while creating a positive impact. Because that’s our focus here. This isn’t just a job or a place to work, this is the place to build influence and be part of something.